Four files stamped "killed in action" were placed on the same table again.
This time, no one looked at the names first.
Shikaku had the recorder cover the identities and examine only the process used to confirm each death.
The first had a complete body, medical records, and a signed record of burial preparations from the clan.
The second had died outside the country, but three ninja from his team had confirmed his death, and his belongings and partial remains had been returned after the war.
The third recorded only that he had gone missing with severe injuries. No body had been found at the time.
The fourth came from the Kannabi Bridge mission. A massive collapse had occurred at the scene, and only one survivor had judged him dead.
The same stamp concealed vastly different levels of evidence.
Before the review began, the Hokage Building sent confidential notices to the families of all four deceased.
The notices did not say "the deceased is suspected of betrayal." They stated only that Konoha was checking wartime cases in which identification of the remains had never been completed.
The families could designate a witness to attend the review of their relative's records, and could also request that private information unrelated to the investigation be concealed.
Once one deceased ninja whose complete body had been prepared for burial was quickly ruled out, his file was immediately sealed again. He would no longer remain a candidate indefinitely merely because he had once used the same retreat route.
The review was not meant to turn every dead person back into a suspect.
Promptly ruling people out once sufficient evidence had been found was also a necessary part of the investigation.
The Anbu investigated the third record first.
The Uchiha ninja was named Sosuke. After he