After the broken kunai was sealed in an evidence bag, Uchiha Toru's expression remained grim.
"That's still not enough?"
He pointed at the faint mark inside the bag.
"Root's covert mark is right there."
Shisui did not answer.
He was still examining the scene.
The Anbu witness said nothing either.
The silence only made Uchiha Toru more agitated.
"You both think this isn't evidence?"
Shisui finally spoke.
"It looks too much like evidence."
Uchiha Toru frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"It's too conspicuous."
Shisui crouched and pointed to where the kunai had originally lain.
"Half buried, but not completely. Loose soil, handle facing outward, and the mark just visible."
Uchiha Toru looked down.
He was right.
The kunai looked as though someone had deliberately placed it there.
Not dropped it.
More like put it on display.
The Anbu witness said quietly, "If it had been dropped during a retreat, the handle shouldn't have been facing the junction."
Uchiha Toru fell silent.
He really had wanted to take it straight back and slap it down in front of Danzo.
But what if that was exactly what the other side wanted?
The Uchiha rushing to accuse Root over an all-too-obvious covert mark.
Danzo would only need one sentence: a Root mark this conspicuous could have been copied by anyone.
Then the kunai would go from evidence to proof that the Uchiha were desperate to pin the blame on someone.
The more Uchiha Toru thought about it, the grimmer his expression became.
He was not afraid of being berated.
For the first time, he clearly understood that recklessness would not only hurt him.
It would taint the genuine leads they had already uncovered, too.
A kunai placed just a little too perfectly was like a truth that sounded just a little too pleasing.