The black market in the southern Land of Rivers lay hidden in a lawless city that belonged to no one.
Calling it a city was generous. It was really a graveyard-like jumble of buildings erected around the black market, adobe houses crammed against tin shacks. Cloaked, masked figures filled the streets, where flashing blades and the reek of blood mingled with the smell of cheap liquor. Deals that could never bear the light of day were conducted openly here, and killing someone was more commonplace than crushing an ant.
Rinto wore a hooded black cloak and an iron mask covering half his face. With his hood pulled low, he blended into the crowd without drawing the slightest attention. The concealment ring on his hand remained active, suppressing his chakra fluctuations until he was no different from a roadside stone. Even the sensory ninja who brushed past him spared him no extra glance.
He did not rush to find the auction entrance. First, he followed the street to the largest ninja tool shop. Two burly men with swords at their waists stood outside, their gazes vicious, but the interior was brightly lit. All kinds of ninja tools filled the counters, from standard kunai to sealing scrolls. There were even unfinished Kekkei Genkai ninja tools, their prices frighteningly high.
The owner was a bald, scarred man who was polishing a Ninja Blade with his head lowered. He glanced up at Rinto without rising and asked lazily, "Buying or selling?"
"Selling." Rinto kept his voice low, deliberately altering it so his age was impossible to tell. "Do you buy high-end custom ninja tools?"
The bald owner raised his brows and put down his cloth. "What level? Ordinary Wind Release blade energy or Fire Release detonators? I have plenty of those. Not buying."
Rinto wasted no words. He took a palm-sized piece of crystal jade from his pocket and casually set it on the counter. He had spent ten minutes engraving it during his journey. It contained two Kekkei Genkai fusion configurations, Ice Release and Lava Release. Neither required hand seals; injecting chakra of the corresponding attributes was enough to activate them. It consumed sixty percent less chakra than the Kekkei Genkai ninja tools on the market, with zero delay when switching.
The bald owner picked up the crystal jade and tested it with chakra from his fingertips. An icicle instantly formed at his fingers, followed by scalding lava that nearly burned his hand. His eyes went wide, and the way he looked at Rinto changed. "Seamless switching between two Kekkei Genkai? You engraved this?"
"Never mind who engraved it. Are you buying? Name a price." Rinto's tone remained flat, without the slightest hesitation. He knew this thing's value on the black market all too well—Kekkei Genkai in the Shinobi World were monopolized through bloodlines. Countless wealthy, influential wandering ninja and guards serving the daimyo of small nations fought for even a chance to approach that threshold. Out there, this thing was hard currency that could save lives or buy power.
The bald owner rubbed the crystal jade with his fingers, weighing it for a long time before gritting his teeth. "Three million five hundred thousand ryo. It's good, but not many people dare buy something this conspicuous. I have to take a risk, too."
"Five million." Rinto's tone chilled, and he reached to take back the crystal jade. "Forget it. I'll put it up at the auction. It'll definitely fetch more than you're offering."
"Wait, wait!" The bald man hurriedly pinned down the crystal jade and offered an ingratiating smile. "Brother, we can negotiate! Four million eight hundred thousand, not a ryo more! This is a small shop. That's all the liquid capital I have. I couldn't come up with more even if I wanted to."
Rinto stared at him for two seconds, then withdrew his hand. "Fine. Bearer banknotes. Cash works, too."
A few minutes later, he left the shop with a thick stack of bearer banknotes tucked away. His money problem was solved. Never mind materials-even bidding on that tailed beast chakra sample would be within his means. He did not notice that the moment he left, the bald owner picked up a communicator and spoke at length in a lowered voice, his eyes full of calculation.
Rinto continued down the street, turned two corners, and found the underground auction's entrance. Two black-clad guards stood at the iron door, checking admission credentials. Rinto handed over two banknotes of the highest denomination, received a numbered mask without difficulty, and was led through the iron door into the underground venue.
The venue was even larger than he had imagined. Beneath dim lights, rows of seats surrounded a central auction platform. Partitions separated every seat, and the place was full of masked, cloaked people. Tobacco and perfume hung in the air. It was very quiet, with no whispered conversations, only the auctioneer's voice carrying from the platform through an amplification ninjutsu.
The attendant led him to the most secluded corner of the back row, right beside an emergency exit, exactly as he preferred. After sitting down, he scanned the room, and his brows drew together slightly.
The waters here ran much deeper than he had expected.
In a private box ahead to his left sat several people whose chakra was cold and regimented. Even with their auras suppressed, he could recognize them as Danzo's Root, carrying the distinctive chakra fluctuations of the Sealing Squad. In a diagonally opposite corner were Sunagakure ninja. Their forehead protectors were concealed, but the wind and earth attributes in their chakra could not lie. Several Iwagakure scouts sat in the front row, silent throughout, stirring only when mineral materials came up for auction. He even detected Kabuto's chakra in a second-floor box-it was faint and very well hidden, but after nearly two years of dealing with Kabuto, he could recognize it with his eyes closed.
Orochimaru's people had come, too.
Rinto's brows tightened further. He tapped his knee lightly with his fingertips, perfectly clear on the situation. This auction had drawn more than black-market merchants looking for bargains. People from all the major ninja villages were here, either competing for forbidden jutsu and materials or watching suspicious individuals. They might even have come for him.
He suppressed his irritation and stopped dwelling on it. Since he was here, he would deal with it. Once he had the materials and sample he wanted, he would leave immediately. He would provoke no one, and no one was going to delay his return to his research.
Items went up for auction one after another, from fragments of forbidden jutsu scrolls to rare ninja tools, from Kekkei Genkai cells to forging materials. Bids rang out in succession, with people raising prices by millions of ryo without blinking. But Rinto never moved. His eyes stayed on the auction list in his hand, without the slightest interest in the forbidden jutsu and ninja tools being bid up to astronomical prices.
At last, the things he wanted came up-a whole piece of top-grade Starfall Iron, fully as large as the one he had previously used in Konoha and purer than what Kabuto had given him. There was also an entire box of high-purity Conductive Crystal Jade, brand-new diamond engraving bits, heat-resistant asbestos boards, and even the crystal jade mother ore he had never managed to buy before, capable of withstanding the impact of Kekkei Genkai fusion.
"The starting price is eight hundred thousand ryo! Each increase must be at least fifty thousand!" The auctioneer had barely finished before bids began, quickly climbing to one million two hundred thousand ryo.
Rinto raised his number paddle, his voice calm. "Two million."
The room fell silent for an instant. Quite a few people turned toward his corner, wanting to see who had been so extravagant as to nearly double the price outright. But the partition blocked their view, leaving only the silhouette of a black cloak, with nothing clearly visible. The previous bidders hesitated, then stopped bidding. The auctioneer brought down the hammer, and the items were his.
Rinto breathed a sigh of relief. He had the materials. Next came the tailed beast chakra sample. Earlier, he had seen a vial of chakra from Matatabi, the Two-Tails, listed among the auction items. Sealed in specially made crystal jade, it had been stolen by a missing-nin from Kumogakure. Though the quantity was small, the tailed beast chakra fusion principles within it mattered more to his Kekkei Genkai fusion research than anything else. Previously, he had only encountered chakra records of Shukaku, the One-Tail. With a sample from another tailed beast, he could unravel the underlying principles of their attribute fusion, and perhaps even touch upon Kekkei Tōta, the fusion of three attributes.
The auction continued. More than a dozen items later, the vial of tailed beast chakra finally appeared. The auctioneer placed the sealed crystal jade on a tray and emphasized, "A pure chakra sample from Matatabi, the Two-Tails, complete with records of its chakra attribute fluctuations! A top-grade material for Kekkei Genkai research and forbidden jutsu development! The starting price is three million ryo, with increases of no less than two hundred thousand!"
The moment he finished, the Sunagakure group raised a paddle. "Three million five hundred thousand!"
Then a voice drifted leisurely from the second-floor box. It was Kabuto's. "Four million."
An icy voice also came from Root's box ahead to the left. "Four million five hundred thousand."
The factions immediately locked horns, driving the price rapidly upward. It soon reached six million ryo. The Sunagakure group gritted their teeth and followed with six million two hundred thousand. Kabuto did not bid again. Root called out seven million outright, and the room instantly fell silent.
Rinto frowned and raised his paddle, his voice as calm as ever. "Eight million."
The room erupted. He had already spent lavishly on materials, and now he had raised the bid on a tailed beast chakra sample by a million in one go. Many people whispered among themselves, guessing at the identity of the person in that corner. Root's box fell silent, clearly unprepared for an unexpected bidder to jump in. After a long hesitation, they called out, "Eight million five hundred thousand."
"Ten million." Rinto gave them no chance to drag things out, pushing the price straight to the limit. He had enough money, and he had to obtain this thing. It was too important to his research.
This time, the room went completely silent. There was no movement from Root's box, and the Sunagakure group did not bid again. The auctioneer called three times and brought down the hammer. The sample was his.
Rinto breathed a sigh of relief. Everything he wanted was now his. He did not even look at the following items, merely waiting for the auction to end so he could collect his purchases and leave. He did not want to spend another moment in this place filled with all sorts of people.
But trouble had already come knocking.
During the intermission, just after an attendant delivered his materials and sample to his seat, two cloaked men approached. They blocked either side of his seat, hands resting on the ninja tool pouches at their waists as they eyed the things in his hands with hostility.
"Brother, haven't seen you around." The man on the left had a raspy voice. "That Starfall Iron and tailed beast sample you just bought are good stuff. Why not let us have them? We'll give you eleven million ryo. Make a couple of friends. How about it?"
Rinto raised his eyelids slightly, his voice cold as ice. "Get lost."
"Don't spit on our goodwill!" The man on the right's expression changed instantly. "In this black market, you need to stay alive to keep the good stuff. We're guards of the Land of Rivers' daimyo. If you know what's good for you, leave the goods and we'll spare you a beating. Otherwise, you're not walking out that door today!"
Rinto could not be bothered to waste words with them. He only wanted to leave quickly and return to studying the tailed beast sample he had just obtained. He had no time for these clowns. His fingertips shifted beneath the table, and two Lightning Release needles, so thin they were almost invisible, shot out instantly and struck the two men's chakra points with precision.
Both men instantly went numb, their chakra seizing up. Their legs buckled, and they collapsed without even managing to scream, foaming at the mouth and unable to move for a long time.
Rinto did not so much as lift his eyelids. He carefully placed the materials and sample in the waterproof bag he carried close to his body, wrapped them in two layers of oiled paper, and held them firmly against his chest. These were his lifeblood, more important than anything else.
But that brief exchange had still drawn quite a few eyes. The Sunagakure ninja diagonally opposite looked over, and several gazes swept toward him from Root's box, scrutinizing and wary. More troubling still, Kabuto's chakra stirred in the second-floor box. He had clearly noticed something.
Not good. I can't stay any longer. Rinto rose and quickly headed out along the emergency passage by the wall without disturbing anyone.
But the moment he left the underground auction venue and returned to the black market street, he sensed something wrong. Several chakra signatures followed him at a steady distance. There were people from those two men's guard unit, several unfamiliar auras carrying killing intent, and even Root ninja hidden in the shadows, following him toward the outskirts.
Rinto's expression darkened. He did not want trouble, but did these people really think he was an easy target they could rob at will?
Rather than heading somewhere crowded, he quickened his pace toward the wilderness outside the city. Fighting inside would cause too much commotion and only draw more people, making it difficult to escape. Better to go somewhere deserted and deal with all these flies at once, rather than have them hounding him the whole way.
As soon as he left the black market's boundaries and entered the roadside woods, his pursuers stopped pretending. More than a dozen figures surrounded him in an instant, sealing off every escape route. Among them were members of the daimyo's guard unit and a band of bounty hunters. Even two Iwagakure scouts stood behind them, neither attacking nor leaving, clearly hoping to reap the rewards after others did the fighting.
"Kid, hand it over!" The lead bounty hunter carried a large sword, his greedy eyes fixed on the bag against Rinto's chest. "And tell us everything about how you engrave Kekkei Genkai ninja tools, or we'll bury you here today!"
Rinto moved the bag behind him to shield it, removed his mask, and tossed it aside, his gaze frighteningly cold. "I'll give you a chance. Leave now, and I can spare your lives. If you insist on courting death, I don't mind sending you on your way."
"Shit, cocky little bastard!" The leader cursed and waved his hand. "Get him! Cripple his hands first. Let's see how cocky he is then!"
The crowd rushed him at once, ninjutsu and kunai raining down. Rinto did not dodge at all. The five-attribute ring on his finger lit up, and an Earth Release stone wall instantly rose before him, blocking every attack. Then corrosive Lava Release acid splashed out along the wall. The three attackers at the front dissolved completely before they could even scream.
The others froze in terror, their footsteps stopping. Lava Release? That was a Kekkei Genkai! Who exactly was this kid?
Rinto gave them no chance to react. Without moving his feet, he circulated chakra through his fingertips. Ice Release cold instantly spread, freezing two people solid in ice. Then Lightning Release blade energy slashed out, dropping another three. In less than ten seconds, only the leader remained of the dozen or so attackers who had charged him. His legs shook with fear, and he could barely hold his sword.
"Y-you... who are you?"
Rinto ignored him. A casual slash of Wind Release blade energy knocked the sword from his hand, and a kick to the chest sent him flying more than ten meters into a tree, leaving him unable to rise for a long time. Rinto had not struck to kill, not out of softness, but because it was a hassle. Killing would only bring more trouble. He just wanted to escape quickly and return to his research.
But just as he turned to leave, densely packed sealing talismans suddenly lit up throughout the woods. A blue sealing formation spread instantly, sealing off the entire area for more than ten meters around him. Cold chakra enveloped him, and over a dozen masked Root ninja stepped out from behind the trees. Their leader was the very captain who had previously surrounded him in the mine.
"Rinto. It really is you." The lead Root ninja sneered. "We've been waiting a long time. To think you would dare show yourself in the black market. We searched everywhere, only for you to fall right into our hands."
Back at the auction, they had already felt something was wrong with this lavish bidder. Only when he attacked using Kekkei Genkai had they confirmed that he was Rinto, the man wanted by Konoha for a bounty. They had followed him out of the city and prepared the sealing formation, waiting for him to deal with that rabble before trapping him.
Rinto's face darkened instantly. His hand firmly shielded the bag behind him, and he could barely contain the anger in his eyes. He had known these relentless bastards would never leave him alone.
"Hand over all your research and come back to Konoha with us. Lord Danzo may spare your life." The lead ninja gestured, and over a dozen Root ninja instantly moved into an encirclement, their kunai and Sealing Jutsu aimed at him. "Don't think of resisting. This is a jutsu-sealing barrier designed specifically for your chakra attributes. Your Kekkei Genkai ninjutsu won't do much here."
"Fuck you." Rinto cursed, and the chakra at his fingertips surged. He had suffered at the hands of Sealing Jutsu before, and this time he was prepared. The bracer against his skin instantly lit up, activating Earth Release hardening and Wind Release force dispersal simultaneously. At the same time, the burst crystal jade clenched in his hand was ready to trigger.
He did not want a prolonged fight. Nothing could happen to the materials and tailed beast sample he carried. He had to escape quickly.
"You refuse to appreciate our kindness. Attack! Take him alive!"
At the command, over a dozen Root ninja charged at once. Sealing talismans rained down, and ninjutsu blocked every escape route. The chakra flow within the barrier grew increasingly sluggish, slowing even the circulation at his fingertips a fraction.
Rinto did not meet them head-on. First, he activated the burst crystal jade in his hand and smashed it against the ground. Earth Release blocked the way, Lightning Release induced paralysis, and an Explosion Release shock wave erupted simultaneously, instantly hurling the foremost attackers away and blasting a gap in the sealing formation.
Then the five-attribute configuration at his fingertips spun furiously. A Lava Release fireball blasted out, forcing back the people on his left, while an Ice Release wall blocked the Sealing Jutsu from his right. Lightning Release blade energy struck precisely at the barrier's core node-he understood chakra configurations far too well. He could find the anchors of a sealing formation like this with his eyes closed.
With a crack, he shattered the barrier's core, and his sluggish chakra instantly flowed freely again. The Root ninja were stunned. Their prized sealing formation had been shattered by a single casual slash?
Rinto gave them no time to react. He was not trying to win; he was trying to escape. Using the smoke and dust from the explosions, he activated his concealment ring, suppressing his chakra to the utmost. Wind Release wrapped around his body, and within a few bounds he plunged deep into the forest, moving so fast that only an afterimage remained.
"After him! He can't get far!" the captain roared in fury, leading his men into the woods in a frantic pursuit. But Rinto had already suppressed every trace of his chakra. Even their sensory anchors could detect no sign of him. All they found were a few scraps of cloak torn off by branches. He was long gone.
Deep in the forest, Rinto leaned against a large tree and took a couple of breaths. First, he checked the bag against his chest. Only after confirming that the materials and sample were unharmed, neither knocked nor dropped, did he breathe a sigh of relief. The wound on his arm had reopened from his vigorous movements, and blood had seeped through the gauze, staining his sleeve red. He paid it little mind, simply tearing off a strip of cloth and binding it tight again.
He could not return to the limestone cave now. His identity had been exposed. Konoha's people and scouts from the major ninja villages would surely scour the Land of Rivers for him like mad. Returning to that cave would be walking straight into a trap.
Rinto gritted his teeth and looked south. He could no longer stay in the Land of Rivers. South lay the Land of Rain? No, that was Akatsuki's territory, far too chaotic. West lay the Land of Wind, and Sunagakure's people were looking for him, too. East was the Land of Fire, Konoha's home territory, even more out of the question. North was the Land of Rice Fields, Orochimaru's lair—another trap waiting for him.
Where could he go?
He frowned and pondered for a long time, then suddenly remembered something Kabuto had once mentioned. Along the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire was a Forest of Death beyond even Konoha's control. Thick with miasma and wild beasts, it was a place no one entered, much less searched for fugitives.
Right. I'll go there. The fewer people who visited, the quieter it would be. He could study the principles of tailed beast chakra fusion in peace and thoroughly refine his Kekkei Genkai fusion configurations. He could even try Kekkei Tōta, the fusion of three attributes.
Having decided, he secured his bag and checked his concealment ring once more. Only after confirming that his chakra was firmly suppressed did he turn and plunge deeper into the woods, taking a wide detour toward the Forest of Death.
What he did not know was that word of tonight's events at the black market had already spread throughout the entire underworld as though on wings. Rinto, who could casually engrave dual-Kekkei Genkai ninja tools, unleash four different Kekkei Genkai at will, and break through Root's sealing formation unscathed, had become the focus of the entire Shinobi World. Konoha raised his bounty. Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure were all searching for him. Even Orochimaru had given his subordinates strict orders to find Rinto's trail, no matter what.
Meanwhile, the man the entire Shinobi World was frantically searching for had only one thing on his mind-find somewhere deserted as quickly as possible, open up the newly acquired Two-Tails chakra sample, unravel the principles of tailed beast attribute fusion, and see whether he could create a Kekkei Tōta combining three attributes.
As for the forces chasing at his heels, Rinto did not take them to heart at all. Anyone who dared disturb his research again would have to pay the price.