Seeing Simu's gaze lingering on the children, the bald Mediterranean man's eyes lit up.
He rubbed his hands together, a wretched smile appearing on his face.
Pointing at the girl with white pupils, he said:
"This one was specially requested by the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning. She's from the Hyuga Clan of Konoha—an extremely rare commodity, even in the underground market."
Many high-ranking officials across different nations enjoyed purchasing ninjas.
After all, they eventually grew tired of playing with ordinary people, and the unique traits of ninjas provided them with a new level of amusement.
"Hmm… this girl does seem to have decent ninja talent."
Simu's gaze remained on the little girl.
She was one of his classmates at the Ninja Academy—Hyuga Rei from the Hyuga Clan!
Judging by her features, she looked nearly identical to Hinata.
Simu had a reasonable suspicion—Could she be Hinata's mother?
The moment Hyuga Rei saw Simu, a flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes.
Now that Simu was here, did that mean Konoha's reinforcements had also arrived?
"Since that's the case, my good sir," the Mediterranean man said with a flattering smile, "perhaps you can be merciful?"
He was trying to exchange the children for his own life.
As for the ninja girl, he could always buy another one with money.
There was only one life.
Simu glanced at the chained children, then at the bald man.
"What you're saying… does make some sense."
The Mediterranean man's smile grew even wider.
He knew that no one could resist the allure of a beautiful girl.
"What a pity..."
Simu suddenly raised his head.
At some point, a lightsaber had materialized in his hand.
The Mediterranean man's eyes widened in shock as he looked down at the glowing blade piercing straight through his abdomen.
"It's a pity," Simu said coldly, "that I only care about money… not women."
Blood dripped from the blade, splattering onto the floor.
A newfound light appeared in the eyes of the enslaved children.
Simu raised a finger, and several flashes of light shot out, precisely shattering the chains wrapped around them.
The moment her shackles broke, Hyuga Rei eagerly tried to stand.
But due to prolonged malnutrition, she couldn't even muster the basic strength to gather chakra.
This was a measure taken to prevent slaves from escaping.
As a result, just as Hyuga Rei managed to get up—she stumbled and fell forward.
Fortunately, Simu reacted quickly, catching her.
For an instant, their eyes met.
"Miss Rei, I'm not a bad person," Simu said playfully. "If you rush things, you'll just end up falling again."
Hyuga Rei quickly lowered her head, avoiding Simu's gaze.
A faint blush spread across her pale cheeks.
She and Simu were both just rookie ninjas.
And yet, on her very first mission, she had fallen into the hands of underground hunters.
Because of her Byakugan, every branch member of the Hyuga Clan was implanted with a special seal known as the Caged Bird.
If anyone tried to steal a Hyuga's Byakugan, the seal would activate immediately, killing both the host and the intruder.
Hyuga Rei had already prepared herself for death.
After all, her clan would never allow a Byakugan to fall into the hands of outsiders.
But against all odds—it was Simu who saved her.
This sudden close contact made Hyuga Rei feel embarrassed.
After helping her up, Simu let go.
However, his gaze lingered on her chest for a moment.
Even though she was around his age, she had already developed quite well.
Compared to that flat-chested Kushina…
Sigh… let's not even talk about that.
Looking up, Simu sighed helplessly and muttered,
"Have you finished watching the show?"
A voice replied with a chuckle.
"Oh, I wouldn't dare to interrupt a hero rescuing a damsel in distress."
Jiraiya leapt down from above, an amused smirk on his face.
Upon seeing this, Hyuga Rei's face turned even redder.
"You did great, kid."
Jiraiya patted Simu's shoulder, his praise sincere.
Even the Third Hokage himself wouldn't be able to find fault in Simu's performance today.
The only flaw was that he acted a bit impulsively…
But that was perfectly excusable given how overwhelmingly strong he was.
In the world of ninjas, only results matter.
Simu scratched his head.
"This kind of thing isn't that important."
"The real question is—can I cash in the bounties on these people?"
Jiraiya's expression froze.
Meanwhile, Simu casually walked to the counter and started pulling out stacks of banknotes from a hidden compartment.
Then, he reached up and ripped off a bounty poster from the wall.
The photo on it?
Wuye Jinmaru.
Bounty: 10 million ryō.
"Damn," Simu whistled. "This underground gold exchange is ruthless enough to place bounties on their own people."
Jiraiya glanced at his own wanted poster, feeling a bit guilty.
Cough.
"Well," he said, clearing his throat, "we're legitimate and respectable ninjas. Let's not get too involved in the underground world."
"This mission was a success. Pack your things—we're heading back to Konoha."
Simu nodded, though a hint of regret flashed across his face.
He then pointed at the children.
"What about them?"
"Send the local ones back to their villages," Jiraiya replied. "As for the others… let them go."
Konoha wasn't in the business of raising other people's kids.
"In that case..."
Simu pulled his hand out of his pocket, forming a lightsaber once more.
Under Jiraiya's confused gaze, he carved eight large characters onto the wall.
"Kizaru of Konoha—came for a visit."
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