As countless people waited in restless anticipation, the day of Danzo's public execution by guillotine arrived.
Sunlight poured through the high windows of the Konoha Military Police Force hall, casting parallel bands across the stone floor. Dust drifted through the light, rising and falling.
The hall was packed.
People crowded both corridors. Some stood on tiptoe, some clutched the shoulders of those in front of them, and a few young ninja had climbed the pillars to crouch above the crowd.
Every eye was fixed on the three objects in the center of the hall.
Three Execution Blades.
They stood in a row from east to west. Their solid wooden frames were dark brown, coated with tung oil that gave them a muted sheen in the sunlight. A heavy crossbeam spanned the top of each frame, holding a blade in place.
The leftmost frame bore a carved dog's head. Its mouth hung slightly open, exposing its fangs, while the bronze ornament gleamed coldly in the light.
The middle frame bore a tiger's head. Its eyes bulged, its jaws gaped, and its fangs looked sharp enough to bite at any moment.
The rightmost frame bore a dragon's head. Its whiskers curled, its horns rose high, and its golden head shone so fiercely in the sunlight that it made the eyes ache.
All three blades were Iron-black, with a silver-white line along each edge, like moonlight drawn taut.
The crowd stared at the Three Execution Blades, their gazes shifting between the dog, tiger, and dragon heads. Some swallowed. Some clenched their fists. Others turned away, unable to look closely.
Using those things to execute someone was downright brutal!
Yongye sat upright on the raised platform.
His desk stood higher than before on an added wooden base, its surface covered in dark Kurenai velvet.