The chemical residue on the token changed the atmosphere at the scene completely.
Originally, the clearest target of this border investigation had been the Masked Man.
Spatial residue.
The Uzumaki-pattern Mask.
Clues leading up to the Night of the Nine-Tails.
All of them pointed to the man hiding in the darkness.
But the half-token that had been washed brought another lead into play.
Root.
Or, at least, a method of removing traces commonly used by Root's peripheral operatives.
Crow stood before the sealed evidence bag, silent for a long time.
As a member of the Hokage's Anbu, he naturally knew that some conclusions could not be drawn lightly.
But he also knew that if they dismissed this chemical residue as an irrelevant detail, this lead might never be raised in full again once they returned to Konoha.
Gen noticed his hesitation and did not pressure him.
"Border clues should not point to just one enemy."
Crow looked at him.
Gen continued, "If we only write down the Masked Man, the Root traces will be treated as a distraction. If we only write down Root, we'll obscure the spatial residue. Recording both is the only way to reflect the scene as it actually was."
His words were matter-of-fact.
Yet they pushed Crow into a position where he had to choose.
He could refuse.
But that refusal itself would also be recorded.
After a moment, Crow said gravely, "Record both lines of inquiry."
The Recorder immediately started a new page.
The first column covered the Masked Man's spatial residue.
The second covered Root's trace-removal methods.
The third covered points shared by both at the scene.
Once this table appeared, all the clues became clear.
No one had appeared at the designated meeting site at the tea stall.
There were bloodstains from a