"Danzo had already colluded with Iwagakure. Iwagakure demanded the Tailed Beast from us, and Konoha should demand Danzo back from them.
"Danzo desecrated the remains of our predecessors in Konoha and used people of the Land of Fire for Human Experimentation, causing many deaths.
"We have reason to suspect Iwagakure ordered all of it. Danzo was already working with them before he began those experiments.
"They may even have joined forces when Danzo took the Tailed Beast to Iwagakure for negotiations.
"Why else would Iwagakure mobilize so many troops for one Tailed Beast? If there was no dirty deal behind it, I'd be the first to call that a lie.
"Iwagakure still wants to destroy Konoha. If they want the Tailed Beast, they can hand over Danzo and compensate Konoha for its losses in this affair.
"If they can't hand him over, then by the rules of the Shinobi World, they can trade money and the resources of the Land of Earth for it," Fugaku said.
Fugaku's words gave the Ninjas present more to consider. There was no need to stand on principle when dealing with an enemy.
The Tailed Beast Danzo had handed over to Iwagakure had been real. He had simply summoned it back.
More importantly, Fugaku wanted to muddy the waters. Chaos worked in his favor. If Konoha settled down to recover in peace, people would soon forget what the Uchiha had done for them.
His chief goal this time was the position of Hokage. He would chip away at the Hokage's standing in the Land of Fire, bit by bit.
If the Hokage took his advice, Fugaku could set many of his plans in motion. Hidden in his proposal was an exceedingly subtle trap—one designed to breed suspicion.
A knowing look crossed Orochimaru's face. "I support