The Black Market

Hyuuga Nen arrived in front of a restroom. He placed his hand against a wall and gave it a gentle push, revealing an entrance, through which he stepped inside.

After searching for several days, Hyuuga Nen finally located one of the black markets. Unlike the Bounty Exchange he frequently visited in the Land of Sea and the Land of Tea, this type of black market generally only functioned for tracking targets and providing intelligence.

Seeing someone enter, the person in charge of the black market nodded at Hyuuga Nen.

"Is there any new intelligence lately?" Hyuuga Nen asked the person in charge.

"There is. The biggest piece of news recently concerns a member of the Hyuga Clan." As he spoke, the manager provided Hyuuga Nen with a list.

Hyuuga Nen glanced over the directory of the list, then paid the money to purchase the intelligence.

Once he had the information in hand, Hyuuga Nen studied it carefully. The report detailed the location where he had first appeared, as well as the two false identities he had used. It provided a rough overview of his abilities and strength, and even described his conflicts with several major nations.

The report had been updated many times; Hyuuga Nen judged that it must have had many contributors, with the black market consolidating all these pieces of information to present the report in its current form.

Two hundred million!

That was the bounty amount set by the Five Great Nations. Looking at the figure on the bounty, Hyuuga Nen said to himself, I never thought my life would be worth so much.

The report also recorded the fluctuations in Hyuuga Nen's bounty. At first, it had only been one hundred million, but after he was hunted by several major nations and successfully escaped, the amount had doubled.

I've really offended the three major nations now, Hyuuga Nen thought to himself. However, given the circumstances at the time, he hadn't had much choice; if he could have chosen, he would not have wanted to kill so many people.

"I'm quite interested in the intelligence regarding this Hyuga clansman. Is there anything else?" Hyuuga Nen asked the manager, deliberately feigning an interest driven by the bounty.

"The rest is just some less important information. I hear the three major nations have been hunting him, but they've all failed. I imagine they must be quite angry."

"Oh, right, there is also a message here released by the Kaguya Clan, specifically left for this Hyuga clansman." As he spoke, the manager flipped through the intelligence in his hands and finally pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Hyuuga Nen.

"This information isn't very important, so I won't charge you for it," the manager told Hyuuga Nen.

"The Kaguya Clan?"

Hyuuga Nen unfolded the paper in his hand and discovered it was a letter. The contents mainly stated that the Kaguya Clan and the Hyuga Clan had always been on good terms. If Hyuuga Nen truly had nowhere else to go, he could seek refuge with the Kaguya Clan, who would guarantee his safety.

After reading the letter, Hyuuga Nen put it away. It seems the Kaguya Clan hasn't been wiped out yet. But it should be soon; in a few months, or at most a few years, this ninja clan will likely vanish.

As for seeking refuge with the Kaguya Clan, Hyuuga Nen had no such intention. After all, they could barely protect themselves, so how could they possibly protect him?

Furthermore, Hyuuga Nen knew that Kirigakure was currently implementing the Bloody Mist Policy. The man behind the execution of the Bloody Mist Policy was none other than Obito Uchiha. Although Hyuuga Nen did not know Obito Uchiha's opinion of the Hyuga Clan, he had no intention of walking right into a trap.

But what exactly is the relationship between the Hyuga Clan and the Kaguya Clan? Could it be the same as the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan? This was the question in Hyuuga Nen's mind.

Hyuuga Nen couldn't help but think of Madara Uchiha. If the Hyuga Clan and the Kaguya Clan share the same ancestor, perhaps I could learn from Madara Uchiha and try to obtain something from the Kaguya Clan to see if I can enhance my strength.

Unfortunately, both Hyuuga Nen and the Kaguya Clan were like two clay bodhisattvas crossing a river—they couldn't even save themselves, let alone do anything else. The most Hyuuga Nen could do was write them a letter, urging them to be more cautious, perhaps so they might leave behind more of their bloodline elsewhere.

Thinking this, Hyuuga Nen stopped dwelling on the Kaguya Clan's message and continued to ask the manager: "What about the Hyuga Clan? Has any news come from them?"

The manager shook his head. "There is no news from the Hyuga Clan at the moment."

Hyuuga Nen looked at the intelligence in his hand and asked another question. "Who provided this intelligence originally?"

Hearing Hyuuga Nen's question, the manager's expression turned serious. "That question isn't free!"

After receiving the payment, the manager wore a satisfied expression. "The original provider of this intelligence was the rogue ninja from the Waterfall Hidden Village, Kakuzu. When he provided this information, he even collected a bounty from us."

It really was Kakuzu. But why would he do this? Was it purely for revenge? Or for the bounty? Hyuuga Nen couldn't quite figure it out.

Could it be because of Pain's orders, and he wants to recruit me into the Akatsuki? Hyuuga Nen suddenly remembered that the second time he met Kakuzu, he had been wearing the Akatsuki cloak, which meant he had already joined the organization by then.

Hyuuga Nen thought for a moment and felt this was the most likely possibility. I never thought that not only would I be targeted by the Five Great Nations, but even the Akatsuki has taken notice of me. Thinking of this, Hyuuga Nen let out a heavy sigh.

Regardless of Kakuzu's motives, it was a fact that he had sold out Hyuuga Nen's intelligence. It was because of his betrayal that other major nations besides Konoha had been drawn into hunting him down. Hyuuga Nen decided to take revenge on Kakuzu.

Since you can sell my intelligence, I can sell yours as well, and perhaps even earn a bounty for it. Thinking of this, Hyuuga Nen's previously depressed mood lightened a little.

However, Hyuuga Nen did not do so immediately; he planned to go to another black market to sell Kakuzu's information.

After inquiring about his own intelligence, Hyuuga Nen did not forget his original purpose for coming to the black market and asked the manager about the Ancient Loulan.

A while later, Hyuuga Nen emerged from the black market, oriented himself, and headed in the direction of the Ancient Loulan.

On his way to the Ancient Loulan, Hyuuga Nen found another black market. He changed his appearance again and provided Kakuzu's intelligence to the market, including his secret techniques and various ninjutsu, all detailed in full, though he did not mention the name of his Earth Grudge Fear technique.

Hyuuga Nen also mimicked the tone of the letter the Kaguya Clan had sent him and wrote a reply. The contents of the letter stated that the two clans had been on good terms for generations, that he would visit if he had the chance, and urged them to take care of their own safety.

Because he was afraid the contents of the letter might be intercepted by others, Hyuuga Nen could not be too explicit and had to handle the matter vaguely.