The Greatest Lie Is the Truth

Kakashi watched Genya sit back down and continue slurping his noodles. There was no sign at all of the brutality he had shown moments ago.

Just because an ordinary villager had said a few extra words and hurled insults at members of the Uchiha Security Force, he was being hauled off to the Security Division's prison.

And with a charge like that hanging over him, he would inevitably face severe torture. Getting out alive would already be a miracle.

Kakashi had actually wanted to intervene just now, but when he considered Genya's strength, he quietly sat back down.

There were plenty of ways to save someone. There was no need to clash head-on with the Uchiha Security Force.

"Why did you do that? You knew that villager was innocent." Kakashi finally could not hold it in any longer.

Genya looked at Kakashi as though he found him very strange.

"I was demonstrating how to properly deal with rumors."

"Have you forgotten how your father died?"

Kakashi clenched his fists tightly.

The scar in his heart had been touched once again, and Kakashi reacted sharply.

He even suspected that what had happened outside had been staged by Genya himself.

Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence? He and Genya had just been about to discuss his father, and then Konoha villagers hostile toward the Uchiha appeared outside.

It was as though it had been custom-made for Kakashi.

After taking a deep breath, Kakashi finally spoke.

"Say what you want to say."

This was outside the scope of his mission. He would report it later and let the Third Hokage and Minato-sensei deal with the headache.

As for the Chidori training scroll... he could judge for himself whether Uchiha Genya was lying.

Genya organized his thoughts slightly before saying, "If I remember correctly, the official report stated that Hatake Sakumo died by suicide after feeling guilty over failing a mission, right?"

"But have you ever considered that what drove your father to death might not have been the so-called mission failure, but the rumors throughout Konoha?"

Kakashi's exposed right eye stared fixedly at Genya.

Genya smiled and continued, "I remember your résumé is quite impressive. You have served in both Root and the Anbu, so you must have seen plenty of Konoha's darkness. So let me ask you this: what kind of person do you think Shimura Danzō is?"

Without waiting for Kakashi's response, Genya smiled. "Forget it, I will stop teasing you and get straight to the conclusion. Shimura Danzō is someone who would pay any price to become Hokage."

"For that goal, he would use every possible means to remove any obstacle in his way."

"And your father, because of his outstanding military achievements, was even bestowed a Hokage Haori by the Daimyo... You should know what that meant. If your father had lived, he would have been a powerful contender for Fourth Hokage."

"Am I right?"

Kakashi's mind was in turmoil.

If Genya had merely been telling far-fetched lies, Kakashi would have simply laughed them off.

But lies did not hurt people. The truth was the sharpest blade.

From the standpoint of motive, Shimura Danzō had a very obvious... No, Kakashi now believed with absolute certainty that Shimura Danzō's shadow had definitely been behind the rumors that had driven his father to death.

This was where Uchiha Genya was truly formidable. Everything he had said only mentioned motive, yet he had not produced a single piece of evidence.

But relying on his own preconceived impressions, Kakashi had forcibly linked those two matters together.

The greatest lie was the truth.

"What are you trying to do by telling me this? Make me assassinate Shimura Danzō?" Kakashi glared at Genya, his hands clenched tightly without him even realizing it.

Genya answered with an exceedingly mysterious smile.

"Unfortunately, you would not do that, and you could not do it even if you wanted to."

"Why?" Having his ability questioned, Kakashi instinctively wanted to ask why Genya was so certain.

"Because Sarutobi Hiruzen would not allow Danzo to die. Do not deny it so quickly. Do you really think Sarutobi Hiruzen knows nothing about Shimura Danzō's little schemes?"

"Besides, although Shimura Danzō's character leaves much to be desired, he is capable. With only yourself, it would be impossible for you to break into Root and kill him."

"Not to mention the past. Even now, with the Fourth Hokage in office, whose hands truly hold Konoha's power?"

"As an Anbu, you should understand that better than I do."

After a long silence, Kakashi formed several hand seals, summoned a scroll onto the table, and stood to leave.

Before leaving, Kakashi looked at Genya, who was still slurping noodles as though no one else existed, and inexplicably asked, "What are you trying to do by telling me all this?"

Anyone could see that Genya was trying to drive a wedge between Kakashi and Konoha's upper ranks, but Kakashi had no way to deny a single word he had said.

Still, he wanted to know Genya's purpose.

Genya smiled. "Because you are worth winning over, and we have a common enemy."

Kakashi had not touched his bowl of noodles, and Genya inwardly lamented the waste of food.

He had wanted to see what Kakashi's face beneath that mask actually looked like.

He casually pulled Kakashi's ramen over. Since no one else had touched it, he did not mind.

Genya did not expect a few words of persuasion to make Kakashi side with him, but as long as he planted a seed in Kakashi's heart, that was enough.

It was only an idle move, after all. He had gained an A-rank ninjutsu training scroll for nothing, so why not?

After finishing the ramen, Genya tucked the payment beneath the bowl. Then, carrying the scroll Kakashi had given him, he studied it as he walked back to the clan compound.

Chidori was actually very suitable for the Uchiha clan.

Although the Uchiha were famous for Fire Release, quite a few Uchiha clan members were naturally gifted in Lightning Release as well.

Though the threshold for mastering it was high, once successfully learned, it could greatly improve the Uchiha clan's combat power and survivability.

If used well, a technique like Chidori could also break through a desperate situation. Its potential for high-speed charges was enormous.

"Next time, I need to find a way to buy the rights to this technique from Kakashi."

Although the technique was already in his hands, Kakashi still had some use, so he would let go of the idea of spreading Chidori on a large scale without Kakashi's consent.

Immersed in this A-rank ninjutsu, Genya spared a little thought for another matter.

"Given the efficiency of Root and the Anbu, what happened today has probably already been placed on Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen's desks, right?"

"When it comes to dealing with the Uchiha, do not disappoint me."

Only if the external enemy was formidable enough could he unite the Uchiha clan more quickly.