Naruto's Human Trafficking

After making a few more arrangements, he left. Although the Land of Fire was no longer as turbulent as before, with bandits blocking roads and rogue ninja lurking around every corner, life was still miserable for the common folk at the bottom.

Once Uchiha Yuan left the city district and entered an ordinary town, he did not even need to investigate. Such scenes were everywhere.

The streets were in ruins, the walls caked with filth. Seeing helpless women standing before their doors with swaddled babies in their arms, Uchiha Yuan felt somewhat stifled.

The numb expressions on their faces said it all. They probably did not even know where their husbands had gone—perhaps to some tavern, perhaps to some pleasure alley.

As he continued onward, Uchiha Yuan's presence stood out sharply among these people whose expressions seemed frozen in place. From the dilapidated houses nearby came the occasional sound of women sobbing, mixed with children crying. It was hard not to feel anxious in such an environment.

By the time Uchiha Yuan had walked through the area, a layer of mud had stuck to the soles of his shoes. It would have been one thing if it had merely been wet from rainwater, but there was a pungent smell of urine on his feet.

"Tch. With order collapsed like this, if I had been born into such an environment, my ignorant younger self probably would have developed destructive tendencies too."

Chakra surged from him like a wave, washing away the filth clinging to his body.

Uchiha Yuan suddenly no longer felt any urgency to return to the Clan Land. He wanted to see whether ordinary people throughout the Naruto World all lived like this, or whether only certain places were this bad.

After all, Uzumaki Nagato, one of Naruto's mid-game bosses, had been born in such an environment. Though he had grown up in the Land of Rain, circumstances sometimes had nothing to do with national borders.

There were no differences in language or culture in Naruto. It would not have been difficult for an ordinary person to flee to another country and settle down there. Besides, there was no census system or identity restriction right now, as long as one stayed away from sensitive regions.

As he gradually entered the next town, the environment only became worse. The moment Uchiha Yuan entered, he encountered at least three cases of highway robbery and street brawls. This place was even freer than the Beautiful Country.

Deeper inside, he stopped in front of a slave market. With a glance at the crowd gathered around it, he found the human trade business rather thriving. The place was packed, and a large group of people had come purely to watch the spectacle.

"Step right up, don't miss out! We've got loads of premium goods this year, so come take a look~"

This sort of slave market business had never been mentioned in the Naruto World. But considering the era, perhaps it had been left out because it was too dark? Or had it struck a sore spot for the island folk?

Relying on his strong physique, Uchiha Yuan forcibly squeezed his way inside. Several large cages came into view, and people were presumably locked inside them. He just did not know how this broker intended to sell them.

The broker stood on high ground. Seeing that no more people were gathering, he quickly jumped down from his chair and stepped before the crowd to introduce the rules.

"Everyone, quiet down. Let me explain how the sale works."

With a grinning face, the broker pointed to the boxes beside him. Not a sound came from within them.

"Folks, this time it won't be like the usual blind purchase, nor will it be a bidding war. This time~ we'll do it together."

"The things in these boxes are rare specimens. The slave market guarantees they are absolutely not ordinary goods! So... naturally, the price will be a little higher."

This immediately piqued everyone's interest. Once the atmosphere was right, the broker stopped wasting words and ordered someone to carry out one of the boxes. The opening bid was a thousand ryo.

"What?! That expensive?!"

"A normal box used to cost only fifty-something ryo. How can it jump that much all at once? Only an idiot would buy it!"

"Exactly! At that price, is there gold inside or something?!"

The broker did not get angry. His wide grin revealed a large gold tooth.

"Quit yapping, quit yapping. If it's expensive, there's naturally a reason. If you can't afford it, don't make a fuss. Someone who knows quality will buy it~"

The crowd sneered. They had no idea where the broker got his confidence. Most people who bought others were wealthy households; ordinary families rarely bought people. After all, it meant another mouth to feed for no reason. If they bought a sickly one, they would lose badly.

At that moment, a man in embroidered robes stepped forward to inspect the box. His face was covered in a thick layer of snow-white makeup, and every twitch of his nose sent flakes of powder falling.

"This box... hehe, I'll take it!"

Just as everyone wondered whether the powdered man was a planted buyer, the broker had already ordered the box opened.

Inside sat an unconscious burly man. His bronze muscles were piled in thick slabs across his body. He was probably around two meters tall, crammed into the box like a lump of stone.

"Good! This was worth it!"

This...

A thousand ryo for a laborer capable of working, and that was considered worth it? Could he not buy several ordinary men for that money instead?

The crowd was confused, but Uchiha Yuan gradually saw through the trick. The heavily powdered man had sniffed at the box, likely judging the person's sex, age, and condition. He had seemed confused upon seeing the "goods" inside at first, before his expression turned to delight.

Uchiha Yuan was close enough to discreetly sense the area. There were actually dozens of Chakra signatures around him.

The powdered man before him definitely practiced Chakra, and so did the broker. The people in those boxes were the same. And if nothing unexpected had happened...

This dark-skinned, muscular man in the box should have come from the Moonlit Clan.

"These goods are sold only to discerning noble customers. If you can't understand their value, please leave!"

As soon as those words were spoken, more than half the crowd dispersed. Many of them simply did not have enough money to throw around so freely.

The powdered man who had hit the "jackpot" did not leave. He seemed intent on buying more, which meant he probably was not a planted buyer. Uchiha Yuan could already see many people around him itching to give it a try.

"Make way. I'll take all five remaining boxes."

Uchiha Yuan frowned and used Chakra to shove aside the people squeezing in front of him before speaking to the broker.

"Huh? You'll take them all?"

"Yes."

The broker immediately put on a smiling face. Someone who could casually pay five thousand ryo and speak so confidently was a real big shot~

"Would you like to open the boxes and inspect the goods? Once bought, there are no returns."

"No."

Uchiha Yuan took out a ten-thousand-ryo banknote from his clothes and handed it to the broker without the slightest hint of reluctance. He then walked to the boxes and began moving the goods.

"Keep the change. If there's no problem, I'll start carrying them away."

The broker nodded, repeatedly examining the ten-thousand-ryo note in his hand as though he had just seen his own father.

"Wait! This is an auction! After placing your bid, why didn't you ask if anyone else wanted to bid?"

Uchiha Yuan turned around. The one speaking was unexpectedly the man with the powdered face.

"You want to bid against me?"

"Of course!"

Uchiha Yuan suspiciously pulled out a stack of banknotes from his clothes, all of them ten-thousand-ryo bills. He counted out ten and handed them to the broker, who watched eagerly.

"Do you still want to bid?"

The man merely patted the hem of his skirt as if he had heard nothing, then had his servants carry away his Moonlit Clan muscleman. It was as though nothing had happened.

Uchiha Yuan curled his lips into a smile. He tied the five large boxes together, lifted them effortlessly onto his shoulder with one hand, and left.

The surrounding people exclaimed over his tremendous strength. Some recognized that Uchiha Yuan was a ninja and did not dare provoke him. With the show over, the crowd gradually dispersed as well, though several people followed in the direction Uchiha Yuan had gone.