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"Child? You actually dare to come here…"
A bald man stared in surprise at Chen Xing, who looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old. His tall build and mature bearing made him seem older—closer to fifteen—yet in truth, he was only twelve or thirteen.
A man with a scarred face in the corner didn't seem impressed.
"Probably heard something from someone, got curious, and wandered in…" he muttered dismissively.
"Kid, this isn't a place for you. Go home and drink your milk," a shirtless man dripping with sweat jeered, grinning at the newcomer.
"Don't say that—maybe the brat came here to be a bounty hunter, hahaha!" A tall, thin middle-aged man holding a long blade laughed, clinking his cup with a companion beside him.
A samurai sitting in the center nodded slightly, murmuring, "It's possible…"
Indeed, this place was full of killers—missing-nin, deranged maniacs, mercenaries, and hardened swordsmen. It wasn't somewhere ordinary people stumbled into by chance.
"Little ghost, do you even know where you are?"
Behind the counter, a long-haired woman with striking features gave Chen Xing a curious smile.
Glancing around, Chen Xing noted the many weapons hanging on the walls. Most of the patrons carried the faint scent of blood, their expressions hard and unfriendly.
He casually took a seat at the counter, his tone calm.
"Isn't this the underground world?"
"Oh? You know?" The woman raised an eyebrow in surprise, then leaned closer.
"Then you should also know there are bounty hunters here… and some people who kill without batting an eye. You sure about this?"
"That has nothing to do with me. If I want to be a bounty hunter, what procedures do I need to go through?"
Chen Xing leaned forward on the counter, unfazed, as if this weren't a den for underworld dealings.
(Tch, this kid… really not afraid of anything.)
His words caught the attention of several bounty hunters nearby, who turned to eye him with interest.
"No way, you seriously want to become a bounty hunter?"
The tall man who'd joked earlier stared at Chen Xing in surprise—he hadn't thought the boy was serious.
"A fourteen or fifteen-year-old… If he's a shinobi from a village, that's not unheard of," remarked a burly samurai, stroking his chin. His sharp eyes lingered on Chen Xing, catching a faint but dangerous aura from him.
Hearing this, several others nodded in agreement.
"Little brother, are you sure?" The woman behind the counter smiled again, confirming.
"Yes. What do I need to do?" Chen Xing replied without hesitation.
"Becoming a bounty hunter here isn't easy," she said lightly. "First, you'll need to pay a registration fee—ten thousand ryō. Do you have that kind of money?"
Without a word, Chen Xing reached into his pouch, pulled out a thick stack of notes, and tossed it onto the counter.
The gesture drew the greedy stares of many bounty hunters. A child carrying that much cash, even if he was a shinobi, was a tempting target.
Of course, the underground world had its own rules—otherwise, no one would dare post assassination contracts here. Killing inside was forbidden, but outside… that was a different story.
The woman's eyes flickered in mild surprise, but she quickly recovered, pulling out a form.
"Fill this in."
"Code name, gender? That's it?" Chen Xing frowned, finding it unexpectedly simple.
"Of course. Your face has already been recorded by our entrance cameras. The underground world is loosely organized—we just handle contracts and take a commission. If anyone wants your personal details, our intel division will gather it themselves." She gave him a knowing look.
"Besides, if this form asked for your rank or jutsu, you wouldn't write it honestly, would you?"
Chen Xing chuckled. "True enough."
If they had asked for specifics, he would have only written false information anyway. This way, the effort was saved for both sides.
"Do you also sell information here?" Chen Xing asked as he finished filling the form.
"Yes. For example, if you take an assassination mission, we usually have intel on the target—but it's not free. Our information isn't cheap."
She glanced at his form. "'Peacock King'? That's quite a code name."
Chen Xing smiled faintly, offering no explanation.
"Alright, you're now officially registered. Your details will be sent to other branches shortly."
Chen Xing's thoughts soured. Really black-hearted… ten thousand just for a form.
"Got any missions?" he asked.
The woman set several booklets on the counter. "Here. SS, S, A, B, even C-rank. We don't guarantee the intel is 100% correct—missions get completed or cancelled all the time. We update these regularly, and if you buy one, you can exchange it for the latest version anywhere in the network."
She smiled sweetly. "Twelve thousand ryō for the set."
Chen Xing's expression darkened. He hadn't even picked a mission yet and had already spent a small fortune. Still, intelligence was necessary—without it, most people couldn't even locate their targets.
He bought the first three booklets, ignoring the lower ranks.
"In addition to escort jobs, most missions are kill-or-capture. Bring the target here—dead or alive—and we'll pay," she explained.
"Escort? In the underground world?" Chen Xing asked, surprised.
"Normally no, but if the client offers a high enough price, exceptions happen."
(These people… they'll sell you the knife and then charge you for the sheath.) Chen Xing smirked.
"Be careful when you leave," she warned. "Not everyone here plays nice."
"Thanks for the concern, but I doubt these guys take trash missions," he replied, having already sensed the heat in the stares behind him. He wasn't worried—he'd killed before, and killing again wouldn't trouble him.
"Kid, what did you just say?" Several bounty hunters rose to their feet, glaring at him.
Chen Xing's remark had insulted most of the room.
"Don't be stupid—wait until he's outside," one whispered to another.
"Hey, brat, better not step out that door," a bald man growled.
"You've stirred up trouble with nearly everyone here," the woman at the counter said lightly.
"It's fine. I'm just telling the truth." Chen Xing ignored them, flipping through the A-rank missions. Most required paid intel, but one caught his eye:
Target: Yamada Kaze, missing-nin from Iwagakure.
Bounty: 2,000,000 ryō.
Last Seen: Yuye City, June 3.
Today was June 5. Two days wasn't long—if the man wasn't desperate, he wouldn't have gone far. This would do nicely.
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