Assassin's Creed Shadows: How to complete Stolen Hearts side quest

Stolen Hearts is an optional side quest for Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows that becomes available after completing Honor Among Thieves. It takes place in the Omi region and is part of the "The League" questline under Gennojo’s missions. You will have to rescue Gennojo from his captives and save his life, which will open him up as a romance option for Naoe.

This guide will explain all the steps to complete the quest, including rescuing Gennojo and how your dialogue choices can affect your relationship with him.

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Completing Stolen Hearts side quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

1) Starting the quest

Travel to Kiyomizudera Temple (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Ubisoft)

To begin the quest, open the Objectives Board and navigate to the "The League" section. Select Stolen Hearts from under Gennojo’s name. The quest marker will lead you to a meeting point near Kiyomizudera Temple. Look for a set of stairs at the end of a bridge to the west of the temple marker on the map.

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2) Investigate the blood pool

Investigate the blood pool (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Ubisoft)

You will not find Gennojo upon reaching the meeting spot. Instead, there will be a pool of blood on the ground. Interact with it to update your objective; you will learn that Gennojo is in trouble.

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3) Rescue Gennojo

Release Gennojo (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Ubisoft)

After investigating the blood, head north along the path and cross the first bridge on your right. Gennojo is being held in the backyard of a building just south of the Gion Kakegura, across the river and east of central Kyoto.

Two guards are watching over him — a standard soldier and a tougher brute. If you want to make the fight easier, stealthily take out one guard before engaging the other.

The brute is slower but deals more damage, so focus on dodging his attacks and countering when you have an opening. After defeating both guards, untie Gennojo to complete the rescue.

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4) Talk to Gennojo

Gennojo will be a romance option for Naoe (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Ubisoft)

Once Gennojo is safe, you will have two sets of dialogue options during your conversation with him.

First set:

• I’m here for the people.
• I’m here for you. (Romance option)

The choice here does not affect the quest outcome, but selecting "I'm here for you" will increase your favor with Gennojo.

Second set:

• You should embrace your past.
• I’d like to embrace you. (Romance option)

Choosing the second option will deepen your relationship with Gennojo and may unlock more personal interactions later.

After the conversation, the quest will be marked as complete, and you will receive 1000 XP. You will also unlock a follow-up mission called The Godless Harvest.

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Stealth is the easiest way to handle the guards, so try to eliminate one before starting a direct fight. If you want to develop a deeper relationship with Gennojo, choose the romance options during the conversation. Make sure you are well-equipped and at least Level 38 before starting this quest to avoid unnecessary difficulty.

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Check out our other Assassin's Creed Shadows guides:

• Assassin's Creed Shadows: How to complete Lady of Whispers main quest
• Assassin's Creed Shadows: How to beat Clifftop (Yamabushi)
• Assassin's Creed Shadows: How to beat Pond (Yamabushi)
• Assassin's Creed Shadows: How to beat Valley (Yamabushi)