The intelligence Danzo produced was thin.
Too thin to look like something that could change the situation.
Yet its contents were enough to stop everyone in their tracks.
Border Former Informant.
Space-time traces.
One eye.
Uchiha missing from old battlefields.
Together, those words formed a hook.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression visibly changed after he read it.
Mitokado Homura stopped dwelling on emergency exceptions and immediately asked, "Where is the informant?"
Danzo answered, "Contact is still ongoing."
Gen found that answer deeply ironic.
Contact was still ongoing.
In other words, the informant had not yet come under three-party oversight.
The intelligence had not been confirmed by the Hokage's Anbu, either.
Yet Danzo had chosen this exact moment to produce it.
His purpose was obvious.
He wanted to shift the meeting's focus from the limits of Root's authority to the Masked Man's identity.
This intelligence might be genuine.
It might even be very close to the truth.
But the closer it was to the truth, the better it worked as bait.
Because the Masked Man was the one subject the Uchiha could not avoid.
Gen read the thin intelligence report three times.
The first time, he examined its contents.
The second time, its source.
The third time, what it lacked.
It mentioned the Border Former Informant, but gave no name.
It mentioned space-time traces, but included no impressions taken at the scene.
It mentioned one eye, but provided no detailed witness account.
It mentioned Uchiha missing from old battlefields, but offered no specific list.
This was the most dangerous way to write a report.
Enough to draw people in.
Not enough to verify.
As long as it led the senior leadership off course, Root could continue controlling the pace.
Fugaku saw Gen write a short note in the margin.
Too much missing.
He