Idiot Beats Master

While Shiba Seika used the spoils of the trade to steadily solidify his position and cultivate his own faction, far away in the Land of Fire, Uchiha Shisui was also promptly delivering the intelligence gained from that transaction to Clan Head Fugaku.

After receiving the news, Fugaku spent the entire night pondering in his study, yet still couldn't bring himself to make a decision.

Fugaku had lacked decisiveness his whole life; otherwise, he wouldn't have let the Uchiha clan waste away in internal strife over the past few years and beyond.

He recognized the lethal potential of this intelligence, but lacked the courage to directly intervene in the power struggles of Konoha's upper echelons, leaving him wavering and indecisive.

Yet the world is sometimes full of dramatic irony.

Fugaku lacked the nerve to break the mold, but there were some reckless hotheads who did.

That day, Obito and Rin returned to the village after finishing a mission and came to visit Kakashi.

Kakashi was nominally on leave, but in truth, he was under house arrest in the village, awaiting judgment.

The moment they met, Rin's eyes reddened.

"Kakashi, you've lost so much weight. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! If I hadn't been captured back then, none of this would have happened."

Kakashi shook his head, his reply carrying far more warmth than before.

"It's not your fault, Rin. This was my own choice."

Obito was stunned.

This was the first time in over three years that Kakashi had faced them with such gentleness.

So gentle that Obito couldn't even adjust.

"Kakashi, you..."

Kakashi then turned his gaze to Obito on his own. "Obito, I'm sorry for how I used to talk to you.

I've figured it out now. You were actually right all along. If a ninja who can't complete a mission is worthless, then someone who abandons their comrades is even worse than worthless."

In that moment, Obito was deeply shaken—so much so that he yelped and jumped up.

"Ah! You, you, you! Are you really Kakashi? You're not someone using a Transformation Jutsu to impersonate him, are you?"

Rin lightly smacked him. "Obito, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Faced with his shock and doubt, Kakashi said nothing, only lowering his head with a dim, unreadable look in his eyes, as if speaking to Obito—or questioning himself.

"How is it that even you understand this truth so clearly, yet I was the one lost in confusion all along?

Why didn't I stand firmly by my father's side back then and support him?"

The latter part Kakashi murmured so softly that Obito didn't catch it.

But the first half he heard made Obito feel both smug and bitter.

Smug that the arrogant Kakashi had finally admitted he wasn't as good as him!

Yet he couldn't help feeling bitter that Kakashi had ended up like this.

"Snap out of it, Kakashi! You're a genius—you're only allowed to lose to me, the greater genius! What's with this state you're in?! How did you get even more troublesome than before?"

Obito grabbed Kakashi by the collar and shook him frantically.

But no matter what, he couldn't bring back the light in those hollow, dead-fish eyes.

Leaving Kakashi's place, Uchiha Obito paced irritably, punching the air.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! How did it come to this? That guy Kakashi, he never lets anyone worry easy!"

Rin smiled gently beside him, seeing right through his tsundere act.

"Obito-kun, you complain all the time, but you really care about Kakashi, don't you?"

"Don't joke around? Who cares about that arrogant jerk?! I wish he'd never bounce back—then I'd beat him in no time!"

Obito's words were insincere, but the anxiety on his face was all too obvious.

Rin just smiled without calling him out.

After returning to the clan, Obito happened to overhear a piece of news by chance—

"What?! The one who manipulated Kakashi is from the Shimura Clan? And he's the same clan as that elder who's about to put Kakashi on trial?"

In that moment, the gears of fate began to turn because of a small accident.

What Fugaku dared not say, dared not spread—Obito dared!

What Fugaku dared not step into—the high-level conflicts—Obito... well, Obito had no clue about any high-level power struggles. His eyes were only on Kakashi.

Then Obito, with full initiative, immediately sought out the green-tights weirdo running laps around the village.

"Guy, Kakashi's in danger right now! Someone's trying to harm him, and the trial he's about to face is unjust! Will you help me save him?"

"Of course!"

Guy agreed without a second thought, his teeth gleaming white in the sunlight.

"Rescuing a comrade in distress is the very meaning of youth! Oh! Obito-kun, my youth is about to ignite!"

And so, two reckless young brats hit it off at once and began running all over the place to save Kakashi.

In the blink of an eye, the major ninja clans of Konoha had all gotten word—

The one who framed Kakashi was the Shimura Clan, and the one who had instigated Kakashi was also the Shimura Clan?!

At the Nara Clan, the Head of the Nara Clan stared blankly at his son Shikaku. "Where did you get this news?"

Why hadn't any of Konoha's official intelligence agencies received a single piece of information, while his own son had already gotten the scoop ahead of time?

Did that make any sense?

Shikaku drooped his eyelids, spreading his hands helplessly. "Dad, you might not believe this, but I heard it from a bunch of kids at the Ninja Academy."

Obito and the others couldn't reach the big shots, so they took the grassroots route instead, spreading the word starting with their peers and even younger children.

At that moment, the Head of the Nara Clan fell into deep thought.

Smart people always had trouble predicting the actions of hot-blooded idiots.

In that instant, the current Head of the Nara Clan thought of many things, guessed at countless possibilities, but still couldn't figure out what signal this reflected from the higher-ups.

For the first time, the Head of the Nara Clan felt his brain wasn't enough, so he unhesitatingly grabbed his son, who was trying to slip away.

"Shikaku, get back here! Don't think you can sneak off and slack off—help me figure out what's going on!"

Shikaku Nara looked utterly resigned to his fate.

As the saying goes, idiots counter experts. That night, the father and son of the Nara Clan discussed until dawn without coming to any conclusion.

They only agreed on one thing: Danzo and the Shimura Clan's reputation was about to stink again.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Jonin meeting to discuss Kakashi's punishment convened as scheduled.

That day, Danzo walked into the meeting room brimming with confidence, his stride vigorous, his steps carrying a breeze.

In his view, the advantage was his in this round!

So much so that when he looked at the meeting room before him, he felt a vibrant energy, a scene of thriving competition!

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was the last to enter. He set down his pipe and announced, "Bring Kakashi in."

The Anbu promptly brought Kakashi into the meeting room.

This matter had dragged on for too long, and there was no need to read the charges aloud again, so Sarutobi Hiruzen declared directly.

"Then, let's vote. Those in favor of Kakashi's innocence, raise your hands. Those opposed, don't raise your hands."

Danzo smirked smugly beside him.

He had even already thought about how he would toy with Minato Namikaze if he came begging, what demands he would make, and how he would vent his pent-up anger thoroughly!

But then, what he never expected was—

After a brief silence and pause, more and more Jonin and clan representatives in the meeting room raised their hands.

And the looks everyone gave Danzo carried a certain mockery, disgust, and contempt.

Danzo was stunned.

Why?!

Wasn't Kakashi the one who harmed his comrade? What did you all mean by staring at him like that?!