System in Assassin's Creed

Chapter 260: Chapter 259: The Trial of the Snake (2)

---Previously---

Hiruzen sat back, his gaze fixing on his former student kneeling in the pit.

”I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, hereby declare the start of the trial of the prisoner named Orochimaru, member of the Sannin, former Jonin of Konoha.”

---Now---

No one moved.

No one breathed too loudly.

The air in the subterranean chamber was stagnant, smelling of old stone and the metallic tang of fear. Chains etched with glowing sealing formulas bound the pale figure at the center of the pit. They were heavy, designed to suppress chakra to a trickle, yet Orochimaru stood upright regardless. His spine was straight, his golden eyes half-lidded, and his lips curled faintly as if the entire affair were a play put on for his amusement.

Whispers rippled through the gathered shinobi, clan heads, and civilian representatives like a nervous wind.

He was a monster. A legend. A Sannin.

But he had once been the Hokage’s student. The favorite.

Would Sarutobi truly condemn him to death? Or would the sentimental weakness that had plagued the Third’s reign interfere one last time?

Homura Mitokado rose from his seat beside the Hokage. His face was a mask of grim duty, his age showing in the deep lines around his mouth, but his posture was rigid. He cleared his throat, the sharp sound cutting through the tension like a blade.

”I, Homura Mitokado, elder of the council,” he announced, his voice projecting clearly to the back of the room, ”will now enter the criminal record of the defendant into the court.”

His eyes hardened as he looked directly down at Orochimaru.

”Name: Orochimaru. Status: Missing-nin, S-rank, formerly of Konohagakure. Recorded timeframe of criminal activity: approximately twenty years.”

A murmur spread through the chamber... twenty years. A generation of betrayal.

Homura did not pause. He opened the scroll in his hands.

”First Charge: High Treason against Konohagakure. Duration: twelve years.”

He struck his staff lightly against the floor to silence a gasp from the back.

”The defendant abandoned his post as a Leaf shinobi, severed all allegiance to the Hokage and village, and operated continuously as an enemy ninja state actor. He provided intelligence to hostile nations and compromised village security protocols.”

Several Jonin stationed near the walls clenched their fists, knuckles white against their gloves. To a soldier, desertion was the ultimate sin.

”Orochimaru defected after his involvement in illegal experimentation was discovered. He was officially classified as a missing-nin and continued hostile actions against the village thereafter.”

Homura’s voice was cold, stripped of any former camaraderie he might have held for the Sannin.

”Penalty under Konoha law: death.”

Orochimaru’s smile widened imperceptibly.

”Second Charge: Illegal Human Experimentation. Duration: fifteen years or more.”

The air in the chamber grew heavier, pressing down on the lungs of the uninitiated.

”Confirmed victims number between sixty and one hundred, with evidence from destroyed labs suggesting significantly more. Each experiment constitutes a separate felony.”

Gasps came from the civilian benches. A woman covered her mouth, her eyes watering.

”The defendant conducted non-consensual experimentation on civilians and shinobi alike. Subjects included children, prisoners of war, and individuals abducted from multiple nations.”

Homura did not soften his tone. He listed the horrors with clinical detachment.

”These experiments involved bodily modification, kekkei genkai implantation, immortality research, and the repeated use of forbidden techniques. Autopsy reports indicate that most subjects died in extreme physical distress.”

He paused, letting the weight of the suffering sink in.

”Penalty: death. Multiple times over.”

”Third Charge: Murder of Konohagakure shinobi and civilians.”

The word murder echoed, stark and ugly.

”Confirmed kills exceed one hundred. Each victim constitutes a separate count.”

Faces darkened throughout the chamber. The Clan Heads exchanged glances... they all knew someone who had vanished on a patrol near the border, never to be seen again.

”The dead include test subjects, Leaf shinobi assigned to guard or investigate his facilities, ANBU operatives sent to retrieve him, and prisoners executed after capture. Several bodies were reportedly reused for further experimentation.”

The silence afterward was thick and suffocating.

”Penalty: death.”

”Fourth Charge: Grave Robbing and Desecration of the Dead.”

Leaning against the wall in the shadows, Alaric Jonathan Kenway shook his head slowly. He took a long, thoughtful drag from his cigar, the smoke curling around his fingers.

’Grave robbing, man...’ Alaric thought, exhaling a thin stream of grey smoke. ’That’s too low. Even for a villain. Have some class.’

”The defendant stole corpses from battlefields and burial grounds, violating shinobi burial rites,” Homura continued, his jaw visibly tightening with personal disgust. ”These remains were used in experimental research, body-transfer techniques, and the development of forbidden jutsu.”

”Penalty: life imprisonment or death.”

”Fifth Charge: Development and Use of Forbidden Jutsu. Duration: fifteen years or more.”

Homura’s gaze flicked briefly to the Hokage, whose eyes were closed, before returning to Orochimaru.

”The defendant created, modified, and employed multiple kinjutsu explicitly banned by Hokage decree. He further disseminated these techniques to non-Konoha forces.”

He listed them clearly, each name striking a nerve.

”Edo Tensei. Living Corpse Reincarnation. The Curse Mark Technique.”

A sharp intake of breath echoed through the room.

”Edo Tensei alone is classified as a crime against the natural order, banned by the Second Hokage himself for its violation of the sanctity of the soul.”

”Penalty: death.”

”Sixth Charge: Kidnapping and Human Trafficking.”

The civilian representatives stiffened, their fear turning into protective anger.

”Victims number in the hundreds. Civilians and shinobi were abducted, transported across borders, and used or traded as experimental material. None have been returned.”

Several civilians looked ill. The idea of their neighbors, their friends, being spirited away to a lab was a nightmare made real.

”Penalty: death.”

”Seventh Charge: Illegal Military Force Creation.”

Homura’s voice rang through the chamber, gaining strength.

”The defendant founded an unrecognized shinobi force known as Otogakure without daimyo authorization. He raised abducted children as soldiers and used them as disposable assets and test subjects.”

The word children hung in the air, heavy with accusation.

”Penalty: death, and dissolution of the force.”

”Eighth Charge: Assault on a Jinchūriki.”

Naruto Uzumaki’s name was not spoken, but it rippled through the room in whispers nonetheless.

”During the Chūnin Exams, the defendant assaulted the host of the Nine-Tails and unlawfully tampered with the Eight Trigrams Seal placed by the Fourth Hokage.”

Homura’s staff struck stone again.

”This act endangered the host, the village, and regional stability.”

”Penalty: death.”

”Ninth Charge: Curse Marking of Sasuke Uchiha.”

The Uchiha name carried weight even now, years after the massacre.

”The defendant unlawfully modified a minor shinobi of Konohagakure. He subjected Sasuke Uchiha to psychological manipulation and physical corruption, with clear intent to later claim or abduct him.”

Fugaku’s empty seat felt louder than words.

”Penalty: death.”

”Tenth Charge: Conspiracy to Overthrow Konohagakure.”

Homura’s eyes narrowed into slits.

”The defendant conspired with rogue elements of Sunagakure, impersonated the Kazekage, orchestrated the Chūnin Exams invasion, and attempted to destabilize the village from within.”

Several shinobi bristled, hands twitching. The debris outside was still being cleared.

”This resulted in casualties and structural damage to the village.”

”Penalty: death.”

”Eleventh Charge: Attempted Regicide.”

Every eye turned to the Hokage. Hiruzen sat motionless, a statue of regret.

”The defendant directly engaged the Third Hokage in combat and attempted his assassination, employing forbidden techniques involving the First and Second Hokage.”

The chamber felt frozen. To kill a Kage was to kill the village’s soul.

”Penalty: death.”

Homura exhaled slowly, setting the scroll down.

”To summarize,” he said, his voice grave, ”the defendant has committed capital crimes spanning over twelve years. The total number of charges exceeds one hundred. Confirmed victims exceed one hundred.”

He turned toward Hiruzen, bowing slightly.

”The maximum sentence under Konoha law is execution.”

The chamber erupted... not in sound, but in emotion.

It was a psychic wave of hostility. Clan heads sat rigid, expressions carved from stone. Shinobi burned with restrained fury. The civilian representatives were pale, stunned into absolute silence by the sheer magnitude of the list.

At the center of it all, Orochimaru merely chuckled softly, the sound like dry leaves skittering on pavement. His golden eyes gleamed with a terrifying light.

And at the head of the chamber, the Third Hokage closed his eyes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his eyes.

They were old eyes, tired eyes, but they were sharp. The chamber stilled at once, deferring to the God of Shinobi.

”Orochimaru,” the Third Hokage said, his voice low, worn by years of command and regret. ”Before this council passes judgment... you will be given one opportunity to speak.”

Golden eyes lifted to meet the Hokage’s gaze.

”These will be your final words before sentencing.”

A pause.

Then Orochimaru laughed.

It was soft at first... quiet, almost polite. Then it stretched, thin and serpentine, echoing against the chamber walls. Several shinobi tensed, hands inching toward weapons, expecting a jutsu.

”Oho... final words?” Orochimaru mused, tilting his head until his neck cracked. ”How nostalgic.”

He looked around the room, unchained pride radiating from him despite the seals binding his body. He looked at the civilians, at the shinobi, at Alaric leaning against the wall.

”Very well, Sensei.”

His eyes slid back to Hiruzen... not with hatred, not even resentment... but with clinical curiosity.

”Let us not pretend I am surprised by any of this.”

He gestured vaguely with his bound hands, the chains rattling.

”Yes. I experimented on humans. Shinobi. Children. The dying. The strong.” His tone was light, conversational, as if discussing the weather. ”I dissected the limits of flesh, bent chakra beyond its natural design, and pursued immortality with methods you deemed... unpleasant.”

A few civilians flinched violently at the word unpleasant.

Orochimaru smiled wider, revealing teeth that seemed too sharp.

”And I would do it all again.”

A ripple of fury surged through the chamber. A Hyuga elder looked ready to activate his Byakugan.

”Because what you call crimes,” Orochimaru continued calmly, ”I call advancement.”

His eyes gleamed, fervent now.

”How many lives has medical ninjutsu saved since my research refined it? How many shinobi survive battlefield wounds that once guaranteed death because I mapped the chakra pathways more accurately than anyone before me?”

He leaned forward slightly, chains clinking taut.

”How many villages enjoy peace because Konoha’s power grew faster than theirs? Because our techniques were superior?”

Silence. Uncomfortable silence.

Then his gaze shifted. It moved past the Hokage, past the elders, and settled on the empty seat in the shadows.

”To be precise, however,” he said pleasantly, ”there is one detail this court seems eager to overlook.”

His eyes slid toward the shadowed corner of the chamber where Homura and Koharu sat.

”Danzo Shimura.”

The name landed like a thrown blade.

Murmurs erupted instantly. Several council members stiffened. Alaric smirked around his cigar.

”You see,” Orochimaru went on, enjoying the reaction, ”I did not work in secrecy. Not entirely.”

He chuckled, a low, rasping sound.

”I was authorized.”

Danzo wasn’t there to defend himself, but his ghost filled the room.

”The facilities you found?” Orochimaru said, mocking incredulity. ”Approved. Funded. Hidden beneath Root oversight. The ANBU Black Ops knew. Or at least, a faction of them did.”

He tilted his head.

”The subjects? Delivered. Classified. Labeled as expendable assets by your own administration.”

His eyes returned to the council at large, dissecting their hypocrisy.

”My research reports were submitted regularly. My results were praised. And when my methods became... inconveniently visible—”

He spread his hands as much as the chains allowed.

”—I was branded a traitor. A scapegoat for a village that loves power but hates the blood required to forge it.”

Several civilian representatives shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

Orochimaru noticed.

Oh, he noticed.

”And let us not forget,” he added smoothly, ”that many sitting here have benefited from my work.”

A few civilians went pale. A wealthy merchant dabbed sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand.

”Longer lifespans. Experimental treatments quietly approved by Root physicians. Enhanced prosthetics. Disease cures that did not exist before my research.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, amused.

”Isn’t that right?”

A bead of sweat ran down one representative’s temple. He looked away, refusing to meet the snake’s gaze.

”I never asked for forgiveness,” Orochimaru said, turning back to Hiruzen. ”And I certainly do not ask for mercy.”

His lips curved into something almost fond, a twisted parody of the student he once was.

”I merely find it fascinating that I stand here alone... while the system that used me still draws breath.”

He straightened, chains taut, looking every inch the Sannin.

”If you execute me, Sensei,” he said softly, his voice carrying a finality that chilled the room. ”You will not be killing evil.”

His golden eyes gleamed with conviction.

”You will be burying progress.”

The chamber was deathly silent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at his former student, the weight of decades pressing visibly upon his shoulders. He saw the boy who wanted to learn every jutsu. He saw the man who had lost his way.

And Orochimaru?

He smiled.

.

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