The Trial (1/2)

The entire Kaori affair settled somewhat cleanly without any unpleasant or unexpected surprises coming up. After I stayed with Kaori after we brought her to the hospital, she refused to let me leave her alone there, while the other three went to fetch Iruka from the academy.

Once we were left alone, I sat down to explain what had happened from my perspective: seeing her bruises, her skipping lunch, her reaction to the word 'hooligan', seeing Naoki wrap his arms around her threateningly, deciding to follow them with three others as witnesses, and finally intervening when we saw her get hit.

While embarrassed that the four of us, or more specifically me, actually saw her in such a state, Kaori was both thankful and apologetic we had to step in to rescue her. She explained that even though she initially put up some resistance to their demands, once the thugs threatened to hurt me, she caved to their extortion.

Of course she felt silly about the whole thing after learning that I alone had turned the tables on them and defeated five of the bullies all by myself. I stopped her self-deprecation and even apologized, since they had only decided to mess with her because I fought them off in the first place.

Kaori assured me that not only did she not put any blame on me for the whole thing, but the girl was actually dazzled by my 'heroism'. She stated plainly that her gratitude was immeasurable and that she would think of a way to repay me somehow.

I thought that her claims were exaggerated since I wasn't the only one who took part in the mission. Moreover, I had only begun looking into the issue because of a quest alert, but I wasn't going to tell her that. But I was still heartened, albeit slightly wary, by her proclamation.

That was when Iruka had arrived with the three other students in tow, following which I described the entire incident in detail.

At first, the chunin was somewhat sceptical about our claims of the little extortion or robbery racket that we were speaking of, until I prompted Kaori to lift up her sleeves and the bottom of her shirt to reveal the ugly bruises that had been left by the bullies. Once Iruka saw her injuries, he started taking our story a lot more seriously.

He was furious that such an incident could have occurred under the noses of the instructors, but at the same time reserved his judgement for when the accused could be gathered and questioned appropriately. But he hadn't known any of us to be liars, so he was already leaning to our side. The instructor also lectured us when we told him about how we had followed Naoki and Kaori informing any instructors, before outright reprimanding us for engaging the thugs in a fight.

When I questioned the man about what he would have done in our shoes – letting them continue to beat Kaori or stepping in to stop them immediately after the first hit – he grudgingly understood our justifications for doing so.

Iruka left soon after to bring the principal of the Shinobi Academy and fill him in on what happened, as well as to gather the accused extortionists to hear their side. This didn't take long as the bullies were already filtering into the hospital along with one or both of their parents to be treated for the injuries we had given them, especially Naoki who was still nursing a bloody nose.

Naoki, upon spotting me just resting at the lobby area, pointed me out to his parents and said something that was muffled due to his mangled sinuses.

His friends seemed to be corroborating with his words as they too pointed at me and shouted, "Yeah, yeah, he is the one who attacked us! Him and his friends!'

Their parents, upon hearing their children's accusations, angrily stormed towards me, "You! So you were the one who attacked our boys! How dare you lay your hands on them, you, you delinquent! We will make sure you get expelled from the Academy, no, that you get sent to prison!"

I instantly understood that their children had told them a slightly modified version of the events that had occurred, conveniently leaving out their entire extortion racket from their stories. I didn't doubt that the bullies would have framed the entire incident that had them being seen as victims to a senseless assault of the blue and without cause.

I put up a hand to interrupt them, "Do you even know the full story or are you just content screaming at a child before you ask for the other side of the story?"

Their eyes bulged, as though infuriated that a child had the sheer audacity to talk back, "How dare you talk back, you hooligan! You should be begging for our forgiveness after attacking our sweet, innocent little babies!"

I rolled my eyes, "Why should I be the one begging for forgiveness when your children were the ones who had been bullying my friend in the first place? They were threatening a girl and beating her to take money from her. Money that is given to her by the state as a stipend because she is an orphan. Tell me, what is there to forgive?"

"He's lying mom! We didn't do anything like that! These orphan kids only know how to lie!" One of the bullies yelled out from behind his mom's back. Coward.

"Liar!" She screamed at me, "You have no manners, treating your elders without respect! As expected of an orphan without parents to properly teach them otherwise. You grew up to be such delinquents, hooligans, disobedient little criminals!"

I cringed. Because of course they would point out my status as an orphan not as an unfortunate circumstance, but as evidence of my lack of morals and degenerate character. I was indeed a degenerate lacking morals, but that was not because I didn't have parents. It was the parents in my previous life who moulded me to become the way I am!

I decided to ignore them, seeing that they had no interest in having a rational conversation. There was no way they would doubt for even a moment their children's innocence in their eyes. So there was no point trying to talk to these people. It would just be a waste of my breath.

At that moment, Hinata, Shikamaru and Shino came to the reception area after hearing the commotion. Just like before, the little thugs pointed them out to their parents, "It's them, the clan kids who attacked us! Mom, dad, go get them!"

The parents' eyes brightened, having found new targets that were much easier to deal with than the troublesome me.

"You three! You attacked our children along with that little gangster, didn't you! Get your parents here, we want to lodge an official complaint!" A particularly loud woman shrieked at the three, whom were caught off guard by the sudden accusation.

Hinata looked panicked and didn't know how to react. Truthfully, I did feel bad for putting them in this position, since I was the one who asked for their help in the first place. So I went to stand in front of Hinata, acting as a sort of bulwark against the torrent of the mobs' angry tirade.

Shikamaru lazily dug his ear with his little finger, "Excuse me lady, but you should get your stories straight first before coming up and barking at us. Good grief, how troublesome."

"B-barking!? I expected something like that from the orphan, but I suppose children from those shinobi clans are no better, huh? As expected from savage shinobi clans, they can only raise arrogant, violent children who randomly attack innocent children just to sate their innate violent tendencies! The Hokage will hear about this! We are going to censure your clans!"

Her rant naturally drew the ire of the various clan shinobis who were working at or visiting the hospital and had been listening to their entire tirade.

A Hyuuga clan member working at the hospital, who because of their Kekkei Genkai made excellent medic-nins, had no choice but to intervene upon hearing such an insult, "Pardon me, but I take offense from your claims! Lady Hinata is the epitome of class and elegance! I request for you to take back your words!"

An Aburame silently came behind Shino, acting as a silent support while an Akimichi and a Nara, judging by their appearances, similarly stepped in. One to defend the heir of his clan, while the other went to back their long time allies and friends.

The rotund Akimichi glared and shouted, "Hey! What did you say? Arrogant and savage? You better be ready to take responsibility for those words!"

The parents of the bullies who suddenly found themselves confronted by adults rather than easy to bully children took a few steps back, "W-what are you trying to do!? We won't let you silence us! You clan shinobi always think you are better than us civilians! We won't be bullied by you!"

Their hypocrisy aside, their maintenance that they were being 'bullied' by the clan members drew more attention from other clan shinobi or shinobi who were friends with these clan members. They gathered on our side and began rebuking the civilian parents for their reckless statements, just generally displeased with the insinuations of the civilians that all shinobi clans were violent groups of people who thought themselves superior to the non-shinobi populace of Konoha.

Seeing the parents of the bullies being ganged up on by shinobi, other civilians who may have at one time or another been discriminated against for not being able to use chakra joined the conflict, inadvertently joining the side of the bullies.

This resulted in a shouting match between the shinobi side and the civilian side; with one party arguing that Konoha shinobi were all arrogant and acted like they were better than the civilians, while the other side refuted such claims, stating that all who lived in Konoha were equal, and that such claims were dangerous.

That was the scene in which the principal of the Konoha Academy and Iruka encountered when they entered the hospital – the reception area clamouring and rowdy with each side condemning the other. They along with the hospital staff tried valiantly to calm the crowd down.

"Stop it! This is a hospital!" A doctor shouted, but his voice was drowned out from the chaotic scene of everyone shouting at once.

The cause of the commotion, us, were stuck in the middle of the mess. Hinata was shaking from all the noise and attention, although Shino and Shikamaru seemed unperturbed by the commotion.

I held Hinata's hand in my own, hoping it was enough to bring some measure of comfort to the frightened child. Her trembling lessened and when she looked up at who was holding her hands, I gave her a comforting smile, saying "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

She blushed slightly but otherwise seemed encouraged by my words.

The minor dispute had ignited into a small scale protest that threated to bubble over and spill into the streets of Konoha before a wave of chakra swept the lobby area. For the civilians, it was an intense, suffocating feeling as though they had suddenly found themselves submerged 100 feet deep in the cold, crushing ocean. For the shinobi, it wasn't much better either.

"ENOUGH!" A gruff, wizened voice filled with authority shouted from the entrance. An air of authority gusted into the reception area, as the Sandaime Hokage in full Kage regalia stalked into the hospital, along with the clan heads of the Hyuuga, Nara and Aburame clans that I assumed showed up when informed their children were involved in some altercation between students.

"What in the world is going on here!? My own shinobi, squabbling like petty children. And over what, some nonsensical subject like civilian discrimination?"

He turned towards the civilians, disappointment and displeasure in his eyes. "I was told that there was an intense conflict brewing here, in the hospital of all places. Speak, what is it that you felt there was a need to riot over? Which of you have been so grievously wronged by my shinobi, state your case!"

The commanding aura in his tone left no room for argument, as the civilians who had been in an uproar just moments ago had no words to say.

Seeing the irresponsiveness of his gathered people, the Sandaime continued, "In these trying times, we have to stand united! Shinobi or otherwise! It is harmony, and not discord that will see us prosper!"

Like children being lectured by their parents, the protestors mutely nodded or mumbled an apology.

"Now, those of you who are not patients or employees of the hospital leave. Now. Fighting in the hospital of all places. Churlish and deplorable behavior!"

Those whom the order applied to left the hospital in haste, counting themselves fortunate for not being punished by their village leader. While the various patients and employees that had been dragged into the mess returned to their beds or duties respectively.

The Hokage's stern eyes then turned to the parties that had started the entire ruckus, "The rest of you, gather in the conference room. I will adjudicate this matter myself."

Again, like children being sent to their rooms by their parents, the civilians, their children, us and the clan heads quietly headed to the conference room.

Once we were there, the Hokage took a seat and divided us into two groups - the accused and the accusers.

He then frowned, "Such a small matter should not have necessitated my involvement. Do you know how much paperwork is being piled up on my desk at this very moment! Regardless, now that I am here, we can settle this issue once and for all."

The Sandaime looked to the parents of the bullies, "Now, one by one, you may state your case."

First he listened to the parents of the extortionists, since they were the ones making the biggest fuss. They mostly narrated an altered version of what really happened that portrayed their own sons as faultless angels and us as vicious little monsters, while constantly citing their children's injuries as 'evidence' of their innocence and our guilt.

I didn't know whether it was misplaced confidence or ignorance that led them to whine loudly and condescendingly to the leader of the village; a man who was once hailed as the "God of Shinobi", and fought in not one, not two but all three Shinobi World Wars. However, I had to give it the old man for being able to listen patiently and non-judgmentally to the utter nonsense that were coming out of their mouths.

Even Hinata, Shino and Shikamaru's fathers were merely listening while standing behind their own children in a show of silent support. Hyuuga Hiashi especially had an uncharacteristic hand on Hinata's shoulder the entire time, to which the girl had looked at in surprise before smiling to herself at the gesture. By the way, he had given me a stern look upon seeing me holding his daughter's hand, upon which I quickly released it.

Next, we were given the opportunity to present our case. Trusting my own eloquence and oratory skills, I represented our group in reporting our accounts of the events, while occasionally letting Kaori speak for herself in describing the incidences prior to my discovery of her bruises. S

he was initially hesitant and nervous, but my comforting presence and the Sandaime's gentle urging helped her finish her story. The civilian parents had protested to her version of the story but was silenced by the Hokage who wanted both sides to have their uninterrupted time to speak.

When I narrated the final moments of the fight which saw Naoki pull a kunai on his captured hostage, the mood shifted imperceptibly – the incident had gone from a childish case of bullying and stealing to the equivalent of a felony charge involving aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

As expected, Naoki's parents heavily objected to my version of events, "He's lying, Hokage-sama! You can't trust him! Our son is a faultless angel and wouldn't even hurt a fly!"

Thinking back to the insidious look on his face as he kicked Kaori, I snorted in derision at their statement, which only incensed them further.

"See! He doesn't have a single respectful bone in his body. Please, Hokage-sama, send that little monster to prison!"

Ignoring their request, the Hokage then asked Hinata, Shikamaru and Shino to give their testimony as well. Even then, the civilian parents wouldn't budge one bit from their position, quickly claiming that they too were lying to protect themselves from prosecution.

The Hokage, the principal and our instructor were at an impasse at how to proceed. The accusations had settled into a case of he said she said, with no hard evidence of either side's claims. As they were discussing amongst themselves how to best handle this case, Shikamaru suddenly spoke up.

"Ano, like we mentioned earlier, we saw Naoki take the 1,000 ryo note from Kaori earlier. It is possible that he might still have it on him..." He suggested.

Naoki paled at Shikamaru's words and retreated behind his father's protective figure.

The Hokage stroked his beard, "Is that so? Then, young Naoki, might I request your pockets be searched for the money?"

Naoki's father pulled his son behind him, "This, this isn't right! We know our rights! You can't just search him without just cause!"

I rolled my eyes. This wasn't a case of unjustified policing. His son was being accused of robbing, assault and attempted assault with a deadly weapon - it was no longer just a case of a schoolyard brawl.

The Sandaime levied a stern gaze on Naoki's father, "If Naoki has nothing to hide, then there should be no reason to not subject himself to being searched. Refusing would only deepen our suspicions of his culpability, no?"

Naoki's father hesitated before reluctantly agreeing, although his son had more to say about that, "D-dad, wait!"

"Hurry up! Empty your pockets so that we can prove that they're lying once and for all!"

Naoki gulped and did so, and as he turned out his pockets, a distinctive 1,000 ryo note fell out, causing everyone's eyes to widen.

Foolishly, or rather, unsurprisingly, Naoki had either forgotten or simply overlooked the money he had taken from Kaori as it was still stuffed in his pockets.

"Naoki, can you explain what that 1,000 ryo note was doing in your pockets?" The Hokage asked with a steely gaze.

The weasel stammered, struggling to come up with an explanation, before his father interceded on his behalf, "I, I gave that to him! Yes, that's right, it was an allowance!"

Naoki visibly sighed in relief, which was suspicious in and of itself.

The Hokage quirked an eyebrow, "Hoh, and you did not deign to mention it until after the money was uncovered?"

"It- it slipped my mind, that's all! What, is it a crime to give my son an allowance and forget about it?" He bullishly insisted.

Hiruzen frowned, "You know, it is entirely possible for me to invite a Yamanaka to investigate the truth. The Yamanaka, if you're unfamiliar, specialize in mind-related techniques that will resolve this matter at once," Both father and son visibly paled at the thought, "...but I do not wish to go to such an extreme for what can be resolved very simply."

But then, to everyone and especially his daughter's surprise, Hiashi stepped forward with disdain in his eyes, "Hmph, their accusations are utter rubbish."