"Danzo, are you doing this to confirm the suspicion that the Uchiha clan was behind the Nine-Tails Rebellion?"
The moment Orochimaru's words left his mouth, the entire conference room turned pale. No one could maintain their calm facade anymore.
Fugaku, who had just taken his seat, felt as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. His mind snapped into focus. He whipped his head around and glared at Danzo, eyes burning with fury.
He realized now—he had still underestimated the consequences of the clan's forced relocation.
Under the weight of Fugaku's accusatory gaze, Danzo's heart skipped a beat. His face instantly darkened as he turned to Orochimaru with an icy glare.
"Orochimaru, what nonsense are you spewing?" Danzo snapped. "The Nine-Tails Rebellion hasn't even been concluded—why would I frame the Uchiha?"
"I've heard it said," Orochimaru replied with a smile, turning his eyes slowly toward the other clan heads and village elders, "that the eyes of the people are sharp."
He let the words hang in the air before continuing:
"The Uchiha clan is under suspicion for the Nine-Tails Rebellion. The tomoe—the Sharingan—was clearly visible in the fox's eyes. No one could have missed it."
Fugaku's rage froze in place. His expression shifted as he looked toward Orochimaru, confusion flickering in his eyes. Was this man helping the Uchiha… or condemning them?
The expressions of the clan leaders had also changed. They glanced at one another, unease passing between them. They could no longer pretend this was just a routine decision.
"But, Danzo-sama," Orochimaru continued, still smiling, "can you provide any evidence that the Uchiha clan was responsible?"
He didn't wait for an answer.
"I doubt it. If you had any, you wouldn't need to resort to these underhanded tactics."
Danzo's face was stony. He said nothing.
"The police force has been relocated to the outskirts of the village. Their emergency response authority has been stripped. What else can you call that but punishment?"
Orochimaru ignored Jiraiya's subtle attempts to rein him in and pressed forward.
"If they've done nothing wrong, why punish them?
Danzo… are you doing this to confirm the rumors floating through the village? To quietly exile the Uchiha clan and make it look like justice?"
The room fell into a heavy silence.
No one here was a fool.
Even Nara Shikaku, who often joked about his 200 IQ, had likely seen through Danzo's intentions long ago.
But he wouldn't speak up.
The truth was, Danzo had no solid proof of the Uchiha's guilt. Yet, at the same time, the Uchiha couldn't definitively clear themselves either. If they could, they'd have already stepped forward to dispel the rumors.
In this kind of deadlock—where nothing could be proven or disproven—the only thing that mattered was power.
And Danzo had plenty of it.
After all, during the Nine-Tails Rebellion, so many were killed and injured. Even the Fourth Hokage died.
Such a devastating event couldn't simply be left without someone to blame.
This situation only serves to highlight the incompetence of the village's top leadership.
One way or another, the higher-ups need to give the villagers an explanation—someone has to take the fall.
Of course, the Third Hokage and the Hokage advisors don't dare to go too far. They won't point fingers at the Uchiha and outright say, "This is your fault."
At least, not yet. They're still trying to avoid a direct confrontation with the Uchiha.
But now, Orochimaru has shattered the illusion—they can't hide behind the ceiling anymore.
Before this, everyone could pretend. Even if they knew someone was standing above them, they could act like they didn't see. Even if they heard the toilet flush and could guess what was going on, they could turn a blind eye.
But now? The mess is spilling out into the open. There's no more barrier. Everyone can see exactly what's going on—and it's getting ugly.
"Fufufufu…"
In the thick silence, Orochimaru chuckled, his amusement clear. Only when the Third glared at him with fury did he restrain himself.
He wasn't great at long-term planning like Danzo, but he was a master at stirring the pot and fishing in troubled waters.
The meeting continued, but the topic of relocating the Uchiha was quietly shelved.
There was no way Fugaku would agree. If he betrayed the clan by giving in to the village and letting them take the blame, a more radical member of Uchiha would replace him as leader by the next day.
The village elders didn't want to push too hard either. So both sides tacitly chose to ignore the topic—for now.
But that's all it was: a delay. The conflict hadn't been resolved. A clash between the village and the Uchiha was inevitable.
Aside from the Uchiha incident, the rest of the meeting went smoothly.
After all, Orochimaru didn't stir up every issue, and most of the others were too cautious to do so themselves.
After the meeting, Uchiha Fugaku personally approached Orochimaru to thank him—and to discuss how to deal with the clan's current predicament.
Orochimaru didn't refuse, but they agreed to talk another day.
Once all the clan heads had left, only the Third Hokage, his three advisors, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru remained in the room.
Danzo snapped, furious. "Orochimaru, what the hell are you doing!?"
"I should be asking you that," Orochimaru replied with a sly grin, completely unfazed. The final payment had been delivered days ago—Danzo was now just another powerless passerby.
Orochimaru knew exactly what Danzo was after: eliminating the Uchiha bit by bit, collecting Sharingan, merging them with First Hokage cells, and ultimately chasing the powers of Madara and Hashirama.
Orochimaru also wanted the Sharingan—but not like this. Draining the clan dry was a waste of their bloodline's potential.
Koharu frowned. "Why are you helping Uchiha out of nowhere?"
"Helping Uchiha? I'm helping the village."
"You really think they'll fall for such a flimsy excuse? You're pushing them into rebellion!"
Orochimaru let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Idiots."
"You—!" Koharu's expression twisted in rage. Since becoming a Hokage advisor, no one had ever insulted her so directly.
"Please, Orochimaru, don't go too far."
Jiraiya suddenly stepped in, raising his voice. Then he turned and gave Koharu a polite nod. "Elder, please don't take offense—he's always been this way."
The room fell into silence again. Koharu huffed coldly and stormed out with Danzo and Homura in tow.
They'd only stayed to gauge Orochimaru's stance. Clearly, he wasn't willing to play along.
Pushing further would've just been asking for humiliation.
Supporting the Uchiha at that meeting had embarrassed the Hokage, and now Hiruzen had a headache to deal with.
But Orochimaru was still his disciple.
With the door closed, only the Third and his two apprentices remained.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. "Orochimaru, what's your goal? Speak plainly."
He knew his student well. Orochimaru always acted with purpose—he wouldn't do this out of charity.
Orochimaru pulled a scroll from his robe. "This is the intel I obtained yesterday. Take a look, and then we'll talk."
Hiruzen unrolled the scroll and skimmed its contents. His face darkened.
"Is this information accurate?"
Orochimaru smiled. "Without a doubt."
Jiraiya, curious, took the scroll from the Hokage. One glance was enough to change his expression completely.
"Kumogakure… They're planning to make a move against Konoha?"
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