Leaving the Hokage's Office, Gen Takuya walked the road back toward home.
A faint glimmer seemed to flicker in his eyes.
He had felt something earlier when he encountered Minato—
But the Hokage's Office hadn't been a place to think deeply.
Now, it was clear.
Minato was being pulled away from Konoha.
And even for the future Fourth Hokage, an S-rank mission wasn't something he could complete and return from in a day or two.
During that window…
Kirigakure would have the best chance to strike at Nohara Rin.
You could even say—
That S-rank mission might itself be connected to Kirigakure… or to Black Zetsu.
They would do everything possible to drag it out.
Could Minato refuse the mission?
Of course not.
For a great village, the mission system was its lifeblood.
Even low-level missions paid well—anyone who'd seen the original history knew that.
A-rank and S-rank missions were enormous income streams.
And the war still wasn't truly over. Konoha's finances were strained.
In such a time, missions wouldn't be halted unless the village was under direct invasion.
An S-rank mission, especially, could not simply be ignored.
So now he had to keep a closer eye on Rin—without question.
But to be safe…
He also needed to watch Hatake Kakashi.
Gen Takuya drew a slow breath.
No matter what—
This operation would likely unfold under White Zetsu's gaze.
They would monitor everything, from every angle.
Even his crows weren't fully reliable.
No matter how far away he kept them, they might still be noticed.
After thinking for a moment, Gen Takuya made a decision.
He would track for a distance, then reduce the number of crows.
From then on, he'd have to rely on luck—
That his crows wouldn't perch on the very trees where White Zetsu hid.
Over the next few days, Gen Takuya remained in his home, behaving exactly as his persona demanded—studying fuinjutsu in isolation.
During that time, small-scale fighting broke out again.
After the Kannabi Bridge battle, Iwagakure's supply lines were destroyed and they retreated.
And now Kirigakure surfaced, launching limited raids.
The scale was small, and Gen Takuya wasn't summoned.
A "pure logistics and research" shinobi like him likely wasn't needed for minor skirmishes.
But Kirigakure's action only reinforced his certainty—
Rin would be taken in this period.
Minato was a walking disaster for small-scale battles.
So they'd lured him away with a high-paying mission.
And once Minato returned, he'd probably be forced to head straight to the front against the Mist's raids.
Gen Takuya adjusted his plain, unprescribed glasses.
He wasn't worried.
That battlefield wasn't too far from Konoha.
Because Kirigakure's raid was almost "unprovoked," it happened closer than a full-scale front line.
He could reach it in time.
The sealing technique in his hands—
Was the technique he intended to use next.
The technique he'd prepared for years.
Countless revisions. Countless trials.
Now, endless verification and refinement.
Every step of the formula was nearly perfect.
Its success rate on ninja beasts was already a hundred percent.
But this time, his target wouldn't be a ninja beast.
It would be…
A tailed beast.
Every tailed beast was monstrously strong—beyond ordinary jōnin.
If they could perfectly wield their own power, Kage-level wasn't an exaggeration.
And the Nine-Tails could push beyond even that.
And each tailed beast was unique.
Even now, Gen Takuya couldn't be sure how effective his seal would be against one.
All he could do was refine it until there was nothing left to refine.
This was his best possible version.
Everything within his power had been done.
The rest…
Was fate.
As the sky darkened, Gen Takuya's attention shifted to Rin on the battlefield.
For the past few nights, he'd spent most of his focus watching her, afraid he'd miss the moment she was taken.
Finally—
The hidden Mist shinobi moved.
With terrifying speed, they captured Rin—only a chūnin, specializing in medical ninjutsu, not strong in direct combat.
And the capture was "coincidentally" witnessed by Hatake Kakashi, who had come searching for her.
Without hesitation, Kakashi gave chase.
Gen Takuya didn't rush to the battlefield.
He rose instead and headed for the Hokage's Office.
At this hour, the Hokage wouldn't be "off work."
Gen Takuya was sure—because he himself had come here at this time many times before to accept missions.
"Takuya?" the Third Hokage asked, smiling when he saw him. "It's late. Why are you here again?"
"I ran out of money," Gen Takuya said. "I'm here to take a mission."
The Third Hokage sighed.
He knew it. And it wasn't the first time Gen Takuya had come this late because he'd burned through funds.
A-rank mission pay wasn't low, but considering Gen Takuya's recent spending…
There was no mystery.
Gen Takuya never spared expenses on research materials. He always bought the best.
The cost was "reasonable," in its own frightening way.
"You," the Third Hokage said as he began selecting a suitable mission from the board, "should stop thinking only about research. It's time you found a proper wife."
Refusing Gen Takuya a mission was impossible.
A skilled Tokubetsu Jōnin willing to take work was nothing but benefit to the village.
As the Third Hokage searched, a figure suddenly rushed into the office.
A white ANBU mask.
"Hokage-sama! Emergency!" the ANBU reported.
The Third Hokage's expression hardened instantly. He didn't even tell Gen Takuya to leave—there was no time.
"Report."
"According to Hatake Kakashi's summon's report," the ANBU said, "Nohara Rin has been captured by enemy shinobi. A small group of Mist ninja are escorting her along a side route toward Konoha. Hatake Kakashi has already pursued."
"Enemy shinobi…" The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed.
Then confusion flickered across his face.
Why take an ordinary girl?
And why move toward Konoha?
What was the scheme?
He knew Rin's file.
Nothing special—only her close relationship with Uchiha Obito and Hatake Kakashi, which was why she'd been placed on that team in the first place—to stabilize them psychologically.
Everyone knew the Uchiha tended toward madness.
And Kakashi had been drifting toward extremity ever since the White Fang's death.
Now Obito was dead.
Rin's only remaining role was to soothe Kakashi's worsening trauma after losing another comrade.
The Third Hokage couldn't understand why Kirigakure would take her.
Was it to cripple Kakashi?
As for enemy shinobi infiltrating the village…
That wasn't surprising.
Konoha wasn't sealed off from the world. Foreign ninja could disguise themselves as civilians and slip in.
At that moment, Gen Takuya spoke calmly from the side.
"Hokage-sama. Let me take the support mission."
This was why he had come.
He could've chased after them directly.
But that would leave traces.
How would a shut-in research fanatic "happen" to discover Rin being taken from a battlefield?
He could call it coincidence, sure—
But Gen Takuya didn't want to leave anything that could be used against him.
If he went now, with the Hokage's authorization…
Then everything would be justified.
No one could criticize his actions.
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