' Masanari 'confessed' that one of these methods actually belonged to someone name Carl Gauss who died long ago.
It did not appease anyone. At all.
It had taken Hiruzen an entire sleepless night to understand. A success matched only by Shikaku, before the man rubbed his tired face, burst into laughter and loudly proclaimed that he was stealing all of it.
Ibiki needed two days, but at the end of which he also declared the same as Shikaku soon after.
Feeling vengeful, the Hokage, Ibiki and Shikaku had pulled up their sleeves and meticulously checked all the man's numbers. Good news, they found errors.
Bad news, they only spotted those errors after painstakingly inputting what little they could of the data into their computers, which civilians didn't have access to. Worse news, fixing those errors only made Masanari's results and conclusions tighter and his many tables and charts look even more damning.
And then after the 'quantitative' part of the 'thesis', as if to show pity to the poor sods who couldn't keep up with his calculations, the man also devoted some thirty thousand words to a 'qualitative thematic analysis of unstructured interviews' with 'an ad-hoc sample of Konoha's citizenry' on 'the perceived impact of the Konoha Military Police on the social dynamics involving Uchiha clansmen. ' Which came with their own appendices in the form of yet another stack of papers, this time filled with transcripts.
Wrapping up everything was a 'metanarrative discussion' of the 'trends' and 'themes' in the context of the official laws, regulations, decrees and statements given by the Hokage Tower relative to the Uchiha Clan, versus the latter's official responses 'as published in the Konoha Sage journal since the first issue to the present day. ' An itemized list of all excerpts used was included in the 'bibliography,' alongside the extensive list of books consulted and cited throughout the paper, complete with author name, title, date of publication, and volume or issue number where relevant.
Typewritten, formatted and 'referenced' to 'standard' with matter of fact, vicious factualness. A standard Masanari himself had set and was already being followed on by others, according to reports from Konoha and elsewhere.
Civilians have no less pride than shinobi, it seems, Hiruzen pondered somberly. But they don't draw it from violence and death.
"I don't suppose we have any better idea of who the man's been talking to?" Fugaku was looking at Danzo quite pointedly now. Danzo ignored him.
Fugaku grit his teeth.
"He was very conscientious about protecting his sources," Ibiki answered instead. "I know he's not a ninja, but I still want him in my department.
"
"You can ask," Hiruzen allowed. "And only ask.
No coercion. Either way, I doubt he'll agree.
"
"Don't bother," said Danzo, the first thing he had said all day. "He is too soft.
"
You mean his moral values are too strong, Hiruzen thought as the others reprised prior talking points for the nth time. The 'thesis' preceded its conclusion with an extended tract about research ethics and how the complete redaction of all names, dates, verbal tics, demographic details, and all other 'personally identifying information' – literally everything that could possibly help identify the people who obviously didn't know where their talks were headed – was insufficient ethical rigor.
Because it apparently wasn't enough to satisfy the principles of 'anonymity,' 'confidentiality', 'beneficence' and 'non-maleficence' if the research lacked 'authenticity. ' Which, in this case, was apparently undermined because the 'primary data collection' was done without the participants' 'informed consent.
'
Danzo beheld Hiruzen with his lone, gimlet eye. "You cannot mean to follow the lead of this man.
"
"Doctors are in the business of healing," he deflected. "Will we begrudge a man for trying to heal nations instead of individuals?" Konoha was not technically a nation unto itself, but Hiruzen could easily imagine the man setting his mind on even wider horizons.
"I suppose the matter is simple then," Homura murmured, which got meaningful silence from around the table and a weary sigh from the Jonin Commander who was glaring at Hanzo's frozen image on the screen. The man did not appreciate all the sleep he missed.
"I disagree," Danzo said severely. "We are ninja.
We do not simply accept information without verification. "
Shikaku slouched in his chair. "Except everything is easily verifiable since it all comes from public sources and common knowledge in the village.
"
"Nevertheless, I move to have him detained and subjected to a Yamanaka mind dissection. The matter is far too sensitive to risk.
"
"No," Hiruzen said mildly, ignoring Danzo's glare. "Neither he nor Inoichi warrant such duress.
" Or mental crippling.
"You cannot tell me you are ready to ignore all these… incongruities. There is nothing in the man's background that accounts for his-"
"Impressive skillset?" Shikaku interrupted where even Hiruzen's old colleagues were too hesitant. "You yourself said Root has been keeping track of his comings and goings ever since his second publication and never saw him dig anywhere he wasn't allowed, why are you only raising issue now?"
Danzo's one eye stared flatly at the other man. "Nothing in his file accounts for any of this… intelligence gathering expertise.
"
"Masanari Hanzo, Age 28, civilian, occupation: electrician, handyman and occasional inventor of toys and, only very recently, the odd ninja tool with built-in electrical functionality," Koharu read, before putting the very thin folder down. "We've seen similar changes in life paths for many after the Kyuubi attack, with much less blatant trauma.
The shift in interests can easily be explained by the tragic loss of a family to entertain and provide for. "
"You are making excuses for him now as well?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "I will not begrudge a man his competence-"
"Then you should begrudge his arrogance and presumption. "
"-Especially when he revealed it to me fully expecting the very motions you are setting forward right now, Danzo. That's why he asked for amnesty pre-emptively, which I will remind you was granted.
"
Danzo's eye narrowed.
"That man is a brave citizen of this village risking his own life to prevent the greatest tragedy Konoha may ever see. By your own admission, his conclusions are credible enough to push for crippling interrogation.