Black Market in a small town is hidden in a seemingly ordinary tavern Underground.
Fox led Lin Ze through the noisy pub lobby to the back kitchen area.
In front of an inconspicuous storage room door, Fox knocked on the door panel several times rhythmically. After a while, the door opened a crack from the inside.
A pair of vigilant eyes looked at them from behind the crack in the door.
"Buy something."
Fox lowered his voice and said a secret code.
The door opened slowly, and a thin man motioned for them to enter.
There is actually a downward staircase behind the storage room, leading to a brightly lit Underground space.
Is this Black Market?
Lin Ze looked around curiously. It was much more spacious than he imagined. It was like a Underground market, with people coming and going, but it was extremely quiet.
Most people are wearing cloaks or masks, hiding their Identity.
Stalls are scattered here and there, selling all kinds of shady things - everything from Scroll of Seals, poisons, stolen goods, to intelligence and mercenary services.
'It's exactly as expected, a mixed bag of fish and dragons.'
Lin Ze murmured in his heart and subconsciously raised his vigilance. After all, in a place like this, gangsters and gangsters can happen at any time.
Fox seemed to be very familiar with this place. He led Lin Ze through the crowd without looking sideways, and walked straight towards a stall in Corner.
It was a stall selling various medicinal materials and minerals. The stall owner was a middle-aged man with a scar on his face, lazily wiping something that looked like the tooth of some kind of beast.
Fox stopped in front of the stall, pretending to select medicinal materials, but his fingers were tapping a series of complex rhythms on the stall seemingly unintentionally.
The stall owner stopped wiping for a moment, then looked up at Fox and Lin Ze, especially Lin Ze, who seemed a little surprised that a "child" was here.
Fox whispered to Lin Ze, "Wait here, don't wander around, don't talk to anyone."
Lin Ze nodded to express his understanding.
Fox exchanged a look with the stall owner, and then the two of them walked Earth Flow towards a small cubicle behind the stall.
'Looks like this is the joint.'
Lin Ze knew in his heart that it was obviously impossible for them to carry out this kind of mission in one squad, and there must be intelligence personnel from Konoha cooperating.
He stood quietly by the stall, looking at his nose and nose, but all his senses were on high alert.
Lin Ze could feel a lot of cryptic glances around him, but most of them were just out of curiosity and not with any obvious malice. After all, anyone who could come to a place like this, even if he looked like a child, would never be a simple character.
The waiting time was not long. About ten minutes later, Fox came out and winked at Lin Ze.
Without saying a word, the two quickly left Black Market and returned to the tavern on the ground.
Fox didn't stop until he walked out of the tavern and came to a secluded alley.
"Have you gained anything? Captain." Lin Ze asked.
Fox nodded, and the voice under the mask was solemn:
"Yes. Sunagakure It is true that an important person has disappeared, and he has a very high status. Although the informant cannot be sure who it is, he speculates that it is probably... one of the senior officials."
Lin Ze's heart moved. Sure enough, it was information about the disappearance of Third Kazekage, but on the surface he still pretended to be surprised:
"High-level executives? Wouldn't that be..."
"Well, the matter is more serious than we thought. Let's go back and meet Gray Wolf and the others."
An hour later, the four met again at an abandoned warehouse outside the town.
Gray Wolf and Night Owl have also returned.
Fox asked, "How are you doing there?"
Gray Wolf shook his head and said helplessly:
"Mercenary Guild is very tight-lipped. We only know that Sunagakure has issued a large number of search missions with high rewards, but the content of the missions is vague. It only says that they are looking for 'missing persons' without any specific description. There are many wandering Ninja and mercenaries who have taken the mission, but they have no clue."
Night Owl added:
"But what is certain is that Sunagakure is really nervous inside, with frequent mobilizations, as if it is conducting a large-scale search and rescue."
Fox briefly explained the information obtained by Black Market.
Gray Wolf touched his chin and guessed:
"An important person is missing? Who could it be? An elder? The patriarch of a certain big family?"
"The one who can make the entire Sunagakure so mobilizing, Identity is absolutely extraordinary."
Lin Ze looked at the three people who were deep in thought and shook his head secretly. Even if they were given a few Heavenly Timing time to think about it, I'm afraid no one would rely on Kazekage for clues.
After all, in Ninja's inherent understanding, the shadow of a village is the pinnacle of the entire village's combat power and an absolute symbol of strength. Anyone can get into trouble, but it will definitely not be Kazekage.
Therefore, Lin Ze pretended to hesitate and said:
"Captain... is it possible that the missing person is...Kazekage himself?"
As soon as these words came out, the warehouse instantly became quiet.
Gray Wolf and Night Owl both turned their heads sharply to look at Lin Ze, and even Fox's body stiffened.
Gray Wolf took a deep breath and said:
"Kazekage? Boy, don't say this nonsense!"
Lin Ze explained calmly:
"I'm just guessing that it can make the entire Sunagakure so chaotic, and even border patrols and internal defenses have obvious loopholes. Ordinary high-level officials may not have this weight. Moreover, if Kazekage is missing, everything will be explained - why the information is so tightly blocked, and why the search scale is so large but secretive."
"The most important thing is that if Kazekage is missing, Sunagakure will never dare to make it known. Otherwise, neighboring countries, especially Land of Earth and Land of Lightning, who are watching covetously, may take advantage of it."
Fox was silent for a moment. He recalled the information disclosed by the informant, which indeed hinted that the missing person's status was extremely high, far exceeding that of ordinary elders.
Then he said slowly:
"Your guess is bold, but... not impossible."
"If Kazekage is really missing, then the nature of this matter has completely changed."
This is no longer a simple investigation task, but a major incident involving the shadow of a village. If not handled properly, it may trigger international disputes or even war.
"Don't move around here. Increase your vigilance. I'll confirm this information again."
Fox gave the order decisively. After speaking, his figure merged into the shadows again and quickly headed towards the town.
There are only three people Lin Ze, Gray Wolf and Night Owl left in the warehouse.
About half an hour later, Fox's figure appeared at the door of the warehouse again.
Gray Wolf couldn't wait to ask, "Captain, how are you doing?"
Fox glanced at the three of them and said in a deep voice:
"Aoda's guess... is probably close to the truth. Although the informant is still not 100% sure, Kazekage has indeed not appeared in public for a long time. He even missed several high-level meetings in the village. This is extremely unusual."
"Moreover, the informant has provided a new important piece of information. The son of a certain high-ranking official in Sand Hidden Village may know some inside information. According to the information obtained by the informant, this man's whereabouts are mysterious, but three days later, he will appear in an oasis in the northeast of the Kingdom of Wind, near the border of the Kingdom of Kawa, conducting secret transactions."
"Exact location?" Night Owl asked.
"The informant only gave the general location of Oasis. We need to find the specific transaction location ourselves, but this may be the closest intelligence source we have access to at the moment."
Gray Wolf made a fist:
"Finally some substantial progress! It's better than looking around like a headless fly."
Lin Ze silently gave Konoha's intelligence officer a thumbs up. Now he just wants to get the evidence as soon as possible and go back to deliver the report as soon as possible.
After all, the current Land of Wind can be said to be a powder keg that is about to explode.
And Konoha is not the only one who is staring at Land of Wind's movements right now!
Fox looked at the three Lin Ze and gave the order:
"Rest in place and replenish supplies. Set off early tomorrow morning to go to Oasis. This operation is crucial, so be sure to be fully prepared."
"Yes!" the three of them responded in unison.