Kanna Mizunuki

"Would you like to take a look at the slaves we have here, honored guest?" A plump, middle-aged man had a cigar in his mouth as he rubbed his hands together ingratiatingly. He could sense the killing intent radiating from the young man. And there was no trace of chakra coming from him, which meant he had to be a big shot.

The man had to be given credit.

He certainly had a good eye.

He'd spotted Chiba at a glance.

"Sure. Let's have a look." Uchiha Chiba spoke with a hint of curiosity.

The man took the cigar from his mouth, then opened a door behind him. "Please come in, honored guest."

It was very dark in here, seemingly covered by some kind of genjutsu barrier.

"Sorry, sir. This is Genjutsu: Darkness and Genjutsu: Insect Chirping. We're going to the slave quarters, and the route passes through the Re-education District, so it's not convenient to let you see the way. I hope you understand." The man's voice came from nearby.

"Never mind. Just lead the way." Uchiha Chiba nodded. This kind of genjutsu had no effect on him at all. Never underestimate the value of the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

On the way,

Uchiha Chiba could clearly see, inside the cells beside them, slaves one after another being marked with special ninjutsu. Apparently, every slave had to go through it.

Strictly speaking, slave traders probably couldn't sell any slaves during wartime. But there was no shortage of people who wanted to raise an army of slaves.

"We're here." The middle-aged man's voice finally rang out again.

Clank, clank!

The sound of chains scraping across the ground came one after another.

"Sir, please buy me! I can warm your bed..."

Uchiha Chiba raised his head and looked toward the voice. The woman looked to be in her twenties. Her clothes were ragged, and a slave's mark was visible on her shoulder. She seemed to have suffered a complete mental breakdown.

Uchiha Chiba looked around.

Then he started walking.

Chiba, all those slave traders deserve to die...

Katsuzuki of the Salamander's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Buzz!!!!

The terrifying Three Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly.

"G-guest, what's wrong?" The middle-aged man stole a glance at Uchiha Chiba. Those blood-red eyes made him break out in a cold sweat.

"Nothing." Uchiha Chiba headed deeper inside.

Just then,

the middle-aged man suddenly spoke. "Guest, farther in are the new slaves. They haven't been broken in yet, so they might... displease you. Perhaps..."

"I like them with a bad attitude." Uchiha Chiba didn't stop walking. He continued onward.

In the section where the slaves hadn't yet been broken in, their curses rang out clearly, along with the occasional plea for mercy.

Uchiha Chiba looked at a cage beside him.

Inside was a little boy about five or six years old.

"What's this?" Uchiha Chiba asked.

"Oh, this is a child with a Kekkei Genkai. He can be trained as a combat slave. His Kekkei Genkai is air pressure. He can compress some of the air and use it to attack," the middle-aged man explained.

The little boy in the cage looked up at Uchiha Chiba.

Chiba said nothing and continued farther inside.

"Do you have anyone who was just captured? I want to see how fierce they are." Uchiha Chiba stopped and looked at the middle-aged man.

The man rubbed his chin.

After a long while,

he gave a small exclamation, then said, "There actually is one. She was captured just last night. We've only just marked her with the Slave Seal, and haven't had a chance to break her in yet. She's very fierce." The middle-aged man recalled.

"Take me to see her," Uchiha Chiba said.

The middle-aged man hesitated. "Because of that slave's Kekkei Genkai, it took us a lot of effort to capture her, so... the price..."

"That can be arranged." Uchiha Chiba lowered his hat, his tone cool. He had this inexplicable urge to destroy this place, to destroy this slave market.

Katsuzuki, who would've thought... I can't stand to see this either.

The middle-aged man stopped hesitating and immediately led Chiba to the room at the very back.

He opened the door.

A white-haired girl was bound in chains, sitting in the corner with her knees drawn up. Her bright blue eyes were full of hatred.

The moment their eyes met,

Uchiha Chiba knew he hadn't come here for nothing. That look—those hate-filled eyes—if she grew up, she would certainly become an exceptional fighter.

"What makes her special?" Uchiha Chiba asked.

"Hmm... You've hit the nail on the head, honored guest. She's..." The middle-aged man was cut off.

"Get to the point." Uchiha Chiba released a terrifying amount of chakra. The middle-aged man was only an ordinary Chunin. How could he withstand the chakra of someone at Kage Level?

"She's from the Yuki Clan of Kirigakure, and her Kekkei Genkai is Ice Release. They say she has the purest bloodline in the Yuki Clan right now. Her mother raised her outside the village, but our scouts captured her last night. Rest assured, everyone connected to her has already been dealt with. So, what do you think?" The middle-aged man smiled greedily.

Uchiha Chiba walked over to the girl.

Her strength was around that of a Chunin.

She looked about thirteen or fourteen, around Chiba's age. She might even have been a year older.

Because of their difference in development, Chiba was more than a head taller than her. Uchiha Chiba bent down, and the girl stared fixedly at him.

"Have you ever been to Kirigakure?" Uchiha Chiba asked.

The white-haired girl only looked at him, without answering.

The middle-aged man clicked his tongue, then picked up a ring from the side and activated it with chakra.

The next second,

"Ah!!! Ngh!!" A scorching heat suddenly flared across the girl's shoulder. This was probably how the Slave Ninjutsu controlled its victims.

"Answer whatever the guest asks," the middle-aged man said, narrowing his eyes.

"No..." The girl's voice was cold, keeping everyone at a distance.

"Do you want to go back to Kirigakure?" Uchiha Chiba looked at her with interest.

"I don't..." The girl kept looking into Chiba's eyes. Her gaze remained fixed on the blood-red Three Tomoe pattern. Fortunately, Chiba hadn't activated any genjutsu. Otherwise, staring at the Sharingan from this close would have left her badly injured by a genjutsu.

Uchiha Chiba reached out and touched the girl's hair. It was rather dry; she probably hadn't washed it in over a week.

"One last question. What's your name?" Uchiha Chiba stood up.

"Mizunuki Kanna."

Uchiha Chiba looked at the middle-aged man as his Three Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly. He smiled. "I'll take her."

The middle-aged man nodded blankly.

"Yes, honored guest. I'll transfer control of the slave mark to you right away..." The man's eyes had turned white. He had fallen under Chiba's genjutsu.

"Wait. Remove the mark." Uchiha Chiba had no interest in using force to control others.

"I'm sorry, honored guest. Her mark was placed by the boss himself, and it will last for her entire life... It can only be transferred." The middle-aged man spoke like a machine.

Uchiha Chiba glanced at Kanna Mizunuki behind him and sighed.

"Then transfer it," Uchiha Chiba said.

Then,

the middle-aged man formed Hand Seals and handed the ring to Chiba. Blue light shone from the ring, meaning Chiba had become Kanna's master.