There was no cart on the list.
Yet there was one in the corridor.
Once those words entered the review record, the atmosphere throughout the Hokage Building changed.
They were too simple.
So simple that anyone could understand them.
If the unmarked file cart was part of routine sorting, it should have appeared on the list.
If it was absent from the list but present in the corridor outside the Core Sealed Archive, that was no ordinary oversight.
At the very least, it was not an oversight that could be brushed aside with a claim of temporary reassignment.
As a member of the Hokage's Anbu, Crow submitted a complete witness report.
The time of discovery.
The location of discovery.
The cart pusher's clothing.
The dust on the wheels.
The rubbing of the old Root Mark.
The sealed bag containing the damaged label.
None of these entries relied solely on the Uchiha's records.
Danzo could not dismiss them as Uchiha suspicion.
That made his expression even colder and darker.
Fugaku wasted no time.
"Please verify the cart pusher's identity and his authorization to use the old seal."
The cart pusher was named Zemu.
His identity records listed him as a temporary logistics worker.
He was responsible for cleaning the outer areas and moving supplies.
On paper, he had no affiliation with Root.
But when Che investigated his identification number, he immediately found a problem.
The number was frozen.
Not active.
Not retired.
Frozen.
A frozen number meant the identity had been retained, but should no longer be used for routine assignments.
Yet Zemu had used that number to enter the transfer passage outside the Core Sealed Archive.
Gen studied the record, his voice cold.
"The old shells are still pushing carts."
Uchiha Jun heard those words, and his fists slowly tightened.