I rhythmically rocked back on my chair waiting for the room to fill. Like the rest of the jury, I'd been required to arrive an hour earlier to be debriefed on my role. Working in T&I meant this was hardly the first trial I'd been to, but previously that had always been in the capacity of someone giving testimony.

Trials and hearings could be rather boring. I wouldn't have so readily agreed to participate had Mawashi's parents not died during the invasion. After being a little too knife happy with one of the Sound ninja last week, he'd been given a fortnight's break from the interrogation rooms. My boss then decided to take his nickname of Demon Sergeant to all new levels when dealing with his underlings. Better here than there, I thought again to myself, and scratched my nose through my bandages.

I mentally perked up as I recognised two of the chakra signatures heading this way. Homura and Koharu usually only attended the more serious and high profile trials. I brought my chair legs back to the floor. The elders walked in and took their usual places. I wondered who was on trial.

More people filed in and five minutes later the Hokage arrived. Hmm, someone must have really fucked up. With renewed interest I thought back to who the other jurors were. We were quite a mixed bunch.

Tekuno Kanden was well liked, an active field jonin and former sensei; Yugao Uzuki was a fellow sensor I suspected of being in ANBU; and Iroha Hyuga was known for being a rather humourless and serious fellow with a knack for barrier jutsu. Chika Nara was the eldest juror and the one I knew the least about. My brief conversation with her earlier this morning suggested she was a bright woman with a good head on her shoulders.

The last of the seven jurors, Takajo, a Tobetsu jonin from the Aviary and Yurika, one of the better code breakers, I recognised from the Intelligence Division's last New Year's Eve party. While not technically part of the Intelligence Division, the Aviary shared the same building as us for practical and security purposes. Given the close working relationship of the cryptanalysis and aviary personnel, it had been decided we might as well invite them too.

None of us jurors had any radical political leanings and we were all rather well respected within the village through either our reputation or position. Of course my own position as a member of the Torture and Interrogation Force also had a number of negative connotations, but the wariness, uneasiness and sometimes fear we often provoked, even within our own village, often came hand-in-hand with respect. No one fucked with the Torture and Interrogation force.

People had stopped filing into the room. I felt the seated ninjas' agitation through the growing spiky feel of their chakra. The trial was supposed to have started by now and people were getting restless. It seemed as though we were waiting on the accused. Perhaps there had been problems with prisoner transport.

In walked Kakashi Hatake, five minutes late. It was neither a lackadaisical nor brisk walk, but exuded a calm confidence. It was ballsy. I had been in T&I too long not to recognise the transparent power play for what it was. I don't know who the show had been for, the elder's if I had to take a guess, but it certainly wasn't winning him any points with me. It was quite the opposite in fact. I was pissed.

This wasn't the first time I had had to wait for Kakashi. Anyone else accused at a hearing serious enough the Hokage had to attend would have been on time, which usually meant being here early. Shoving in everyone's face the precedent the Forth had set for putting up with Kakashi's antics, was just another reminder of the everyday nepotism I put up with in the village. I was still fuming for having to facilitate that kind of shit by seating the village pariah right next to the one genin in the Chunin Exams who would so blatantly allow him to cheat off of her answers.

The Fifth Hokage rose and the murmuring died down. "We are gathered here today to determine whether Kakashi Hatake has been criminally negligent in his actions as sensei of Team 7; to determine who is now most appropriate as Team 7's sensei; and to determine if any disciplinary action needs to be taken. At Kakashi's request he will be defended by Shikaku Nara, while in contrast Homura Mitokado will be arguing against Hatake's case. Any vote to determine a verdict here today will be carried out by myself and Shikaku Nara as Kakashi's superiors, the Konoha Council, and a jury of Kakashi's peers including Tonbo Tobitake, Tekuno Kanden, Yurika Namiashi, Chika Nara, Yugao Uzuki, Takajo Torikai and Iroha Hyuga."

Tsunade glanced to the elders. "Could the Konoha Council please explain to those assembled here why you have called an investigation into Hatake's conduct."

Koharu rose. "Eight months ago Kakashi Hatake was assigned as the jonin sensei of Team 7. The squad consisted of Sasuke Uchicha, clan heir and last Uchiha of the village; Naruto Uzumaki, one of the village's important weapons and Sakura Haruno, this year's graduate most adept at chakra control." Despite her age, the Councillor's voice carried to the back of the room.

"Last week Sasuke Uchiha went rogue." There was a pregnant pause as she let the gravity of the situation sink in. "He is now in the hands of Orochimaru, the man who orchestrated the recent attack on the village, the Third Hokage's killer. Orochimaru intends to use his body transfer technique on the Uchiha to gain the sharingan. This will make the traitor even more dangerous than he has recently shown himself to be. Furthermore, he may also use the boy to father a new generation of Uchiha completely outside of the village's control."

Many of the room's occupants exchanged troubled glances. Not having to fight the Uchiha clan was half the reason Konoha was started and a big reason many clans ended up joining the village.

Koharu continued, "Kakashi Hatake not only failed to prevent the Uchiha turning traitor, he failed to take the possibility seriously. Despite the Uchiha having had contact with Orochimaru, at no time did Kakashi raise the issue of the possibility of Uchiha going rogue, nor did he advise around the clock surveillance. To not even entertain the idea of Sasuke becoming a missing-nin is especially absurd given Hatake's past as a hunter-nin."

"After Sasuke Uchiha left the village, the Council reviewed Hatake's recent behaviour and his handling of the Uchiha was shown to be only the most recent of a series of bad judgement calls. Team 7's first mission out of the village was an A-rank mislabelled as a C-rank mission. When this was discovered, Hatake neither returned to the village nor requested back-up, not even when he realised he would be up against Zabuza Momochi, a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist." The coucilwoman's eyes swept the room, making lingering eye contact with each of us.

"After scraping through this mission, Kakashi immediately nominated his team for the Chunin exams. His students had only graduated from the academy six months earlier and they clearly made a poor showing."

"Kakashi must be immediately removed as sensei of Team 7." Koharu turned to meet the Hokage's eyes. "We cannot do otherwise, the risks are too great." After a pause, the Senju nodded. Koharu sat down and only then did her eyes leave the Hokage's.

Tsuande turned to the Nara clan head. "Shikaku, now present your opening statement of Hatake's defence."

Calmly, unhurriedly, Shikaku rose. "Kakashi Hatake graduated from the academy at age five, became chunin at six, was promoted to jonin at 13 and was then assigned to ANBU at 14. Kakashi is now 27 years old. I bring this up because it matters. It matters because it means that Kakashi has twenty-two years of field experience, most of it in the position of team captain. He is no stranger to leading soldiers under his command. He is no stranger to carrying out missions of high importance to the village."

Shikaku turned to face the jury. "Given who the genin of Team 7 are, the sensei of Team 7 was not chosen lightly. And after careful consideration the Hokage chose to appoint Kakashi. Yes Kakashi has had to make difficult choices as the commanding officer of squad 7. But for the most part, Kakashi has been worthy of the trust the Third placed in him. If he hadn't, a trial would have been called long before now." His gaze swept the room. "The past few weeks have been difficult for all of us. Now is not the time to be divided and do the enemy's work for us." He then nodded to the Hokage and took his seat.

I didn't frown but I disliked his tactic of reaching out and calling for unity. It insinuated that we should take Hatake's side even if we thought he was in the wrong. Fuck that. I would do what was best for the village, even if that wasn't what was best for Hatake, even if no one else agreed with me.