Tacit Understanding Between Child Traffickers

The adorable child in front of him looked at him warily, and long, transparent icy needles suddenly appeared in his previously empty hands, as if he were about to fight him to the death at any moment.

"What a gifted little fellow! Perhaps his Ice Release are somewhat unique. It was worth the month-long search."

Shuichi was overjoyed. He had found Haku, the main target of this operation, and obtained the Ice Release he wanted.

Although he could study it himself, why waste time when there's a shortcut? Besides, Haku shouldn't even know Chakra Refining Technique, yet he can use them instinctively, which piqued his strong interest.

After receiving the mission to scout out Kirigakure, he rushed to the Land of Water. He first contacted his underling Izushi to obtain a number of maps, and then specifically asked where there were villages that were covered in snow all year round.

Although he didn't know why Lord Shuichi wanted to go to those places, Izushi still told him everything he knew; there were quite a few villages like that in the Land of Water.

After receiving the information, Shuichi had no choice but to run through all the villages two or three times, and also search the areas outside the villages where people could move around. Fortunately, hard work pays off, and after a long time, he finally saw Bai's figure. Perhaps there was also a lot of luck involved.

"Who are you?" Bai Ban asked softly, his head lowered, his childish voice making it difficult to tell if he was male or female.

"Well, you could say I'm just a passerby traveling through this country." Shuichi stared at the ice spikes in his hand, his eyes filled with curiosity. "I mean no harm. Is this your ability? I wish I could have it too!"

Bai was somewhat surprised, but after hearing his words, she couldn't help but ask, "You... you don't hate this ability?"

"Of course not! On the contrary, I desperately need it because I also have special abilities, so I want more." Shuichi smiled calmly, raising one hand with his palm facing upwards, a small amount of fine white sand continuously gathering and floating in the air. "We are the same kind of people; perhaps this encounter was destined!"

Seeing that Bai had lowered his guard, Shuichi secretly sighed that this child was quite easy to fool. Before the other party could ask anything, he first took back White Sand, and then took out a large sausage... bread from his bag. "It's fate that we met, take this and eat it, child!"

While Bai hesitated, Shuichi shoved a large piece of bread into his hand, then turned and walked away, saying, "I need your abilities, but I never like to force others. You'll be leaving this country soon, so whether you want to come with me is up to you."

"Wait a minute, sir!" Bai was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered and caught up with Shuichi with a look of surprise. There was actually someone in this world who needed him, and he still had value. "My name is Bai, and I'm willing to go with you!"

Shuichi's lips curled into a smile. He stopped and turned to look at him. "My name is Shuichi. From today onwards, you're mine. Nice to meet you!"

"Please rest assured, Lord Shuichi, I will absolutely obey your orders!" Bai's face flushed slightly, and she stared at him with a warm smile.

"Let's go somewhere first." Shuichi assessed his performance just now. He had traded a hot dog for a genius with Kekkei Genkai, which was actually because Shiro was too easy to fool.

Therefore, his skill level is still far from that of his teacher Orochimaru, who is the real expert in human trafficking. All the children under his command become fanatical followers of him, Shuichi says he can't learn that...

After getting his hands on Haku, Shuichi started getting down to business. The two found a temporary base not far from Kirigakure and began to investigate the situation inside Kirigakure using various methods.

Because he was cautious, Shuichi didn't have much information. However, he could discover some things without careful investigation: the Kaguya Clan, who had been driven to the outskirts of the village, was filled with unrest and riots.

He could easily detect that a large number of Kaguya clan members talked about rebelling against Kirigakure every day, clamoring to rush back into the village, kill the Mizukage, and slaughter everyone they saw.

"What a bunch of crazy idiots. Did their powerful physiques make them mentally unstable?" Shuichi thought to himself, speechless.

This situation did not last long. A few nights later, the Kirigakure was brightly Kakkō, and the sounds of battle could be clearly heard even outside the village.

The Kaguya Clan's attack did not last long, and it subsided completely in less than half an hour. Shuichi could feel a large amount of chakra constantly erupting on the battlefield, and at least several hundred people disappeared from his perception.

The Kaguya Clan, as elders of Kirigakure, officially perished today. This is the second clan to be purged from within, following the Yuki Clan. Moreover, it was a top clan with a illustrious reputation Warring States Period. Such an end left Shuichi deeply saddened.

From the early hours of the morning until dawn, Shuichi led Haku around the area around Kirigakure, easily avoiding any ninjas leaving the village with his abilities.

Now that we've found Haku, having another top-tier Kekkei Genkai wouldn't be a bad thing. The only question is whether Orochimaru has arrived, or if Kimimaro is still alive.

So he planned to spend three days there; if he found nothing, he would have to return to the Land of Fire.

The bloody night passed quickly, but when the sun rose, the environment of Kirigakure was not much better. The air was unbearably damp, and the fog was so thick that it even blurred the sunlight, making it impossible for ordinary people to see clearly even a few dozen meters away.

"Lord Shuichi, are you looking for something?" Bai asked, a little puzzled after following him for a long time.

For a child, wandering around the destination for hours would be incredibly boring; the fact that they've only started talking now shows they're extremely patient.

"Um... yes, I am indeed looking for something, and I also want to learn about this village." Shuichi replied casually. The first day was the most likely time to encounter Kimimaro, so he would naturally be more thorough. "Just bear with it for a bit, in a little while..."

"Um?"

Within his perception range, a familiar chakra emanated from him. Shuichi stopped speaking and strode quickly towards that direction, soon discovering the chakra of two people there. He scoffed, "Looks like I wasted my time!"

Those not far away seemed to have sensed something as well, and quietly remained in place to wait.

Before long, passing through a thick fog, Shuichi saw two figures, one large and one small, just like his own pair with Shiro.

Upon closer inspection, Orochimaru, came into view, accompanied by a white-haired, green-eyed boy with two red dots between his eyebrows. The boy warily stood in front of Orochimaru, assuming a fighting stance.

"Teacher, it's been a long time. I didn't expect you to Land of Water too." Shuichi walked over and greeted him calmly. Seeing Kimimaro's expression, he could only sigh at the awesomeness of the face-touching kill. As expected, the other party was the professional.

"Long time no see, you're the one who surprises me, Shuichi-kun!" Orochimaru smiled wickedly, clearly in good spirits after leaving the village.

His snake-like eyes were fixed on Bai, and he was very curious about what was so special about this child that he would be chosen by the Purple Aurora. This scared Bai so much that he hid behind Shuichi.

A moment later, the two clever human traffickers understood. The only major event in the Land of Water right now was the conflict between the Kekkei Genkai families and the Mizukage. So, the purpose of everyone coming here was obvious: to kidnap... no, to help the poor, wayward children.