Konoha's statement did not quell the doubts.
The more it stressed that it had not read the Nine-Tails' memories, the more the other shinobi villages demanded to know who had designed the Interrogation Formula.
Who held the original records.
Who could prove that the publicly released material had not been edited.
The most important question was why the first tailed beast testimony had to come from Konoha.
The Third Hokage proposed holding a Five-Nation Briefing.
Before the invitations were even sent, Takigakure publicly refused.
"A jinchūriki meeting cannot be convened by Konoha."
Takigakure was not one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
But the Seven-Tails had just become a target of Black Zetsu's capture efforts.
It understood better than any country that had not been attacked how so-called joint verification could turn into a consolidated list of jinchūriki locations.
Kumogakure then announced that it would not allow its village's jinchūriki to enter the Land of Fire.
Iwagakure demanded that Konoha first hand over the Nine-Tails' Interrogation Formula.
Sunagakure worried that exchanging questions would ultimately turn into a public comparison of the strength of each village's seals.
Kirigakure gave no direct response, merely asking through the Land of Water's trade routes whether the meeting would implicitly recognize each village's possession of its tailed beasts.
Every concern had a practical basis.
And every one made it impossible for Konoha to continue presiding.
Gen proposed to the Third Hokage that Konoha withdraw as the convener.
"If the rules only hold when Konoha presides, no one else has any reason to believe they aren't Konoha's tool."
Konoha could provide its own interrogation records.
It could not gain control over access to every tailed beast's testimony simply because it had completed the first attempt.
The new invitations were issued jointly by the Land of Rivers