"Hakushi-sensei, you look a bit out of spirits."
Lin, who came to the laboratory, immediately noticed Hakushi sitting in a chair, not engaged in research work.
His eyes were vacant, as if he was pondering something.
It wasn't until Lin reminded him that he reacted.
"Oh, it's Lin, why are you here?"
Hakushi asked.
If he remembered correctly, Lin didn't need to come to the lab for now; she should be focusing on training as a Perfect Jinchuriki.
"And you're asking why I'm here? Didn't Miss Fumiko report a few days ago? The training for Perfect Jinchuriki is almost complete, now it's just about fine-tuning."
Lin gave Hakushi a curious glance and then responded seriously.
"Oh, is that so? Maybe I wasn't paying attention... Right, it's been over two years since we started, close to the initial timeframe. Congratulations, Lin."
Hakushi now recalled that there seemed to be something like that.
But at that time, he was distracted by other things.
"So, are you really okay, Hakushi-sensei?"
For Hakushi to become so despondent, Lin thought it might be something happening at home.
In terms of work and research, she had never seen Hakushi lose composure like this.
"It's nothing, just a bit of bother."
Hakushi stood up from his chair, shaking off the stupor with a wave of his hand.
A bit? Lin tilted her head; this didn't look like just a bit.
"If you're feeling restless, you can take a break. I can take over here."
"You haven't touched the instruments here in a while, have you?"
"It's fine, it's my job, I can quickly get back into it."
Lin replied confidently.
"Forget it, I'll stay. The political affairs are settled, and there's only this left to be busy with."
Hakushi decided to stay and work in the lab.
The administration could actually run on its own; the monitoring personnel were trustworthy.
Moreover, he had several clones holding important positions among them, and if there were problems, he could intervene at the first moment.
Most of the time, Hakushi thinks it's better to delegate, otherwise it would make his subordinates seem incompetent and tire himself out.
Because his subordinates, having faith and goals, were full of energy, Hakushi preferred to trust these people; in big matters, they wouldn't dare to slack off.
And if opportunists were found, the punishment would be quite severe.
"Alright, but seeing Hakushi-sensei like this is rare; is it because of Senior Ruri or Senior Ayane? Or both?"
Lin put on a white coat and gloves outside, getting into formal research work.
Since she had basically subdued the Seven-tailed Beast inside her, their research on Tailed Beasts could save a lot of effort.
"When did you become so gossipy, Lin?"
Hakushi felt a bit speechless.
"It's just that seeing Hakushi-sensei like this is really worrying."
"Instead of worrying about me, pay more attention to Obito. That guy's level of obliviousness is truly troubling."
"A fool is still better than Hakushi-sensei having his feet in two boats."
Ouch! Being stabbed in the heart by a disciple without mercy, Hakushi suddenly felt a pain in his heart.
"Sorry, sorry, Hakushi-sensei, I didn't mean it."
Though apologizing, Hakushi didn't sense sincerity, instead, her face looked like she was smiling.
This disciple has turned dark too.
She used to be a pure, innocent white lotus back in Konoha.
"Recently, it seems the feng shui isn't right."
Hakushi sighed once more.
"So, Hakushi-sensei is turning superstitious these days?"
Lin laughed amusedly.
Hakushi softly responded, without rebuke.
Indeed, the events happening recently did make him feel like the feng shui at home was off.
He thought sending Ichihime, the little witch, away would bring some peace at home, but then finding out about Aya disguising as a woman, and his adopted daughter Kazahana Koyuki seemingly making a misguided decision, avoiding becoming a Daimyo to pursue a film career...
"Should we do some demon expelling at the shrine then? Hakushi-sensei has a good relationship with Mire Witch, right?"
Lin suggested, recalling something.
"Thinking about it... Since you're here, the research on Tailed Beasts will be in your hands. Between work, remember to also hone in on the Tailed Beast's power, don't let your guard down."
Hakushi reminded Lin.
"Is it because of Akatsuki?"
The Akatsuki in the Land of Rain was reviving. Though no concrete news had reached the Five Great Nations, the Land of Demons and Hidden Mist Village had already initiated secret investigations.
But since Hakushi and Nagato had a collaboration in secret, the demon investigation in the Land of Demons about Akatsuki had been paused, as a promise to Nagato.
However, this didn't mean Hakushi would relax surveillance on Akatsuki. He promised not to act against Akatsuki under contract, while Hidden Mist Village had not made any such agreement with Nagato.
Yagura had his subordinate, one of the Seven-Swords Ninja, Great Sword Shark Skin wielder, Hoshigaki Kisame, secretly dispatched to the Land of Demons military for espionage training to gather intel on Akatsuki.
The organization, composed of S-Class Renegade Ninja like Orochimaru, Sasori of the Red Sand, and Hiruko, was a huge chess game Nagato was playing.