'Decoy'

"...The Nine-Tails' attack damaged buildings across the village."

"Since we have to rebuild, we should take the opportunity to make some changes to the village's layout."

At the head of the long table, Danzo spoke confidently, as if everything were already decided.

Anyone paying attention could see that the proposed plans to reorganize the village had already been discussed with the Third Hokage and the other two Hokage Advisors. This meeting was less a discussion than an announcement.

Pointing to a square area on the map near the Forest of Konoha, Danzo continued unhurriedly,

"We'd like the Aburame Clan to move to this area. They asked long ago for a forest where they could train their techniques."

Beside Fugaku, Shibi Aburame, the Aburame Clan's head, nodded slightly in agreement.

"The Nara Clan's homes were undamaged, so they'll stay where they are. The same goes for the Akimichi Clan and the Yamanaka Clan."

"...The Konoha Military Police Force headquarters was destroyed. We'll rebuild it here."

Fugaku's expression darkened when he saw where Danzo was pointing on the map.

The location was extremely remote, almost up against Konoha's outer wall.

Danzo continued, "And to coordinate their work, the Uchiha Clan should move near the Military Police Force..."

He meant to drive the Uchiha out of the village center.

Fugaku's anger flared. He rose abruptly and objected, "Lord Danzo, the Uchiha serve in the Konoha Military Police Force, responsible for maintaining order in the village. This place is far too remote. If an emergency arises, the Military Police Force won't be able to respond in time."

His argument was sound, and the other clan heads gave slight nods.

In response to the challenge, Danzo looked up and fixed his gaze on Fugaku. "If there's an emergency, Anbu will be deployed."

Fugaku's expression shifted as he caught the implication.

Danzo was alluding to the Uchiha's inaction during the Nine-Tails Incident.

But the Uchiha had been following orders. Those orders had come from them.

Fugaku turned to look at the head of the table.

The Third Hokage's eyes were half-closed, and he gave no response. The two Hokage Advisors spoke in turn.

"The Military Police Force often trains at the practice grounds, doesn't it? This area is right next to land suitable for training."

"Exactly. You can use it as a training ground for the Uchiha alone."

Their reasoning was absurd. It was like saying, "You Uchiha have to take a dump, too, so why not live in a latrine?"

But Fugaku understood the signal: the village leadership was set on pushing the Uchiha out of Konoha's central district.

How could they? How could they do this?

Could it be...?

Fugaku instinctively looked across the table at Orochimaru, suspicion and questioning in his eyes.

It was no wonder Fugaku reacted that way. Nothing came free without a catch, and it was hard to believe that a Sannin would keep quiet without getting anything in return.

Orochimaru noticed Fugaku's searching gaze and gave a slight shake of his head, answering with a sinister smile.

The message was clear: Hey, little buddy, it wasn't me.

Fugaku believed him.

Not because he thought Orochimaru was honest and straightforward, or incapable of lying. If the village leadership had decided the Nine-Tails Incident was the Uchiha's doing, banishing them to the edge of the village would be far too lenient.

But if they were taking this step simply because the Uchiha were suspected of involvement in the incident, it was far too harsh.

Fugaku's gaze darkened as he considered a possibility.

During the Second Hokage's time, the Uchiha had been ordered to establish the Military Police Force, responsible for the village's security. It looked like they held great power, but in reality, their status was little more than that of city cops.

If they wanted to take part in wars beyond the village and raise their standing, the clan members had to come under the village leadership's control.

Those who were close to the village were valued and promoted into Anbu, like Shisui's faction. The rest were pushed back into the Military Police Force.

The current situation was simply a continuation of that pattern.

Fugaku clenched his fists, his gaze growing darker.

It was only natural for the Hokage faction to keep the clans in check for the sake of the village. He had no objection to that.

But why was the Uchiha the only clan being singled out like this?

In the Second Hokage's time, they'd been gathered in one corner of the village, their power confined to the Military Police Force. Now, were they even going to take that power away?

But... what should he do now?

Fugaku glanced around the table. The other clan heads looked as if it had nothing to do with them.

He knew why they felt that way.

The suspicion surrounding the Uchiha after the Nine-Tails Incident was only a pretext. They'd suffered no losses and kept all their strength. Now they stood out too much in the village.

"Forget it..."

Fugaku sighed inwardly. The Uchiha had no allies this time. There was no point in continuing to argue. He'd only make himself more detested.

Fugaku sat back down. Danzo glanced at him, then looked away, a cunning, triumphant glint in his eyes. He was about to continue laying out the details of the Uchiha relocation when a burst of laughter suddenly rang out.

Danzo turned toward the sound, his expression darkening.

It was Orochimaru. What was he up to?

Orochimaru was laughing heartily, and he was genuinely pleased.

He'd gained a great deal from this meeting. It was like learning a forbidden technique: things he'd never noticed before were now laid bare before him.

Fugaku and the Uchiha's desperate predicament, Danzo's eagerness to suppress the Uchiha, the hesitation of the various clan heads as they watched the Uchiha fall into trouble, and the Third Hokage seeming not to care while actually controlling the whole room...

"Orochimaru, this is no place for that. Watch yourself," Danzo scolded.

After Jiraiya tugged at him, Orochimaru stopped laughing, though his smile remained.

Fugaku didn't understand where the village leadership's hostility came from or why they were targeting the Uchiha. He simply chalked it up to a conflict between the village and the clans.

Orochimaru had thought the same until Genie offered a very interesting perspective:

The Uchiha and the Hokage faction saw Konoha's founding differently.

In the Uchiha's view, Konoha was a village founded during the Warring States period by the Senju and Uchiha, who had made peace and joined forces.

That was certainly true, but it was only part of the story—the part that looked best to the Uchiha.

The Hokage faction believed Konoha had been founded because the Senju defeated the Uchiha, because Hashirama Senju defeated Madara Uchiha.

After the Uchiha's defeat, the First had chosen not to wipe them out. Instead, he'd embraced the two clans' hatred and founded Konoha.

This was entirely different from the feuds and conquests between clans that had defined the Warring States period. Konoha could put aside old blood debts and welcome clans of all kinds.

After all, Konoha could accept even the Senju and Uchiha, who had long been enemies. Which clan from the Warring States period could have a blood feud with the Senju that surpassed the Uchiha's?

That was why Warring States clans like the Ino-Shika-Cho and the Aburame came to Konoha, allowing the village to grow.

In all this, the First had unmistakably shown the bearing of a king, while the Uchiha were merely the "horse bones" in a tale about a ruler who bought a thousand-mile horse.

Even the most effective "horse bones" were still just "horse bones."

The Senju and the Uchiha were different. The Senju had been able to disband their clan after Konoha was founded. Even Hashirama Senju's granddaughter could abandon her surname. Could the Uchiha do the same?

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, his smile growing more unrestrained.

The Second Hokage had established the Military Police Force to protect Konoha, treating the Uchiha as a "blade."

Now that the "blade" had become increasingly dangerous and difficult for the Old Man and the others to control, they wanted to banish it. They might even destroy it if circumstances became dire.

But none of that mattered to him.

Orochimaru thought that if Genie were still around, he'd have left this situation to him.

Genie was a master at working people. He could surely manipulate them all with ease.

But Orochimaru had his own way.

Thinking of the information he'd received earlier, Orochimaru smiled sinisterly. "Lord Danzo, by driving the Uchiha to the edge of the village, are you trying to make their guilt in the Nine-Tails Incident seem certain?"

At those words, everyone in the meeting room—the village leadership and the heads of the various clans—looked shaken.

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