Time passed quickly. Konoha was, after all, a war machine that kept rolling forward, and naturally could not stop for certain events.
Under the combined efforts of Root and the Anbu to steer public opinion, the fallout from Orochimaru's actions had been weathered, albeit with some difficulty.
But this public opinion battle was essentially a massive exchange of mudslinging between the two sides.
Root guided the public toward believing that the Anbu bore the main responsibility for this incident, because the Anbu's only presentable achievement was Xia Yan defeating Orochimaru and recovering Uchiha Itachi.
In every other respect, they had failed even to detect Orochimaru's movements, allowing him to attack the Uchiha with ease.
And when Orochimaru fled, they had taken no effective action whatsoever.
This line of attack left many in the Anbu feeling somewhat guilty, particularly Kakashi, who had been chiefly responsible for the matter.
He kept thinking that if he had not been on leave that day, he should have learned of Orochimaru's movements long before, and things would not have turned out this way.
Xia Yan, however, offered him plenty of reassurance, because if they really traced the cause, Xia Yan himself was the one responsible.
Ultimately, Orochimaru's operation had gone so smoothly because Xia Yan had cleared the way for him. Without Xia Yan's help, he could never have gotten this far.
Even Uchiha Fugaku losing an eye had actually been Xia Yan's handiwork.
Orochimaru had nearly fallen at Uchiha Fugaku's hands. The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan was no joke.
One could say that Xia Yan's interference throughout the entire affair had brought about this outcome.
After reassuring Kakashi, Xia Yan naturally struck back. He had never been someone who stood still and took a beating.
If Root's people were slinging mud at the