"Quite the opposite. I'll spread the word about you throughout Konoha."
With a hint of mockery, those words made his attitude crystal clear.
Orochimaru looked at Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, his face full of scorn.
Did they really think he couldn't see what they were planning? They simply wanted to destroy Shisui's eyes and claim it had been an accident during an experiment.
It was a perfectly reasonable excuse, and one that would be difficult to criticize.
But it would do him no good at all, and it would tarnish the reputation he had carefully maintained.
If they wanted to destroy Shisui's eyes, fine. They could do it themselves—and take the blame themselves, too.
"..."
Utatane Koharu didn't answer. She glared at Orochimaru before her, looking utterly furious.
Shisui had rendered a great service to the village, and he had lost his eyes for Konoha's sake. To destroy them for no reason—or rather, out of baseless fear—even as a Council Elder, she wouldn't get away with it. The backlash would be inevitable.
Her reputation would be ruined, and she'd stink worse than Danzo, who was steeped in blood and buried in an underground cesspit.
After decades of fighting for Konoha, she would lose the respect she'd earned in her old age over something like this.
Utatane Koharu couldn't accept that. But neither could she accept letting such a threat remain in Konoha.
Caught between "the greater good of the village" and her personal honor, Utatane Koharu was torn.
Mitokado Homura felt much the same way. Frowning, he couldn't figure out what to do.
This should have been easy to resolve. All Orochimaru had to do was cooperate and tell a little lie to the public. Instead, it had turned into this mess.