The questioning did not end immediately after Shuo admitted to altering his grade.
His statement established a direction for the investigation.
It could not serve as a conclusion on its own.
The Konoha Military Police Force first had Shuo recount the process from the beginning.
When he failed the basic Safety Exam, he received a notice suspending his financial aid.
Under the Training Facility's current rules, a student who failed even one basic safety component would lose all tool, course, and housing subsidies for that term.
Shuo's parents could not afford the fees for the next term.
He thought he would be forced to leave the Training Facility.
After the Recorder refused to change his grade, Shuo did not appeal.
Because the rules offered no way to retake the exam or file an appeal.
The day before, he had taken Invisible Ink from the bottom of his toolbox.
He had secured the folded flap again with transparent sealing adhesive.
After the exam ended, he saw the Recorder leave and entered the Records Room through the side door.
First, he used Invisible Ink to cover "Fail."
Then he copied the handwriting of the other grades to write "Pass."
The entire process took fewer than a hundred breaths.
As he left, Shuo snapped the empty ink tube and threw it into the drainage ditch behind the Training Ground.
After he finished, the investigators did not tell him that these details were enough.
They verified each one separately.
The timing seal at the entrance showed a gap of one hundred and seven breaths.
A small piece of transparent adhesive was found along the inner edge of the side door.
Mixed into it were paper fibers matching those from the folded flap of the toolbox.
The drainage ditch had already been flushed by the