In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the “Searching Sakai” main quest presents a choice: bribe or eliminate the gunsmith. Each decision leads to different outcomes, impacting both your resources and the quest’s progression. This guide will help you navigate the best approach, ensuring you make the most strategic choice for Naoe.
Finding the Gunsmith in Sakai
Before you can decide the gunsmith’s fate, you first need to track him down in Sakai. There are multiple gunsmiths in the port district, so you may need to question a few before finding him. To make this easier, activate Eagle Vision by holding R3/RS to spot blue dots around you. You can also send out scouts for additional clues on his whereabouts.
If you want to skip straight to the action, head to the marked location on the map to find the gunsmith, Yakichi, just south of the Sakai Kakurega. Crouch behind a nearby crate to eavesdrop on his heated conversation with his brother Asajiro. It’s here you’ll learn that Asajiro has acquired forged documents, which he plans to use to scam a local magnate.
Confronting the Gunsmith: Lying or Telling the Truth
Soon, you’ll be prompted to interrupt the gunsmith’s conversation. Approach and initiate a dialogue with them. They’ll ask your identity, offering two choices:
- “My name is not important.”
- “I am with the Imai.”
The second option is marked with a scale icon, signifying that it’s a lie. Since Naoe has no connection to the Imai, she’s lying about being affiliated with them.
There are no major consequences for lying, but the brothers will test your knowledge with a trick question: they’ll ask if you know Imai Sokyu’s son or daughter. If you paid attention earlier, you’ll know Sokyu has a son but no daughter. If you answer incorrectly, they’ll catch the lie.
Ultimately, whether you lie or tell the truth doesn’t change much. As long as you answer the trick question correctly, you’ll end up with the same choices. Feel free to pick whichever option suits your playstyle.
Threatening the Gunsmith for the Forged Contracts
After proving yourself to the brothers, they’ll offer to sell you the forged contracts for 500 mon. Alternatively, you can choose the “You’re wasting my time” option, marked with a storm cloud icon, to threaten them into giving up the contracts.
If you go this route, Yakichi and Asajiro will panic and flee in opposite directions. You’ll need to chase Asajiro through the streets of Sakai, eventually assassinating him and looting the contracts from his body. He’s easy to catch, as he moves slowly and frequently stops.
You’ll get the contracts, and there don’t appear to be any long-term consequences from this choice. When I returned to the gunsmith’s shop in a later season, it was empty, with Yakichi nowhere to be found—likely scared off by his brother’s death. Additionally, how you acquire the contracts doesn’t seem to affect your future interactions with the Imai as you progress in the main quest of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Bribing the Gunsmith for the Forged Contracts
If you choose to pay the 500 mon, the gunsmith and his brother won’t take it kindly. They’ll suspect that if you’re willing to hand over that much, you must have even more. Since you’re the only one aware of their forged contracts, they’ll decide it’s better to kill you and take your money.
This will lead to a fight with both brothers at once. They’re not particularly tough—being unarmored and clearly untrained—but since Naoe is better suited for stealth, you may find this battle more challenging. As you can’t switch to Yasuke at this point, you’ll be at a slight disadvantage.
However, this choice doesn’t seem to have any lasting consequences. The Imai don’t seem to care where you got the contracts from, and Yakichi and Asajiro won’t be coming back to cause any further trouble.
Choosing the Best Option: Threatening vs. Bribing the Gunsmith
Between the two options, threatening the gunsmith is the better choice. It’s easier to chase down and eliminate Asajiro than to fight both brothers at once, and ultimately, you’ll have one fewer corpse to deal with than if you’d tried to bribe them.
However, none of this seems to have significant long-term effects, so don’t stress too much about making the wrong decision in “Searching Sakai.” As long as you pay attention to the gunsmith’s conversation and successfully get the contracts, you can continue with the main story quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows at your own pace.
