Chapter 15: Buying Information
"Alright, I have a mission for you all. Do you have the guts to complete it?" Kael asked slowly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Just give us the orders, Captain! We're not little kids playing ninja games anymore!" Murakami Rin declared righteously, answering without a moment's hesitation.
"You're really not scared?"
"If I'm scared, I'll be your son!" Rin shot back, his pride stung, his neck stiff with defiance.
Two minutes later.
"Captain, those guys won't actually try to hurt me, will they? They don't exactly look like good people..." Murakami Rin whined, clutching Kael's sleeve, unwilling to let go.
Kael kicked him away.
"Did a dog eat your courage? Was everything you said just now hot air?" Kael scolded, frustrated by his lack of resolve. Still, he patiently tried to reassure him. "I'm just asking you to find an information broker, not to kill someone. Just ask around within a hundred meters of me. Don't go too far, and if anything happens, I'll be there in an instant. What are you so afraid of?"
"Oh..."
Reluctantly, Murakami Rin and the others departed, leaving only Rei by Kael's side. He still didn't feel comfortable letting a naive girl like her wander around alone in such a dangerous place.
In the black market, you can buy almost anything if you have the money, even ninjutsu. So there must be information brokers here. But they're probably well hidden. The only question is whether I can find them...
Kael didn't have a better plan. He was just an academy student who hadn't even graduated yet and lacked real-world experience. Finding this black market was a stroke of luck, but he wasn't confident he could actually get information about the Jashinists from a broker.
"Captain, that's him! He says he's in the information business!" Murakami Rin excitedly pulled Kael to the end of the street. Before them was a dilapidated, unremarkable storefront.
"What is this? The 'captain' is just another brat," the shop owner said, who hadn't expected much in the first place. Seeing Kael, who looked to be fifteen at most, his expression grew even more annoyed. He waved his hand dismissively. "Go on, get out of here. This isn't a playground for kids."
"Boss, are you really going to turn away money that walks right through your door?" Kael calmly pulled a stack of bills from his coat. The owner's eyes merely glanced at it but could tell it was no less than a thousand Ryo. His expression changed instantly, replaced by an overly friendly smile.
"Hahaha, my young friend, please, come in, come in!" he said, reaching out to pull Kael into the dark and gloomy shop. Kael brushed his hand away.
He turned to Murakami Rin. "Go get the others."
"Yes, sir!" Rin replied with a dramatic fist-to-palm salute, completely engrossed in his first real-life ninja experience.
Kael led Rei into the shop. It was only a few steps to the back, which ended at a foul-smelling drainage ditch clogged with all sorts of garbage.
Flicker!
The faint crackle of a candle flame echoed in the darkness. The orange light wavered, casting sharp shadows that defined the angles of Kael's face. The oppressive darkness in the nearly pitch-black shop receded slightly.
Rei swallowed hard, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and excitement. Kael felt the grip on his arm finally loosen a little.
Sure enough, he thought with a sigh, no matter the world, being afraid of the dark is a girl's nature...
He turned his attention to the shop owner. In the dim candlelight, he could see that the man was a short, scruffy-bearded old man. Only his eyes, which glinted shrewdly, betrayed his cunning nature.
The old man, in turn, was inwardly marveling at Kael's calm demeanor. In all his years, he had never seen a kid with so much nerve. A person like this was either a fool or had an ace up his sleeve. At that thought, the greed that had begun to stir in the old man's heart vanished without a trace. He was just an old information broker with one foot in the grave; there was no need to take risks like he did in his youth.
"Alright, young man, what information do you want to buy? Let's see if this old man has it..."
A small smile played on Kael's lips. He stared intently into the old man's eyes and said, enunciating each word.
"The... Ja... shin... ists."
The old man's pupils constricted. He scrambled to his feet and slammed the shop's door and windows shut. When he turned back, his face was deadly serious.
"Which village are you from? No ordinary person would ask about the Jashinists!" His sharp eyes scanned Kael from head to toe, and his eyebrows suddenly shot up. "Don't tell me you're a fresh Konoha graduate? Only the Leaf would take on such a thankless job..."
Kael frowned, growing impatient. "Never mind that. Just tell me the price."
The old man's eyes narrowed, and he slipped back into his merchant persona. He slowly raised his right index finger. "One price," he said in a tone that brooked no argument. "This much."
"One hundred Ryo? Fine, deal," Kael agreed instantly.
"Don't screw with me, kid! One price, ten thousand Ryo!"
"We're leaving."
Without another word, Kael grabbed Rei and turned to walk out.
The old man was completely stunned. He just stared blankly as Kael got up to leave. What the hell? I just named my price, and you're already walking out? You're not even going to haggle?
"Hey, hey, hey! Wait, young man! Hold on, we can talk about the price!"
Hearing the change in the old man's tone, Kael's lips curved into a slight smirk. He turned around and sat back down. He leisurely crossed his legs, tilted his head back, and said coolly, "One price. One thousand Ryo."
The old man's beard bristled with indignation.
BAM!
He slammed his hand on the table. "Why don't you just rob me?!" he roared.
"Are you selling or not?" Kael asked calmly, as if he hadn't seen the old man's rage.
"N—"
The old man had just gotten the word "No" out when Kael stood up again, making to leave. He was immediately grabbed by the arm. He turned to find the old man's face red with fury.
Kael smiled faintly. "I thought you weren't selling. Why are you stopping me?"
The old man looked like he was about to cough up blood. He was so enraged by Kael's "I've got you figured out" attitude that he could have ground his teeth to dust. But the thought of his shop having no business for almost a month forced him to swallow his pride.
"If you're not selling, then let go of me!" Kael said, shaking his hand off with an annoyed look.
The old man stared at Kael, then forced a grin. "Hehehe... a misunderstanding, young man. What I meant to say was... it's not impossible..."