chsdbacks Chapter 89 Ghost Lantern Crescent Moon
Chapter 89 Ghost Lantern Crescent Moon
Chapter 89 Ghost Lantern Crescent Moon
The border of the Land of Fire.
The trees gradually thinned out, and there were more exposed rocks and muddy roads.
Sosuke and Kaori walked through the woods.
"Let's take a break."
Sosuke stopped under a huge ancient tree.
Kaori silently landed beside him.
She circled the area to make sure there were no traps before returning to Sosuke's side.
"Boss, you have amazing stamina."
Generally, special jonin who rose to their rank through other special skills often have physical strength as a weakness.
Sosuke ran for six hours straight, and although his breathing was rapid, his rhythm remained intact.
"The money wasn't wasted."
Sosuke took a sip of water and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The expensive medicinal herbs and the grueling weight training finally proved their worth at this moment.
"The checkpoint is just ahead."
Kaori pointed to a canyon ahead.
"Once you cross that, you'll reach the territory of the Land of Hot Springs."
"Red Phosphorus Port is located between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire, making it a no-man's-land."
"But to get through, we must first get past the border guards of the Land of Hot Springs."
"Those people are vampires. Especially towards travelers who aren't wearing headbands."
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"We usually choose to take a detour."
"No need to take a detour."
Sosuke stood up and straightened his collar.
He pulled a wallet from his pocket.
"We are now representatives of the Takaya Trading Company. There's no need to save money."
Border checkpoint in the Land of Hot Springs.
A small squad of Tang Ren is stationed here.
Although the Land of Hot Water is known as a "peaceful land that has forgotten war," on the border, this peace is maintained by greed.
The guard post's railings were rusty, and several ninjas in crooked uniforms were gambling together.
"stop!"
As Sousuke and Kaori approached, a burly ninja with a fierce face stepped forward, carrying a spear.
"What do you do?"
He looked the two of them up and down.
The man wore an eye patch and his clothes were made of fine material. The woman—was very beautiful and carried a knife.
"Just passing by," Sosuke said calmly.
"Toll fee, five thousand taels per person," Tang Ren demanded outrageously.
"Five thousand taels?" Kaori frowned. The normal toll was five hundred taels.
"What? You think it's too expensive? Then get out of here."
Tang Ren waved his hand arrogantly.
"Things have been tense lately, so we need to increase security checks. Who knows if you're spies?"
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Kaori.
"If you don't have money, you can have this woman have a couple of drinks with us, and we can do it for free—"
*Clang.* The blade is drawn an inch from its sheath.
The cold light made Tang Ren's second half of his sentence choke in his throat.
Kaori's eyes are the eyes of someone who has killed.
The surrounding ninja immediately became alert and drew their weapons. The atmosphere became tense.
Sousuke reached out and pressed down on Kaori's hand.
Kaori slowly loosened the hilt of the sword and took a half step back.
Sousuke stepped forward.
He wasn't angry; instead, he smiled.
"Five thousand taels is indeed not expensive."
He opened his wallet and took out a banknote from the Land of Fire with a face value of ten thousand taels.
"Keep the change, please."
Sosuke handed over the banknotes.
Tang Ren was stunned. He took the banknotes and examined the anti-counterfeiting watermark repeatedly. It was genuine.
"You're smart to know what's good for you—"
"etc."
Sousuke interrupted.
He then drew out a 10,000 tael note.
"This is for everyone to have some tea."
Tang Ren's eyes lit up.
Then, the third one.
"This one is for convenience. We don't want to be searched."
The fourth one.
"This one is from someone who heard that the hot springs in the Land of Hot Springs are very nice. They would like to ask the captain to recommend a good place."
Sosuke's fingers are like a money printing machine.
Large banknotes bearing famous names and portraits were slapped into Tang Ren's hand as if they were scraps of paper.
A total of 100,000 taels.
Tang Ren's hands began to tremble.
It's not just because they have a lot of money, but also because of fear.
The currency of the Land of Fire has recently appreciated. This 100,000 taels is equivalent to 130,000 taels in the past. Someone who can casually toss around 130,000 taels is definitely not an ordinary person.
They were either confidants of various national lords or cadres of top-level underground organizations.
Neither of them are people that a mere border watchdog like him can afford to offend.
"Sir——————————"
Tang Ren's attitude instantly became obsequious, and he bent over at a ninety-degree angle.
"You're too kind! You're really too kind!"
"Quick! Lift the railing!"
He roared at his men behind him.
"Make way for the adults!"
Sosuke patted the ninja on the shoulder.
"Very good. You know the rules."
The two successfully passed through the checkpoint and obtained a lot of information from Tang Ren.
into the night.
The two arrived at a small town on the outskirts of Red Phosphorus Port.
This place is called "Tangyan Town," and it is full of geothermal vents, with white steam billowing through the streets.
There was a faint smell of sulfur in the air. This reminded Sosuke of the smell of salamander meat.
"I'll stay here tonight."
Sosuke chose a luxurious hotel called "Unjokaku".
"Two superior rooms."
"Sorry, there's only one left," the proprietress said apologetically. "There have been too many people coming to the port to do business lately."
Sosuke looked at Kaori.
"I'll sleep on the floor," Kaori said immediately. "I'm a guard; I'm supposed to keep watch."
"No need. The rooms are large, and there are suites," the landlady added.
Sosuke paid the money.
The room was indeed very large. It even had its own private outdoor hot spring pool.
Sosuke did not shy away from the topic.
"I need to take a bath. My bones feel like they're going to fall apart after this journey."
He took off his coat, revealing his muscular upper body.
The dense needle marks on his back had faded, but the traces of the experiments were still visible.
Kaori turned her head somewhat awkwardly and began to check the room's windows and door locks.
Sosuke slid into the hot spring and let out a comfortable sigh.
"Hot springs can relieve muscle fatigue, Kaori, you should try it too."
"I—I don't need it."
Kaori had her back to Sousuke, and her voice was somewhat stiff.
As ninjas, it's not unusual for men and women to live together. When carrying out missions, everyone is a tool, and there is no distinction between genders.
But now, he's facing the boss.
Moreover, he is a man who has just overwhelmed the border guards with money and whose style of doing things is completely different from that of ordinary ninjas.
This caused a subtle change in her mindset.
"Kaori".
Sosuke's voice came from the mist.
"You are my guard, not my slave."
"Since it's a business trip, you should be in your best condition. Don't refuse to enjoy yourself when it's time to relax."
"Come down. There's a partition here."
Sosuke pointed to a bamboo curtain in the middle of the hot spring pool.
Kaori hesitated for a moment.
She was indeed very tired. Although her previous internal injuries had healed, the long journey still put a great strain on her body.
"Yes."
She walked to the other side of the bamboo curtain.
The rustling sound of clothes being undressed.
Sosuke told the white snake to close its eyes so it wouldn't peek.
Although the snake's eyes could easily penetrate the bamboo curtain and see that alluring body.
But he didn't do that. His mind isn't on women right now.
"Boss."
The sound of water was heard. Kaori had entered the water.
Her voice sounded somewhat muffled through the bamboo curtain.
"Why are you working so hard?"
"Fight to the death?"
"Yes."
Kaori seemed to have mustered her courage.
"You're very rich. You could easily hire stronger ninjas, or even a squad of Jonin to protect you."
"Why did you still do such dangerous experiments? You even lost an eye because of it—"
"Because of fear, Kaori."
Sosuke leaned against the pool wall.
"In times of peace, money is everything. But peace is rare in the ninja world."
"No one can protect me forever. I can only rely on myself."
"Besides, you said about hiring bodyguards—money isn't everything, there will always be someone who can offer something better to bribe my bodyguards—"
Kaori remained silent for a long time behind the bamboo curtain.
"I will not be bribed. You saved Xiyan. My life is yours."
"I believe you. But you can't stay by my side forever." Sosuke smiled.
"By the way, boss."
Kaori suddenly changed the subject, seemingly trying to break the heavy atmosphere.
"I found out that the seller called 'Sawtooth' is supposedly no ordinary rogue ninja."
"He is a candidate for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. He is extremely greedy and cunning."
"The Kaguya clan corpse in his possession might not be so easy to obtain."
"I should be able to get it."
Sosuke stood up from the water, making a splashing sound.
He was confident, but didn't say why.
He stepped out of the hot spring and dried himself off.
"Go to sleep. Tomorrow, we're going to see this saw tooth."
the next day.
Red Phosphorus Harbor. The underground black market.
The entrance is extremely well hidden, concealed among the rocky reefs along the coastline.
Sosuke and Kaori put on masks.
Sosuke wore a blank mask, while Kaori wore a fox mask.
Enter the black market's biological trading area.
The stalls on both sides were filled with all sorts of disgusting things.
An eyeball soaking in a jar, a still-beating heart, and even a whole piece of human skin peeled off.
"Fresh Sharingan! Just dug out of Konoha! Only five million ryo!"
A vendor is calling out his wares.
Sousuke's snake-like eyes swept over.
It's fake. Those are human eyes manipulated with illusion magic.
Sosuke didn't linger and went straight to the "VIP area" at the very back.
That was a place specifically for large-scale trading of contraband.
In a dark stone chamber.
Sosuke met the seller codenamed "Sawtooth".
A tall, dark-skinned man.
He was shirtless, with a huge beheading sword slung over his back—it was a replica, but it was incredibly heavy.
He had a scar across his nose that looked like a centipede.
"Are you the buyer?"
The saw teeth examined the fabric of Sosuke's clothes.
"They look very rich."
"I want to inspect the goods." Sosuke didn't waste any words.
Sawtooth grinned, revealing a set of sharp teeth.
He kicked a long wooden box next to him.
"Look for yourself. Don't break it. It's a work of art."
Sosuke stepped forward and opened the wooden box.
A chill emanated from the box. It was filled with ice.
In the middle of the ice, lay a male corpse.
White hair. Two red dots between his eyebrows.
Typical characteristics of the Kaguya clan.
The corpse was naked, and although it had been dead for a long time, its muscles were still taut like iron.
His chest and arms were horrific.
Several pale, bony spurs pierced the skin and were exposed to the air.
That was the power he unleashed in his last moments before he died.
The bone is dense, with an ivory-like luster, and is harder than steel.
Sosuke's snake-like pupil in his left eye socket moved.
Deep within the corpse's spine, Sosuke "saw" a cluster of white energy that had not yet completely dissipated.
That was a high concentration of Yang attribute chakra, mixed with the bloodline limit factor unique to the Kaguya clan.
"This is—the Corpse Bone Vein."
Sosuke's fingers gently touched the bone spur.
Cold. Hard. That texture sent a shiver down his spine.
This is a wrong turn in human evolution, the ultimate transformation of oneself into a weapon.
"The goods are correct."
Sosuke closed the box.
Name your price.
"Twenty million taels."
Two fingers protrude from the serrations.
"We don't accept paper money. We want gold, or the equivalent value of ninja tools."
"Can."
Sousuke unsealed a scroll. Two heavy suitcases appeared on the ground.
Open it. It's glittering with gold.
Gold worth 20 million taels.
His jagged eyes lit up. He picked up a gold bar, put it in his mouth, and took a bite.
"It's soft. And very pure."
He nodded in satisfaction.
"Deal. The body is yours."
The transaction went very smoothly. Almost too smoothly.
Just as Sousuke was signaling to Kaori to pack up the box and prepare to leave.
"Wait a minute."
The serrations suddenly opened.
He put one foot on the lid of the wooden box.
"What?" Sousuke's eyes turned slightly cold. "Trying to double-cross me?"
"No, no, no, I keep my word."
The saw-toothed man grinned maliciously.
"But—someone's coming."
"Who?"
"I."
A soft, feminine voice came from the shadows of the stone chamber.
A man dressed in the uniform of the Hidden Mist Village's Anbu (secret police) stepped out.
He held a thin, long needle in his hand.
"I am Hozuki Zangetsu, the captain of the Kirigakure Pursuit Squad."
"This body is part of our village's assets."
"I'm going to take it back."
The man looked at Sosuke with disdain.
"A merchant from the Takaya Trading Company, you probably don't want to offend Kirigakure, do you?"
Upon hearing the other party reveal his identity, Sousuke remained calm.
"The assets of Kirigakure? If they are assets, why have they ended up here?"
"That was my dereliction of duty."
Ghost Lamp Crescent shrugged.
"So I'm here to recycle now."
"As for the money you gave me—"
He glanced at the two boxes of gold.
"Consider it compensation for Kirigakure."
This is outright robbery. They want not only the body, but also money.
"Hey, hey, hey, the gold is mine!" Sawtooth said, clearly disgruntled.
"You're just an avatar, shut up, you traitor. Once I find your real body, I'll kill you." Hozuki Zangetsu completely ignored the jagged edge.
"Well then, I'll take the body now." Hozuki Zangetsu also ignored Sousuke and Kaori.
"Wait a minute, can I have my opinion?" Sosuke suddenly spoke up.
"Speaking."
"I don't want to give it to you, whether it's money or your body."
"Then you might as well die here."
The senbon in Hozuki Zangetsu's hand instantly transformed into a streak of cold light.
It pierced straight into Sosuke's throat.