Itachi observed Inabi's review.
He did not sit at the front.
Nor did he speak on behalf of the Uchiha.
He simply stood quietly in a corner, watching an accusation being taken apart.
In the past, loyalty had carried enormous weight for Itachi.
Ninja accepted orders.
Subordinates obeyed their superiors.
Individuals submitted to the village.
These principles had been drilled into him since the Ninja Academy, and they sounded as solid as stone.
But lately, he had witnessed too much firsthand.
Root could slip leading questions into a question bank.
Rumors could be disguised as the village's shared unease.
Scapegoats could be dressed up as reasonable suspicion.
If all anyone did was obey, many mistakes would be passed down the chain through that obedience.
During Inabi's review, the Anbu Recorder asked meticulous questions.
Mission times.
Patrol routes.
People he had been in contact with.
How many times he had used the Sharingan.
Every item was recorded.
Inabi had a bad temper.
Several times, he clearly wanted to lash out, but a look from Shisui held him back.
Finally, the Nara Witness delivered his conclusion.
"At present, there is no evidence that Uchiha Inabi is connected to the unknown user of a space-time ability."
When Itachi heard those words, a strange feeling stirred inside him.
This was not an emotional victory.
Nor had one side overpowered the other.
A wrong answer had simply been ruled out.
But ruling it out was itself a way of protecting the village.
Because if the village accepted a wrong answer, it would keep following the wrong path.
The farther it traveled down that path, the safer the real enemy would be.
Outside the Hokage Building, Itachi caught up with Gen.
"If a superior gives the wrong answer, what should a ninja do?"
Gen stopped walking.