In the House of Koi (P/ NK, Kozai)

The six paths went forth from the Archives in the black of night, their master remaining within. On his desk, a folder of information, and on his lips a dire command: "No loose ends". Some went over the roofs, while some took to the streets. Kozai had Gakidou take the access tunnels, however, for on this night of all nights, he could not have her be detected or tracked by Yasaki's forces. In essence, this would more or less be an indirect affront to him, if she was found out. Kozai fully intended for such a thing to never be detected, if he could help it.

The body that Kozai had chosen to be his Preta Path was a very young woman with shoulder-length dark hair. He'd chosen to clothe her in a simple shinobi's uniform today, though it was entirely unmarked and devoid of color. Naturally he hadn't given her a headband either. What he had chosen to give her was a small broach with a symbol of the Archives on it. Though she didn't wear it, this was important for him to make use of any of the assets he'd set up around the city through her. Even though he saw through her eyes and moved the reanimated corpse around, those who worked for him probably wouldn't recognize her as his tool. Thus the need for this piece of authorization.

She came up in a street near a house. Specifically, the house of the "loose end" that Kozai needed to take care of. No violence tonight, if it could be avoided, but Kozai needed more information. Gakidou walked to the door and knocked on it, noting the lights and movement within the house. The master of the archives had already confirmed through his other paths that the target's children were out of the house, which was for the best. Though Kozai personally didn't care, he knew that others would be outraged if he harmed them, but that didn't mean he couldn't use them as leverage. Better to have a different path tracking them down, just in case this Genevieve didn't cooperate with his inquiries.

Gakidou watched as the woman opened the door, and Kozai saw his target through her eyes. That was her, alright, though the picture of her in the files was a little outdated. Good; it seemed tonight would not be a waste of time after all. She looked up, straight at the woman, the odd blue ringed pattern in her eyes becoming evident at this point. Ningendou and Tendou would be watching the children at that moment, though Kozai didn't intend to lead the conversation with threats. There was no need to be crude or violent when such things could be avoided easily.

"I've been tasked with representing the head of the Archives." Kozai spoke through the woman tersely. as was his way. "It appears he has some questions for you." While Kozai could just have easily deployed one of his other paths to interrogate her, the one he was using now was the most suited to the task. Sure, it was more convenient to simply rip the memories he wanted right out of peoples' heads, but once again, he didn't want to attract too much negative attention from Yasaki. The man had not exactly taken well to his plans the last time they'd spoken, and Kozai had no desire whatsoever to repeat the experience.

Gakidou's eyes shifted from one side to the other, lingering on the Cathedral in the middle distance. "May we speak inside? There are ears everywhere." To be fair, not all of them were the Church's, but Kozai wasn't just going to tell people that he had inserted assets all over the village.

Back at the Archives, Kozai sat calmly at his desk. He'd become remarkably good at multitasking, since controlling his paths required some mental flexibility. Until he managed to do it better, he preferred to remain stationary.

Kozai had Gakidou sit as indicated, making sure to keep her posture different from his own. From prior experience, he knew that Yasaki's shinobi were a perceptive bunch, and he didn't want to take any risks. It wouldn't do if she were to meet him later in person and recall Gakidou's visit and mannerisms. It was critical that he maintain his own anonymity; the fewer people knew that he was a shining himself, the higher chance that his plan would succeed. He noted that Genivieve had lowered the curtains. Smart, but it hadn't hidden them from the surveillance that really mattered here: his own.

"Worry not", Gakidou began as she sat, "my visit will be brief." Hopefully. Kozai sure didn't want to leave his paths out there for long. The less risk, the better.

"The current master of the Archives, as you know, has the duty of maintaining records, even those of village shinobi." True enough. Kozai did, indeed, have access to files on almost everyone in the village, though not all of them were as detailed as he would have liked. Hence his visit. "As such", Gakidou continued, "he requires updates." From her pocket, the path body removed a notebook and pen.

"For example, the records only state that you were formerly associated with the vaunted Church." Her voice was neutral, though Kozai kept it that way with some effort. "Could you tell me more about the nature of this association?" He personally wasn't affected by that connection since she worked for Yasaki, but it had made him curious.

Gakidou's expression was unreadable, but in the silence of the archives, Kozai's was not. As the woman continued to speak, Kozai's alarm only increased. She still had an active connection with the Church? His mind whirled. Why would she tell him that? No, correction. Why would she tell Gakidou that? His path body, even if it technically wasn't him, represented a being of authority, clad as a being of authority. It either meant that the Church wanted him to know about this, or that Geni really didn't know about the tension going on in the village. Hell, maybe she was just being honest with him, though he wasn't entirely sure he believed it. Still, it was better to make sure.

"So, you maintain an active but small relationship with the Church, despite your withdrawal from the clergy." It wasn't a question from Gakidou, but rather a statement. To ask would be redundant at this point. Now, how to proceed from here? If she was an operative from the Church, she wouldn't tell him anything if he asked her directly. So, maybe he had to take a different approach.

"You mention that you were kept within the confines of the Church. I hope you'll forgive me for my ignorance, but is this a common practice among those in the faith?" Kozai had spent some time in isolation before in Amegakure, though not for religious reasons. He found the fact that the woman had mentioned this to be worth noting on its own.

Gakidou listened to the woman's words without much sign of emotion as Kozai, within the Archives, almost leaned forward as he processed what she was saying. As he suspected, it was basically another fucking cult. Difficult to deal with, tedious to uproot. Even now, despite her separation from the Church, Genivieve's personality was still tainted by the Church's teachings. While his Rinnegan couldn't detect any disturbed chakra within her to indicate the use of any genjutsu, it didn't take an illusion to control somebody. To say that this made Kozai apprehensive was an understatement. He'd already been convinced that the Church needed to be destroyed, but now more than ever he realized that doing so wouldn't solve things overnight. It could take generations to weed out the influence of that institution. Nevertheless, Kozai did have that kind of time. Try as it might, the Church could not outlast him.

Gakdou would nod when the woman finished speaking. "Naturally", she began, "this is all for the comprehension that the Archives require." Also, technically not false. Activities like these helped Kozai sleep at night as well, though probably for different reasons entirely. His mind wasn't plagued with guilt or malaise of any kind, thank goodness. "So it's still conceivable that there may yet be others like you." Again, not a question. "Whether this is true or not, however, is irrelevant." Gakidou would note down a few facts as she continued. "Come to think of it, why the shinobi? While it's certainly an excellent choice of career, I was curious as to why you picked it over other options."