For the first time, the Masked Man seriously reviewed the recent changes in Konoha.
Shisui had not died.
Itachi had not been isolated.
The Uchiha had not continued to close themselves off under the suspicions surrounding the Night of the Nine-Tails.
Several answers put forward by Root had been rebuffed with records, witnesses, and demands to identify their sources.
These changes could not have happened naturally.
A clan's character would not change completely in such a short time.
Nor would a Clan Leader suddenly go from suppressing his anger to presenting evidence at every step.
Someone had to be driving things from behind the scenes.
White Zetsu emerged from the ground, bringing a stack of scattered intelligence reports.
"Fugaku has met with a lot of people lately. Shisui, Itachi, the Konoha Military Police Force, and that kid."
The eye behind the mask shifted slightly.
"Kid?"
White Zetsu said with a grin, "Uchiha Gen. He's young, but he's been present a lot of the time. Clan Meetings, police records, before and after applications to the Hokage Building-he's turned up quite a few times."
The Masked Man did not speak immediately.
A child should not carry that much weight.
But the Uchiha were no ordinary clan.
The Sharingan could make some people mature too early.
Hatred could also make some people understand the darkness too soon.
The problem was that this child named Gen was not fostering hatred.
He was fostering restraint.
That was highly unusual.
White Zetsu continued, "He doesn't seem to have any notable combat achievements, and he hasn't been registered as a prodigy."
The Masked Man said coldly, "Combat achievements don't matter."
If the boy's true value lay in judgment and guidance, then his combat record was hardly the point.
What concerned him more was that Gen always appeared