Inside the magistrate's mansion, magistrate Kurokawa Yasumasa received the two ninja with great courtesy, expressed his gratitude, and informed them that the town's guards had successfully apprehended the human trafficking gang before their arrival. He assured them that the mission would still be considered complete, and the subsequent reward would be paid to Konoha as usual.
When Kosuke Maruboshi inquired about the whereabouts of the abducted children, the magistrate looked regretful and explained that the group was a criminal syndicate operating in multiple countries, and the children had been sold overseas. However, he promised to do his best to investigate and try to find them.
After hearing this explanation, Kosuke Maruboshi said nothing more, stood up, and took his leave: "Thank you for your hospitality, magistrate Kosuke. In that case, we will take our leave now."
The two declined the magistrate's further attempts to persuade them to stay and headed out of the mansion.
As he reached the door, Shinichi's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. He didn't turn around, but he could clearly feel that the middle-aged man dressed as a steward, who had been standing beside the magistrate, was now looking at his back.
From the moment Shinichi entered the hall, this person's gaze frequently fell on him, not in a normal way, but with an unusual focus, even with a hint of urgency.
Shinichi glanced back as if he had noticed something. Although the other party immediately looked away and acted as if nothing had happened, his gaze would still occasionally drift back from the shadows or out of the corner of his eye, as if repeatedly confirming something.
"Shinichi, what do you think?"
Kosuke Maruboshi asked after they had walked a distance from the mansion.
"Something's not right."
Shinichi replied curtly, his gaze sweeping over the imposing mansion behind him.
"Hmm."
Kosuke Maruboshi nodded slightly and lowered his voice: "Let's talk about it when we're further away."
Inside the magistrate's mansion, the heavy wooden door had just closed, cutting off outside light and sound, at the same time, Elder Takahashi's butler-like submissive mask shattered instantly.
He turned sharply to Kurokawa Yasumasa, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement, his voice low but unable to conceal the surging fervor within: "Did you see that?! That boy... Is the Konoha Genin named Shinichi Higashino!"
Kurokawa Yasumasa's heart skipped a beat, and his face darkened: "What are you planning to do now? I warned you not to make any rash moves!"
"No! You don't understand!"
Elder Takahashi interrupted him urgently, his eyes flashing with an unusual light: "That was a feeling! It was the most direct revelation from God. The moment he stepped into the hall, the power of divine grace deep within my blood throbbed and called out! This is no coincidence! His body... His very existence is very likely the perfect vessel born to bear the power of the holy son; he is a natural candidate for the holy son!"
He took a step closer, his voice hoarse and seductive: "Kurokawa Yasumasa, tell me, you too have been blessed by God, and the seed has been planted within you. When you saw him, didn't your heart stir? As long as you seize him and complete the final ritual... The great undertaking of the holy son's descent will be realized through us!"
Kurokawa Yasumasa's eyes flickered with a complicated expression, and he said with difficulty, "But he's a Konoha ninja!"
"Just a low-ranking ninja!"
Elder Takahashi scoffed disdainfully: "Look at his companion, he's still a Genin even though he's in his fifties. Teaming up with him shows that this young boy is not valued at all in Konoha and is insignificant! In past wars, such a person would just be cannon fodder that could be used at will. This world has never been peaceful. It's perfectly normal for a Genin to die."
He continued coldly, "We can do it cleanly. We can stage an accident and frame a rebel ninja or Ronin. The death of an ordinary old Genin and the disappearance of a lowly Genin with no background, similar things happen every day in this border region. Would Konoha really go to such lengths to investigate two insignificant low-level ninjas? As long as we do it cleanly and leave no evidence, it will naturally fade away over time."
Kurokawa Yasumasa remained silent, his fingers unconsciously stroking his cuffs, his mind in turmoil.
Seeing that he was still hesitant, Elder Takahashi's eyes revealed a dangerous glint, and he said sternly, "Don't forget your illness, Kurokawa Yasumasa! Only when the holy son descends can your illness be completely cured."
He was prepared to kill Kurokawa Yasumasa if he disagreed, and then lead his followers to take action.
Thinking of his own illness and seeing the increasingly dangerous look in the eyes of the person before him, Kurokawa Yasumasa gritted his teeth and said, "... Fine! Then… let's do it!"
Elder Takahashi nodded in satisfaction and was about to make arrangements when a disciple hurriedly slipped in and whispered, "My lords, those two Konoha ninjas... Have already left the mansion."
"So fast?"
Kurokawa Yasumasa was taken aback.
Elder Takahashi's pupils suddenly contracted, a sense of foreboding gripping his heart: "This is bad! They must have noticed something! Chase them! We can't let them get away!"
....
The two had barely left the magistrate's mansion when they slipped into a secluded, deserted, narrow alley.
Kosuke Maruboshi stopped and turned to look at Shinichi. His gaze was calm as he said in a low voice, "Now you can tell me. What did you discover?"
Shinichi analyzed calmly, "Senior, the magistrate's mansion is not only aware of this child abduction case, but is very likely deeply involved. To be more precise, magistrate Kurokawa Yasumasa himself is either their protector or collaborator."
Kosuke Maruboshi frowned deeply: "Based on what?"
"First, his attitude is illogical."
Shinichi continued, "The magistrate was too enthusiastic and attentive to us, as if he was eager to give us a complete answer. The fact that the criminals were arrested and the children were sold abroad just before our arrival... All the explanations were airtight, which made them seem too perfect, as if they had been repeatedly rehearsed in advance. As the magistrate, he has many affairs to attend to. It is unusual for him to personally explain a simple C-rank case so quickly and in such detail."
"Given the fact that local law enforcement has made no progress in the child abduction case, only a deliberate cover-up by the highest levels of government could have resulted in such a clean sweep."
"Second, that butler."
Shinichi paused, recalling the gaze that seemed to be repeatedly confirming something: "From the moment I entered, he paid unusual attention to me. It wasn't curiosity, but more like he was... Assessing some kind of quality."
"When I looked back at him, although he immediately concealed it, he continued to observe me secretly afterward. This is definitely not the behavior of an ordinary butler. It seems that his interest in me as a person far outweighs his attention to my identity as a ninja from Konoha."
"Senior, besides being a Konoha ninja, what else about me is there that would warrant his attention so much?"
Kosuke Maruboshi's eyes flickered slightly, and he uttered two words: "Being a child."
"Yes, being a child."
Shinichi nodded and followed this line of reasoning: "So, the truth behind the child abduction cases in this area recently is that some force is secretly kidnapping children and trying to select children who meet certain requirements or characteristics. This force is deeply cooperating with the magistrate, and the magistrate himself may even be a member or leader of it."