Chapter Thirteen: Your Loyalty Or Your Life


When the trial reconvended the next morning, Asahi and Honoka arrived in the courtroom waiting, along with the rest of the gallery with the start of witness testifying against Danzo and his comrades. The first to testify was a doctor from Konohagakure who used to be Danzo's personal physician.

"Doctor Benjiro Sakai, you were the primary doctor for the defendant, Danzo Shimura," asked Phoenix, beginning his questioning. "Were you not?"

The elderly man looked at Phoenix and answered his question.

"Yes. I was the primary physician for Mayor Shimura," he answered. "For about five years even before his appointment to mayor of Konohagakure."

"And according to testimony, you were not only the primary care physician," continued Phoenix. "But were you also the one responsible for carrying out executions on those who never given a trial?"

Doctor Benjiro turned away from Phoenix for a moment and took in a deep sigh to gather his thoughts.

"I didn't want to do it," he sighed. "But it was my job, and it was either their lives or mine."

"So it was," remarked Phoenix. "And it was also my belief that you tried to talk your way out of the position that you were in. Is that so?"

"Objection!" cried Manfred, rising from his seat, looking directly at Judge Tanaka. "This witness is not on trial!"

"But he is a witness nonetheless," countered Phoenix. "And his testimony is vital to the outcome of this trial."

"Objection sustained," answered Kiyoji. "The witness will answer."

Following the judge's orders, Doctor Benjiro looked at Phoenix and returned to answer Phoenix's question. The elderly doctor took an enormous gulp at the thought of airing out such a touchy subject.

"It was about a few months back that I was put in the worst position of my life," explained Doctor Benjiro. "Danzo came to me with a request: to put to death a young man that had stolen a loaf of bread. When I saw the man that I was told to kill, I had a feeling that this man was poor and needed to feed his family. I couldn't bear myself to kill him and wanted to release him, but that was not the case."

Doctor Benjiro turned his attention away from Phoenix and briefly glanced over at Danzo, who made a slitting motion across his throat with his finger. He was frightened and scared, even though his boss was in the docks. In fact, he couldn't help but think of what would happen if this evil mayor was acquitted of his crimes.

"Did you bring the possibility of this young man's life to Danzo?" asked Phoenix, causing Doctor Benjiro to briefly turn away. "Please answer the question, Doctor."

"I did," answered Doctor Benjiro, looking towards Phoenix again. "He told me that I had no other choice because it was either his life or that I take his place."

Phoenix considered the matter and decided that there were no more further questions that he needed to ask the doctor.

Taking his seat, Phoenix allowed Manfred to make his way up to the docks to question the witness.

"Your life or the life of the poor young man, Herr Sakai," remarked Manfred, sighing heavily. "Were you aware that you were working under the laws of Danzo and not the laws of Avalon?"

"Yes, I was," answered Doctor Benjiro. "But how was I supposed to know, Herr von Karma? If I learned that Danzo was not going to follow the laws of Avalon, I would never have been his personal doctor in the first place."

"Doctor, were you aware of a meeting with the defendant, Sasuke Uchiha, about three days before the capture of my clients conducted by the Monarchs?" asked Manfred. "He came to you with a request, did he not?"

The doctor briefly looked baffled at this question and Asahi was horrified to discover that Sakura was a candidate for execution by this doctor. The Emperor of Avalon glared at Sasuke and his eyes crossed with fury.

"Yes, he did come to me," answered Doctor Benjiro. "I was horrified to hear what he asked me to do. He wanted me to inject some dangerous medicine into his wife, who had betrayed him because she didn't want to be a part of the marriage anymore."

"You liar!!!" shouted Sasuke, rising to his feet.

"Order!! Order!!" screamed Judge Tanaka, banging his gavel loudly to silence the courtroom. "Order in the court!! Put that man back in his seat and keep him there!!"

It took a few minutes for the courtroo to fall silent again and once the courtroom calmed down, Doctor Benjiro continued the testimony.

"Sasuke Uchiha told me that I didn't have any choice but to obey his orders," explained Doctor Benjiro. "I've seen the pain that Sakura was in. She didn't want to be a part of this poor excuse of a marriage. In fact, I didn't want to be in Konohagakure anymore serving mad officials."

"And yet, you didn't because you had a sense of loyalty that could not be overpowered," answered Manfred, glaring at Doctor Benjiro. "A loyalty that could not be broken unless you wanted to die because you broke that particular loyalty. It was either your loyalty or your life."

Doctor Benjiro grew more and more uncomfortable with each word that Manfred drove into him. The elderly doctor was growing more and more uncomfortable and wanted it to stop.

"Objection, Your Honor!" cried Phoenix, rising and walking up next to Manfred. "The defendant is not on trial!"

"All of Konohagakure is on trial, Your Honor!" retorted Manfred. "It was placed on trial when its leader was placed on trial!"

"Konohagakure is not placed on trial, you idiot!" snapped Phoenix. "How could you assume that an entire town should be placed on trial based on one person? You are assuming that every single person who lives in that town is accused of the same crimes! Well, let me assure you..."

"Order!! Order!!" cried Judge Tanaka as the arguing grew louder and louder.

"You don't have assure me anything!" cried Manfred. "All of Konohagakure is on trial, whether you like it or not! And everything will walk into this courtroom..."

"Order! Order!!" thundered Judge Tanaka, ending the argument. "This tribunal will admonish both councils and it will not tolerate anything of this kind again! We are not here to listen to outbursts of this nature, but to serve justice."

"Your Honor," said Phoenix. "I made an objection."

"The objection is overruled," replied Judge Tanaka quietly and then he motioned for Doctor Benjiro to step down from the witness box. "The witness may step down."

The entire courtroom watched as the elderly doctor stepped down, ending the intense drama that had just happened. Several more witnesses came forward, but they were all in low key manners.

Soon, the trial ended and everyone dispersed for the day. However, Asahi and Honoka had far more important matters to attend to as they saw Princess Barbie walking towards them.

"How is Kazuya, Barbie?" asked Asahi.

"He is fine," answered the Princess of Love. "I think that Kazuya and Sakura are in love with one another, but I'm just worried that there will be consequences if her ex-husband will find out."

"Barbara does have a point, my love," remarked Honoka. "What should we do?"

"We take every necessary precaution into account," said Asahi. "We should have Sasuke Uchiha isolated from the other defendants so as to not plan any kind of retaliation."

The monarchs nodded in agreement and soon, word came that Sasuke was to be moved later that night.

"Why are you doing this to me?" demanded Sasuke as several guardsmen escorted him down towards another prison cell in the dungeons. "Come! Come! I demand to know why!"

"We have orders to isolate you," the guards said as they led him into his new prison cell. "Nothing more."

Once they arrived at the prison cell, which, unlike the previous prison cells with bars, this one was walled in and only a small peephole was in the door. Sasuke was pushed in and the door was slammed behind him.

"Must you humiliate me more, Emperor Asahi?" Sasuke growled, punching into the wall of his new prison cell. "I swear that you will not get away with this! I swear it! Do you hear me?!"

But no one could hear Sasuke Uchiha but himself.