In the darkness of a narrow alley, a burly man suddenly threw a burlap sack over Hyuga Satoru's head.
He was clearly a professional. The moment his grab landed, he found the child's position by touch and struck sharply at the back of Satoru's neck with a hand-blade.
There was no struggle, no cry. Feeling the boy go limp, the man swiftly hoisted the sack onto his back, eyes gleaming with excitement. After a quick glance around the deserted alleyway, he hurried off into the night.
Moments later, the alley fell silent once more.
Before long, Might Guy came running in, charging down the entire length of the alley. Even when he reached the busy street beyond, there was still no sign of Hyuga Satoru.
Standing amidst the flow of people, Guy scratched his head in confusion, muttering to himself, "Did he use the Flying Thunder God Technique? That's… really fast!"
Shaking his head, he oriented himself toward the temple they were staying at and started walking back, taking in the bustling lights and chatter of the "City of Buddha."
A flicker of candlelight appeared at the end of a long corridor. Heavy footsteps echoed slowly toward a dark cell.
It was a cramped stone chamber, barely six or seven square meters. Three of its walls were solid stone; high above, a hand-sized vent allowed a sliver of moonlight to pierce the gloom and cast a faint glow into one corner.
When the footsteps sounded outside, the children locked inside instantly huddled together, as though pressing close could somehow protect them.
There were half a dozen of them, none older than ten, the youngest perhaps only four or five.
In the corner, a ragged little girl tightened her hold around a younger child, their faces buried together, too afraid even to look toward the door.
A moment later—
Clang. The heavy gate opened. A burlap sack was tossed roughly inside, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
Outside, adult voices exchanged casual banter:
"Already made a catch this early?"
"What kind of goods?"
"Four or five-year-old boy. Premium stock."
"Oh! Snatched right from his parents? Getting something like that at this hour?"
"Heh, no. Lucky break. Kid wandered off to take a piss, and I ran right into him."
"….."
Their voices faded as the men walked away.
Inside the cell, the children stared fearfully at the sack lying on the ground but dared not move from their corner.
When all fell silent, the sack suddenly stirred.
A kunai blade ripped through the coarse fabric, and moments later, a boy of about five or six crawled out.
Hyuga Satoru stood, rubbing his stiff neck, eyes scanning the room.
The soreness wasn't from the trafficker's blow—it hadn't even scratched him. It came from being forced to hold one position too long.
The children, watching through the dim moonlight from the tiny vent, saw that the newcomer was about their age. Some of their terror ebbed away.
Even in such darkness, Satoru's Byakugan sight was unhindered. Every detail of the cell was laid bare before him.
He tapped lightly on the iron bars—clang, clang—testing their strength. The muffled ring told him brute force wasn't an option.
"You… were all kidnapped too, right?" he asked quietly. "Can anyone tell me who's been here the longest? How many days you've been locked up?"
He already understood what had happened—he'd been mistaken for a target and captured. The six children in the cell shared his fate.
Through his Byakugan, Satoru had already mapped out the underground facility. There were seven more cells like this one, each holding several children of varying ages.
All told, nearly fifty kids were imprisoned here—an appalling number.
That meant the trafficking ring itself must be sizable.
Satoru wanted to wipe them out entirely, but first, he needed information.
Human traffickers didn't just take—they also sold. Knowing how long these children had been held might reveal the trade cycle, giving him a chance to destroy both the buyers and the sellers in one strike.
"Big Sister Hezi's been here the longest," said a small boy clutched in a girl's arms. "She was already here when they threw me in."
"…Hezi?"
At that name, Satoru's expression froze. He turned toward the corner.
The girl called Hezi was noticeably different from the others. While the rest were filthy, she—though ragged and bruised—had a clean face.
On closer look, her body bore many marks of beating—bruises, welts, old scars. The others showed almost none.
Feeling Satoru's gaze, Hezi lowered her head further, clutching at her torn clothing in embarrassment.
That tiny, instinctive movement made Satoru's pupils contract sharply.
"..."
At that age, no child should have such reflexes—unless she had already endured horrors beyond words.
And if she'd been here the longest… then she had also suffered the most.
As soon as he clearly saw her face, Satoru realized who she was.
This girl—Hezi—was the missing daughter of their informant, Hayano Hayata!
The good news was that she was alive. The bad news…
"Don't be afraid," Satoru said firmly. "I'm a ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. I'll get you all out of here."
Exhaling a slow breath, he drove the kunai into the floor.
Clink.
And in the next instant, Hyuga Satoru's figure vanished from the cell.
"Ah?!"
"He's gone!"
"He… disappeared!!!"
The sudden disappearance sent the children into a panic, their cries echoing off the walls.
Their noise quickly drew attention—heavy footsteps thundered down the corridor outside, followed by a hoarse shout:
"What are you brats yelling for?! Quiet, or you'll get another beating!"
"Didn't learn your lesson last time, huh?!"
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