Sprayed in the Face with Blood
He stomped heavily on a branch as thick as his forearm with one foot.
The supple branches bent downwards, then snapped back, the dark green leaves rustling violently.
Using this thrust, one can jump farther more easily and effortlessly, which is a useful trick for long journeys.
Conserving stamina and Chakra is a fundamental principle for ninjas when going out on missions. Ninjas are never prepared for battle; most encounters are unexpected.
Therefore, the importance of sensory ninjas in a team is highlighted.
"Huff... huff... huff huff huff."
Their panting was like that of an old, broken blower, noisy and disordered; their chests heaved rapidly, and their faces were as red as monkey bottoms from the accelerated blood circulation.
"Okay, take a break."
Seeing that they had almost reached their limit, and that the two little ones would collapse if they continued, Katsuki called a halt to the group and ordered them to rest for a while.
"Teacher... I'm so... I'm sorry, I..."
Kuyue struggled to walk to Katsuki's side, panting and bowing her head in apology.
"Alright, what nonsense are you talking about? You two did a great job. Even Chunin weaker skills would have a hard time keeping up with this kind of high-intensity forced march. I'm already very happy that the two of you didn't fall behind." Katsuki helped the girl, who was starting to sway as she walked, and picked her up, placing her against a tree root.
"Drink some water and rest for a while, you'll feel better." Katsuki took out a water bottle and handed it to her.
His own disciple, being a girl, naturally required even more meticulous care. As for Kakashi, he needed to be toughened up and challenged to achieve great things. This was what Sakumo had told him personally when he went to pick her up.
"Sir, the black market is not far ahead. Shall we go and scout it out first?" The cat-faced masked man approached.
"Need not."
Katsuki took out the map, spread it out on her lap, and poked at the red circles on it with her finger.
"I can survey a distance of three kilometers using my Sensory Ninjutsu. You guys take a good rest. Hey, there are quite a few people in this black market..."
With his eyes closed, his Mind's Eye instantly detected the location of the black market three kilometers away.
"Sir, should we kill them all without mercy... or verify their identities before taking action?"
The cat-faced mask asked again.
This is a serious issue. Different superiors have different styles of doing things. Is this "Konoha Calamity" a ruthless individual, or a kind-hearted boss?
Understanding their boss's style makes it easier for them to take action, preventing them from working hard only to end up with nothing to show for it.
"Kill them all... That's too ruthless. Here's what we'll do: except for slaves and children under six, clean up everyone, regardless of gender. The key is to find evidence proving that the black market is colluding with either the Land of Earth or the Land of Lightning. That's the important thing. Letting one or two escape is fine. I need a complete set of flawless evidence... Do you understand?"
"Yes."
The cat-masked Anbu nodded, then retreated to his companions, relaying Katsuki's message to the others.
The black market is a fascinating place.
It has no fixed location and changes its base every once in a while. Remote mountain villages, small towns, deep forests, underground caves, and all sorts of strange places can become the black market's base.
The Five Great Nations of the Shinobi World are all legitimate countries, and a normal country naturally has a set of effective legal systems. No country would allow the existence of a black market in its laws. Even if the black market serves nobles, it cannot change its nature, which is destined to be underground and cannot be seen in the light of day.
The first stronghold was located in a long-abandoned village in the forest.
"These guys really know how to pick a spot!"
Hiding in the tree canopy, Katsuki parted a crack, looked at the dilapidated yet bustling little village, and uttered a word of praise.
"That's true. These guys in the black market definitely have a keen sense of smell; they can always find all sorts of strange things," the cat-faced mask chimed in.
"Alright, get ready to move. Get to work quickly, let me see what the elite members of the Anbu are capable of." Katsuki clapped her hands, unconcerned about revealing their location. "Move!"
At a command, the hounds' collars were removed, and a murderous aura emanated from them.
In an instant, blood stained the field of vision.
The black market is essentially a trading platform where nobles and customers who need illegal goods buy things. Most illegal goods can be bought on the black market. Merchants and customers together make up the black market, but there is a rather peculiar branch: the Bounty Office.
Bounty Office are part of the black market, a rather unique part.
Because the Bounty Office is a place that specializes in buying the corpses of powerful ninjas, no one knows the background of the Bounty Office. They only know that it is the oldest part of the black market, and that black market transactions are even carried out around the existence of the Bounty Office.
Strictly speaking, the Bounty Office was the real target of Katsuki and his team's operation, because Kakashi's bounty was posted Bounty Office.
A weak brat with a bounty of 30 million has tempted many missing-nin and wandering ninjas.
"Kakashi, Kuyue, you two go too. Although there aren't many decent opponents, it'll be good to get more familiar with how to kill people."
Sixty elite Anbu swept through the village's black market merchants and the men of the nobles who came to trade as easily as cutting melons and vegetables. They left no survivors, except for the slaves locked in cages, who were ignored. As for the children... children who appear in such places are basically all slaves.
Kakashi and Kuyue followed behind, poking over the small fry who had been deliberately left out, turning them into two bloody messes in no time.
The main reason was Kakashi; he accidentally severed the carotid artery of a wandering ninja with a knife, and blood immediately gushed out like a fountain, splattering all over the two of them.
"Where are the young people!"
When Katsuki saw that scene, she burst out laughing. Sure enough, even the future Wu Wu Kai (a character from a popular Chinese TV series) would gradually become stronger.
The slave traders, drug dealers, and arms dealers in the black market did not put up a fierce resistance. Rather than uniting to fight the enemy, they chose to turn around and run away. What a joke! Fighting the ninjas of the Anbu? With just these wandering ninjas and samurai under their command? They might be able to fight mountain bandits and robbers.
However, they were no match for regular ninjas, let alone the executioners of the Anbu. Charging in would only lead to a quicker death. On the contrary, escaping might offer a sliver of hope, however slim and unreliable that hope might be.
"... Pay attention, this is about to get to the main event: the enemies inside the Bounty Office are waiting for us!"
Katsuki tapped the radio next to her ear with her finger, easily issuing instructions.
"And Kakashi, remember not to aim for the major arteries when you're stabbing him, or you'll splatter blood all over your face and scare your teammates first."
Kakashi's face was flushed red (though you couldn't tell, his face was covered in blood), and he quickened his pace, hurrying towards the Bounty Office.