{Read the notes at the end}
~~~
Yoru flipped through the diary slowly.
Now that the seal had been disabled, ink slowly began to rise on the pages, almost like it was bleeding back into existence. Entry after entry appeared before their eyes, lines written in clean, careful script, clearly Takeshi's.
Yoru read silently for a moment, then he finally looked up.
"Takeshi has confessed everything," he said calmly.
Everyone turned toward him.
"This diary, he created it as a failsafe. He feared he would be discarded once his usefulness ran out. So, he recorded everything."
He flipped to a few marked entries and placed the diary on the table.
"Every meeting, every letter, every instruction, this proves Takeshi was working under Minister Shunpei's direct orders. Including the raid on Shikeru's compound, the forged documents, and the manipulation of Minister Gendo's authority."
Homura narrowed his eyes.
"So it's solid."
Yoru nodded. "Yes. With this, we can prove Shunpei was the one orchestrating the framing of Shikeru."
Utakata, who had resumed testing the coins while Yoru was reading, finally raised his hand.
"I found the real one," he said.
He held up a single coin from the pouch, nearly identical to the others, but with the faintest shimmer of residual chakra.
"This is a true Ryuma-issued token," he confirmed.
Yoru glanced at it, then shook his head slightly.
"It's useful, but no longer necessary."
Homura nodded. "Yes. The diary is irrefutable."
Utakata placed the coin down, acknowledging that the written confession had taken precedence.
A few minutes later, the ANBU tasked with extracting Hitoshi returned.
The door opened, and Hitoshi stepped into the room, rubbing the back of his neck, looking a little ruffled, but completely fine.
Yugao immediately stepped forward, concern flashing in her eyes.
"Hitoshi!"
He responded like always. "I'm fine."
Homura raised an eyebrow. "You let yourself get captured?"
Hitoshi nodded. "They were coming for, I knew it before they even got close."
He continued, "I figured it would be a good chance to infiltrate Minister Shunpei's castle. So, I allowed myself to be knocked out."
He continued, "They used only a chakra-locking seal on the gate, not on me," Hitoshi explained. "They thought I was just a regular ninja, not an Aburame."
"While I was inside," Hitoshi continued, "I released a swarm of micro-insects into the structure. I scanned as much as I could before the ANBU came to extract me."
He reached into his cloak and pulled out a sealed scroll.
"This contains the information they recovered. There were traces of Shunpei's involvement with rogue shinobi, receipts and encoded contracts hidden inside the walls of a guest room. They even used altered ink contracts that linked rogue payments to Gendo's name."
Yoru's eyes sharpened. "Forged documents planted to redirect guilt."
Hitoshi nodded. "Exactly."
"There's also a map with encrypted routes marked, paths that match the merchant's original travel route, the one supposedly smuggling documents out of the country. These markings prove Shunpei knew the rogue shinobi were waiting."
Homura crossed his arms. "So, Shunpei coordinated the route, framed Gendo, and left just enough trace to cover his own involvement if things went wrong."
Yoru glanced down at the now-revealed diary, his voice low.
"Or maybe that was Ryuma's failsafe."
Juichi frowned. "You think the diary was planted, to shift the blame solely on Shunpei?"
"It's possible," Yoru said. "If Shunpei ever became a liability, Ryuma could sacrifice him to preserve the bigger picture."
Silence fell over the room.
Then Homura spoke, "Either way, we now have what we need. I will handle the rest."
~~~
Once all the information was reviewed, Homura stood and addressed everyone.
"We have all the evidence we need. There shouldn't be any problem in freeing Shikeru."
He paused.
"However, there is always an off chance that the Land of Iron does not acknowledge that their minister did anything wrong."
His eyes swept across the room.
"In case that happens, none of you," he looked directly at Juichi, "shall speak a word. I will handle everything on my own."
Ren blinked at how deliberately his father had been singled out, 'Just how bad is Dad's image in his eyes?'
Since everything was settled, Team 1, Juichi, and Utakata left the room, leaving Homura and Yoru behind.
Homura remained still for a moment, then asked, "What of the merchant?"
Yoru replied, "It won't affect the trial. I'll handle it as I see fit."
And with that, he flickered away.
~~~
It had been nine days since the messenger arrived in Konoha to deliver the message of Ambassador Shikeru's arrest and declare that his trial would take place on the tenth day.
Now, with one day remaining before the trial, Team 1 was officially free from mission duties. The rest of the work was in the hands of the negotiation team.
With nothing to do, Ren, Yugao, and Hitoshi spent their time loitering through the snowy streets of the Land of Iron, trying food stalls, wandering the marketplaces, and absorbing the unique atmosphere of a samurai nation.
~~~
Then, the tenth day arrived.
The day of the trial.
The venue was a solemn and imposing structure known as the Hall of Silent Accord, located in the heart of the Land of Iron, right next to the castle of General Commander Mifune.
The entire building felt like it was made to swallow people whole.
Thick steel walls, towering and unbreakable even at a glance, encircled the structure. At its entrance stood two massive samurai statues, each radiating an overwhelming presence.
Juichi pointed at them and spoke quietly to Ren.
"Those two? They were the strongest samurai in the history of the Land of Iron. There were even rumors that they could contend with Lord First and the Ghost of the Uchiha."
He looked around then chuckled. "Of course, nobody believed that. Everyone just thought the Land of Iron was trying to raise their own standing."
Ren nodded. It did sound a little far-fetched.
"But" Juichi continued, "people are still willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Do you know why?"
Ren shook his head.
"Because those two statues are made entirely out of chakra metal."
Ren's eyes widened in disbelief. He looked at the sheer size of the statues, each must have weighed thousands of kilograms.
Juichi grinned, clearly enjoying the reaction.
"Plenty of people tried to chip off a piece. I tried it once too. Couldn't even scratch it."
He smirked. "Later, I found out that only through swordsmanship could someone even make a dent in the statues. So, I trained for a while. When I tried again, I managed to slice off just enough to forge one of the best swords I've ever owned."
Ren stared at his father, processing the story.
"So... you learned swordsmanship. Just so you could steal chakra metal?"
Before Juichi could answer, Homura's voice rang out sharply.
"Quiet. All of you. Fall in."
Both of them shut up immediately.
~~~
Inside the Hall of Silent Accord, there were many rooms, each like a courtroom, but the whole vibe was heavier, darker. It was as if the air itself carried weight.
The Konoha delegation was greeted by officials from the Land of Iron, who guided them through protocols and provided final instructions to Homura.
The inner chambers were already filling with representatives from various villages. Ren looked around, but none of the faces were ones he recognized, so he ignored them.
However, that wasn't the case for Homura and the other senior shinobi.
Even the Cloud and Leaf, who hadn't formally signed a peace treaty yet, had sent delegates and were pretending to be amicable, for the sake of appearance.
It wasn't long before General Takeshiro Honzen, the White Blade, finally arrived to preside over the trial.
Flanking him were General Sayo, cold and composed and General Ryuma, whose presence immediately commanded attention.
He was stunningly handsome, even on par with Utakata, with a sharp, stoic face that made his expression feel carved from ice. His mere presence pulled gazes.
Without a word, General Takeshiro began walking toward one of the designated rooms.
His deep voice echoed through the hall.
"Let's begin."
~~~
Inside the courtroom, everyone was seated according to their official standing.
The Konoha delegation was placed near the defendant's platform, close to where Ambassador Shikeru would stand trial.
Across from them, the ministers of the Land of Iron were assembled, including Minister Gendo and Minister Shunpei. Their expressions were composed, unreadable.
To the side, the Sand delegation was positioned not far from Konoha, but with deliberate distance. Even though the sand was officially allied with the leaf, they didn't make the slightest effort to show that was true.
At the far end of the hall sat the Cloud and Earth representatives, their expressions bordering on amused. They clearly came not for justice, but for the spectacle.
The Land of Water had sent no one.
Once everyone had settled, a samurai official stepped into the center of the room. His voice was calm and clear as he began reading the Code of Conduct of the Land of Iron. It was a ritualistic requirement before any formal trial could begin.
No one spoke.
When the first samurai finished, he stepped aside. A second samurai took his place, holding a scroll in both hands.
He began to read aloud the charges against Ambassador Shikeru Nara, each one spoken slowly and with formal emphasis.
As the list was read, two more samurai entered the room.
They flanked Shikeru, one on each side and escorted him to the defendant's platform.
Ren's eyes narrowed as he looked at the man.
Shikeru Nara.
He looked like a mirror image of Jonin Commander Shikaku, like every other serious Nara man Ren had ever seen. But despite the weight of the accusations being read aloud, the man showed no fear, no guilt, and no shame.
In fact, he yawned.
Right there, in the middle of the courtroom, as the crimes against him were being listed.
When the reading ended, General Takeshiro Honzen finally stood and took the presiding seat.
He looked down at Shikeru with a gaze like tempered steel.
"Shikeru Nara," he began, "you have been treated exceptionally well during your stay in the Land of Iron these past years."
There was no emotion in his voice as he spoke.
"But the way you have reciprocated that treatment," he continued, "is through betrayal."
A pause followed.
"As per the laws of the Land of Iron, if you cannot prove your innocence, then you shall commit seppuku."
The air in the courtroom shifted.
All eyes turned to Shikeru.
But the man just turned his head slowly, looked directly at Homura, and gave him a raised eyebrow, then yawned again, this time even louder.
General Takeshiro raised his hand slightly, signaling toward the Land of Iron's delegation.
A man stepped forward from their side. He wore a formal, dark-colored kimono, but notably carried no sword at his side, an unusual sight among samurai.
Takeshiro addressed the room.
"This is Shigaraki. He will represent the Land of Iron's stance in this trial."
From the Konoha side, Homura stood up slowly.
"Apologies for our ambassador's… rude behavior," he began, casting a brief glance at Shikeru, who was now casually adjusting his sleeve and showing no remorse. "However, we have some evidence we would like to present."
He spoke with deliberate calm, each word carefully measured.
"Of course, I am not saying it will immediately prove Ambassador Shikeru's innocence in your eyes, but perhaps, it might offer another perspective."
As he spoke, Homura began to walk forward through the hall, his voice carrying clearly.
"I would like to begin with a simple question: what were the official charges that justified the raid on Ambassador Shikeru's compound?"
Shigaraki responded, "I believe it was all clearly stated in the reports that the Konoha delegation was permitted to review."
Homura nodded slowly. "Right. Right. That's exactly what's confusing."
He pulled out two scrolls from his sleeve, holding them up for everyone to see.
"The report handed to us stated that someone delivered an anonymous tip, that Ambassador Shikeru was supplying confidential information to rogue elements. And based on that, a raid was carried out."
He paused for dramatic effect.
"However… the records I found in your criminal archive state something very different."
He walked toward the panel and gently placed both scrolls before General Takeshiro.
"In this version," he continued, "it says that Minister Gendo reported a missing shortblade, one that was supposed to be returned by Shikeru, but wasn't. According to the archive scroll, Minister Gendo urged the authorities to conduct a raid when the sword was not returned and suspicion arose."
Takeshiro took the scrolls and began reading through both. His brow creased slightly as he compared the two reports.
Homura didn't stop.
"Ah, perhaps those in charge of preparing the scrolls made a small mistake," he said, feigning sympathy. "No matter. Let's talk about the shortblade itself."
He turned toward Shikeru.
"What did you need the shortblade for?"
Shikeru stifled yet another yawn, then pointed lazily in Shigaraki's direction.
"They said something about a ceremony," he replied, with the tone of someone discussing the weather.
Shigaraki clarified, "Yes, the request for the shortblade was submitted through the Mugai-Iai Dojo, on behalf of Ambassador Shikeru Nara."
Homura gave a polite nod and turned toward General Takeshiro.
"May I question Master Mugai himself?"
Takeshiro gave a silent nod.
From the crowd, an elderly samurai in dignified robes, his bald head shining, stepped forward, Master Mugai, head of the prestigious Mugai Iai Dojo. He took the stand and solemnly swore upon his sword.
Homura began.
"Master Mugai, did Shikeru Nara ever contact you personally to request a ceremonial sword?"
Master Mugai shook his head. "No."
"Perhaps he submitted the request through someone to whom you had delegated authority? Your head disciple, maybe?"
The old master didn't say anything.
Homura continued, his tone growing sharper.
"Did you, at any point, participate in any ceremony alongside Shikeru?"
"No," Mugai replied again.
Homura turned toward the courtroom, addressing everyone now.
"So to summarize, Master Mugai, the head of the dojo supposedly loaning the blade on behalf of Shikeru, neither knew about the cooperation, nor participated in any ceremony, and did not authorize the request directly."
He sighed and slowly shook his head.
"How sad. Someone you trust so much, your head disciple perhaps, used your dojo's name, without your knowledge, to loan a blade to a foreign ambassador, for a ceremony that never even happened."
He turned back toward Takeshiro.
"And yet, this was used as the official justification for a raid on a diplomatic compound."
The courtroom had grown quiet.
Eyes shifted toward Shigaraki, toward Minister Gendo, toward the now tense Land of Iron delegation.
And Shikeru?
He was still yawning.
~~~~~
{This arc got stretched way longer than I had planned that it became somewhat tedious to write even for me.
But I just want to say thanks to those who stuck around, this is the first completely original arc I made so there were some problems with pacing and the characters but now that I have some experience, the future arcs wouldn't have such problems (I hope)}
{Anyway, I hope the court scene helped regained some interest. This arc would be ending soon.}
{You know what else to do}
{STONES!!!!}