"Orochimaru, do you admit your guilt?!"
The question came from Utatane Koharu, a Hokage Advisor and a member of the Konoha High Command.
As a student of the Second Generation, she was something of an old hand.
Orochimaru turned his head slightly, his gaze locking onto Gua in the crowd below.
Gua noticed Orochimaru's gaze, too, but he wasn't afraid in the slightest.
The whole of Konoha was here. Surely Orochimaru couldn't attack him?
Orochimaru gave Gua a faint smile, then answered Utatane Koharu's question in his hoarse voice.
"Please enlighten me."
"Were you the one who abducted those Konoha ninja?" Utatane Koharu demanded.
"Yes."
Orochimaru answered without hesitation.
Gua even wondered whether Orochimaru was trying to secure a lighter sentence.
"Were you the one who conducted human experiments?"
"Yes."
"Were you the one who stole the Hashirama cells?"
"Yes."
"Were you also the one who abducted Uchiha Gua, a six-year-old child from the Uchiha clan?"
"Yes."
Hearing Orochimaru confess so readily, the crowd below erupted into an uproar.
"I knew it! Orochimaru is no good!"
"He's done so many horrible things!"
"He's rotten to the core!"
Gua was utterly baffled, too.
This isn't the Orochimaru I know.
Come on, man. You're the villain who lasts through the entire series, and you're already confessing to everything in episode 32?
What's going on?
Are you turning over a new leaf?
"Then what else do you have to say for yourself?"
Utatane Koharu's voice was stern.
"As a student of the Third Generation, you committed such unconscionable acts! You've disgraced your teacher and brought shame upon him!"
Beside her, the Third Generation puffed on his pipe, smoke billowing around him as he glanced at Utatane Koharu.
He wanted to protect his beloved student.
Unfortunately, the Uchiha had made too much of a stir, and Fugaku refused to let the matter go, leaving the village no choice but to deal with Orochimaru.
On top of that, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and his old friend Shimura Danzō all wanted to use this to nail him to the pillar of shame. That was why they were holding this joint hearing for Orochimaru today.
He was old and useless now. Otherwise, he would never have let things reach this point.
Ah...
The Third Generation sighed inwardly.
But killing Orochimaru today... that's out of the question!
He had already worked out a plan with Orochimaru.
Let them nail me to the pillar of shame, then.
As long as he could save Orochimaru's life, it would be worth it.
The Third Generation had always believed that his beloved student Orochimaru would come around.
He was the student he had placed the greatest hopes in.
The Third Generation took a deep draw on his pipe and looked at Orochimaru, murmuring inwardly.
Orochimaru, please don't insist on going your own way.
Although they had already discussed everything, he knew Orochimaru's temperament better than anyone. An agreement didn't necessarily mean anything to him.
Seeing the hopeful look in his teacher's eyes, Orochimaru smiled faintly.
He spoke in his hoarse voice.
"I admit to everything you've accused me of. I'd like to know how you intend to punish me."
"How to punish you?"
Utatane Koharu's eyes shifted, and she looked to Mitokado Homura for help.
Danzo hadn't come today, so it was all up to the two of them. Neither had expected Orochimaru to confess so readily.
They had assumed Orochimaru would be furious, resentful, and full of excuses.
Then they would argue with him for ages before finally banging the gavel. "Take him back! We'll resume the hearing another day!"
Afterward, they would secretly negotiate terms with the Third Generation.
They hadn't intended to kill Orochimaru, either. After all, he was the Third Generation's most cherished student and one of Konoha's Sannin.
His standing and prestige were plain for all to see.
Who would kill him for no reason?
Today's proceedings were merely a show for the villagers.
They would go through the motions, then, once the terms were settled, give him a token punishment and let him go with barely a slap on the wrist.
Instead, Orochimaru offered no argument today. He simply opened his mouth and said,
"I admit my guilt!"
This...
It caught Utatane Koharu completely off guard. Beside her, Mitokado Homura frowned as he listened.
What on earth is this man saying?
Does he really not want to live anymore?
He's not even going to negotiate?
At least make a scene! Argue back! Shout a little and say you didn't do it, that it's all slander!
You could even sling some mud at the Uchiha.
Their reputation is already rotten anyway.
If you smeared them, we could use that to squeeze some concessions out of Fugaku and make the Uchiha back down a little.
Mitokado Homura gave no response.
Utatane Koharu found herself in a bind, too.
With so many villagers watching, how were they supposed to conduct this hearing when Orochimaru acted like this?
Every question got an "I did it!"
Every accusation got an "I admit my guilt!"
You don't actually think confessing will earn you leniency, do you?
Surely not?
Utatane Koharu's thoughts were in turmoil.
"How do you think you should be punished?"
She turned and threw the question back to Orochimaru. She refused to believe he would open his mouth and say, "I don't want to live anymore. Kill me."
Watching the exchange up above, Gua began to spot something fishy.
Having lived two lives, he understood a thing or two about how people operated.
Clearly, today was supposed to be nothing more than a formality. Orochimaru simply hadn't followed their script, which was why things had become so awkward.
By the looks of it, Orochimaru wasn't going to die.
Gua didn't have much of a reaction to that.
Who lived or died had little to do with him.
As long as they don't threaten me or my family, what the hell does it matter to me even if the entire shinobi world blows up?
Besides, this shinobi world's moral compass was downright deranged.
There were people who stuck explosive tags on their teacher's wife's baby's bottom for the sake of their crush, people who slaughtered their clan for the will of fire, people who spent ten years as rogue ninja before returning to the village as officials, and people who abducted masses of subjects for human experiments only to have their names cleared in the end...
With a world like this, there was no point expecting much fairness or justice.
Orochimaru hadn't gone too far yet. At this rate, he would probably have his name cleared on the spot.
Maybe he would down three drinks as a token apology later, then reinvent himself as Konoha's chief scientist.
On the platform, Orochimaru pondered for a long while before finally speaking.
"First of all, I don't believe what I did was wrong. The shinobi world needs more than ninjutsu. It needs science, too.
Science is the foundation of future development.
Second, even if I made a mistake from your perspective, it was merely a minor mistake any ninja who loves science would make. I only confined those ninja, drew their blood, and took samples of their muscle tissue. I never took their lives.
I even gave some of them unparalleled power. The test subjects all said their bodies had been strengthened to some extent. That is the power of science.
So I believe my contributions outweigh my faults."
As those words fell, the villagers below went silent all at once.
Even Gua was stunned.
Holy shit!
Orochimaru wasn't just a dab hand at scientific research. He was a dab hand at political sophistry, too.
Wait!
No, no!
Gua's gaze landed on the Third Generation, seated at the head of the proceedings. The old man had kept his pipe in his mouth without saying a word, but now a trace of a smile appeared on his lips.
Gua understood instantly.
So this teacher and student are just messing with Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura?
The corner of Gua's mouth twitched.
With those two working together, who in Konoha could possibly outplay them?
Utatane Koharu was so furious her head buzzed. She slammed her hand on the table and shouted,
"Orochimaru! You're spouting nonsense! By your logic, should Konoha award you a medal?!"
The corners of Orochimaru's mouth lifted slightly. "I certainly wouldn't mind."
Before you continue