Large numbers of Anbu were not immediately stationed around the Memorial Stone.
If the Masked Man dared to leave dirt behind, he would certainly watch how Konoha reacted.
Suddenly sealing off the entire area would only tell him that his note had worked.
Shikaku divided the operation into three layers.
The personnel in each layer received a different schedule.
The outermost layer believed the operation would end after sunset.
The middle layer knew only to maintain surveillance until midnight.
The innermost layer knew when Kakashi would actually arrive, but not which route would be used to evacuate the evidence.
If the Masked Man appeared somewhere ahead of time, Konoha could determine which layer's information he had obtained.
This operation was meant both to protect Kakashi and to continue investigating why the enemy always seemed to see their investigative direction before they did.
The outermost layer maintained normal patrols without changing their usual routes.
In the middle layer, Hyuga ninja observed chakra from underground without approaching the Memorial Stone.
The innermost layer consisted only of Kakashi, Shisui, and an Anbu responsible for keeping track of the time.
Kakashi still went to the Memorial Stone in the early evening, as he always had.
The difference was that this time, everyone knew where he was going.
Before leaving, he wrote "anticipation" and "fear" on his condition log.
Both words existed side by side.
If it really was Obito beneath the mask, he wanted to see that face.
If Obito really had done everything that happened during the Night of the Nine-Tails, he was also afraid to see it.
Shisui did not urge him to put his emotions aside.
He simply repeated the withdrawal signal and the limits of engagement.
"If you see him, don't pursue him into another space."
"If he brings up