268.Underground Black Market

The List of "ANBU" Member:

-Victor Gonzalez

-OutlawPinky

-Crepusculum

-Miguel razo

-Davis Nguyen

-Korron Hightower

-Alireza Akram

-Dan Trigolden

-YoungPhxntom

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A few days later, in a town at the borders of several major nations, in a dark underground corner, moldy bread attracted a few dirty rats, with murky dirty water flowing on the ground. 

At that moment, "Pitter-patter!" "Pitter-patter!" "Pitter-patter!"... Slow footsteps sounded, revealing two figures cloaked in black robes appearing in the area. Their arrival caused the rats, which were secretly nibbling on bread, to perk up their ears and stare with wary, ghostly eyes.

Among the two, the taller cloaked figure slowly looked towards the rats. Beneath the cloak, his slightly cold, pale eyes were like a calm lake, merely staring quietly at the dirty rats, causing them to become tense. The rat, seemingly possessing intelligence far beyond an ordinary rat, humanely lifted its front body. It clasped its front paws, slightly bowing as if performing a polite bow.

Seeing this, the man with the pale eyes nodded slightly and walked forward. His shorter companion followed closely behind. Reassured by his gesture, the dirty rat seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, relaxed its body briefly before scurrying off towards a hidden hole in the wall, hopping away like a fawning merchant rather than a rat.

The two cloaked figures continued to walk through the dirty, damp underground. They reached a dilapidated wall covered in cobwebs, with dirty water dripping down. It looked incredibly filthy. However, they seemed unfazed and kept walking towards the wall.

Just as they were about to collide with the wall, "Shhh..." Like the sound of a bubble popping, they seemed to pass through a faintly shimmering ripple and walked straight through.

The scene inside was starkly different from the outside, or rather, it was a complete transformation. The space inside was vast. The overall layout felt like stepping into an exquisite shop. On the walls hung many thick papers, not merchandise but bounty task sheets with minimal information, only listing the targets and the stated prices. More detailed information about the targets could be purchased here, albeit at a high cost.

Upon entering, the two cloaked figures did not attract much attention. The taller man clearly knew his way around and walked straight ahead, while his shorter companion, slightly stunned by the scene, hesitated before catching up.

The deeper they went, the more they saw many ninjas hiding their identities, wearing hats, veils, or black robes—because they all shared the same identity: rogue ninjas. This was an underground black market in the Land of Hot Water, a haven in the eyes of rogue ninjas from various villages.

"Ding-ding..." The taller man reached a counter at the front and lightly pulled on a hanging rope. With the sound of a clear bell, a smiling young man appeared at the counter.

"What can I do for you?" The young man asked respectfully, his smile frozen on his face in a way that was eerily disconcerting.

The shorter man in the black robe, standing behind the taller one, observed the young man with his brown eyes, feeling somewhat creeped out.

"I need some information on a rogue ninja from Takigakure," the taller cloaked man spoke calmly. "He has a pair of pale green eyes and can release more than three types of ninjutsu."

Hearing this, the young man's smile remained unchanged, but he respectfully said, "I'm sorry, the information you provided is rather vague. Do you have any more detailed descriptions?"

At that moment...

Something unknown echoed in the young man's earpiece, causing his eyes to suddenly narrow. He then looked at the tall man in the black robe in front of him with a hint of astonishment.

His voice suddenly changed, and the rigid smile on his face quickly turned into one of great respect as he said, "So it's 'Lord Byakko.' Please wait a moment; I'll check for the individual matching the characteristics you provided."

He then hurriedly disappeared behind the counter.

The shorter man in the black robe, witnessing this, couldn't help but be a bit shocked and whispered, "Saki-niisan, it seems your reputation is indeed fearsome, even known here."

Listening to him, Saki, clad in a black robe, responded with a calm expression, "A few years ago, I left Aizen-sama for a while, wanting to see the world with my own eyes."

With a hint of nostalgia in his tone, he continued, "In this underground black market in the Land of Hot Water, I found reality to be as hideous as I had imagined, which led me to kill many people I found detestable."

"Until I met Konan and the others, I realized the world was not so hideous."

His lips curved into a faint smile as he added, "There are still many beautiful things in this world, and it can indeed be very beautiful, but... all of that must be under Aizen-sama's rule."

His pale eyes flashed with a sharp gleam as he spoke more solemnly, "I firmly believe only Aizen-sama can bring about that world free from ugliness."

The shorter man behind him nodded thoughtfully, his expression slightly solemn.

At that moment, the young man returned to the counter. His forehead was sweaty, evidently having struggled to find the information Saki was seeking.

"'Lord Byakko,' here are the profiles that match the information you provided... However, one of these individuals seems to have a unique identity."

Saki took the documents and quickly browsed through them, rapidly reaching the last profile.

"Kakuzu, strength unknown, has completed 12 S-rank bounties, 246 A-rank bounties, and 1464 B-rank bounties."

The document included some basic details and a blurry photo of Kakuzu, taken from an unknown location. It also listed the substantial amounts of bounty he had collected, a figure that was astonishingly high.

The shorter man peered over to look at the sum, his eyes widening in surprise at the string of zeros—shocking even for someone who had little concept of money.

The young man showed a sheepish smile and respectfully said, "If it weren't for 'Lord Byakko' coming to search, we might never have realized that such an inconspicuous bounty ninja had accumulated such a significant amount of bounty money."

"But... this individual is quite peculiar... It seems he has been appearing in the black market for a very long time."

Puzzled, the young man expressed his curiosity. Meanwhile, Saki, examining the information with a steady gaze, asked quietly, "How much for this information?"

The young man, with a deferential tone, replied, "The price for this information is 8 million silver taels."

"'Lord Byakko,' the owner said you only need to pay half, so that would be 4 million silver taels."

Without any objection, Saki handed over the payment and then turned to leave.