The February night had arrived early. By the ti the second squad of the Sixth Law Enforcent Unit gathered again, darkness had completely fallen. Standing on the rooftop, one could see the village's central district illuminated like a river of stars on the ground. As the light spread outward, it gradually thinned.
In the newly built area on the outskirts, there was little light except for the streetlamps, making the darkness even more palpable.
"This place is perfect for soone to disappear," Uchiha Torajiro muttered, standing on the rooftop and observing the dimly lit new district. Most areas were pitch black, with only a few streetlamps along the main road. Once you stepped off the main road and into the narrow alleys, it was not an exaggeration to say you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
However, the dark alleys weren't completely devoid of people.
Shady thieves, vulgar prostitutes, holess people rummaging through garbage, drunken fools, and thugs with tattoos. The nightti version of this newly built area was a completely different world compared to the bustling construction site it was during the day.
Uchiha Izumi curiously watched it all.
She rarely worked night shifts, and when she did, it was always in brightly lit areas. This was her first ti seeing such a dark side of the village, but despite the novelty of it all, she didn't feel any fear or discomfort.
As a proper ninja, Uchiha Izumi had seen blood and had killed before.
In fact, every child of the Uchiha clan, after graduating from the Ninja Academy or completing their family training, would be led by their elders to take down a few bandits or thieves. It was a way to get them accustod to the harsh realities of the ninja world.
"Yakushi, we'll split up. You and Izumi stay here while I go watch the western side. If you see anything, contact via radio," Uchiha Torajiro ordered after so thought.
Leaving Uchiha Izumi with Yakushi Kabuto was his way of showing consideration. Although Izumi was still a Genin, Uchiha Genin who had activated their Sharingan were on a different level. Even with just a single tomoe, Izumi could easily handle an ordinary Chunin.
However, since this was a ti of peace, it wasn't as easy to gain recognition or accumulate enough experience to be promoted to Chunin.
In Torajiro's mind, Kabuto was just a Chunin, although he didn't realize Kabuto was a rising star in the world of espionage. Torajiro only knew Kabuto had once worked for the Anbu, and while many believed the Anbu to be filled with elite warriors, the truth was that the bulk of their force was made up of Chunin.
So, Torajiro decided to have his two subordinates work together while he patrolled alone. The new district was already quite large, even though it wasn't fully built yet.
"Understood," Kabuto confird, adjusting the radio headset on his ear to ensure it was working, then nodded to his captain.
They had requested a lot of equipnt for this special mission. While explosive tags were too dangerous to use in the village, flashbangs, smoke bombs, shuriken, kunai, and small blades were all fair ga. They didn't have to pay for any of it either, as the departnt covered those costs. However, this kind of spending was one of the reasons the police departnt's finances were so tight, especially with nearly a thousand personnel now after recent expansions.
"Be careful, don't be reckless. Contact imdiately if you find anything."
After several reminders, Uchiha Torajiro leaped off the rooftop and swiftly headed west.
Once Torajiro was out of sight, Uchiha Izumi turned to Kabuto, who seed deep in thought. "Kabuto, what should we do next?" Over the past few days of working together, Izumi had co to realize that despite being new to the team, Kabuto, with his Anbu experience, was soone from whom she could learn a lot.
"We don't need to move. This spot is good. From here, we can keep an eye on most of the area. Izumi, focus on that group of thugs over there."
Originally, Kabuto had thought about having her monitor the brothel, but after looking at her young face, he decided against it. The thugs were a bit more complicated to keep track of, but the brothel's scenery wasn't sothing a twelve-year-old girl needed to be exposed to.
"So, just keep an eye on the thugs?" Izumi asked.
"Yes, you watch the thugs, and I'll keep an eye on the brothel."
"And we don't need to worry about the rest?" Izumi asked, puzzled, noticing how many shady characters were roaming the dark streets.
"So far, all the missing people have been young, strong construction workers. Those thieves, drunks, and holess people wouldn't stand a chance against soone who does hard labor every day. Of course, we can't completely rule out those possibilities, but the problem is there are only two of us. We can't watch everywhere, so we have to focus on the most likely suspects."
That would be the groups of thugs, and the discreet, shabby brothel.
The thugs were nurous and capable of overpowering a lone construction worker, while the brothel catered to n driven by desire—an easy target.
"Oh, got it!"
It was unclear if Izumi fully understood or was just enthusiastically agreeing. Either way, she followed Kabuto's suggestion, carefully hiding behind a pile of building materials and keeping watch on the groups of thugs without revealing herself.
Kabuto focused his attention on the brothel, hidden in a dark alley with only a small pink lantern hanging outside. It was nothing compared to the luxurious brothels in the village center, and the won standing at the entrance couldn't hold a candle to the beauties of the main entertainnt district.
But everyone had their clientele. While the main district catered to wealthier patrons, this modest brothel attracted laborers—n who hadn't settled down and received their wages daily. Kabuto's years as a spy had taught him that places like these were gold mines for intelligence gathering.
He'd once even gone undercover in a brothel in Sunagakure while on a mission in the Land of Wind.
As ti ticked by, the radio remained silent. Uchiha Torajiro hadn't found anything, and the groups of thugs Izumi was watching seed preoccupied—so dealing in contraband, others stealing construction materials, and so plastering illegal advertisents on walls and utility poles. Izumi was itching to take them down but knew better than to risk alerting the bigger target.
As for the brothel, custors ca and went, but no suspicious activity stood out.
By the ti dawn broke, their stakeout had been uneventful.
A ray of morning sunlight shone upon the earth.
Through the radio headset ca the weary voice of Uchiha Torajiro, "I've got nothing here. Kabuto, Izumi, what's your status?" He yawned as he asked, not really expecting much. If there had been any discoveries, they would have been reported already.
"I haven't found anything on my end either," Uchiha Izumi replied over the communication channel. This was no surprise, but after a few seconds of silence without hearing from Kabuto, Torajiro felt sothing stir within him. Just as he was about to ask, Kabuto's voice ca through.
"I've… found sothing odd."
"No way! Seriously?" Torajiro was stunned.
Was this kid really that lucky?
"I'm not sure if it's related, but… Captain, I think it's worth investigating. It's a bit complicated, and it'd be clearer if I explain it in person."
"I'm coming over right now."
Torajiro responded quickly.
The man, crouching on a rooftop, pinched his thigh hard, and the sharp pain instantly cleared away his drowsiness. He retraced his path at top speed, rushing back to his subordinates. As soon as he arrived, he demanded, "What's going on?"
"That brothel—there were discrepancies in the number of people coming and going last night," Kabuto reported without delay.
He pointed to the brothel hidden in a small alley and crisply explained what he had noticed.
"Huh? That's it?" Torajiro was taken aback, glancing at Izumi, who stood nearby with wide eyes. After thinking it over, he whispered, "Isn't it normal for people to stay overnight at a place like that?"
"Captain, you've probably never been to such places, so you wouldn't know. Brothels like this usually don't have overnight guests. They make quick money, and honestly, the people who go there can't afford to stay the night. If they had that kind of money, they wouldn't co to a place like this in the first place!"
"Seventeen people went into that brothel last night, but only fifteen left by now. Judging by their clothing and behavior, they all seed to be local construction workers."
Kabuto's explanation was so professional that it left no room for argunt.
Torajiro was silent for a couple of seconds before muttering, "There couldn't be exceptions?"
"There could be exceptions, which is why I said it's worth checking out," Kabuto replied calmly.
Torajiro had no further response to that.
Uchiha Izumi remained silent, but the pink tinge on her ears betrayed the unease she felt inside. She clearly understood what Torajiro and Kabuto were talking about. Children in the ninja world matured early, both boys and girls. During their missions, they inevitably encountered situations like this.
In Konoha, bookstores openly sold adult magazines and photo books. In the original tiline, Naruto often snuck into bookstores to study these, and from the 'knowledge' he gained, he developed a jutsu that stunned even elite Jonin and the legendary Sannin.
"Alright, let's check it out!"
After a two-second pause, Torajiro composed himself. "Izumi, you stay here and keep watch. Kabuto and I will investigate."
"Yes, Captain," Izumi nodded obediently.
She vaguely understood the general idea of what went on between n and won, but still felt it wasn't necessary to delve deeper just yet. Better to wait until she was older to learn more.
Torajiro and Kabuto moved swiftly, sprinting across rooftops. In less than ten seconds, they arrived at the brothel's entrance, where an old man was closing up. Hearing their approach, he didn't even look up before saying, "We're closing. Co back tonight if you want to visit."
Torajiro's eyes imdiately lit up.
They really had stumbled upon sothing.
"Closing already? Aren't there still guests staying?" Kabuto asked, sounding disappointed.
"What nonsense are you talking about? All the guests left already! Don't hang around here. We need to rest during the day. If you want to relax, co back at night…" The old man stopped mid-sentence when he saw Torajiro's crimson Sharingan.
"Tell the truth. Seventeen people ca here last night. Why did only fifteen leave? Where are the other two?"
"I don't know," the old man replied dully. "I'm just a handyman. I don't know where the guests went. But ever since Lord Arasaka ca a week ago, guests have been disappearing every day."
Kabuto watched in admiration as the old man spilled everything they wanted to know under the influence of the Sharingan. No wonder it was so highly coveted. If he had such an ability, espionage would be much easier!
"Arasaka?"
Torajiro raised an eyebrow.
"Is it Arasaka Rokuro?"
"Yes, it's the Arasaka family. They've been forcing us to help them capture people," a woman's voice called from inside. An elderly lady with a pipe stepped out. "Ninja lords, if you have questions, ask directly. There's no need to trouble this old man."
"Are you the owner of this brothel?"
Torajiro blinked and released the old man from his control.
Since a higher authority had appeared, there was no need to interrogate the small fry.
"You flatter , ninja lord. I'm just making a living here, hardly the owner." The old woman lowered herself humbly.
"Cut the nonsense. You seem like a smart person, so you must know why we're here. Tell us everything you know," Torajiro said, his eyes sharp as knives, staring down the old woman.
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