Inside the City Lord's residence, City Lord Kurokawa Yasumasa courteously received the two of them, expressed his gratitude, and informed them that before their arrival, the city guards had successfully captured the human trafficking ring responsible for the crime. He assured them that the mission would still be counted as completed, and that the remaining remuneration would be paid to Konohagakure as usual.
When Maruboshi Kosuke asked about the whereabouts of the abducted children, the City Lord revealed a look of regret. He explained that this group was a criminal organization operating across multiple countries, and that the children had already been resold abroad. However, he promised to do his utmost to pursue the matter and strive to bring them back.
After hearing this explanation, Kosuke said no more. He rose and took his leave. "Thank you for your hospitality, City Lord. In that case, we will take our leave."
The two declined the City Lord's further attempts to detain them and walked toward the exit of the residence.
As they reached the doorway, Shinichi's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. He did not turn his head, yet he could clearly sense that the middle-aged man dressed as a steward, who had been standing at the City Lord's side the entire time, had once again fixed his gaze on his back.
From the moment Shinichi had entered the hall, that man's eyes had repeatedly fallen on him. It was not an ordinary glance, but an unusually focused observation, even carrying a faint trace of urgency.
Shinichi had once looked back as if sensing something. Although the man immediately restrained himself and casually shifted his gaze away, afterward that look would still quietly fall upon him from the shadows or from the corner of his eye, again and again, as though repeatedly confirming something.
"Shinichi, what do you think?" After they had walked some distance away from the City Lord's residence, Kosuke asked.
"Not normal," Shinichi replied briefly, his gaze sweeping over the imposing residence behind them.
"Mm." Kosuke gave a slight nod, lowering his voice. "Let's put more distance between us before we talk."
...
Inside the City Lord's residence, the heavy wooden doors had just closed, cutting off the light and sounds from outside. The deferential steward's mask on Elder Takahashi's face shattered instantly.
He abruptly turned toward Yasumasa. His fingers trembled slightly with agitation, and though he kept his voice extremely low, he could not conceal the fervor surging within it: "Did you see it?! That boy… that Konoha genin called Higashino Shinichi!"
Yasumasa's heart skipped a beat, and his expression darkened. "What are you planning to do again? I warned you not to act rashly!"
"No! You don't understand!" Elder Takahashi interrupted urgently, an unusual light flickering in his eyes. "That was a resonance! The most direct revelation from the Holy God! The very moment he stepped into the hall, the power belonging to the divine blessing deep within my blood began to throb and call out! This is no coincidence! His body… his very existence may well have been born to bear the Holy God's power—a perfect vessel! A natural candidate for the Holy Son!"
He stepped closer, his voice carrying a hoarse, bewitching tone. "Kurokawa Yasumasa, tell me—you too have bathed in the Holy God's blessing, and the seed has already been planted within you. When you saw him, did your heart truly feel nothing? If we seize him and complete the final ritual… the great undertaking of the Holy God's descent will be realized because of us!"
A complicated light flickered in Yasumasa's eyes as he said with difficulty, "But he is a Konohagakure ninja!"
"Just a genin!"
Elder Takahashi let out a disdainful snort. "Look at his companion—still a genin at several decades of age. The very fact that he is teamed with such a man proves that this boy is not valued in Konohagakure at all, utterly insignificant! In past wars, such figures were nothing more than expendable cannon fodder. This world has never truly been at peace. The death of a genin is entirely ordinary."
He continued coldly, "We can do it cleanly. Create an accident and pin it on roaming rogue ninja or rōnin. An unremarkable old genin dies; a small genin with no background goes missing. In a border region like this, such things happen every day. Would Konohagakure truly mobilize large forces and conduct an in-depth investigation for the sake of two insignificant, low-ranking ninja? As long as we act cleanly and leave no evidence, given enough time, the matter will naturally fade away."
Yasumasa fell silent, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the cuff of his sleeve, his heart caught in intense turmoil.
Seeing that he still hesitated, Elder Takahashi's gaze turned dangerous as he snapped, "Don't forget your illness, Kurokawa Yasumasa! Only when the Holy Son descends can your disease be completely cured."
He had already prepared himself—if Yasumasa refused, he would kill him and lead the believers into action himself.
Thinking of his illness, and seeing the increasingly dangerous look in the man before him, Yasumasa gritted his teeth and said, "...Fine! Then… we'll do it!"
Takahashi nodded in satisfaction and was just about to make arrangements when a believer hurried in and reported in a low voice, "My lords, those two Konohagakure ninja… have already left the city."
"So quickly?" Yasumasa was momentarily stunned.
Takahashi's pupils contracted sharply, and a sense of foreboding seized his heart. "Not good! They must have noticed something! After them! We cannot let them leave!"
…
Not long after the two left the city lord's residence, they slipped into a narrow, deserted alley.
Kosuke stopped, turned to Shinichi, his gaze calm, and said in a low voice, "You can speak now. What did you discover?"
Shinichi analyzed in an even tone, "Senpai, regarding this case of missing children, the city lord's residence not only knows about it, but is very likely deeply involved. More precisely, City Lord Kurokawa Yasumasa himself is either their protector or collaborator."
Kosuke's brows knitted tightly. "On what basis?"
"First, his attitude was abnormal," Shinichi continued. "The city lord was overly warm and thorough toward us, as if eager to hand us a complete set of answers. The culprit just happened to be captured before our arrival, the children were said to have been sold abroad… every explanation fit together seamlessly. That very perfection made it seem rehearsed in advance. As the lord of a city, burdened with numerous affairs, to personally provide such swift and detailed explanations for an ordinary C-rank commission is itself unusual."
"Combined with the fact that the local security forces had made no progress in the missing children cases, only deliberate concealment at the highest official level could have made everything so clean."
"Second, that steward." Shinichi paused, recalling the gaze that had seemed to repeatedly confirm something. "From the moment I entered, he paid unusual attention to me. It was not curiosity—it was more like… assessing some particular trait. When I met his gaze, he concealed it immediately, but afterward continued observing me in secret. That is not the behavior of an ordinary steward. It seemed that his interest was directed more toward me as a person than toward my identity as a Konohagakure ninja."
"Senpai, aside from being a Konohagakure ninja, what else about me would be worth such attention?"
Kosuke's eyes shifted slightly as he uttered two words: "Children."
"Exactly. Children." Shinichi nodded and continued the line of reasoning. "Therefore, the truth behind the recent cases of missing children in this region is very likely that some force has been secretly abducting children, attempting to select from them those who meet certain specific requirements or traits. And that force is cooperating closely with the city lord's residence—perhaps the city lord himself is one of its members, or even its leader."
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