"You bastard! I won't let you off this time!"
Anko Mitarashi gritted her teeth and lunged again—only to be subdued in less than ten seconds.
Rokuro sat on her firm, springy backside, one hand pinning both of hers behind her back while casually munching on a ration biscuit with the other.
"Let me go, or you're dead meat!"
Anko's face flushed red as she felt the pressure on her hips, her expression half furious, half embarrassed.
"Save your strength. The only thing still putting up a fight right now is that sharp tongue of yours."
That set her off again—she struggled wildly, but Rokuro's superior taijutsu made resistance useless.
After nearly three minutes of futile thrashing, she was covered in sweat and breathing hard, completely exhausted. In the end, she gave up and lay flat on the ground in defeat.
Only then did Rokuro release her hands, though he still didn't bother to get up from where he was sitting.
Anko glared at him, seething, but didn't move.
"Tell me something, Anko-senpai—how much do you know about the underground exchange houses?"
He offered her the rest of his ration biscuit.
Anko snatched it from him and bit down hard, as though she were taking out her frustration on his arm instead of the biscuit.
"Why do you want to know about those? Planning to make some dirty money?"
"Heh, sharp as ever. Nailed it on the first guess."
Anko glanced sideways at him. "Don't get any ideas. The people who deal in those black markets are missing-ninja and wandering swordsmen—small-time scum, but dangerous to get involved with."
So she really did know something. Rokuro immediately pulled her to her feet.
Anko brushed herself off and continued, "The so-called underground exchange houses are international crime networks—financed by nobles and major merchants from various countries. They handle all the dirty work that the great ninja villages don't want to do. In fact, sometimes those same villages subcontract certain jobs to them when the missions get too unsavory. That's why they can't be fully eradicated."
"Impressive, Anko-senpai. You know quite a lot. Then… do you know how to contact them—or where their meeting points are located in each country?"
"What, you really plan to take jobs from them? Isn't the village paying you enough?"
She was baffled. Maybe before, she would've thought Rokuro was too weak to take on normal missions. But after their earlier fight, she knew the truth: despite being only seven years old, this kid already fought on par with an experienced chūnin, and his taijutsu wasn't far behind a tokubetsu jōnin.
Someone that strong could easily take on B- or even A-rank missions within the village. The pay from those alone was far from poor—he had no reason to risk his neck doing shady work.
"I have my reasons," Rokuro said simply. "All you need to do is tell me how to find them. I'll make sure you're well compensated."
Anko shook her head. "Even if those groups are tolerated, they're still underground. Their networks are hidden. I don't know their contacts. If you're that desperate, ask Orochimaru-sensei—or the village's Intelligence Division. They definitely know."
Rokuro frowned. The last thing he wanted was to draw official attention to this. The only reason he was talking to Anko was because he knew that soon, Orochimaru would defect—and Anko, caught in the middle, would be branded his accomplice. When that time came, no one in Konoha would believe a word she said anyway.
But the Intelligence Division? That was just asking for trouble.
"There's no other way?"
Anko gulped down some water after finishing her biscuit. "There is one more way—but it depends on luck."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"It's simple. Find a missing-ninja or a rogue swordsman who works with the underground exchange houses. Capture them, use genjutsu to extract their memories, and they'll tell you everything. You're an Uchiha, right? That should be easy for you."
Rokuro nodded slightly. The plan was unreliable—but still a plan.
After resting, the two resumed their journey toward their target: a mountain pass known as Iwami Mountain.
According to legend, it had once been rich in silver mines, drawing countless miners. But the veins had long since run dry, and what remained was a deserted but well-connected crossroads between regions—a perfect trade route.
And yet, somehow, a band of mountain thieves had taken control of it, openly collecting tolls and killing anyone who refused to pay. It was unthinkable that such a group could survive for long—unless someone powerful was backing them.
If it were Naruto, he'd probably just charge in yelling about justice and good vs. evil.
But Rokuro knew better. From what he'd gathered, these "bandits" had patrons. Either their backers had fallen… or someone had decided they'd outlived their usefulness.
Whatever the reason, Rokuro didn't care. The only thing that interested him was their leader—a missing-ninja with chūnin-level strength. A perfect live training dummy.
The bandits' base was perched atop Iwami Mountain, a full thousand meters high. For normal soldiers, storming it would be a nightmare. But for shinobi, climbing it was no harder than scaling a tree.
They reached the foot of the mountain by afternoon.
"Anko-senpai, let's move fast. When we're done, I'll treat you to dinner in the next town."
"Ha! That's more like it. Just a bunch of bandits anyway—piece of cake. Follow me!"
She darted forward, bounding between rocks as if she were flying. In seconds, she was halfway up.
Rokuro followed close behind, channeling a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra into his forehead protector. The plate wasn't ordinary—it was a sensory tool inscribed with detection seals, capable of sensing chakra signatures within a two-kilometer radius.
It wasn't as wide-ranging as the Hyūga clan's Byakugan, but when paired with his Sharingan, it offered unparalleled precision.
And the instant he activated it
"Something's off. That chakra signature… it's jōnin-level. It's an ambush!"
He was about to shout a warning when Anko had already kicked the bandits' gate down and charged inside.
Rokuro frowned, then dashed after her.
Almost immediately, he heard her voice echoing from within.
"Rokuro! That one's the bandit chief—don't interfere! He's mine!"
Anko lashed out with Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, engaging a burly man whose chakra matched a chūnin's. He fit the mission description perfectly.
But Rokuro's eyes narrowed.
"Anko-senpai… that's not the only ninja here."
END OF CHAPTER
35 CHAPTERS AHEAD!!
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