Hoshiyomi completely ignored the reactions of everyone present, which clearly made some of them bristle with irritation.
And the fact that he had brought Kuugetsu along only made people label him as an amateur.
In the eyes of these black market regulars, what kind of place was the underground market?
This was a lawless, perilous, blood-soaked underworld.
In a place like this, if you didn't tread carefully and keep your head down, you'd be eaten alive. And yet he'd brought some little brat here to wander around? What else could he be but a hotheaded fool?
Hotheads like that, in their minds, only came in two varieties: the spoiled idiot son of some wealthy landowner, or a complete rookie fresh off the boat.
Neither type posed them any real threat. Having made that judgment, the crowd grew even more brazen.
As Hoshiyomi and Kuugetsu passed a table, a missing-nin with a scratched-out Kumogakure forehead protector dangling from his head suddenly stretched out a leg to block their way.
"You come here to do business without paying us old-timers a little respect? You think you can just walk past?"
No one in the surrounding crowd stepped in to stop him.
Instead, they wore expressions of eager anticipation — clearly wanting to see what these two newcomers were capable of.
"You wan respect?"
Hoshiyomi glanced at the Kumo missing-nin, and at the cocky, smug look plastered all over his face. A faint smile tugged at Hoshiyomi's lips.
The next instant, a thin red line silently appeared across the man's thigh.
Shhk!
The line split open in a spray of crimson, and his leg hit the ground with a heavy thud. Blood gushed from the stump like a fountain.
"Is that enough respect?"
Hoshiyomi asked casually, watching the man.
At first, the missing-nin didn't even register what had happened. It was two seconds later that he felt the piercing pain, and he immediately fell to the ground, clutching his severed leg and howling in agony.
The crowd, who just moments ago had been wearing "let's see the show" expressions, were stunned speechless.
What on earth had just happened?
These were people tough enough to last in a place like this — at the very least, special jōnin-level fighters.
Yet none of them had managed to catch what happened in that moment.
It was as if a flash of silver had flickered in the air, and then the man's leg was gone.
Could it be that Hoshiyomi's skill was at a level where they couldn't even see him move?
This was no pampered rich boy.
And certainly no green rookie.
This was a top-tier powerhouse looking for entertainment — and they'd been stupid enough to provoke him.
A heavy silence dropped over the underground tavern, making the missing-nin's ragged screams, which seemed even more chilling in the stillness.
Hoshiyomi had originally planned to ignore this blind fool and just walk past.
But halfway through, he suddenly remembered — heads could be exchanged for cash here in the black market.
And this guy didn't seem that weak.
He turned toward the barkeep, who was still frozen in shock behind the bar.
"Hey. His head worth anything?"
The barkeep's mouth twitched, but he answered out of habit:
"Kumogakure missing-nin Atoro, jōnin-level. Kumo's offering a bounty of twenty million ryō for his head."
"That much?"
Hoshiyomi's eyes lit up.
He knew that in the original story, Asuma Sarutobi's bounty was thirty-five million — but Asuma was the Hokage's son and a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire.
He'd assumed ordinary jōnin wouldn't be worth much.
Yet here was a random missing-nin fetching twenty million.
In that moment, Hoshiyomi truly understood Kakuzu's mindset.
He wasn't exactly obsessed with money — but this was ridiculously easy cash.
Hoshiyomi casually drew his sword, and with a single stroke, cut off Atoro's still-screaming head, ending the only noise in the room.
Then he swept a sharp, warning gaze across the crowd.
Hoshiyomi didn't lack money, but who would complain about having more?
If earning it was this easy, why not?
Looking at their stunned faces, he could almost hear the ching of "Funds received — XX ryō" ringing in his head.
Faced with his gaze, even these self-proclaimed "men who live by the blade" were suddenly reminded what it felt like to be helpless prey.
The black market's barkeep flinched at the dangerous glint in Hoshiyomi's eyes and quickly explained:
"It's not like that, sir. Atoro's bounty is so high because Kumogakure is very united and almost never has missing-nin.
To prevent more cases like his, the Third Raikage put an enormous bounty on his head.
Others… may not be worth nearly as much."
Hearing they weren't worth much, the missing-nin Hoshiyomi had been eyeing actually relaxed, plastering on flattering smiles:
"You heard him, sir. We're not worth a thing — just worthless lives."
The underground world had no rules — and no shame.
Since they weren't worth the trouble, Hoshiyomi dropped the idea of killing them all.
He'd only wanted to scare them into staying out of his way.
Seeing their pale, terrified faces now, he lost all interest.
Carrying Atoro's head, he strode straight to the bar.
No one dared listen too closely to what he discussed.
Twenty million ryō changed hands, and Hoshiyomi didn't even bother counting.
He stuffed the cash into Kuugetsu's arms for safekeeping, then got to the real reason he'd come — information on the Kusanagi Sword.
The barkeep, having witnessed Hoshiyomi's strength, didn't dare play games or demand payment.
He obediently dug through his files.
Sure enough, in just two or three minutes, Hoshiyomi had the intel he wanted.
One of the three legendary Kusanagi swords — the Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō— was currently in the possession of a shinobi known only as "Black Fog."
Black Fog was a notorious assassin in the Rain Country's underground black market.
His fame in the Rain Country was on par with Kakuzu's.
For an extra fee, Hoshiyomi quickly obtained further details.
Black Fog had never revealed his true identity publicly, but the black market's extensive network had still uncovered first-hand intel.
He was a Rain Country native missing-nin who had once opposed Hanzō before Hanzō had fully consolidated his rule.
After his defeat, he abandoned his ambitions for domination and became a professional killer for hire.
The Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō had been taken as spoils from one of his missions, and he had kept it as his personal weapon ever since.
Right now, Black Fog was still within Rain Country, taking high-paying, under-the-table jobs from the three great hidden villages.
At the moment, he was in a nearby town.
After getting this information, Hoshiyomi and Kuugetsu left the black market, with their sights set on the Sword of Kusanagi.