"Just this—tell me this guy's intel!" Chen Xing tapped the page of the bounty booklet showing a sketch of a man with the name Yama-jima Kaze, the rogue shinobi from Iwagakure, before glancing at the beautiful kunoichi behind the counter.
"Are you sure?" The girl—an information broker—looked at Chen Xing with surprise. She couldn't quite believe that this teenager, barely past academy age, might have the strength to take down someone with a bounty like that.
In an instant, the bar fell silent. Then… laughter erupted.
"Hahaha!"
"Oi, you hear that? This brat says he's after that target…" a broad-shouldered man chuckled, jabbing a finger toward Chen Xing.
"Maybe he just wants to see what an Iwa jōnin looks like before he dies, eh?" another bounty hunter mocked with a sneer.
Chen Xing ignored them completely. "Well? Any other information?"
"I'll check," the girl said, pulling out a thick, well-worn notebook filled with intel sheets.
"Yes, but you'll need to pay 50,000 ryō for this bounty's latest location," she added, giving Chen Xing a practiced look of pity.
"Tch…" Chen Xing grimaced at the price. Money wasn't something he had in abundance, and the thought that this information would cost more than his meals for a week stung. Still, he slid the payment across.
After receiving the money, the broker leaned closer and said, "Latest intel is that the target's still nearby. If you want to go after him now, our staff can guide you close enough to avoid unnecessary dangers—but they won't join the fight."
"Now," Chen Xing said simply. He stretched lazily, but his eyes carried a spark of anticipation. After six long years, he was finally stepping into the bloody world he'd been preparing for.
"I'll arrange it," she replied, shooting him a glance that seemed to say rest in peace, kid. She disappeared into the back.
A tall, bald bounty hunter leaned on the counter, smirking at Chen Xing. "Hey, brat… what do you think's gonna happen when you find him?"
"A few more corpses in the dirt," Chen Xing answered coldly, meeting the man's gaze without flinching.
The man chuckled darkly. "Big words…" He and a few others eyed Chen Xing with barely hidden killing intent, but no one moved.
Chen Xing didn't care who they were in the underground world—he knew this wasn't the place to start trouble.
Minutes later, the broker returned with a lanky young man. "He's our guide. He'll take you near the target."
"Let's go," Chen Xing said, stepping forward without hesitation.
"Please follow me," the guide replied, leading the way out.
As they stepped into the street, Chen Xing felt the murderous intent behind him sharpen. The bald man grabbed the massive cleaver resting on his table and followed.
"Oi, brat—" the man began, stepping into the open street.
He never finished the sentence. Chen Xing didn't even turn—his right hand snapped back, fingers sparking with crackling blue-white lightning. A chorus of shrieking birds filled the air. Chidori.
The lightning lanced backward in an instant, punching straight through the man's chest. His face froze in shock, a gout of blood spilling from his mouth before he collapsed in the doorway.
The other bounty hunters froze. In a blink, a man had been killed. None dared move.
"Let's go," Chen Xing said calmly, walking on.
"Y-Yes, sir," the guide stammered. He hadn't expected the seemingly slim teenager to wield such devastating power.
(Failed assassination attempt)
Chen Xing's version of the Chidori—originally created by Hatake Kakashi—had been refined with extended reach, allowing him to strike from a greater distance without sacrificing power.
By the time they left the city, his initial excitement had cooled. The underground world was a place where a single careless moment could mean death. Strength didn't make one invincible.
Soon, under his guide's lead, they reached a quiet forest on the outskirts of Yuye City.
"Sir, the target should be somewhere in this forest. This is as far as I go," the guide said.
"Go," Chen Xing replied. With a light leap, he landed atop a tall branch, scanning the woods. He pulled out the bounty flyer, studying the sketched portrait of Yama-jima Kaze. The forest wasn't large—finding him wouldn't take long.
Chen Xing closed his eyes, expanding his chakra perception across the terrain.
…Birds. Insects. Small animals.
There—Southeast. A strong chakra signature.
That's him.
Yama-jima Kaze, a tokubetsu jōnin from Iwagakure, had betrayed his comrades during a mission to steal an A-rank scroll, killing several teammates before fleeing. The Tsuchikage had placed a 2 million ryō bounty on his head.
Kaze sat in a small clearing, roasting a freshly caught hare. Scars lined his arms, and his build was powerful, but his eyes carried a cold calculation.
Chen Xing crouched silently twenty meters away, waiting for the moment.
When Kaze bit into the rabbit, Chen Xing struck—his body becoming a streak of purple lightning, the piercing cry of a thousand birds filling the clearing. Five fingers extended, arcs of lightning weaving between them, aimed directly at Kaze's heart.
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