Susanoo!

"Silence!"

Mitokado Homura slapped the table.

The voices in the hall gradually died down.

The ninja was still standing, his face flushed red, his eyes fixed fiercely on Chiya.

"They died protecting the village! What right do you have to claim they came to kill you?"

Chiya looked at him.

"I'm stating the facts."

The ninja sneered.

"Facts? The facts are that their blood covered the ground! Seventeen people, not a single survivor!"

As he spoke, he pointed at Chiya.

"Chiya Uchiha, they were outside the venue protecting everyone and maintaining order. You killed them!"

"Bullshit!"

Naruto shot to his feet.

"Chiya isn't that kind of person!"

Mitokado Homura frowned.

"Sit down."

Naruto still wanted to speak, but Sakura tugged at him.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto sat back down indignantly.

Mitokado Homura looked back at Chiya.

"Chiya Uchiha, you claim those ninja came to kill you, but they were sent by Advisor Danzo to protect the venue. What evidence do you have that they intended to kill you?"

Chiya raised his eyes toward Danzo.

Danzo sat at one of the side seats, one hand resting on his cane, his expression calm.

Chiya let out a cold laugh.

"Evidence?"

He raised his cuffed hands.

"I was nearly killed by them, and Miss Ino nearly died at their hands. Isn't that evidence enough?"

The ninja slammed the table again and rose to his feet.

"Nonsense!"

The man said harshly, "Based on the situation at the scene, those ninja fought you to stop you from harming Miss Ino Yamanaka! After you killed them, your chakra was exhausted and you collapsed. Kakashi only arrived later and brought you back!"

"Bastard!"

Naruto stood up again.

Sakura became anxious as well.

"You can't just make things up! How could Chiya possibly be that kind of person?"

This time, Sasuke stepped forward.

He did not say a word, but his gaze was terrifyingly cold.

Kakashi reached out and stopped him.

"Let go," Sasuke said in a low voice.

"Sasuke! If you go over there now, you'll only make things worse for him."

The man looked at Naruto.

"You've all been deceived by him. Tell me, why didn't he go after Gaara with you?"

Naruto froze for a moment.

The man continued.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Team 7 was supposed to act together, wasn't it? So why didn't he go with you?"

Naruto opened his mouth.

"That was because... because..."

He got stuck.

The man snorted coldly.

"Because he couldn't leave the venue. He was helping Orochimaru create chaos!"

"Bullshit!"

Naruto shouted until his voice turned hoarse.

Sakura's eyes reddened too.

"Chiya isn't that kind of person!"

The man looked at her.

"Sakura Haruno, this hearing is not about whether you believe him or not."

Standing in the defendant's seat, Chiya watched the scene and suddenly laughed.

Mitokado Homura looked at him.

"What are you laughing at?"

Chiya lifted his head.

"I'm laughing at how well you people can fabricate things."

His gaze swept over Mitokado Homura before settling on Danzo.

"I stayed at the venue to stabilize the situation and protect everyone alongside Kakashi-sensei. Those seventeen people came after me. Kakashi-sensei can testify to that."

Everyone immediately turned to look at Kakashi.

Kakashi stood up.

"I can testify that after the battle began, Chiya remained by my side and did not harm anyone. Then a group of ninja suddenly appeared. One group held me back, while another chased Chiya out of the venue."

The ninja immediately asked, "And then?"

Kakashi looked at him.

The man continued, "After Chiya Uchiha left your sight, did you personally see what he did?"

Kakashi fell silent.

The hall abruptly went quiet.

The man sneered.

"You didn't see it." He turned toward Mitokado Homura and continued, "That means Kakashi can only prove that Chiya Uchiha left the venue. As for whether he was pursued and attacked after leaving, or deliberately evaded surveillance to create chaos, Kakashi does not know."

The ninja did not stop there.

Sakura bit her lip, her face turning pale.

Just then, Ino suddenly gripped the armrest of her wheelchair and struggled to stand.

Inoichi Yamanaka's expression changed.

"Ino!"

Ino's face was pale, and her body was still trembling, but she managed to remain standing.

"I can testify."

The audience instantly fell silent, everyone looking at the frail girl.

Ino looked at Mitokado Homura. Her voice was soft, yet clear.

"Those people came to kill Chiya. I saw it with my own eyes."

Chiya abruptly looked at her.

Ino did not look at him. Her gaze remained firmly fixed on Mitokado Homura.

Supporting herself on the wheelchair, she stood slightly hunched over. Her injuries clearly had not fully healed.

"I used the Mind Body Switch Technique to save him. Those people only attacked me after they discovered me."

The ninja sneered.

"Miss Ino Yamanaka, you have only just awakened from severe injuries. Your memory may not be clear."

Ino gritted her teeth, her emotions growing agitated.

"I remember very clearly!"

"Is that so?"

The man turned to face everyone.

"Everyone knows that the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan is particularly adept at casting genjutsu. Miss Ino Yamanaka, are you certain that everything you saw was real?"

Ino's face turned white.

"You..."

The man continued, "Is it possible that everything you remember was merely what Chiya Uchiha wanted you to see?"

Ino trembled with rage.

"You're lying!"

She wanted to continue, but Inoichi hurriedly pressed her back down.

Ino struggled briefly.

Inoichi lowered his voice.

"Stop talking. You're too agitated. If you keep going, your wounds will split open."

Tears instantly welled up in Ino's eyes.

She stared at Chiya's back ahead of her as tears streamed down her cheeks.

The murmurs in the hall grew louder and louder.

"Genjutsu?"

"No wonder. The Sharingan really is terrifying."

"The Uchiha Clan... back then, didn't they..."

"The Uchiha Clan really is evil."

"Shh, keep it down."

"What's there to keep down? There aren't any Uchiha left anyway."

Chiya laughed in fury. Very thorough preparations, Danzo. Just as expected.

He raised his head and looked at Danzo.

"You old dog!"

The hall fell deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned.

Chiya stood in shackles, his face pale, yet his eyes were frighteningly cold.

He pointed at Danzo. Even his other cuffed hand rose as he said, word by word, "Do you dare claim those ninja were sent by you to protect everyone?"

Danzo raised his eyes. He was neither angry nor defensive, merely looking calmly at Chiya.

"As a Konoha ninja who has inherited the Will of Fire, of course I would send people to protect the village and its citizens."

Chiya burst out laughing.

"The Will of Fire?"

Danzo said blandly, "Chiya Uchiha, anger cannot clear you of your crimes."

As those words fell, murmurs rose through the hall once more.

"Lord Danzo was trying to protect everyone."

"The people he sent out all died, and now he's being accused instead."

"This Uchiha is terrifying."

"As expected, all Uchiha are..."

Someone was the first to shout.

"Kill him!"

The cry was like a stone thrown into water.

Then more voices rose.

"Kill him!"

"Kill that traitor!"

"Make him pay for the dead ninja!"

Naruto abruptly stood up, his face flushed red.

"That's not what happened!"

His voice was drowned out by the crowd.

"That's not what happened! Chiya isn't a traitor!"

Sakura was so frantic that tears nearly fell from her eyes.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Sasuke suddenly charged forward.

Kakashi immediately wrapped an arm around him.

Sasuke's voice was icy and low.

"Move."

Kakashi held his shoulder, his arm tightening.

"If you go now, he'll really be finished."

Sasuke stared fixedly at the platform, his teeth grinding audibly.

Ino sat in her wheelchair, unable to stop her tears.

She did not understand.

She was clearly the one who had been saved.

Those people had clearly been trying to kill Chiya.

Why did no one believe her?

Why, as they kept talking, did Chiya become the one at fault?

Mitokado Homura slammed the table several times before the voices in the hall gradually died down.

At that moment, Danzo stood up.

The moment he rose, many gazes fell upon him.

Leaning on his cane, Danzo took several steps forward.

"The Third Hokage sacrificed himself for the village."

"He was my comrade and my brother. Konoha has just endured a disaster. What it needs most now is order."

As he spoke, he looked over the crowd.

"I will inherit the Will of Fire and continue protecting this village in Sarutobi's stead."

Someone in the crowd quietly voiced their agreement.

Before long, more and more voices joined in.

"Lord Danzo..."

"Thank goodness Lord Danzo is still here."

"The dead must be given an explanation."

Watching this, Chiya suddenly felt sick.

Danzo turned to look at Mitokado Homura.

With a grim expression, Mitokado Homura flipped through the documents before him.

"Based on the available evidence, Chiya Uchiha killed seventeen Konoha ninja during the Konoha Crush and is under serious suspicion of aiding Orochimaru in creating the chaos."

He paused.

"Given his young age and the need for further investigation, he will not be executed for the time being."

Someone immediately shouted from below.

"Death penalty!"

"He must be executed!"

"Kill him!"

Mitokado Homura frowned.

Danzo raised a hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

The voices in the hall gradually lowered.

Danzo said slowly, "Konoha will not lose its moral boundaries because of anger."

He looked at Chiya.

"Chiya Uchiha is still only a child. Even if he has committed grave crimes, he should be given a chance to reform."

Chiya looked at him.

Danzo's gaze was calm, revealing no emotion.

Mitokado Homura said, "Chiya Uchiha, effective immediately, you are stripped of the right to move freely. You will be placed under special custody and imprisoned for life."

Naruto's expression changed at once.

"What?!"

Sakura covered her mouth as tears immediately fell.

Sasuke suddenly struggled, but Kakashi held him down tightly.

Ino also struggled to stand, but Inoichi Yamanaka did not release his grip.

Danzo looked at the Anbu beside him.

"Take him away."

As soon as he spoke, the two Anbu ninja stepped forward to take him away.

Then Chiya suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Hahahahaha!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Everyone looked at him in surprise, and the two Anbu ninja stopped where they stood.

"You really went to great lengths." Chiya looked at Danzo. "I've learned something from you too."

"But do you really think you can take me away?"

With a crack, the handcuffs on his wrists shattered!

They were specially made handcuffs designed to suppress the flow of chakra, yet they had snapped with a mere tug!

Danzo's expression changed at once, and that nauseatingly placid look finally vanished.

"Hahahahaha! Since all of you want me dead, then none of you get to live!"

Suddenly, a violent surge of chakra erupted wildly from his body, whipping up gusts of wind throughout the hall.

Kakashi's expression changed sharply.

"This is...!"

"Chiya!"

The next instant, an enormous black-and-red skeleton slowly grew around him!

Susanoo!