Finally, Jay entered the capital after completing his inspection, armed with the letter of introduction provided by the village.
Jay finally made it inside, and only after passing through the strict security checkpoint and being allowed inside did he see a vibrant scene on the other side.
Before him, the streets appeared wide with clean, black asphalt.
Many shops lined the right and left sides of the road, with the bustling traffic of the capital's residents.
Thinking about all the sights Jay had encountered along his journey towards the nation's capital,
The scenery inside the city seemed like heaven on earth.
Aside from the numerous soldiers patrolling the area, everything seemed fine inside the capital.
It was only as he walked deeper into the capital and observed the situation there that he began to realize that the people in the capital seemed to be divided into several categories.
First, there were soldiers on guard duty, then there were police officers in brown uniforms, and then there were the capital's natives, who appeared to be dressed in neater, brighter-patterned clothing.
As for those from rural areas like himself, their clothing was more monotone and easily distinguishable.
The final category consisted of refugees from outside the city.
They appeared thin and pale, dressed in tattered or worn clothing.
Most of them huddled in groups, gathered in corners heavily guarded by soldiers.
However, there was no sign of worry on the faces of the capital's native residents, perhaps due to the role of the soldiers stationed there to maintain order.
The first thing Jay did when he entered the city was visit a breakfast shop near a busy area not far from his location.
The breakfast shop appeared to be a simple stall with a few tables and chairs open in front of a food cart.
There were several breakfast items available, including porridge and main meals like rice with side dishes.
And Jay, feeling hungry, certainly wasn't going to be stingy with himself. He ordered a portion of rice with some fried chicken and stir-fried vegetables.
With a smile on his face, Jay devoured his breakfast, until finally, as he noticed the surrounding customers were starting to thin out, he began to ask the uncle selling breakfast about the capital.
"Uncle, I come from the countryside, and this is my first visit to the capital. I'd like to ask you some basic information about the capital.
If you don't mind, could you tell me more about the capital?" Jay asked politely and kindly.
"Oh, little brother, you've come to the right place. Let me explain. Our capital city is divided into five districts.
These districts are called East, West, South, North, and Central.
And where we are now is the East District, which is the district with the largest population.
The other district, the West District, is for government officials and embassies. On the other hand, the North District is the port district of the capital city, while the South District is the residential district for the middle and upper classes.
And the Central District is where the State Palace, government offices, and the garrison guarding the capital city are located.
So, don't enter the wrong district, or you'll have difficulty leaving the area," the uncle told Jay about the various districts in the capital city.
Hearing this, Jay was quite surprised to learn that the capital city he lived in had five districts.
Jay then asked several other questions, including where he could buy food, fuel, furniture, and clothing.
The uncle answered everything, until Jay finally asked where the black market was.
"Uncle, I'm short of tickets, and do you know where the nearest black market is?" Jay asked again.
"Hey... don't talk so loud. The nearest black market is down a street two blocks from here. Just follow this street and turn left. Look for an old building with a red fence. Next to it is an alley. Go through it and you'll see the black market.
But be careful, it's not as safe there as outside," the uncle told Jay where the black market was and warned him to be careful.
"Thank you, uncle. Then I'll need a few more portions of your fried chicken and some fried snacks after eating." "I thought it was delicious, and I want to share it with my family later," Jay thanked him, and made a few extra orders as a token of appreciation.
The uncle, hearing Jay's extra orders, smiled broadly and quickly began preparing the food for Jay to take away.
Walking along in his horse-drawn carriage toward the black market area, Jay realized that it was only two blocks away.
However, the situation in the block where the black market was located seemed very different. Residents were rare here, and even if they were, they seemed to be walking quite quickly.
On the other side, many of the houses and shops looked much older than the one where Jay bought breakfast.
Seeing all this, Jay became alert and cautious.
When he saw a building with a red fence that matched his uncle's description, he immediately turned the carriage.
A long, dark road appeared there, and Jay formed a seal, and a shadow clone immediately appeared.
"Check the road and make sure it's safe," Jay ordered.
After waiting for almost two minutes, Jay received a reply from his clone that the road was safe. And without any ambush, on the other side of the black market he was looking for, it turned out to be in the back of the street.
A large, old factory building housed the black market.
A guard was standing guard at the factory gate, and after observing, it cost 10 cents to enter.
"Then let's put this horse-drawn carriage away," Jay waved his hand, putting the carriage away and casting a transformation jutsu on himself.
(Jay, knowing he was going to the nation's capital, had learned an additional jutsu, the transformation jutsu, from Ameno.)
Afterward, a man in his early 40s with an ordinary face was seen carrying an empty basket out of the long alley.
He soon entered the seemingly empty factory area.
Entering the large factory building, Jay was presented with a vast view of the black market, which appeared to be enormous.
Just looking at everything, Jay could imagine that this black market was similar to a traditional market in the modern world.
The difference was that, despite the bustling crowd, the sound seemed suppressed or muted.
So, no sound could be heard from inside the factory building, and Jay Seeing this situation, Jay became excited.
He began to explore each stall inside.
Jay now had a clear goal: what he wanted to bring to the ninja world, besides finding gold and raw materials for his ninja weapons.
Jay was naturally after the real weapons of this world. Although they weren't as powerful as modern weapons, Jay was confident they would be useful in a critical moment.
Fortunately, not long after searching, Jay found a stall selling firearms.
And when he saw the array of weapons on display, Jay's eyes lit up.