The people of Konoha recently felt that life had become exceptionally interesting.
First, a notice was posted on the village bulletin board, detailing the despicable process by which the former elder, Danzo Shimura, colluded with rogue ninja and cruelly harmed villagers.
It even provided specific reasons for the Uchiha clan's undeserved cold shoulder.
"Goddammit, so the people who suddenly disappeared from the village a while ago were killed by Danzo!"
"I thought they had suddenly left the village for some reason. Who would have thought!"
"Danzo is such a person, good riddance!"
"Exactly, he even harbored the rogue ninja who previously combined humans and animals for human experiments. If Lord Orochimaru hadn't discovered it, the Hokage would still be kept in the dark!"
"Damn it! Last time my cow went missing, I thought it was eaten by wild beasts in the forest. I never expected Danzo to use it for experiments!"
...
"Lord Sakumo is truly amazing, to have single-handedly slain the damned rogue ninja Danzo!"
"I've decided, my child will also practice swordsmanship and strive to become an outstanding ninja like Lord Sakumo!"
...
"So it turns out that the difficulties encountered by the Uchiha clan during missions were orchestrated by Danzo's people!"
"I thought so. If the Uchiha clan members were truly that cold and detached, how could the Hokage entrust them with such an important position as the guard force."
"That Danzo fellow, he caused so much harm!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
...
Once Danzo's crimes were exposed, it immediately caused a huge uproar in the village.
When a wall crumbles, everyone pushes.
While Danzo was alive, even if some people knew some inside stories, they wouldn't dare to speak up. But with his death, things changed dramatically.
What? Someone died in battle on such and such date? That's right, Danzo sent people to do it.
What? Your livestock ran away? No need to look for them, Danzo took them for human experiments.
Similar remarks, whether true or not, were all blamed on Danzo, and it was always correct.
For a time, the atmosphere in the village was harmonious. When people met and greeted each other, they would first ask:
"Did you remember any bad deeds Danzo committed today?"
"What? You didn't remember?"
"Think harder!"
Besides such conversations, some positive remarks about the Uchiha clan, driven by those with intentions, also began to circulate widely in the village.
"Did you hear? There's a lonely old woman in the east of the village. She's been immobile for years and it takes her half the day to fetch water."
"Today, someone heard her say with her own mouth that the reason she's still alive, besides the Hokage's support, is that Uchiha clan members have been helping her fetch water and farm every day."
"Really? The Uchiha are so arrogant, how could they do such things for ordinary people?"
"Of course it's true!"
"Didn't you see the notice posted by the Hokage? The reason people think the Uchiha clan are bad people is all Danzo's conspiracy!"
"And! Let me tell you secretly, don't tell anyone I told you."
"The reason Danzo targeted the Uchiha clan was because Lord Kagami Uchiha and he fought over a woman back then."
"Ah? Is there such a thing? Which woman is so powerful that Lord Kagami Uchiha and Danzo fought over her?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
"I heard it was Elder Koharu Utatane, don't spread it around!"
...
This kind of elaborate manipulation could only be done by Orochimaru, who possessed two sets of memories.
As for slandering the deceased Danzo...
Heh! Orochimaru felt no guilt at all.
He was merely applying the method that Danzo would later use against Sakumo Hatake, onto Danzo himself.
Condemned by all, dying without illness!
What is this behavior of Orochimaru called? In the legal records of another soul world, there is a specific term: proactive risk avoidance!
In the ninja world, it's even simpler!
You want to kill me, sigh... unfortunately you didn't succeed! Then I'll kill you first, which is only natural!
Fugaku Uchiha had some reservations about Orochimaru using the emotional entanglement with Kagami Uchiha as a pretext. However, seeing the gradual smiles on his clansmen's faces and the disappearance of radical remarks during clan meetings, he tacitly approved the spread of these rumors.
As for the person involved, Koharu Utatane...
It is said that she simply locked herself in her room for a few days, and then acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to contribute to Konoha.
This further convinced the gossip mongers of Konoha of the authenticity of the rumor and increased their sympathy for the Uchiha clan's past predicament.
...
The aftermath of the Danzo and Uchiha incident had not yet subsided when the residents of Konoha were treated to another major scandal from the ninja ranks.
A force called Nadeshiko Village, which claimed to be entirely composed of female ninja, suddenly announced an alliance with Konoha Village and relocated their entire village to the outskirts of Konoha, bordering the famous bachelor ninja apartments.
The existence of Nadeshiko Village did not initially cause much stir in Konoha.
It wasn't until someone curiously inquired and learned that as long as they could defeat those beautiful ladies and gain their approval, they could join Nadeshiko Village as Konoha ninja and win a wife, that all single male ninja in Konoha became invigorated, and they all moved their usual training grounds to the entrance of Nadeshiko Village.
Watching the Konoha ninja constantly showing off their strength through various means, Jiraiya's arm was habitually caught in the embrace of Nadeshiko Mao, and he sighed to Orochimaru beside him.
"Orochimaru, look at the good job you've done!"
"These guys aren't training properly anymore, they're all thinking about how to defeat a ninja from Nadeshiko Village and become their son-in-law!"
Orochimaru glanced at his arm and sneered disdainfully.
"Heh!"
"What right do you have, as someone who is already a son-in-law of Nadeshiko Village, to talk about these young men who are desperately fighting for love?"
Jiraiya's expression froze, and he looked at Orochimaru with a melancholic expression.
The feeling of a beauty throwing herself into his arms was good, and he admitted that he had indeed begun to fall under Nadeshiko Mao's gentle offensive.
But is this what Jiraiya wanted?
Wasn't it you and the old man conspiring, trading Jiraiya's freedom for a group of allies for Konoha?
"Is that so!"
"Then should I thank you?"
Orochimaru grunted, ignoring the man who was complaining despite his good fortune. He pointed at the spirited Konoha ninja.
"Desire is the driving force of human progress!"
"Finding a spouse and forming a family together is a necessary process to promote human development!"
"The existence of Nadeshiko Village can perfectly combine these two points, which can play an immeasurable role in the future development of Konoha."
"Just looking at the number of children who want to apply for the Ninja Academy selection, which is nearly double that of previous years, is enough to prove it."
"Jiraiya, your union with Mao has made a great contribution to the future of both villages."
"Your name will be remembered by all future Konoha ninja!"
Jiraiya was now completely immune to Orochimaru's motivational speeches. He contemptuously curled his lips and grumbled, "Remember what? Yesterday I heard someone say Jiraiya is a pathetic man living off his wife!"
Nadeshiko Mao tightened her embrace around Jiraiya's arm, her breath warm against his cheek as she comforted him.
"Jiraiya-kun, don't talk nonsense!"
"They are just jealous. You know how good you are, and that's all that matters."
Jiraiya's old face flushed. He nervously glanced at Orochimaru and quickly patted Nadeshiko Mao's hand.
"Orochimaru is still here! We'll talk about it later!"
Orochimaru: ...