Because Kakashi was reading the newspaper while having breakfast, he arrived later than usual.
When he reached the Southern Border Forest, Nohara Rin and Obito were already training under Mokgetsu's guidance.
Obito generally eats at home or at a breakfast shop in the Uchiha Clan Land. It's unlikely he would pass through the commercial street on his way, so Kakashi guessed that Obito probably didn't know about the new content in today's Konoha Newspaper.
Otherwise, given Obito's personality, he would definitely be making a fuss about it here.
Then Kakashi walked over to Mokgetsu, who was teaching Obito the Flying Thunder God technique, and said:
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I just heard a troubling rumor over by the commercial street."
Kakashi quickly relayed to Mokgetsu the information he had heard on the street.
While Mokgetsu was teaching, Kakashi would normally not disturb him.
But Kakashi thought the news was significant enough that Mokgetsu needed to be informed promptly to prevent Konoha from being caught off guard.
If the news was false, then they would need to refute it quickly and hold those spreading the rumor accountable, tracing back the source.
If the news was true, then they should act swiftly to minimize the impact.
Even though the rumor sounded absurd, Kakashi felt it might be true.
This would conveniently explain a certain puzzling matter for Kakashi—why the sudden selection of the Fourth Hokage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's reason given at the meeting was that he was getting old and wanted to pass the mantle to the younger generation.
Yet Sarutobi Hiruzen's age wasn't particularly advanced, and it wasn't an ideal time for stepping down, especially after winning a major victory.
If the rumor of Hiruzen losing to Sosuke were true, it would make everything plausible.
"Hokage-san lost to Sosuke? Really, how did they end up fighting?" Obito scratched his head with a puzzled expression.
He knew that Konoha and the Ninja Sect had a conflict, but Obito only knew that Konoha wanted to force Sosuke to commit suicide, leading to the breakdown of negotiations.
He hadn't expected the situation to escalate to a fight between the Hokage and the Ninja Master.
"It's true," Mokgetsu confirmed the truth directly, thinking that since the rumor had reached Kakashi's ears via Konoha, it was unnecessary to conceal it further.
"But don't discuss this matter extensively, just behave as usual."
This issue had actually been discussed in a high-level meeting, as they could maintain confidentiality on Konoha's side but couldn't rely on the Ninja Sect to keep secrets. Exposure was inevitable.
Kakashi showed an expression of realization; he suspected that Sarutobi Hiruzen's sudden transfer of power wasn't simple.
"It seems Sosuke's power isn't ordinary," Kakashi fell into thought.
Previously, Konoha had been very hard on the Ninja Sect, trying to force Sosuke's suicide, but inexplicably ceased their actions afterwards.
Connecting all the dots, the answer became apparent: Sosuke's strength far exceeded Konoha's expectations, forcing Konoha to change their attitude.
Kakashi instinctively looked at Mokgetsu.
Speaking of strength strong enough to alter the attitudes of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Mokgetsu was the first that came to mind.
Mokgetsu hadn't reached the level of Senju Hashirama yet, but in the current Ninja World, aside from the enigmatic Sosuke, Mokgetsu stood as the first, possessing the power to single-handedly annihilate a ninja squad.
"Sensing space is the first step to the Flying Thunder God technique, and is crucial to its successful deployment…" Having reminded Obito, Mokgetsu continued teaching him the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
Meanwhile, Kakashi also gathered his thoughts and began honing his swordsmanship and lighting attribute Chakra nature changes.
At this time, elsewhere, Mokgetsu's Shadow Clone in the Hokage Building was approached by Anbu.
"Please proceed to the high-level meeting room immediately," Anbu quickly elaborated on their intent.
The Shadow Clone Mokgetsu nodded and proceeded alongside Anbu to the high-level meeting room.
"As expected, the Ninja Sect hasn't kept the news confidential, and various rumors about my loss to Sosuke have spread throughout the Land of Fire and even Konoha," Sarutobi Hiruzen pointed out promptly as everyone gathered.
"Faster than anticipated, did the Ninja Sect promote it intentionally?" Mitokado Homura said sternly.
Information dissemination takes time; given the Ninja World's underdeveloped communication, rapid spread of news isn't easy.
However, compared to the news itself, Mitokado Homura was more concerned about Sosuke's actual intentions.
Even if the news was revealed, the reputation loss for Sarutobi Hiruzen was manageable, and Konoha wouldn't suffer any tangible setbacks.
"It could also be other dissatisfied Great Ninja Villages adding fuel to the fire," Mokgetsu shook his head.
Being aware of his own actions, Mokgetsu knew he hadn't specifically instructed the Ninja Sect Ninja to keep the battle results confidential, but neither did he direct them to boast about it.
"Mokgetsu is right, compared to the Ninja Sect, other Great Ninja Villages are more suspicious," Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed.
Due to Sosuke's restraint in battle, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still unable to gauge Sosuke's attitude towards Konoha.
However, the intentions of other Ninja Villages were straightforward; having just been defeated, they'd relish seeing Konoha embarrassed upon hearing such news.
"What should we do? Use the strategy discussed before?" Utatane Koharu asked.
"Yes, conduct cold treatment," Sarutobi Hiruzen affirmed.
Denial wasn't an option, lest it reach the Ninja Sect, and Sosuke demands a public rematch — an unwinnable situation for him, whether he agreed or declined.
Yet, outright admission was equally poor, potentially harming his personal prestige and jeopardizing Konoha's growth trajectory, which would be a major misstep.