"Alright, I'm going to give you all a mission. Do you have the guts to complete it?" Shangguan Mo said slowly, a slight smile on his face.
"Just give us the mission, Captain! We're not little kids playing ninja games anymore!" Murakami Rin said with a righteous expression, not even batting an eye.
"You're really not afraid?"
"If I'm afraid, I'm your son!" Murakami Rin, provoked by him, stuck out his neck defiantly.
Two minutes later.
"Captain, those guys won't attack me, right? They don't look like good people..." Murakami Rin whined, clinging to Shangguan Mo's sleeve. He was kicked away.
"Did a dog eat your courage? Were your words from before just farts?" Shangguan Mo cursed, frustrated by his lack of resolve. But he patiently reassured him, "I'm just asking you to find out about information brokers, not to kill anyone. You'll just be asking around within a hundred meters of me. Don't go too far. If anything happens, I'll be there in an instant. What are you afraid of?"
"Oh..." Murakami Rin and the others reluctantly left, leaving only Li by his side. He still didn't feel comfortable letting such an innocent girl wander around alone in such a dangerous place.
"In the underground black market, you can buy almost anything with money, even ninjutsu! So there must be information brokers. But they're probably well-hidden. It's just a matter of whether I can find them..."
He didn't have a better plan. He was just an academy student who hadn't even graduated yet and didn't have much experience as a ninja. Finding this black market was a pleasant surprise, but he wasn't confident he could get information on the Cult of Jashin through an information broker.
"Captain, it's him! He said he's in the information business!" Murakami Rin excitedly pulled Shangguan Mo to the end of the street. Before them was an inconspicuous, dilapidated shop.
"What! The captain is just a little brat too! Go on, go on, go back where you came from. This is no place for kids to play," the shop owner, who hadn't had high hopes for the "captain" Murakami Rin had mentioned, became even more impatient upon seeing the fourteen- or fifteen-year-old Shangguan Mo and waved them away.
"Boss, are you really turning away money that comes to your door?" Shangguan Mo calmly took out a stack of bills from his coat. The owner's eyes widened. A quick glance told him it was no less than a thousand ryo. His expression changed instantly, and he put on an extremely friendly smile. "Hahaha, this little brother, please, come in, come in!"
He reached out to pull Shangguan Mo into the dark and gloomy shop but was pushed away. Shangguan Mo turned to Murakami Rin. "Go and get the others!"
"Yes, sir!" the excited Murakami Rin replied with a cupped-fist salute, completely immersed in his novel ninja cosplay experience.
Shangguan Mo led Li into the shop. After just a few steps, they reached the back. Before them was a stinking drainage ditch, already clogged with all sorts of garbage.
Flick! The faint sound of a candle being lit echoed. The orange flame flickered, illuminating the sharp angles of Shangguan Mo's face. The darkness in the almost pitch-black shop receded slightly. Li swallowed, her eyes a little frightened, but also a little thrilled. Shangguan Mo felt the grip on his arm finally relax a bit. "Sure enough, no matter the world, being afraid of the dark is a girl's nature..." he thought with a sigh, then turned his gaze to the owner.
Through the dim candlelight, he could see that he was a short old man with a scruffy beard. Only his sharp, glittering eyes revealed his cunning nature. And looking at the unfazed Shangguan Mo, the old man was actually quite surprised. He had lived for more than half his life and had never seen such a bold kid. A person like this was either completely clueless or had something to back him up. Thinking this, the greed that had risen in the old man's heart quickly vanished. He was just an old man selling information. He was already halfway in the grave; there was no need to take risks like he did when he was young...
"Little brother, tell me, what information do you want to buy? Let's see if this old man has it..."
A corner of Shangguan Mo's mouth lifted. He stared intently at the old man's eyes and said, word by word, "The. Cult. of. Jashin."
The old man's pupils suddenly constricted. He quickly got up and shut the shop's door and windows tightly. He turned back and looked at Shangguan Mo with a serious expression. "Which hidden village are you from? Ordinary people would never ask about the Cult of Jashin!" His sharp gaze swept over Shangguan Mo, and his eyebrows suddenly shot up. "You're not a newly graduated Konoha ninja, are you? Only Konoha would take on such a thankless job..."
Shangguan Mo frowned, a little impatient. "Don't worry about all that. Just tell me the price!"
The old man's eyes narrowed, and he reverted to his merchant persona. He slowly held up his right index finger and said in an unquestionable tone, "One price, this much!"
"A hundred ryo, right? Fine, deal!" Shangguan Mo agreed readily.
"Don't mess with me! One price, ten thousand ryo!"
"Let's go!" Shangguan Mo didn't say another word, pulling Li and turning to leave.
The old man was stunned, staring blankly as he got up to leave. What the hell? I just opened my mouth, why are you getting so worked up? You're not even going to haggle?
"Hey, hey, hey! You there, little brother! Wait, the price is negotiable!"
Hearing the old man's softened tone, Shangguan Mo's lips curled upwards. He turned back and sat down again. He casually crossed his legs, tilted his head back, and said faintly, "One price, one thousand ryo!"
The old man's beard bristled with anger. Bang! He slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Why don't you just rob me?"
"Are you selling or not?" Shangguan Mo said, seemingly oblivious to the old man's anger.
"N—" The old man had just gotten the word "no" out when Shangguan Mo stood up again, making to leave. He was immediately pulled back. He turned and saw that the old man was red in the face with anger.
Shangguan Mo smiled faintly. "Weren't you not selling? Why are you holding onto me?"
The old man was so angry at his "I've got you figured out" attitude that he was about to spit blood. He was grinding his teeth with hatred. But thinking about his business, which hadn't had a single customer in almost a month, he had no choice but to swallow his pride.
"If you're not selling, then let go of me!" Shangguan Mo said, shaking off his hand with an impatient look.
The old man stared at him, then forced a smile through gritted teeth. "Hehehe... little brother, you misunderstood. What I meant to say was... it's not... impossible..."
-------
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