Gen Takuya judged it as feasible—Plan Two.
The only uncertainty was whether Kumogakure would make a move in this timeline.
But the odds were high.
Stealing people was practically their hobby.
They'd tried to kidnap Uzumaki Kushina once, too—only for Namikaze Minato to stop them, turning the incident into the spark that accelerated that love story.
So it was impossible for Kumogakure to ignore the Byakugan.
If they didn't move…
Gen Takuya could always help "encourage" the conditions.
Either way, he would profit.
For now, he left the base and stopped thinking about it.
Both plans required long-term preparation.
Not something he could finish today.
As for the test subjects…
He would continue raising them.
Only after enough time passed without changes would he end those trials and repurpose them for other experiments.
…
Night.
Deep in a remote forest, Gen Takuya studied a map by moonlight, searching for his destination.
"So remote," he muttered, frowning at the trees. "It should be around here…"
He bit his thumb, formed seals, and summoned several crows, sending them to scout.
His target was a hidden village—
Hoshigakure.
The Hidden Star Village.
Before coming, he'd even researched the legends, confirming the village truly existed.
Because in canon, Hoshigakure was from an anime-original arc.
He couldn't be sure whether this world contained it.
He'd thought of the "Star" before, but back then, with only tokubetsu jōnin-level strength, infiltrating a village that possessed Peacock Method was risky.
Now, he was different.
While the crows searched, Gen Takuya considered the Star itself.
It was an object used to train chakra—and with the Star's special chakra "activation," Hoshigakure shinobi could manifest chakra into beast-like forms to attack.
But it carried a fatal flaw.
It was radioactive.
While it enhanced chakra activity…
It also destroyed the user's body.
Those who trained with the Star often died young.
Then again, shinobi weren't exactly a long-lived profession anyway.
Extracting physical energy from cells had consequences.
As for those who lived long…
They either stopped fighting—like Konoha's two old advisers—
Or possessed absurd power, like Ōnoki with his Kekkei Tōta.
And the Uzumaki were an exception.
Their vitality and chakra reserves were just built different.
Still, Hoshigakure shinobi were worse off than most.
To survive even a decade of training with the Star was considered gifted.
Many died before they ever mastered it.
Gen Takuya knew the Star's drawbacks.
But he wanted to see what the Star was.
An object that could alter chakra's nature…
An object that could allow outward chakra manifestation resembling Tailed Beast cloaks…
It looked suspiciously like something tied to the Ten-Tails.
After all, chakra itself was energy produced by the God Tree through absorbing natural energy.
So why did this meteor "activate" chakra?
Why did it allow pseudo–Tailed Beast externalization?
The more he thought, the more the suspicion solidified.
As for the radiation…
If the Star really was a fragment of the Ten-Tails, then it made perfect sense.
How could ordinary bodies withstand that kind of power?
Even a small piece would crush them.
Gen Takuya's goal wasn't to learn Peacock Method.
It wasn't weak, but it had a fatal combat flaw—
While controlling the chakra beasts, the user's real body couldn't move.
Even if you used the chakra manifestation to move, it was clumsy.
In battle, that was deadly.
And Gen Takuya already had something better—
An entire arm from the Demonic Statue.
He could compare the Star meteor and the Demonic Statue directly.
If the Star was truly Ten-Tails-related, then it might be a "core" fragment.
Because Gen Takuya hadn't felt any "training" effect from the Demonic Statue arm itself.
Then a crow's chakra signal snapped him out of his thoughts.
He linked his senses—
And saw it.
A village enclosed by a canyon filled with poisonous gas.
That was it.
Hoshigakure.
Gen Takuya's eyes lit up.
He ordered the crow to infiltrate further and observe, while he moved toward the canyon.
This poison wasn't something Wind Release could casually disperse.
Expressionless, Gen Takuya removed his mask and replaced it with a gas mask.
His experimental base used poison fog.
Of course he had one.
He stepped into the canyon.
Stone rose under his feet—Earth Release extending into a bridge that crossed the gap.
Once he reached the far side, he dismissed the bridge manually, unwilling to let it collapse into the canyon and cause noise.
Then the crow signaled again.
Gen Takuya frowned.
"It shouldn't have reached the village that fast…"
He linked senses—
And saw two shinobi wearing Star-marked headbands—a man and a woman—surrounded by masked guards.
Gen Takuya clicked his tongue.
"So it's this moment."
The only jonin in Hoshigakure—
Natsuhoshi.
And her husband.
This was the point where they discovered the Star's danger and chose to flee with it.
Meaning—
The meteor was on Natsuhoshi right now.
Gen Takuya rubbed his chin.
"So… how do I take it cleanly?"
He wasn't afraid of Natsuhoshi, but fighting her would be troublesome.
Best to secure the meteor first.
And unfortunately…
The most efficient way really was—
Hostages.
Gen Takuya sighed.
He hated how effective it was.
But effective was effective.
Decision made, he moved toward them.
…
In the forest, the Third Star Shadow made his promise.
Hoshigakure would no longer rely on the Star.
And he asked Natsuhoshi and her husband to watch the village from outside.
If the village ever tried to use the Star again—
They would return and stop it themselves.
Under those assurances, Natsuhoshi finally relented.
She raised the Star meteor… along with a pendant meant for their child—preparing to hand them over.
Then she stopped.
Her gaze snapped toward a direction in the trees, and she shouted:
"Who's there?!"
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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