News of Itachi's participation in the anomaly review circulated only within a very small circle.
But Root reacted faster than anyone else.
Before the second review began, the Hokage Building received an Underage Ninja Protection Recommendation.
The recommendation was thoroughly written.
Underage ninjas were not yet mentally mature and should not be exposed to high-pressure intelligence for prolonged periods.
Underage attendance should be restricted at classified meetings involving other nations, the Anbu, and wartime mobilization.
Promising young ninjas should not be burdened with village-level responsibilities too early.
Taken individually, every sentence seemed intended to protect Itachi.
Yet Fugaku knew where the recommendation had come from before he even saw the signature.
Root had never considered Itachi too young before.
When they prepared the High-Pressure Question Bank for Itachi, they had said nothing about his lack of mental maturity.
When they secretly assessed whether Itachi could choose between his clan and the village, they had said nothing about burdening him with responsibility too early, either.
Now that Itachi was beginning to understand how the questions were designed, underage protection had suddenly appeared.
Protection was genuinely necessary.
But selectively applying it could turn it into another form of isolation.
At the meeting in the Hokage Building, Danzo spoke calmly.
"Itachi has already proven his talent. Precisely for that reason, we should be even more careful not to draw him into complex struggles too early."
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not immediately reject the suggestion.
He did worry that Itachi was taking on too much.
A child exposed to the village's darkest aspects too early could be left with scars that would never fade, whether that exposure came through a mission or not.
But Fugaku asked only one question.
"How many High-Pressure Loyalty Assessments has Root conducted on underage ninjas over the past year?"
Danzo's