In the dark alley, a heavily built, strong man placed the sack directly over Hyūga Shinichi's head. The man was an expert. The moment he succeeded, he felt for the outline of the child's body and slammed a precise hand-knife onto Hyūga Shinichi's back and neck.
There was no struggle or scream. Feeling the child's body go limp, the man skillfully hoisted the sack onto his back. His face was filled with excitement. He scanned the empty alley, quickly left, and vanished into the night.
Not long after the alley returned to quiet, Might Guy rushed in. He ran straight through the alley and continued onto the bustling main street, still seeing no sign of Hyūga Shinichi.
Standing in the middle of the street, watching the crowds, Might Guy scratched his head, muttering with a hint of resignation, "Did he use the Flying Thunder God Technique? He's really fast!" Saying this, Guy identified the temple's direction and walked off, enjoying the bustling night market of the City of Buddha as he went.
A sliver of candlelight shone from the end of the corridor. Heavy footsteps echoed into the cell.
A man with a stout figure and a plump face, holding an oil lamp, pressed his face against the bars. The dim light illuminated the lower half of his face from below, making him look monstrous and terrifying to the group of children inside.
The children, who had been screaming due to Shinichi's sudden disappearance, now whimpered in fear. The children, who had just begun to relax, now huddled in the corner, daring not to look at the man.
"Heh heh!" The man seemed pleased with the intimidation he inflicted on the children. He hummed a merry tune and was about to turn and leave when his eyes suddenly widened. He pressed his face even closer to the bars.
"1, 2, 3..." The man's gaze swept over the children in the cell one by one, and he began to mutter to himself.
"How is one missing!!"
The man couldn't believe his eyes. He counted again. After confirming, his tone grew urgent.
"Clang—"
The lock was quickly undone, and the burly man stepped into the cell. He pulled the door closed, then held the oil lamp out toward the children, illuminating the corner of the cell. Confirming the count again, intense fury surged across his face.
"Where is he!"
"Where is the brat who was just brought in!"
A furious roar echoed in the cell. However, all the children kept their heads down, daring not to look at him. Their fearful, cowering posture only made the unanswered man angrier.
"Get out of the way!"
He grabbed a boy who was blocking his path and tossed him aside. The man then kicked aside the dry straw on the floor, seemingly believing that the vanished Hyūga Shinichi had been hidden beneath it. After driving away several children, he still couldn't find Shinichi's figure. His gaze instantly became more dangerous.
In the corner, Heko tightened her hold on the small boy in her arms. With her head bowed, she didn't dare to look up, but she didn't notice the man getting closer, his heavy breathing now sounding next to her ear.
"Speak!"
"Where is the long-haired brat!"
The man seemed very familiar with Heko. He grabbed the boy from her arms, seized Heko by the hair, and dragged her toward him, asking viciously.
The pain in her scalp caused Heko to whimper. The dragging of her body pulled at the bruises and cuts all over her, filling her eyes with pain and fear. Opening her eyes slightly to look at the man's ferocious face, Heko trembled and spoke haltingly:
"He vanished... he disappeared on his own."
To avoid further beatings, Heko hid nothing and told the truth. However, her honesty made the man mistakenly believe she was mocking him.
"Disappeared?"
"Huh?!"
"You said he disappeared on his own?!"
Filled with disbelief, the man grabbed Heko's neck, his tone growing darker. A powerful sense of suffocation spread through Heko. Her face twisted in pain, yet the man showed a hint of perverse intoxication at her appearance.
Leaning close to Heko, the man suddenly stuck out his tongue and lightly licked Heko's cheek. This action instantly triggered the buried, painful memories in Heko's heart, and her body trembled even more violently.
"Hmph... Hmph, you won't talk?" As he spoke, the man loosened his grip slightly, but his other hand became restless. He reached up, lightly pulling at Heko's tattered shirt near her chest.
Just as he was about to make a move, a tearing sound suddenly rang out behind the man. A kunai flew rapidly, piercing the man's back, right through his heart.
Blood instantly clogged the throat of the man, whose face was flushed. He didn't even have the strength to turn and see who attacked him. The man slammed his head against the stone wall and went limp.
Heko shut her eyes, her heart filled with despair, knowing what would happen next. Having been tortured into numbness, she dared not resist and just sat there quietly.
However, what awaited her was only the muffled thud of a head hitting the wall.
Then, a slightly familiar childlike voice sounded from in front of her.
"Captain, there are several other cells like this."
"The number of human traffickers is still uncertain, but we cannot wait leisurely for them to come to us one by one."
Inside the cell, four figures had suddenly appeared. Hyūga Shinichi, who had disappeared moments earlier, had returned. With him were Shibi Aburame, Uchiha Shisui, and Might Guy.
The one who threw the kunai was Uchiha Shisui. Perhaps shocked by the scene in the cell, Shisui showed no mercy in his attack, pinning the man to the spot instantly. Hearing Shinichi's suggestion, Shisui awkwardly replied: "My apologies. I didn't leave anyone alive for questioning."
Shibi Aburame, however, didn't care about that at all. He patted Shisui's shoulder and consoled him: "Don't worry about it. It won't make much difference whether we leave someone alive or not."
The children in the cell stared blankly at the few strangers who had suddenly appeared, their eyes filled with terror and confusion.
Noticing the children's expressions, Uchiha Shisui silently pulled out his headband and placed it on his head: "We are ninjas from Konoha.
We are here to rescue you." Shisui's tone was gentle. As he spoke, his Sharingan appeared in his eyes. The child who made eye contact with him slumped to one side and immediately fell into a deep sleep. To prevent accidents and spare the civilians from witnessing the carnage, the kind Shisui cast a Genjutsu on all of them.
"Sleep well."
"When you wake up, everything will be over!"
Shisui murmured. He then noticed the key lying next to the corpse. He walked over and picked it up. Without needing Shibi to speak, Shisui walked out of the cell and headed toward the other prison areas.
Shibi Aburame and Might Guy, after leaving the cell, headed toward the dungeon entrance. They intended to ambush and subdue everyone who entered the area. Anyone who resisted would be killed on sight.
As for Shinichi, he began placing Flying Thunder God markers on the sleeping children, one by one, to transport them out easily .
He hadn't been working long when the sound of clashing weapons suddenly rang out from the direction of the entrance.
"Did we encounter a ninja?!"
For someone to have the ability to fight back against Shibi Aburame and Might Guy's ambush, they had to be a ninja! And a highly skilled one at that!
Shinichi didn't hesitate. He sensed the marker on Might Guy and immediately activated the Flying Thunder God Technique. To facilitate the mission, Shinichi had placed Flying Thunder God markers on everyone in the squad.
The entrance to the dungeon led to a warehouse. However, more than a dozen corpses were scattered across the warehouse floor. Only one well-dressed, thin man was being guarded by Might Guy, seemingly having been subdued.
Nearby, a person completely shrouded in a black cloak was confronting Shibi Aburame. Judging by the clothing, they didn't look like a trafficker but rather the thin man's bodyguard.
"This group is...."
Shinichi suddenly appeared next to Guy and asked. Guy wasn't surprised. He gestured toward the man next to him with his chin: "The buyer!"
As the two spoke, the black-robed figure in the battle raised a kunai to his lips, lightly licking it with his tongue. He glanced toward Shinichi and the others, then instantly used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from their sight.
Shinichi, who was just about to use his Byakugan to discern the enemy's true appearance, was stunned by this sight. He hadn't expected the opponent to retreat so decisively.
If you want to read more, join my Patreon/kazama677
60+ advanced chapters available.
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 30 Power Stones.
Bonus chapter for every 10 reviews/comments
Daily chapter Updates