Kanna Mizunuki

"Would you like to take a look at our slaves, honored guest?" A portly middle-aged man with a cigar clamped in his mouth rubbed his hands together with a fawning tone. He could sense the killing intent radiating from the youth, and since there were no chakra fluctuations coming from him, he was certain this was a big shot.

It had to be said, the man had a sharp eye. He had spotted Uchiha Chiba at a single glance.

"Let's take a look," Uchiha Chiba said, harboring a shred of curiosity.

The man took the cigar from his mouth and pushed open a door behind him. "Please, come in, noble guest."

It was very dark inside, seemingly due to some kind of genjutsu barrier.

"Apologies, sir. This is Genjutsu: Darkness and Genjutsu: Insect Chirping. Since we are heading to the slave district, we have to pass through the Re-education District on the way, so it's not convenient for you to see it. Please understand," the man's voice came from the side.

"It's fine, just lead the way," Uchiha Chiba nodded. He knew that this kind of genjutsu had no effect on him whatsoever; one shouldn't underestimate the value of the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

On the way, Uchiha Chiba could clearly see in the nearby cells that one slave after another was being branded with a special ninjutsu. It seemed this was something every slave had to endure.

In truth, strictly speaking, slave traders probably couldn't sell any slaves during wartime, but there was no shortage of people who wanted to cultivate a slave army.

"We're here," the middle-aged man's voice finally sounded after a long while.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of chains dragging across the floor echoed one after another.

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

Uchiha Chiba raised his head and looked toward the source of the voice. A woman who looked to be in her twenties, dressed in rags with a slave mark on her shoulder, stared back. It seemed her mind had completely broken.

Uchiha Chiba looked around and began to walk.

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

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

Hum!

The terrifying Three Tomoe Sharingan spun frantically.

"Gu... guest, what's wrong?" The middle-aged man glanced secretly at Uchiha Chiba, and those blood-red eyes immediately made cold sweat stream down his back.

"Nothing," Uchiha Chiba walked toward the deeper sections.

At this moment, the middle-aged man suddenly spoke up: "Guest, if you go any deeper, those are the brand-new slaves. They haven't been broken in yet and might... displease you. Perhaps we should..."

"I happen to like the ones with bad tempers," Uchiha Chiba didn't stop his pace, continuing to move forward.

In the area where the slaves hadn't been broken in yet, their curses were clearly audible, and there were even sounds of begging.

Uchiha Chiba looked at a cage to the side. Inside was a little boy of about five or six years old.

"What is this?" Uchiha Chiba asked.

"Oh, this one is a child with a kekkei genkai. He can be trained as a combat slave. His bloodline limit is air pressure; he can compress air to use for attacks," the middle-aged man explained.

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

Chiba didn't speak and walked deeper inside.

"Do you have any that were just captured? I want to see how fierce they are," Uchiha Chiba stopped in his tracks and looked at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man stroked his chin. After a long while, he let out an "ah" and said, "There is actually one. She was caught just last night and was only just branded with the Slave Seal; we haven't had time to break her in yet. That one is fierce, very fierce," the middle-aged man recalled.

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

The middle-aged man hesitated: "Because of the issue with that slave's kekkei genkai, it took us a great deal of effort to capture her, so... regarding the price..."

"That's easy to discuss," Uchiha Chiba lowered his straw hat, his tone cold. He had an inexplicable thought: he wanted to destroy this place, to destroy this slave market.

Katsuzuki, I never thought... that I would be just like you, unable to stand the sight of this...

The middle-aged man didn't dither any longer and immediately led Chiba into the deepest room.

Pushing open the door, a girl with white hair was bound by chains. She sat in the corner with her legs pulled to her chest, her deep blue eyes filled with hatred.

The moment he locked eyes with the girl, Uchiha Chiba knew he hadn't come to the wrong place. That look—that gaze filled with hatred—if this girl grew up, she would surely be a top-tier expert.

"What makes her special?" Uchiha Chiba asked.

"Well... guest, you've asked the most important question. She is..." The middle-aged man's words trailed off.

"Get to the point." Uchiha Chiba radiated a terrifying amount of chakra. The middle-aged man was merely an ordinary chunin; how could he possibly withstand the aura of a Kage Level shinobi?

"This girl is from the Yuki Clan of the Mist Village. Her kekkei genkai is Ice Release. It is said that she possesses the purest bloodline in the Yuki Clan currently. Her mother was raising her outside the village, but our scouts captured her last night. Rest assured, my guest, everyone connected to her has already been dealt with by us. So, what do you think..." The middle-aged man smiled greedily.

Uchiha Chiba walked toward the young girl.

Her strength was approximately that of a chunin.

She looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, roughly the same age as Chiba, perhaps even a year older.

Due to differences in their development, Chiba was more than a head taller than her. As Uchiha Chiba leaned down, the girl stared at him intensely.

"Have you ever been to the Mist Village?" Uchiha Chiba asked.

The white-haired girl simply watched him, remaining silent.

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

The next second—

"Ah!!! Mmph!!" A scorching, burning sensation suddenly erupted from the girl's shoulder; this was likely the control method of the Slave Ninjutsu.

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

"No..." The girl's cold tone seemed to keep everyone at a distance.

"Do you want to return to the Mist Village?" Uchiha Chiba looked at her with interest.

"I don't..." The girl continued to stare into Chiba's eyes, her gaze fixed on the blood-red Three Tomoe Sharingan patterns. Fortunately, Chiba had not activated any genjutsu; otherwise, staring directly into the Sharingan at such close range would likely have left her severely injured by a genjutsu instantly.

Uchiha Chiba reached out and touched the girl's hair. It was a bit dry; she must not have washed it for over a week.

"One last question, what is your name?" Uchiha Chiba stood up.

"Minazuki Kokona."

Uchiha Chiba looked at the middle-aged man, his Three Tomoe Sharingan spinning wildly. He smiled, "She'll do."

The middle-aged man nodded blankly.

"Yes, guest. I will transfer the control of the slave mark for you now..." The middle-aged man's eyes were completely white; he had fallen under Chiba's genjutsu.

"Wait, just remove this mark," Uchiha Chiba had no hobby of controlling others through force.

"Apologies, guest. Her mark was placed personally by the boss and will last a lifetime... it can only be transferred," the middle-aged man spoke like a machine.

Uchiha Chiba glanced at Minazuki Kokona behind him and sighed.

"Then transfer it," Uchiha Chiba said.

Following that, the middle-aged man performed hand seals and handed the ring in his hand to Chiba. Then, the ring emitted a blue light, signifying that Chiba had become Kokona's master.