"Danzo, are you trying to make the Uchiha Clan look guilty of the Nine-Tails Incident?"
At Orochimaru's words, everyone in the meeting room paled, their calm expressions finally slipping.
Fugaku had only just sat down, but it felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. He snapped to attention and glared at Danzo.
He realized he'd badly underestimated the consequences of moving the clan compound.
Under Fugaku's resentful gaze, Danzo's heart lurched. His expression turned cold as he glared at Orochimaru and shouted, "Orochimaru, what nonsense are you spouting? The Nine-Tails Incident hasn't been resolved. When did I ever frame the Uchiha?"
"I once heard that people's eyes are sharp."
With a smile on his face, Orochimaru looked around at the clan heads and village leaders present.
"The Uchiha Clan is indeed under suspicion in the Nine-Tails Incident. The Tomoe in the Nine-Tails' eyes cannot be faked. Everyone saw them clearly."
The anger on Fugaku's face froze. He turned to Orochimaru, his expression conflicted, unable to tell whether Orochimaru was helping or harming the Uchiha.
The clan heads' expressions had changed, too. They exchanged glances, no longer able to pretend nothing had happened.
"But, Lord Danzo, can you produce evidence proving the Uchiha Clan is guilty?"
Orochimaru smiled. "I doubt you can. Otherwise, you wouldn't resort to such tactics."
Danzo said nothing, his face rigid.
"Moving the Konoha Military Police Force to the edge of the village and stripping them of their emergency-response duties—what is that? It's punishment!"
Ignoring the look Jiraiya was giving him, Orochimaru continued, "If they haven't done anything wrong, why punish them?
"Danzo, aren't you just confirming the village rumors and putting the Uchiha Clan under house arrest in exile?"
After Orochimaru finished speaking, the meeting room fell silent.
No one was a fool.
Shikaku Nara, sitting opposite Orochimaru and reputed to have an IQ above 200, had probably seen through Danzo's intentions even earlier.
But he wouldn't say so.
Danzo had no way to prove the Uchiha were guilty, but at the same time, the Uchiha couldn't clear themselves of suspicion. Otherwise, they would have come forward at once to set the rumors straight.
Neither side could prove or disprove the accusations. So it came down to who had more power and better means.
After all, so many people had died or been injured in the Nine-Tails Incident—even the Fourth Hokage had perished. Could they really brush it aside by saying the matter was unresolved?
That would do nothing but highlight the village leadership's incompetence.
So, whether directly or indirectly, the village leaders had to give the villagers an explanation.
Someone had to take the blame. Someone had to wear the bucket of filth.
Of course, the Third Hokage and the Hokage Advisors wouldn't go too far and point at the Uchiha, saying, "This is all your fault."
They hadn't handled things well, and they didn't want a direct confrontation with the Uchiha.
But now, they couldn't avoid it. Orochimaru had torn down the ceiling—he'd torn down the toilet ceiling.
With that barrier in place, even if you were sitting below and knew someone was standing over you, you could pretend not to notice.
Even if the sound of a toilet flushing let you guess what the person above was doing, you could choose to ignore it.
But now, one side was throwing filth while the other was taking the blame. There was no cover left. The shit had hit the fan.
"Heh heh heh..."
Amid the silence, Orochimaru laughed, thoroughly amused. He only reined himself in when the Third Hokage opened his eyes and shot him a fierce glare.
He wasn't as skilled at plotting as Genie, but he knew how to muddy the waters and fish in them.
The meeting went on, but the issue of moving the Uchiha had been shelved.
Fugaku Uchiha could never agree to this demand. If he failed to represent the Uchiha Clan's interests and sided with the village, making his people take the blame, an extremist Uchiha would suggest replacing him as clan head the very next day.
The village leaders weren't willing to push too hard, either. Both sides tacitly chose to ignore the issue.
Of course, that was only temporary. The clash would be delayed, not resolved. The Uchiha Clan and the village were bound to fight for the upper hand.
Aside from the Uchiha issue, the meeting proceeded very smoothly.
After all, Orochimaru didn't stir up every pile of shit, and the others had their own reasons to hold back.
After the meeting, Fugaku Uchiha went out of his way to approach Orochimaru and invite him to meet.
He wanted both to thank Orochimaru for what he'd done at the meeting and to discuss how to resolve the Uchiha's predicament.
Orochimaru accepted, but they agreed to meet another day.
Once all the clan heads had left, only the Third Hokage, the three Hokage Advisors, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru remained in the meeting room.
Danzo barked angrily, "Orochimaru, what exactly are you playing at?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing. What are you doing?"
Orochimaru grinned, unfazed by Danzo's anger. The remaining payment had been handed over two days ago. To him, Danzo was just some penniless passerby.
Orochimaru understood Danzo's intentions perfectly. He wanted to eliminate the Uchiha step by step, gain a large number of Sharingan, use them in his research with First Hokage Cells, and acquire the power of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.
Orochimaru coveted the Sharingan, too, but he couldn't approve of Danzo's methods. Draining the pond dry to catch the fish was an utter waste of the Uchiha bloodline's treasure trove.
Utatane Koharu furrowed her brows. "Why are you helping the Uchiha for no reason?"
"What do you mean, helping the Uchiha? I'm doing this for the village."
"Do you really think such crude tactics will fool them? You're clearly pushing them into rebellion."
Orochimaru gave a dark smile and rebuked them without mercy. "What fools!"
"You!" Utatane Koharu flew into a rage and slammed the table. Since becoming a Hokage Advisor, she had never been subjected to such a direct insult.
"Orochimaru, that's enough."
Jiraiya's voice suddenly rose. He then turned to Utatane Koharu and apologized. "Elder, that's just the way he is. Please bear with him."
The atmosphere froze again. Utatane Koharu snorted and left the meeting room with Danzo and Mitokado Homura.
They had stayed to find out where Orochimaru stood, but clearly, he wasn't cooperating.
There was no point in staying and inviting more humiliation.
Orochimaru had inexplicably spoken up for the Uchiha, making the Hokage faction lose face at the meeting. They would leave that matter for Hiruzen to deal with.
After all, Orochimaru had been his student in the first place.
The meeting room door closed again, leaving only a teacher and his two students in the hall.
Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke slowly. "Orochimaru, what exactly are your intentions? Get to the point."
After all these years as his teacher, he knew Orochimaru well. Orochimaru was detached from the world and always acted with purpose. He wouldn't make an idle, cutting remark without reason.
Orochimaru took a scroll from his robes. "I got this intelligence yesterday. Read it, and then we'll talk."
Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled a document from the scroll and skimmed it. His expression darkened. "Is all the information in here true?"
Orochimaru grinned. "Without a doubt."
Beside them, Jiraiya took the document from the Third Hokage. He only had to glance at it to pale. "Kumogakure is actually planning to attack Konoha at a time like this?"
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