After his initial shock, the Third Hokage suddenly understood everything.
So Kakashi did not have some bizarre obsession with his father.
He simply liked boys.
Once that realization sank in, concern immediately followed.
Ninja squads normally consisted of two boys and one girl to create balance and maintain harmony within the team.
That raised an important question.
Should Kakashi, who liked boys, be counted as a male ninja or a female ninja when teams were assigned?
If Hiruzen placed Kakashi on a squad with Obito and Rin, would that balance collapse and lead to some completely unforeseen disaster?
Then Hiruzen realized that rather than worrying about team composition, he should first find a way to correct Kakashi's preferences.
Otherwise, the Hatake bloodline might end with him!
Hiruzen summoned an ANBU ninja and ordered them to locate Jiraiya.
They were to explain Kakashi's condition and ask Jiraiya to return and save the boy.
In Hiruzen's opinion, the so-called Three Shinobi Prohibitions were insignificant compared with Kakashi's current crisis.
They had to fight poison with poison—
Or rather, fight indecency with even greater indecency!
Only then could Kakashi be rescued.
"Alright, that's everything. Just tell Jiraiya exactly what I said. Go. I—pfft!"
After finishing his instructions, Hiruzen casually glanced at the crystal ball again.
The image inside stunned him all over again.
He had assumed a 'gentleman' used his hands rather than his mouth.
Apparently…
"The situation is even worse than I thought. Make absolutely certain Jiraiya returns, or Kakashi may truly be beyond saving!"
Hiruzen solemnly repeated the order.
This time, Jiraiya would not merely be saving Kakashi.
He would be preserving the innocence of countless young men throughout Konoha.
Fortunately, Hatake Sakumo had beaten Kakashi so badly that he could barely take care of himself.
Otherwise, who knew how many innocent boys Kakashi might have terrorized over the past several days?
Wait.
Was it truly limited to boys?
The Third Hokage suddenly remembered what Kakashi had said while slandering Sakumo a few days earlier.
He had claimed that Hatake Sakumo was secretly in love with Granny Chiyo of Sunagakure.
At the time, Hiruzen had believed him because Kakashi was usually such a serious child.
Besides, even someone inventing an excuse would never create something that absurd.
What normal person would choose that as their lie?
There was only one possible explanation.
To Kakashi, such a thing must have seemed perfectly ordinary.
Which meant the person genuinely interested in Granny Chiyo was not Hatake Sakumo—
It was Kakashi!
No.
That could not be right either.
Kakashi liked boys, so Chiyo must have been nothing more than a smokescreen.
Could it be…
Hiruzen was horrified to realize that Kakashi's true target might have been him.
With Hiruzen's strength, he was not worried about Kakashi drugging him with sleeping tea the way he had done in the crystal ball.
But one could guard against a thief for a day, not forever.
And until Kakashi actually made a move, Hiruzen could hardly punish him preemptively.
After thinking it over, Hiruzen decided to casually mention Kakashi's extraordinary talent to Danzō.
With Danzō's personality, he would undoubtedly attempt to recruit the boy.
Naturally, Hiruzen would not truly hand Kakashi over to him.
He would merely lend Kakashi to Root temporarily, allowing himself to avoid disaster while waiting for Jiraiya's return.
If Kakashi attempted anything strange during that period, Danzō would be the one forced to endure it instead!
A perfect plan.
The Third Hokage silently praised his own brilliant decision and finally relaxed.
Even the Shinobi World Wars had never made him this nervous.
A person could die and still have their name remembered by later generations.
If necessary, Edo Tensei could even bring them back.
But once someone's reputation was destroyed, there was truly no way to recover it.
…
Meanwhile, Obito successfully obtained the "power of the Uchiha" according to his plan.
The second quest, A Friend of the Uchiha, was completed!
At the same time, the third and final quest unlocked.
[Defeat Your Rival: Pierce your rival's heart and gain the approval of more than eighty percent of Konoha's population for the act.]
After leaving "Obito's" room, Obito returned to his own and stared at the quest description in deep thought.
What did this mean?
He and Kakashi had exchanged identities.
Did that mean that in the real world, Kakashi would eventually defeat him and pierce his heart?
Obito was not particularly concerned about the requirement to gain the approval of eighty percent of Konoha.
In the real shinobi world, he had been one of the masterminds behind the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
If Kakashi killed him, Konoha would undoubtedly applaud.
The problem was still the same as before.
Time.
Obito had exploited a loophole to obtain the "power of the Uchiha" early and complete the second quest.
Could he find a similar shortcut to finish this one ahead of schedule?
If all he had to do was pierce "Obito's" heart, he could walk into the next room right now and kill him while he remained unconscious.
But afterward, Obito would become a missing-nin wanted for murdering a comrade.
How could he possibly gain the approval of eighty percent of Konoha then?
Wait.
Perhaps it was not entirely impossible.
If he became strong enough and destroyed Konoha the way Itachi had destroyed the Uchiha clan, then he would become the village's sole remaining resident.
If he approved of himself, that would count as one hundred percent approval.
But after another moment's thought, he realized it was unrealistic.
With his current strength, how could he possibly destroy the village?
Besides, Orochimaru had not even defected yet.
Forget the question of how Obito would kill him.
If Orochimaru were pushed too far and summoned the previous Hokage through Edo Tensei, would those revived Hokage count among the "people of Konoha" for the eighty-percent calculation?
Obito needed a convincing reason that would transform killing "Obito" into an act of justice.
The problem was that he knew himself too well.
At this age, Obito was as innocent and foolish as a pig.
Without the Battle of Kannabi Bridge and Rin's death, he was merely a boy who spent every day helping old women cross the road.
"Hm?"
A flash of inspiration passed through Obito's mind.
"Obito" would never commit evil on his own.
But Obito could frame him.
Just like today.
Only this time, he would replace the sleeping tea with a different concoction that made people feverish and confused.
Then he could place Kakashi-faced Obito in a compromising situation with an elderly woman…
At that point, every kind deed he had ever done while helping old women cross the street would be reinterpreted as suspicious behavior.
His reputation would collapse overnight.
Obito could ruin his name first, then force him to flee the village and gradually push him into committing increasingly serious offenses.
Once that happened, killing him would become perfectly justified, and the quest would be complete.
"Excellent idea."
A wicked smile spread across Obito's face.
He desperately wanted to see how horrified and helpless Kakashi's face would look after being caught in such an absurd scandal.
…
Several days later, once Obito had mostly recovered, the Third Hokage summoned him to the Hokage's office.
"Kakashi, you've nearly recovered. I have a simple assignment for you that should help with your rehabilitation.
"Go assist Danzō and Root with some work."
"Yes, Lord Third."
Obito had not expected such a pleasant surprise.
He had been wondering how to obtain specialized drugs without attracting attention.
And now the Third Hokage was sending him straight into Root.
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