Chapter Summaries

The Uchiha argued that the Nine-Tails review meeting should focus on examining gaps in the old records rather than demanding immediate exoneration. Hiruzen approved drawing up a review list, and Gen received a mission to pinpoint the old permission entry.

• Homura and Koharu proposed questioning Morikawa Kai's credibility, while Danzo supported delaying any review of the old records.
• Gen persuaded the Uchiha to seek acknowledgment that the old permission entry, missing receipt, directive number, and border testimony needed review, rather than demanding exoneration.
• Crow's Anbu witness record confirmed key details, and Fugaku argued that doubts about Morikawa Kai made reviewing the corresponding records even more important.
• Hiruzen told the officials to draw up a review list, marking the first official reopening of the old case.
• Gen chose the old permission entry as the list's first item, and the system issued him a mission to pinpoint it.

Fugaku and his allies investigated the old patrol authorization access point used a week before the Night of the Nine-Tails. They found evidence that someone bypassed normal registration and later replaced the ledger page, leaving them to trace who altered the records.

• Gen argued that the old authorization access point should head the review checklist because records could cross-check Morikawa Kai's testimony.
• Itachi found that the authorization had left only a provisional directive from the Hokage Building, with no complete Konoha Military Police Force registration.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the Archives Room to retrieve the original ledger pages, and the report showed that the relevant page came from a different batch and had been replaced.
• Fugaku called for an investigation into the procedure for inserting replacement pages, while Itachi mapped the missing registration and later-added page.
• Gen and Fugaku concluded that the bypass, replacement, and missing registration formed a trail of deliberate alterations that needed to be pursued.

Che and Gen exposed an old access authorization ledger page as a post-disaster replacement, and the linked procedure had a blank receipt signature field. Fugaku left the Hokage Building recognizing how the missing name could let suspicion fall on the Uchiha without anyone making a formal accusation.

• Che identified the ledger page as a replacement based on its paper, ink, and impressions.
• Che showed that the replacement paper came from a batch produced after the Night of the Nine-Tails, and Gen requested the replacement procedure records.
• Crow presented old border directive numbers that corresponded to the ledger page, linking the record to the border evidence.
• The archival ninja returned with a procedure record whose receipt signature field was blank, and Fugaku challenged Danzo’s claim that it was an isolated irregularity.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi recognized that someone had tampered with the old records, while Fugaku reflected on how an unnamed absence had enabled suspicion against the Uchiha.

Gen and Fugaku investigated the blank recipient field on an Old Records page and brought in Aoi, a blind archives ninja who had served during the records reorganization. Aoi identified the paper as belonging to a different batch and confirmed that procedure required a receipt signature, leaving the page’s unexplained entry as evidence of deliberate concealment.

• Gen had Che show that only the recipient’s name was missing from the otherwise completed workflow sheet, and Fugaku requested the personnel roster for the Old Records reorganization.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the roster retrieved, and it revealed that Aoi was the only surviving Konoha participant, though he was blind.
• Fugaku asked Aoi about archival procedures, and Aoi identified the supplementary page by touch as paper from a different batch than the one used that year.
• Aoi confirmed that archival records could not have blank receipt fields and required a signature to identify who had submitted a document.
• Gen had Che enter Aoi’s procedural testimony into the main review record, making the blank receipt field harder to dismiss as an ordinary oversight.

Gen questioned Aoi about the old Nine-Tails files, and Aoi identified procedural irregularities and bitter-resin sealing wax matching evidence from the Records Room fire scene and Root's peripheral supplies. Hiruzen ordered the surviving distribution records obtained, leaving Gen and the Uchiha to trace the materials back to whoever handled them.

• Gen had Fugaku ask Aoi whether supplemental pages could be filed without a receipt signature, and Aoi said procedure required one.
• Aoi confirmed that sealed urgent documents could bypass normal filing and described their hard sealing wax as having a bitter resin smell.
• Che compared the description with evidence from the Records Room fire scene and Root's peripheral supplies, finding matching characteristics.
• Fugaku requested the sealing wax procurement and distribution records for the week before the Night of the Nine-Tails, and Hiruzen ordered the surviving records obtained.
• Aoi left after warning that paper did not replace itself, while the system issued a mission to obtain the distribution records.

The review linked an irregular sealing-wax collection to the old access point and supplementary pages in the Nine-Tails files. It left officials facing proof that a dead Logistics Ninja’s identity had been used to collect the wax.

• The officials found an irregular auxiliary-supplies collection of sealing wax recorded less than half a day from the old access point’s use and near the supplementary-page gap.
• Fugaku asked to trace who collected the wax, and Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the signed receipts retrieved.
• The receipts named a Logistics Ninja who had died three days before the collection.
• Che pointed out that a dead man could not collect the sealing wax, exposing the use of his identity after his death.

Gen and the Uchiha linked a dead logistics ninja to suspicious sealing wax and altered old records, prompting Hiruzen Sarutobi to order a temporary seal. An irregular access request appeared before the seal took effect, leaving the investigation focused on who could still use an old identity.

• Che showed that a dead logistics ninja had signed for sealing wax after his death, while Gen linked the collection to old access records and pages added later.
• Fugaku challenged Danzo’s explanations by demanding records to support them, and Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the relevant archives temporarily sealed.
• The Archives Room reported an access request for pages from the same batch, filed under a mission number that matched no actual mission.
• Fugaku demanded that the Archives Room retain the original request and recorded why an old identity could still be used.

The Hokage Building investigated an irregular request to access old Nine-Tails records and traced it to a retired Root peripheral clerical ninja whose old seal had been used without his knowledge. The discovery exposed a loophole in Root's retirement system, and Fugaku demanded that retired and missing personnel lists be included in the review.

• After the irregular records request was intercepted, Gen added it to the timeline of suspicious actions, and Crow linked it to the cleansing of the border tokens.
• The Hokage Building found the named requester, a retired clerical ninja from Root's peripheral network, and brought him in for questioning.
• The clerical ninja denied submitting the request but recognized the seal as his old one, which he believed had been destroyed when he retired.
• Fugaku requested that Root's lists of retired and missing peripheral personnel be included in the review.
• The clerical ninja left the Conference Room fearful that his identity would be used again.

Gen and Fugaku investigated an irregular request to access the old Nine-Tails files and learned that retired Root personnel’s old seals could still be used outside official procedures. The review widened to Root’s retired and missing personnel, while Ihara feared being placed back on the roster.

• Ihara denied requesting access to the old Nine-Tails files and said no official recipient had taken his seal when he retired.
• Che recorded that Ihara’s seal had no receipt record, echoing the missing acknowledgment for the supplementary pages.
• Ihara explained that Root’s peripheral clerical network had used old seals to process temporary requests outside its official archives.
• Fugaku asked Danzo to confirm whether retired Root personnel still had usable old seals, identities, or access privileges, and Mitokado Homura called for checking their destruction records.
• Ihara said he feared someone using his name to act again, and Gen recognized that Root’s system could keep operating through retired or missing identities.
• The review added retired and missing personnel rosters to its scope.

Gen and Fugaku used Ihara’s testimony and records of old seals to secure a formal review of Root’s retired, missing, and deceased outer-rank personnel, linking Root’s old identity system to the Nine-Tails incident. The chapter left Danzo preparing to protect himself as the investigation reached the hollow identities he had used for years.

• Gen asked Ihara about the procedure for leaving Root, and Ihara testified that old seals, code names, and mission routines could remain in use.
• Crow recommended checking records of destroyed old seals, and Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the records reviewed.
• Che assembled evidence linking an old access point, irregular sealing-wax collections, altered ledgers, and a retired clerk’s old seal to the Nine-Tails investigation.
• Fugaku requested a renewed cross-check of Root’s retired, missing, and deceased personnel against irregular procedures, and Hiruzen Sarutobi approved it.
• Anbu took Ihara into protective custody and sealed the old seal destruction records, prompting Gen’s system to register the old identity system’s formal review.
• Fugaku briefed the Uchiha clan’s core members, and Gen warned that Danzo would try to destroy the remaining evidence.

Danzo tried to protect Root’s core by sacrificing parts of its old outer system, while Gen and the Uchiha used the records Danzo submitted to uncover another dead person still listed in Root’s procedures. The chapter ended with them beginning to investigate why deceased people’s names kept appearing in Root’s records.

• Danzo rejected a proposal to dispose of Ihara and decided to abandon Root’s old outer shell while preserving its core chain of command.
• Gen predicted Danzo would sacrifice important-looking pawns and advised Fugaku to demand Root’s old seal destruction records and retired personnel review list.
• The Hokage Building required Root to submit the records, and Danzo quickly complied.
• Hiruzen and Gen noticed that the submitted review list included someone who should already have been dead.
• Gen, Shisui, Itachi, and Fugaku compared the new entry with an earlier dead person listed in sealing wax records and identified a pattern for further investigation.

Che and the Uchiha uncovered a growing pattern of dead personnel appearing in critical Root-related procedures, prompting a consolidated investigation. The list linked the pattern to records surrounding Shisui, and the inquiry turned toward identifying who had been made the sole witness to past events.

• Che and Uchiha Jun compared records showing two deceased men involved in separate procedures, revealing a repeated method of using the dead to legitimize paperwork.
• Fugaku requested a consolidated review of every name with procedural activity after death, and the Hokage Building approved a preliminary investigation.
• Che and the Archives Room's ninja compiled a list that grew to nine names across records involving old seals, sealing wax, file access, and retirement confirmations.
• Shisui found the code name Crow Feather on the list, linked to an earlier advisory concerning observation of him, and agreed to have the connection reviewed.
• Gen recorded that the use of dead names and the isolation of sole witnesses both served to transfer responsibility, leading Fugaku to expand the inquiry toward who had been positioned to explain past events.

Gen and the Uchiha uncovered records showing that Root’s old-shell system had assessed whether Shisui could be isolated and had steered Itachi toward judging him alone. They added the risk of disrupting witness chains to the Shisui review and began tracking solitary-contact advisories as a wider threat.

• Shisui and Gen recognized that old-shell records had assessed whether Shisui could be approached alone, while Itachi found advisories monitoring his relationship with Shisui.
• Gen combined the Shisui records with the old Nine-Tails files and Root periphery records, revealing a shared pattern of hiding who issued orders and isolating the people involved.
• Fugaku demanded that the Shisui incident undergo a parallel review, and Crow submitted Anbu records showing that vague advisories could steer personnel toward solitary judgments.
• Itachi discovered that one advisory had urged him to assess whether Shisui still put the village first, and he and Shisui recognized that the system had targeted their trust and witnesses.
• Gen recorded the risk of witness-chain disruption, and Fugaku ordered solitary-contact advisories collected under the internal label “Isolated Testimony Inducement.”

Gen and the Uchiha assembled evidence that Root had manipulated Itachi into becoming the sole witness to Shisui’s actions, potentially making the truth impossible to prove. They prepared a protected application to combine the Shisui incident with other cases, and the system recognized the parallel review and issued a new mission.

• Gen explained that Root’s advisory had steered Itachi into becoming the sole witness to Shisui, and Fugaku demanded that records about the Shisui incident be added to the parallel review.
• Danzo argued that the Uchiha were expanding the investigation too far, while Mitokado Homura called for clear grounds to combine the cases.
• Gen identified shared methods across the cases, and Che, Itachi, Shisui, and Crow gathered records and reference materials to support the application.
• Gen kept Shisui’s private psychological assessments out of the public application and added a rule protecting sensitive records from being disclosed.
• The system announced that a parallel review of the Shisui incident had begun and issued a mission to submit grounds for combining multiple cases.

Gen and Fugaku presented evidence linking three investigations through shared methods, securing a preliminary review of their request to combine the cases. As the review approached, the Uchiha prepared to trace who had authority over Root’s old fronts, while the system warned that Root might sever those fronts to protect its command structure.

• Gen compiled a comparison table linking the Nine-Tails records, Root’s old fronts, and the Shisui’s eyes investigations through shared methods.
• Fugaku submitted the grounds for combining the cases, and Crow supported preliminary review with testimony about overlapping evidence and investigative traces.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi approved a preliminary review, forcing Root to respond without formally combining the cases yet.
• Gen identified the authority to retain Root’s old fronts as the first question for the review, and Che recorded the next investigative step.
• Fugaku told Gen that the Uchiha needed to ground their anger in evidence, while the system warned that Root might cut off its old fronts to protect its core chain of command.

At the consolidated preliminary hearing, Fugaku and Gen forced Danzo to admit that Root’s Core Sealed Archive retained indexes for frozen identities and old seals. The Uchiha left with a new objective: obtain the archive indexes tied to preparations preceding the Nine-Tails incident.

• Danzo described Root’s old outer-network shells as a legacy issue and said some identities had to remain frozen.
• Fugaku asked who had authority to retain the frozen shells, prompting Danzo to name Root’s Core Sealed Archive.
• Fugaku requested indexes related to old seals, sealing wax, and preparations preceding the Nine-Tails incident, and Hiruzen agreed to consider access to only those indexes.
• Homura privately questioned Hiruzen about opening the archive, while Danzo grew grim after hearing that the indexes were being sought.
• Gen told Uchiha Jun and Shisui that the archive indexes could show the old shells had been recognized by Root’s core, and the system issued an objective to obtain them.

Fugaku secured access to a screened index from Root’s Core Sealed Archive, which revealed that the Uchiha had been listed for preliminary risk observation before the Night of the Nine-Tails. The Uchiha planned to cross-check the timeline before seeking the underlying records, while Hiruzen began questioning Danzo’s justification for the surveillance.

• Fugaku limited the Uchiha request to index entries about old seals, sealing wax, and the trail before the Nine-Tails incident, and Crow volunteered to witness the retrieval.
• Hiruzen ordered his Anbu to retrieve the index rather than the original documents, and the catalog revealed an entry titled “Uchiha risk plan preliminary observation.”
• Itachi asked when the observation began, and Crow found that its date preceded the Night of the Nine-Tails.
• Fugaku shared the index only with the clan’s core members, while Gen and Fugaku decided to cross-check the timeline before requesting the actual documents.
• Hiruzen questioned Danzo about the pre-disaster surveillance, and Danzo defended it as village protection but admitted that risk had no limits.

The Uchiha discovered Root had systematically observed their clan before the Nine-Tails disaster and had even indexed Sasuke’s home environment as a risk. Fugaku and Itachi resolved to challenge the surveillance of minors as a safeguard for all children, not just Sasuke.

• Che combined the index timestamp, an old access point, a sealing-wax requisition, and Morikawa Kai’s testimony to show that observation began before the Nine-Tails incident.
• Shisui found that Root’s observation targets included Fugaku, young Military Police members, emotionally volatile clan members, and people with special abilities.
• Shisui found an index entry about the stability of family interactions involving the Clan Leader’s second son, revealing that Root had observed Sasuke’s home environment.
• Fugaku ordered the entry listed separately and said he would bring limits on observing minors before the Hokage Building.
• Gen and Che agreed to include the entry in the records review with safeguards listed separately, and Itachi insisted the restriction apply to all Uchiha children, not just Sasuke.

Fugaku challenged Root’s decision to place Sasuke’s family interactions in a risk observation index, forcing Hiruzen Sarutobi to confront the monitoring of Uchiha children. Danzo left the meeting intending to relocate unrequested archive files as the dispute widened.

• Fugaku questioned Danzo about why Sasuke’s family environment appeared in Root’s risk observation index, and Gen identified it as an assessment of the next generation’s emotional trajectory.
• Fugaku presented Sasuke’s training records and Itachi’s promise to return the Kunai, arguing that children should not have to prove their innocence to the village.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Danzo that he had crossed the line by treating the future as a disaster, and Danzo was briefly silenced.
• Danzo ordered a Root ninja to relocate related files that had not yet been requested while leaving the already exposed entries in place.

Gen and Fugaku persuaded Hiruzen to suspend Root’s risk surveillance entries involving Uchiha minors and require renewed Hokage Office approval for surveillance of children. Danzo secretly ordered related archive files transferred, and Gen, Fugaku, and their allies prepared to use the move as evidence.

• Gen argued that treating Sasuke’s normal childhood and family bonds as risks could create the dangers Root claimed to prevent, and Fugaku demanded limits on surveillance of minors.
• Hiruzen ordered Root’s surveillance entries involving Uchiha minors suspended and sealed for review, with future surveillance requiring renewed approval from the Hokage Office.
• Danzo outwardly accepted the order but secretly directed Root to transfer files associated with the core sealed archive while leaving already flagged entries untouched.
• At the Training Ground, Fugaku told Itachi that observation should mean identifying where Sasuke needed guidance, not labeling him a risk.
• Gen sealed the milestone in the record box, and Fugaku said they would prepare to catch traces of Danzo’s expected archive tampering.