The so-called unexpected guest was none other than Orochimaru.
Fuma wasn't concerned about what Orochimaru mentioned about two people now having a bad reputation; he had even anticipated it.
As a member of the Uchiha clan, Fuma never hoped to be well-regarded in the village. However, Orochimaru's current state piqued his interest greatly.
Orochimaru's face was unusually pale, his hands trembling slightly, and deep within his eyes was a profound anger.
His demeanor was also very different from before.
In this timeline, Nawaki had brought companionship and warmth to Orochimaru, while Fuma had provided him with understanding and support on his scientific research path.
Orochimaru had family ties in Konoha, as well as friendships, unlike the original timeline, where he fought alone.
Because of this, Orochimaru's temperament at this moment was calm and elegant, rather than the madness and coldness of his original timeline.
But now, the Orochimaru in front of Fuma was rapidly aligning with his original self.
That unique aura of destruction and madness finally emerged on Orochimaru.
Fuma sighed heavily, handed Orochimaru a glass of water, and gestured for him to calm down.
Orochimaru gripped the water glass tightly, his pale, slender fingers bulging with veins. He stared at Fuma and spoke in a deep, gloomy tone:
"The village's high-ranking officials searched my laboratory, confiscated my research results, and have accused me of serious crimes. Both the ANBU and the Root are investigating me simultaneously."
Fuma was taken aback. In this timeline, although Orochimaru's actions were still not highly ethical, there were still some boundaries.
Even if he conducted human experiments, they were done under the framework required by the Third Hokage, so how could things go wrong?
Orochimaru sneered coldly and listed a series of long accusations:
"Embezzling funds meant for the orphanage's construction, causing many orphans to be displaced and unable to receive aid."
"Conducting human experiments on the village's ninja, falsely disclosing the experimental risks, leading to the deaths of many volunteers."
"Stealing the First Hokage's cells, disturbing the previous Hokage's rest, attempting to covet the power of Wood Release."
"As the commander of the Rain Ninja battlefield, being inflexible in thinking, disobeying the Hokage's strategies and orders, resulting in significant casualties for the troops."
Fuma was stunned upon hearing this. These charges combined were enough to sentence Orochimaru to death multiple times.
Fuma counted Orochimaru's "crimes" on his fingers and looked at him with amusement, asking, "These things haven't been officially determined by the village yet, have they?"
"Otherwise, with your personality, you would have already become a rouge ninja by now, right?"
Orochimaru nodded, but the anger in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
"Although they haven't been officially determined, the village has publicly announced the investigation against me."
"This matter is now causing an uproar in the village; even the vendors in the marketplace know about it!"
"Even if these slanders against me are eventually clarified, what good would that do?"
Fuma nodded. The person behind framing Orochimaru had executed a very clever move against him.
Putting aside the facts, attaching various eye-catching, violent crimes to Orochimaru's name has already drawn widespread attention throughout the village.
This has already, invisibly, damaged Orochimaru's reputation and foundation in the village.
Moreover, Orochimaru's experiments themselves were in a gray area, involving many of Konoha's dark sides, making it difficult to clear his name publicly.
The volunteers who died in the Wood Release experiments, the First Hokage's cells in the lab, the defiance against the Third Hokage's orders on the Rain Ninja battlefield—all these are real, but unspeakable matters.
Would Konoha's higher-ups willingly take the blame to clear Orochimaru's name?
However, what puzzled Fuma was why the village suddenly launched an investigation into Orochimaru and did so mercilessly.
Orochimaru's experiments were actually endorsed by the Third Hokage; even if there were some issues, they wouldn't be exposed to the public.
So, who would suddenly take such drastic action against Orochimaru?
Fuma nodded in agreement with Orochimaru's view, "However, after hearing all this, I'm even more curious about my own reputation."
"Is it now believed throughout the village that we, the Uchiha, are planning a coup tomorrow?"
Orochimaru sneered coldly and mockingly replied:
"I think they are indeed afraid of a bloody conflict between the Uchiha and the village, so they dare not convict you and the Uchiha; it's just that the rumors are spreading wildly."
"However, your and the Uchiha clan's infamy is even more terrifying than mine."
Orochimaru raised a finger and began to list Fuma and the Uchiha's so-called crimes:
"In the war, to protect their own clan, they used civilian ninjas as cannon fodder.
"Disobeyed Hokage's orders and acted independently. Before the war ended, the Uchiha clan returned to the village without authorization, leading to Shukaku's invasion and causing many ninja casualties."
"Treated missions as a game, using money to corrupt many ninjas, buying and selling important village information, disrupting the village's operational order."
"Even the battle between the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha thirty years ago has been dug up."
"The Uchiha clan is now considered an inherently evil clan, bringing death and destruction to the village."
Fuma couldn't help but applaud. This analysis of the Uchiha clan was spot on.
Which true disciple of the Second Hokage's is behind this masterpiece?
Seeing Fuma's flippant reaction, Orochimaru looked puzzled and felt a hint of doubt.
"Fuma-kun, you don't seem angry at all?"
As if understanding what was on Orochimaru's mind, Fuma coughed, pointed to his chest, and said:
"They're not wrong. I did indeed do these things. And regarding the evaluation of the Uchiha clan, I personally think it's quite accurate."
Seeing Orochimaru's speechless expression, Fuma waved his hand, signaling Orochimaru to wait for a moment.
Fuma took out pen and paper, wrote down these so-called charges, and began analyzing the causes and logic behind them.
Although Fuma had already deduced that this was Danzo's doing, he didn't understand why Orochimaru was caught in this vortex.
Orochimaru remained silent, watching Fuma's scribbles on the paper.
Recalling the major and minor events before and after this war, Fuma had an epiphany.
These so-called charges danced in Fuma's mind, with logical threads stringing them together, revealing the truth behind the scenes.
"Shimura Danzo, truly worthy of being called Konoha's Scapegoat King. Not only good at taking the blame but also at pinning it on others."
Fuma muttered softly.
He had already grasped the whole story of this incident.
The root of this matter likely lies in Danzo being forced to step down as the Hokage's advisor by Setsuna.
And Orochimaru, unfortunately, got caught in this whirlpool, used by Danzo as a tool to clear his own stains, and thereby cutting off his chances of becoming Hokage.
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