Black Market Exchange

"Takigakure can forge this kind of steel. Steel this perfect seems like it can only truly shine in the hands of the Sanjo Clan!" Ruri took out a piece of Thousand-Refined Steel and idly played with it before Zongli.

"Th-this is..." A Ninja Craftsman's keen instincts immediately told Zongli that this steel was extraordinary. He subconsciously glanced at Mikazuki Munechika before Ruri. He had only ever seen material of this grade on Mikazuki Munechika's blade!

From the age of samurai to the present, only three famed blades had been passed down through the generations. It was not a matter of skill. After so many years of growth, the Sanjo Clan not only possessed techniques handed down by their ancestors, but had also continued to innovate from generation to generation. Yet they had never managed to forge another famed blade. One reason was the lack of materials.

And now, material sufficient to forge a famed blade lay before Zongli. How could he not be tempted? Every craftsman wanted to surpass his predecessors. With an opportunity to forge a famed blade right before him, how could he fail to cherish it?

Though the Sanjo Clan were all samurai, they were also craftsmen. Zongli immediately said, "If there are five pieces... no, four pieces... fewer would be fine too. In short, if the Sanjo Clan can freely use this steel, then I am willing to agree to the Takikage's three conditions!"

"Of course. There is still plenty of Thousand-Refined Steel. It is forged by the Hagane Clan, and they are the only ones who can make it. It can be continuously mass-produced, with perhaps two or three pieces produced every year." Ruri spoke casually. Although there was only one piece of Thousand-Refined Steel now, as Hagane Masamasa's steelmaking techniques became increasingly refined, his forging efficiency would only continue to improve.

"What? It can be produced continuously?!" Zongli shouted. He had thought Takigakure had found steel left behind from ancient times. He had never imagined that such precious steel could be mass-produced!

"That's right. As long as the Sanjo Clan remains in Takigakure, there will be Thousand-Refined Steel for them to use. As for slightly inferior steel, it can be supplied without limit." Ruri felt that he had underestimated the allure Thousand-Refined Steel held for these craftsmen. If Seimei had not exterminated the Hojo and Miike clans, perhaps he could have lured all three great clans to Takigakure in one stroke with Thousand-Refined Steel!

"Please, Takikage, eliminate Seimei as soon as possible, so that I may move the Sanjo Clan into the village!" Zongli rose and bowed in thanks.

"Mm. Settle down in the village first. I'll introduce you to the person in charge of Thousand-Refined Steel, so study this piece for now." Ruri made his final decision. Once he had arranged the village's affairs, he needed to set out immediately. Takumigakure had been mentioned in the original story, but the three great clans had not. That meant the village, the Miike Clan, and the Sanjo Clan had all vanished. If he arrived too late, the Sanjo Clan might be exterminated as well!

Three days later, Ruri appeared at a port on the border of the Land of Fire. The Land of Artisans was located on an island, and he would need to travel there by ship.

To conceal his identity and prevent the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Artisans from becoming hostile, Ruri not only changed his appearance with the Transformation Jutsu, but also bought a loose robe and wore a mask. With a hat on as well, nothing of him could be seen except his clothes.

His outfit did not draw much attention along the way. The major ninja villages were still developing, and scattered wandering ninja were plentiful. Many ninja like him were unwilling to reveal their true faces, so there was nothing unusual about it.

Ruri entered the port's only public restroom.

Naturally, the public restroom was the entrance to the Black Market Exchange he had founded. That was how it had been in the original story, so Ruri had copied it exactly.

The Black Market Exchange had been immensely popular during the Warring States Period. After the ninja villages were established, task sources had become much scarcer, and the place had declined considerably. Still, it remained the best place for shady dealings.

Ruri skillfully passed through the restroom and went underground. At the moment, there was only one receptionist at the front desk.

"The task ledger."

A deep voice came from beneath the mask. The receptionist was long accustomed to such people and took out a somewhat battered notebook. The Black Market Exchange never restricted the identities of those accepting tasks. They could be rogue ninja, wandering ninja, criminals, or bandits—people whose identities could not easily be exposed.

Ruri began leafing through it, searching for a task suitable for himself.

He was not here to make money. He wanted to use a Black Market Exchange task to enter the Land of Artisans. The Black Market Exchange did not only offer assassination tasks; there could also be tasks involving escorting secret treasures. Of course, such treasures definitely came from improper sources. There were also ordinary merchant caravans at the port recruiting guards, but those caravans were too conspicuous and could easily leave records behind.

While Ruri was flipping through the ledger, a fierce-looking middle-aged man came down from the restroom. He wore an eyepatch over his left eye and carried a long sword on his back. He did not look weak.

"This is the task. Enough people must be recruited before tomorrow morning." The one-eyed middle-aged man tossed a scroll to the receptionist and spoke in a low voice.

"This..." The receptionist revealed a troubled expression after opening the scroll.

"This is the deposit." After hesitating for a moment, the one-eyed middle-aged man handed the receptionist a small cloth pouch.

The receptionist opened the pouch and glanced inside before immediately closing it. He put it away and said carefully, "Understood. We will certainly gather enough people before tomorrow morning."

The one-eyed middle-aged man said nothing more and turned to leave.

Ruri was somewhat curious about what kind of task it was. Judging by the receptionist's grave expression, it was probably no ordinary matter.

"It has high requirements. The destination is the newly established Takumigakure. If judged by ninja ranks, it requires at least Chunin-level strength." Apparently, anyone capable of serving as a Black Market Exchange receptionist was far from ordinary. His ability to read people was so exceptional that he could tell what Ruri was thinking even through the mask.

Chunin level? Judging from the one-eyed man's appearance, this was also a group task. If evaluated by ninja mission standards, it should be at least B-rank.

Ruri did not speak. He simply revealed the sword at his waist.

"A samurai?" The receptionist was somewhat surprised. There were not many wandering samurai, and samurai who upheld the spirit of bushido greatly despised places like the Black Market Exchange that operated in the shadows. He did not see more than a few samurai who came to accept tasks in an entire year.

"Elite samurai." For some reason, Ruri's deep voice was strangely convincing. Samurai ranks were basically similar to ninja ranks, divided into lower, middle, and upper levels. As for the highest rank, a general was roughly equivalent to a Kage. The Land of Iron had not produced a general recognized by all samurai for many years.

"My apologies, but the client requires an assessment of strength for this task. Unless you have corresponding records, you cannot accept it." Tasks at the Black Market Exchange could generally be accepted freely, since few people without the strength would willingly go to their deaths. But if the client had special requirements, anyone wishing to accept the task needed records of previously completed tasks. Such tasks usually involved considerable sums, and their clients were generally either wealthy or influential. If some novice ruined one, it would damage the Black Market Exchange's reputation.

When did that rule come into effect? Ruri thought silently. He had established the Black Market Exchange, yet its rules had changed without him even knowing. The larger an organization became, the easier it was for it to slip beyond control.

Without a word, Ruri took out a small booklet and handed it to the receptionist.

"Gasp..." The receptionist casually flipped through the booklet, then sharply sucked in a breath. He promptly returned it with respect and said, "Here is the client's contact information. You may go directly to him."

After putting away the booklet and obtaining the one-eyed man's contact information, Ruri left. Fortunately, he had visited Kakuzu before coming and had casually brought Kakuzu's Black Market Exchange record booklet along to conceal his identity in case of need. Sure enough, it had come in handy. After all these years, the only thing that had not changed in the underground world was how much it valued seniority...