Inside Katabami Gold Mine, several sallow, emaciated miners with numb eyes mechanically carried ore under the watch of a few arrogantly dressed ninjas in black.
"They really never stop exploiting civilians..."
Jiraiya's gaze turned cold as he silently hid behind a rock on high ground, observing the activity below.
At the same time, Jiraiya quickly spotted the target of this mission.
A man with long dark-blue hair, heavy dark circles beneath his eyes, a Mist Village forehead protector slashed across the middle, and two massive crossed blades on his back.
He stood atop a raised earthen platform, letting out crazed laughter at a group of miners tied up and forced to kneel below.
"Ha ha ha! Someone tried to escape again? How foolish! Since they don't want to mine properly..." Raiga Kurosuki's voice dripped with malice as he shouted harshly, "Bring them over! I'll personally preside over a grand funeral for them!"
The Kurosuki Clan ninjas dressed in black immediately burst into laughter, roughly dragging the constantly pleading miners toward a freshly dug pit in the center of the camp.
"Looks like I can't wait for a better opportunity." Jiraiya's killing intent had already been decided.
Scum like this, who treated human lives like grass and took pleasure in slaughter, desecrated life with every moment they remained alive.
So he stopped hiding. With a flash, he appeared in the center of the camp, standing between the dragged miners and Raiga Kurosuki.
"Hm? Who's there?!" The sudden turn of events startled all the Kurosuki Clan ninjas present.
Raiga Kurosuki narrowed his heavily shadowed eyes and examined the tall white-haired man before him. A trace of surprise appeared on his face before turning into an even more twisted grin. "Oh? An interesting fellow has arrived... Could that white hair belong to one