Victor sensed trouble and sprinted for the venue's exit, but Naruto blocked his path. "Yo, no getting through here~."
Clutching the wooden box containing the flower, Victor forced himself to remain calm. "I won this box's contents in a legitimate auction. Surely you know the Black Market's rules?"
Naruto tilted his head. "Playing dumb won't help. We saw through you ages ago, Victor of Kara's Inner Circle~!"
Victor gritted his teeth. "You actually used a God Tree flower as bait just to draw us out!"
"That's right. You have to risk something to get what you want." Naruto gave him a meaningful look. "Also, you just said 'us,' didn't you? Does that mean there are other Inner Circle members here besides you? Now this was really worth it!"
"Damn it!"
Victor hurled the box containing the flower!
Naruto caught it, only to find the bottom plastered with Explosive Tags!
Victor formed a two-finger hand seal. "Explode!!!"
Boooooom!!
Flames erupted, and the roar startled the crowd. Screams and the sounds of fleeing footsteps rose everywhere as chaos engulfed the venue!
Victor raced back inside, his thoughts churning. My chances of beating Naruto Uzumaki are slim, but according to the intelligence we gathered, he never harms innocents. I can use the people here as hostages!
"Yo~."
Yet Naruto appeared without warning at the far end of the passage back into the venue, holding the God Tree flower and watching him with an utterly relaxed expression.
"!" Victor stopped dead, horror surging through him. He took the flower out of the box just before the explosion, then escaped with the Body Flicker Technique? How is that possible...?
Naruto pressed him. "You have the right to struggle, but no chance of surviving."
Victor backed away warily and tried to negotiate. "There are many innocent