Chapter 193: Tragedy.

The rain that had poured for a whole day and night finally stopped. A sliver of dawn light appeared on the horizon.

After a night of rest, most of the clan members in the team had recovered well, except for a few individuals, such as Uchiha Shisui. 

With large dark circles under his eyes, Uchiha Shisui looked distracted as he ate breakfast, appearing lost and despondent. Clearly, he hadn't rested well after being troubled by Toshiro's words from the previous night.

"Toshiro, are you going alone this time again?"

Seeing Toshiro draped in a large cloak that covered his entire body and had a hood, Uchiha Tetsu asked.

"Hmm! I'll go alone! You guys be careful. If there's any emergency, send a signal, and I'll get back quickly…"

Initially planning to proceed alone to their destination, Toshiro changed his mind upon seeing the sleepwalking state of Uchiha Shisui and said, "Shisui, why don't you come with me! It'll be good for you to see more of the world!"

As he spoke, he handed an identical cloak to Shisui, signaling him to put it on.

"???"

Seeing the question in his eyes, Toshiro did not immediately explain but instead gave a mysterious smile. Both Tetsu and Yake exhibited the same expression, looking at the puzzled Shisui as if to say, "You'll understand when you go."

Ninja training in their village was evidently successful, as Shisui did not question the captain's unclear request and silently began to put on the cloak. Though the large cloak appeared extremely loose on his 'slim' frame, making him look comical despite some special methods he used to appear adult-like.

After Shisui finished dressing, Toshiro tossed a bottle of special potion to Shisui, signaling him to apply it. He then turned and led Shisui towards a distant, abandoned village.

Shisui, assuming his role as a subordinate, followed silently. 

As they approached, the abandoned village revealed its hidden side. Though the village appeared deserted from afar, Shisui could sense curious gazes sweeping over them intermittently, heightening his internal confusion.

Their path led them to the village center, where rows of sparse 'shops' were open for business. Occasionally, a couple of cloaked figures similar in appearance came and went among the shops.

These shops sold a variety of goods—antiques, food, firearms, medicinal materials, or ninja tools like kunai and shuriken. Some even sold explosive tags and large crossbows. The most disturbing were the shops selling living human beings.

Whether intentionally or not, Toshiro led Shisui around such places, even engaging in conversation with the shop owners and gaining a rough understanding of the 'market prices.' 

The most expensive were the young, pretty girls around thirteen or fourteen. Next were the strong young men, followed by older women, usually with a child or two in tow. Solo elderly and weak individuals were missing, as Toshiro mentioned they usually 'disappeared' on the way.

Toshiro handed an ordinary-looking middle-aged man a sealing scroll. From Toshiro's sense, the man had chakra levels close to a special jonin and seemed familiar to the women sold as goods, likely forced into this by hardship.

Reflecting on the chaos, he felt a sense of resignation—amid turmoil, such scenes became common. For instance, the beautiful woman with a baby in her arms was forced to sell herself, hoping to gain protection without abandoning her child. Otherwise, she and her child might not survive another month.

This was the plight of small nation citizens... And he could do nothing to help them.