After leaving the garbage dump and walking for another half an hour, Shangguan Mo and his group arrived at the commercial street of Spring Grass City. This was considered the most prosperous city in the northern part of the Land of Hot Water. But to him, it looked at best like a small county town from his past life, and it wasn't very crowded.
Still, he was a little excited and bought two seaweed rice balls from a shop. The supplies in Yugakure were quite poor; at least, he had never seen such well-presented rice balls there. Their instructor had offered to treat them to barbecue, but Shangguan Mo had refused. He could see the forced generosity on his face and guessed how much of a strain it would be on his meager teacher's salary to treat a dozen growing students to barbecue.
After a simple meal, the group split into two teams and began to inquire about the Cult of Jashin in the city.
Two hours later, Shangguan Mo still had nothing. "Mo-kun, oh, wait! Should I call you Captain Mo now? Do you think we'll be able to find any traces of those Jashinists?" Li asked, her face a little discouraged as they came out of a shop.
"Hehe..." Shangguan Mo chuckled at her new title but patiently explained, "Even if there are Jashinists hiding in this city, it would be difficult to find them with our numbers and strength. Don't be discouraged. If I'm not mistaken, the journey back will not be as peaceful as it is now..."
"Ah, why do you say that?" Li was surprised, and the other students behind them were also shocked.
"As far as I know, those guys from the Cult of Jashin almost never operate alone. That night, we only encountered one Jashinist Genin, which is very different from their usual behavior. I estimate that the rest of them must have taken the villagers away first. And with their arrogant and domineering style, they will definitely seek revenge!"
"Mo-kun, are you saying that there will be people from the Cult of Jashin ambushing us on our way back?" Li exclaimed, a hint of hatred in her eyes.
"Probably..." Shangguan Mo nodded slightly.
Although he said this, he had still managed to find a hidden underground black market in the city. Of course, it was the Earth Dragon Beast that had found it.
Entering a deep tunnel created by the beast, Shangguan Mo and his group soon arrived in a brightly lit underground world. The moment he crawled out of the cave, he heard a series of rapid but rhythmic thumping sounds. The sound was familiar and made him feel a little hot. He glanced at a simple wooden room not far away and then nonchalantly led Li and the other students away. But as he passed the room, a woman's moan, as if reaching a climax, suddenly came from inside.
Shangguan Mo: "..."
He paused, feeling a certain part of his body beginning to rise. His face twitched slightly, and then he continued walking forward without looking back. But someone gently tugged on his sleeve from behind. He turned and saw the compassionate face of Li. "Mo-kun, should we go and save that woman? She sounds so pitiful..."
Taking a deep breath, Shangguan Mo forced a smile. "Li, you're still young. You don't understand that sister's happiness! Be good and come with me..."
"Oh..." Li pouted and replied softly.
Murakami Rin and the others, who were also feeling strangely hot, could only obediently follow him deeper into the black market.
"C-captain, what is this place? It looks so strange, and it feels... different from above..." Murakami Rin asked, a hint of confusion on his face.
Shangguan Mo slowed his pace slightly and continued forward, replying without turning his head, "This is called an underground black market. You can think of it as another world. All the darkness in people's hearts, you can see it here..."
Murakami Rin looked as if he only half-understood. Shangguan Mo didn't mind. He had only come here to try his luck, to see if he could find any traces of the Cult of Jashin.
After a short walk, they came to a rather shabby-looking street. The number of people began to increase, and they all exuded a sharp, bloodthirsty aura. Some of them were very surprised to see a few kids here and began to size them up with ill intentions. Many even looked at the young girl Li with lewd gazes, as if they wanted to devour her whole. This scared her into pressing closer to Shangguan Mo, her hands gripping his arm tightly.
He glanced back at Li, who was clinging to him like a little chick, and the other male students, who were pale with fear. He frowned and cursed inwardly, "Useless things..."
He turned and scanned the surroundings with a grim face, then shouted impatiently, "What are you looking at! You want to die?"
Swish! Swish, swish!
Several shuriken flew from his hand, grazing the faces of a few of the leering men.
"That kid is a ninja!"
"What impressive shurikenjutsu. I misjudged him. I thought they were just a few chicks, but there's a hawk hidden among them!"
"Hmph!"
Instantly, all the insolent gazes retreated like a tide, replaced by looks of caution and gravity.
"Mo-kun, you're amazing!" Li's face was flushed with excitement, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. The male students behind them also looked at him with shining eyes full of admiration.
Faced with the worship of his inexperienced classmates, a ripple went through Shangguan Mo's heart, and he sighed. "These guys are all bounty hunters who live on the edge, taking on shady jobs for nobles and merchants. Hehe... they're just bullies who prey on the weak. What's there to be afraid of?"
At this, he paused and looked back at the slightly uncomfortable faces of Murakami Rin and the others. He finally said what was on his mind. "We're all third-year students. Besides not knowing ninjutsu, we've all molded some chakra and are proficient in basic taijutsu and shurikenjutsu. Against ordinary people who don't even have chakra, we have no reason to be afraid. The village is safe, but it's because of the protection of the senior ninja that we don't get a chance to grow. As future ninja, we will have to face existences ten, a hundred times more dangerous than these people. I hope you can all overcome your fear and at least be able to pick up your kunai to protect yourselves..."
After his heartfelt speech, he looked at the ashamed faces of the group. He then stared at the most mischievous boy in the class and suddenly shouted, "Murakami Rin, can you do it?"
Clack! Murakami Rin drew the kunai from his pouch and gripped it tightly, a fire igniting in his eyes. "I can!"
Only then did Shangguan Mo nod with satisfaction. These students were his peers. Barring any accidents, they would likely graduate and become Yugakure ninja. And if he wanted to make a name for himself in this world, he would need some steadfast supporters. He then looked at the other six male students. No one spoke. They all drew their kunai and looked at him with determination. With just a few words, he had dispelled all the fear in these young boys' hearts.
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