Defeat Exposed

Because Kakashi had been eating breakfast while reading the newspaper, he arrived later than usual.

By the time he reached the Southern Forest, Nohara Rin and Obito had already begun training under Mu Yue's guidance.

Obito usually ate at home or at a breakfast shop in the Uchiha Clan Compound. His route here did not necessarily pass through the Shopping Street, so Kakashi guessed that Obito probably did not yet know that today's Konoha Newspaper had published new content.

Otherwise, with Obito's personality, he would have been shouting up a storm here.

Kakashi then walked toward Mu Yue, who was teaching Obito the Flying Thunder God, and spoke.

"Mu Yue-sensei, I heard a bad rumor over by the Shopping Street just now."

Kakashi quickly told Mu Yue what he had heard on the street.

Normally, Kakashi would not interrupt Mu Yue while he was teaching.

However, Kakashi felt that this matter was too significant and that Mu Yue needed to know as soon as possible, so Konoha would not be caught so off guard.

If the news was false, they could quickly clarify it, hold the rumor spreaders accountable, and trace the rumor back to its source.

If it was true, they could also find a way to reduce the impact sooner.

Although the rumor sounded absurd, Kakashi felt that it was probably true.

Because it happened to explain something that had deeply puzzled him—why they were suddenly choosing the Fourth Hokage.

At the meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi's reason had been that he was getting old and wanted the younger generation to take over.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi was not actually that old, and this was not a good time to step down. What leader resigned suddenly right after winning a major war?

If he had been defeated by Sōsuke, then everything