The first thing Itachi returned was a pass.
It could open three restricted corridors in the Anbu headquarters.
The second was a short-term mission key.
The third was seven copies of records that were not yet due for destruction.
He did not write down what he remembered and take it away as personal property, either.
The Anbu personnel officer checked each item.
"The cases you worked on still require follow-up explanations."
"You can notify me about specific cases."
"You know some border and sealing secrets."
"My confidentiality obligations will continue for their original terms. That doesn't mean my appointment automatically extends."
"What if you're the one most familiar with a new mission?"
"Explain the mission first. Then I'll choose whether to accept it."
Itachi did not demand a reward for completing dangerous missions.
Nor did he threaten to leave to make the Anbu delete his evaluations.
His short-term service record contained successes.
Once, timely verification of evidence had prevented a wrongful arrest.
Once, compartmentalizing intelligence had protected the locations of minors.
There were failures, too.
A three-day border mission had not been completed according to the original plan.
He had stopped operating when his authorization expired, breaking the trail to the target.
He had personally told Sasuke about that failure.
The record was not revised to call it a strategic retreat simply because the situation later stabilized.
The final evaluation stated that Itachi could respect mission boundaries, but still tended to bear burdens alone and offer fewer explanations.
After reading it, he proposed one addition.
"It wasn't about offering fewer explanations."
"At the time, I thought not telling my family would reduce the risks they had to bear."
The personnel officer asked, "And now?"
"Now I think that also meant deciding for them whether they wanted to know."
The addition