Flip the Table

"Danzo, by doing this, are you trying to confirm the suspicions against the Uchiha clan regarding the Nine-Tails Incident?"

As soon as Orochimaru said this, the faces of everyone in the conference room changed, and they could no longer maintain their calm and composed expressions.

Fugaku, who had just sat down, felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head; his mind jolted, and he turned to glare at Danzo.

He realized that he had underestimated the consequences of the clan's relocation.

Feeling the resentful gaze of Fugaku, Danzo felt a jolt in his heart, his expression turning cold instantly. He glared viciously at Orochimaru and snapped, "Orochimaru, what nonsense are you spouting? There is no conclusion yet regarding the Nine-Tails Incident; when have I ever framed the Uchiha?"

"I've heard a saying: people's eyes are sharp."

A smile hung on Orochimaru's face as he looked one by one at the heads of the various ninja clans and the village elders present.

"During the Nine-Tails Incident, the Uchiha clan indeed had suspicions; the tomoe in the eyes of the Nine-Tails could not be faked, and everyone saw it very clearly."

The anger on Fugaku's face froze instantly. He turned to look at Orochimaru with a very complex expression, unsure whether the other party was helping or harming the Uchiha.

The expressions of the various clan heads were no longer the same as before; they exchanged glances, unable to act as if nothing had happened.

"However, Danzo-sama, can you produce evidence to prove the Uchiha clan is guilty?"

Orochimaru smiled, "I don't think you can, otherwise you wouldn't be using these kinds of tactics."

Danzo kept a straight face and said nothing.

"Moving the Konoha Military Police Force to the edge of the village and stripping them of their responsibility for emergency missions—what is this? This is a punishment!"

Ignoring the warning glances from Jiraiya beside him, Orochimaru continued, "Why should they be punished if they haven't done anything wrong?

Danzo, isn't what you're doing just confirming the rumors in the village and effectively exiling the Uchiha clan?"

The atmosphere in the conference room fell silent the moment Orochimaru finished speaking.

No one here was a fool.

Just like Shikaku Nara, who sat opposite Orochimaru and was known for having an IQ over 200, he might have seen through Danzo's intentions even earlier.

But he would not say it out loud.

Danzo indeed had no way to prove the guilt of the Uchiha, but at the same time, the Uchiha could not clear themselves of suspicion either; otherwise, they would have stood up to clarify the public opinion immediately.

Since it could neither be proven false nor true, it came down to who had more power and more means.

After all, with so many casualties in the Nine-Tails Incident, and even the Fourth Hokage losing his life, could a simple "no conclusion yet" easily brush it aside?

That would do nothing but highlight the incompetence of the village's top brass.

Therefore, whether from the front or the side, the village leadership needed to give the villagers an explanation.

Someone had to take the blame, and someone had to be the scapegoat.

Of course, the Third Hokage and the advisors did not dare to go too far; they wouldn't point at the Uchiha's nose and say, "It's your fault."

Because right now, they weren't prepared, nor did they want to have a direct conflict with the Uchiha.

However, that was no longer the case; Orochimaru had ripped off the ceiling—he had ripped off the ceiling of the latrine.

Previously, with that barrier in place, even if you sat below and knew someone was standing above you, you could pretend not to see it.

Even if you could judge that the person above was relieving themselves by the sound of the flush, you could selectively choose to ignore it.

But now, with one side splashing and the other side taking it, there was no cover left; it was a matter of having the filth dumped right on their heads.

"Hehehe..."

In the silence, Orochimaru laughed, laughing very happily, until the Third Hokage opened his eyes and glared at him fiercely, at which point he restrained himself.

He wasn't as skilled at laying out plans as a Genie, but he certainly had the ability to stir up the water and fish in troubled waters.

The meeting continued, but the topic of the Uchiha relocation was shelved.

Fugaku Uchiha could not agree to this request; if he did not represent the interests of the Uchiha clan and chose to stand on the side of the village, letting his clansmen take the blame, the very next day, radical Uchiha would propose replacing the clan head.

The village leadership was also unwilling to push too hard, and both sides tacitly ignored the topic.

Of course, this was only temporary; the conflict would only be delayed, not resolved. The Uchiha clan and the village were destined to clash.

Aside from the Uchiha affair, the meeting proceeded very smoothly.

After all, Orochimaru wouldn't stir every pile of filth, and others had their own reservations about doing so.

After the meeting ended, Fugaku Uchiha specifically came before Orochimaru to extend an invitation.

It was both to express gratitude for his actions during the meeting and to discuss how to resolve the Uchiha's predicament.

Orochimaru did not refuse, though the agreed-upon time was not for today.

Once all the clan heads had left, only the Third Hokage, the three advisors, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru remained in the conference room.

Danzo shouted angrily, "Orochimaru, what exactly are you playing at?"

"I should be the one asking what you are all doing."

Orochimaru grinned, not taking Danzo's fury to heart. The final payment had been settled the day before; to him, Danzo was just a poor passerby.

Orochimaru knew Danzo's thoughts clearly: he merely wanted to eliminate the Uchiha step by step to obtain a large number of Sharingan, which, combined with his research on First Hokage Cells, would allow him to gain the power of both Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.

Orochimaru also coveted the Sharingan, but he could not approve of Danzo's methods; such draining of the pond to catch the fish was simply a waste of the Uchiha's bloodline treasure.

Utatane Koharu furrowed her brows. "For no reason at all, why are you helping the Uchiha?"

"What do you mean, helping the Uchiha? I am doing this for the sake of the village."

"Do you really think such crude tactics can fool them? Doing this is clearly forcing them into rebellion."

Orochimaru gave a gloomy laugh and retorted mercilessly, "What a fool!"

"You!" Utatane Koharu flew into a rage and slammed her hands on the table. Ever since she became a Hokage advisor, she had never been subjected to such a direct insult.

"Orochimaru, say less."

Beside them, Jiraiya's voice rose sharply, and he turned to apologize to Utatane Koharu. "Elder, he just has this kind of temper. Please bear with him."

The atmosphere turned rigid once more. Utatane Koharu let out a cold snort and left the conference room along with Danzo and Mitokado Homura.

They had stayed behind to probe Orochimaru's stance, but clearly, this guy had no intention of cooperating.

Continuing this would only be inviting further humiliation upon themselves.

Orochimaru's inexplicable support for the Uchiha had caused the Hokage faction to lose face at the meeting, so this matter was better left for Hiruzen Sarutobi to agonize over.

After all, he was his student to begin with.

The door to the conference room closed once again, leaving only the master and his two students in the hall.

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke slowly, "Orochimaru, what exactly is your objective? Speak plainly."

Having been his master for so many years, he understood Orochimaru well. He knew of his detachment from the world and that he always acted with purpose; he would never run his mouth without cause.

Orochimaru took a scroll from his robes. "This is intelligence I obtained yesterday. Let us talk after you have read it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a document from the scroll, browsed it for a moment, and his expression darkened. "Is the intelligence here true?"

Orochimaru grinned. "Without a doubt."

Beside them, Jiraiya took the document from the Third Hokage's hand. He only had to glance at it once before his expression changed. "Kumogakure... they actually intend to make a move against Konoha at a time like this."