Hiruzen and Ōnoki reached the same conclusion without even talking it out.
Right now the Leaf had no better cards to play. Admitting the Kakashi walking their streets was a fake would be the same as confessing they'd hunted down Sakumo Hatake's son and tried to bury the White Fang scandal for good.
Denying the one in the Ninja World Big Events Weekly while insisting their version was the real deal wouldn't fool everyone, but it would keep the people who still wanted to believe. That was the best damage control they could manage.
The Leaf's official statement dropped fast.
Kakashi showed up in the village again, standing right out in the open.
"Listen up," he told the crowd. "I've been here the whole time. That interview in the Weekly is pure Sand Village bullshit. They're trying to smear the Leaf and drag Lord Hokage's name through the mud. I'm the real Kakashi Hatake—same name, same face. Come see for yourselves. The Leaf's honor and the Hokage's reputation aren't going to be dragged through the dirt by those desert rats."
The announcement spread. Some people still trusted the Leaf and bought it completely.
"I knew Lord Hokage wouldn't do something like that," one villager said. "It's all Sand's dirty tricks."
Others had already lost faith.
"The Weekly doesn't print lies," another muttered. "They've got too much credibility to risk. The only way this makes sense is if the Leaf cooked up a fake Kakashi with the Transformation Technique."
Might Guy stood a short distance away, staring hard at the man claiming to be his best friend. The face was familiar. The feeling in his gut wasn't.
"That's not Kakashi," Guy said quietly. "I should've seen it last time. Where's the real one? Dead? Still in Sand? Why the hell is this happening?"
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder.
"Kai," Might Dai sighed. "I know it hurts."
Guy's eyes burned. "It's not youthful at all, Dad."
Dai looked toward the Hokage Tower, voice low. "We're just small men, son. Good at taijutsu and not much else. There's nothing we can change."
Uchiha Shisui felt the same sick drop in his stomach the second he saw the fake.
The Uchiha clan was already on the ropes. After the rebellion the ones who stayed behind got treated like traitors anyway—watched, isolated, spat on. The ones who left were called rebels. The ones who remained were called cowards. The proud founding clan of Konoha had been reduced to street dogs.
Shisui had pinned his last hope on Kakashi. Now even that was gone. Two Kakashis existed at the same time and most people had no idea which one was real. They'd just believe whichever story they wanted to believe.
Sunagakure.
Rasa read the latest reports and couldn't help the cold smile that crept across his face.
"Hiruzen's really going all-in on this lie," he said. "Fine. If he wants to play the game, I'll play it harder."
He glanced at the system panel.
Points: 3062.
The Kakashi interview had been pure gold. Hiruzen handing him the perfect setup by parading a fake around the village first only made the real one's words hit harder.
"Second thirty-draw," Rasa said. "Let's go."
The invisible wheel spun.
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained an F-rank item: one of gold.]
…
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a B-rank item: One-Night Dream Fabrication Card (Konoha Jonin version).]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a B-rank item: Versus Points Exchange Card.]
…
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained an A-rank item: S-Rank Ninjutsu Enhancement Card.]
Rasa's eyebrows rose. One A-rank and two B-ranks. All of them useful as hell.