The old-format directive sample lay on the table.
The paper was thin.
Its edges had yellowed.
The writing on it was not a formal order, either, merely a copied sample in an old format.
Yet no one in the Small Conference Room dared dismiss it.
Takeuchi Haruki had been fooled by this very sheet.
Not because its contents were particularly complete.
Quite the opposite.
It contained only a heading, a signature block, and a few phrases commonly used in old-format directives.
The middle was blank.
That blank space should have raised suspicions.
But with paperwork piling up after the disaster, the blank space only made it look more like "a procedure that had yet to be completed."
Uchiha Gen looked at the sheet and said quietly, "A forged order has to make all its contents convincing."
He raised his head.
"An old-format sample only has to fool someone's habits."
Takeuchi Haruki grew even paler.
He did not defend himself.
Because Gen was right.
He had not trusted any particular order.
He had trusted the Hokage Building procedures he knew.
Hiruzen Sarutobi rested his fingers on his pipe and remained motionless for a long time.
"Nara."
Shingo Nara immediately stepped forward.
"Yes, sir."
"Does the Hokage Office still use old-format directive samples like this?"
"No."
Shingo Nara answered quickly.
"The format was changed three years ago. The new directives added a two-seal verification process. Old-format samples are kept only in the obsolete document archives, for format checks and comparison with historical documents."
Mitokado Homura asked, "Who has access to the obsolete document archives?"
Shingo Nara hesitated.
"The Hokage Office clerical team, the archive supervisor, and some temporary staff responsible for sorting and checking archived documents."
"Temporary staff?"
Uchiha Gen seized on those words.
Shingo Nara's expression turned grim.
"After the Night