Who had written the question bank?
Once Fugaku raised that question, everyone in the Conference Room knew it was more than a matter of paperwork.
Because questions shaped answers.
Especially when they were put to underage prodigies.
If a child was repeatedly asked how to choose between his clan and his village, he would come to believe the two were inevitably opposed.
If a child was repeatedly asked whether he could sever personal attachments, he would come to believe that maturity meant cutting those ties.
If a child was repeatedly asked whether he could endure intense pressure alone, he would come to believe that asking for help was a weakness.
None of these things would kill someone immediately.
But they would slowly push him into isolation.
The head of the Anbu submitted the sources of the old question bank.
The questions fell into three categories.
Anbu training questions.
Wartime psychological questions.
Old Root screening questions.
The first two categories could still be explained.
As soon as the third appeared, Danzo spoke.
"The old Root screening questions were used to assess responses to extreme conditions. That doesn't mean they would be copied wholesale."
Gen studied the attachment and realized that copying them wholesale was not the issue.
The issue was that the logic behind the questions had been preserved.
When clan interests conflicted with a mission, could the candidate immediately sever ties?
When the village's orders conflicted with the safety of someone close to him, could he prioritize carrying out those orders?
Could he independently complete a necessary mission when no one understood him?
These questions were far too much like the path Itachi had followed in his original fate.
Fugaku asked, "Were these questions used in Itachi's assessment?"
The head of the Anbu fell silent for a moment.
"Some were