The Masked Man's request was not treated as an offer to defect.
Nor was it treated as a demand for verification that had to be satisfied immediately.
The Bamboo Whistle records and battlefield dispatches Kakashi had received belonged to Konoha's archives.
They contained the contact codes from that year, personnel positions, and verification practices still in use.
Even after all these years, the complete originals could still help an enemy forge new orders.
Shikaku first extracted the portions that could be disclosed.
The Bamboo Whistle receipt page retained only the name used fraudulently, the collection time, and the differences in handwriting.
The route map omitted current codes, leaving only Kakashi's actual movements.
The seven witnesses' accounts were numbered separately, without telling the Masked Man who was still alive or where they lived.
The copy was enough to verify that two instances of redirection had occurred.
But it could not become a tool for the next infiltration of Konoha's communication lines.
The records team also added different quantities of blank fibers along the edge of every page.
These fibers carried no tracking chakra and served only to determine whether pages had been separated or replaced.
After receiving them, the Masked Man could use ordinary flames to verify that they contained no techniques.
If Konoha recovered any page, it could also use the broken fiber ends to confirm whether its contents were still those exchanged.
Protection against forgery did not have to depend on secrets the other party could not understand.
The more both sides were allowed to inspect things independently, the harder it would be afterward to claim that Konoha had secretly added unfavorable content.
The terms of the exchange were also written clearly.
To obtain the copy, the Masked Man had to provide a section of the Underground Old Man's