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In the midnight streets, a shadow flickered past.

A masked assailant, carrying a girl in luxurious attire with her mouth covered, sprinted swiftly down the empty roads, leaving the guards of the Daimyo’s Mansion of the Land of Bear far behind.

"Haha, finally got my hands on it, one of the treasures of the Land of Bear, I’m gonna strike it rich now!"

Even though the mask prevented anyone from seeing the exact change in his facial expression, one could imagine he must be quite gleeful at the moment.

The girl blinked her bright eyes, displaying confusion and fear.

"Don’t think about escaping or committing suicide, Princess, you’re an incredibly valuable asset to me."

For a bounty hunter who lives on the run, money is more important than life.

The saying goes, a man will die for wealth as a bird will for food; it’s a true depiction of a bounty hunter.

There’s an age-old truth circulated in the Underground Black Market — even in Hell, money talks.

This saying originated from a legendary bounty hunter.

Although that legendary bounty hunter seemed to have retired and moved to other lucrative ventures, many of his truths about money have been passed down by word of mouth in the Underground Black Market.

One day, he too wants to become such a renowned legendary bounty hunter!

To make every bounty hunter forever remember his truths about money, leaving an eternal legacy in the Underground Black Market.

Kidnapping the princess of the Land of Bear is definitely the most rewarding and the riskiest bounty mission of his hunter career.

However, this bounty mission is actually quite odd.

The wealthy employer wanted her alive, not dead.

In the Underground Black Market, generally speaking, all that’s needed is to bring back a body for confirmation.

But the employer stated that if the princess of the Land of Bear is dead, the bounty hunter executing this task wouldn’t receive a penny and will forever be hunted down.

Because of this, the assailant also feared anything unexpected might happen to the princess along the way.

After all, there’s a difference between a living and a dead person.

He even has to take care of her accommodation on the road, what a hassle.

It’s said that those wealthy employers always have bizarre demands. But since it involves a live person, the difficulty of the task increased, so the reward will also be very generous, which is why he was willing to take this mission.

Prices in place, fulfilling all the employer’s requests, is an unbreakable principle for all bounty hunters.

Just when the assailant was fantasizing about what to do with the hefty reward, at the corner of the street, a rather slender figure suddenly appeared.

Dressed in black attire, with a slightly youthful face, seemingly under twenty years old.

It was the Ninja Akakage, dispatched by the Daimyo of the Land of Bear.

"A ninja, huh?"

The assailant stopped, naturally understanding that a Daimyo’s Mansion of a country wouldn’t just have samurai as guards; highly skilled ninjas would also be present.

He then displayed a somewhat grotesque smile, seeing the other’s age, probably just a rookie, with very faint murderous intent, probably hasn’t seen much blood yet.

Unlike him, who mingled long in the Underground Black Market, meaning that he overpowers the other in both strength and experience.

Putting down the girl on his shoulder, the assailant took out a kunai, intending to solve the fight quickly, unsure of how many ninjas might be surrounding him. Once engulfed in their ambush, even his strength would find it tricky.

"Just your bad luck, brat."

The kunai, enveloped in a sharp aura, turned his figure into a pitch-black lightning, charging at Akakage standing ahead.

Before the kunai could reach Akakage’s body, the assailant’s eyes widened in shock, his body involuntarily stepping back.

As if instinctively sensing a certain danger, his body reacted faster than his consciousness.

Akakage raised an eyebrow slightly, it seemed this assailant’s strength wasn’t bad; originally he intended to end the battle instantly.

"No, you seem a bit unusual, brat..."

The assailant’s voice was low, puzzled why Akakage’s murderous aura was so faint, but it didn’t interfere with his instinct for danger; the other’s strength was formidable, possibly the strongest adversary he had encountered in any bounty mission.

Akakage’s expression unchanged, he stepped forward, directly charging at the assailant. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

So fast! Nearly unable to see Akakage’s movement speed, the assailant was shocked internally, retreating swiftly.

"Wind Style: Beast Wave Palm!"

A wind blade tore through the air, slashing towards Akakage’s body.

The wind blade rushed towards him, yet Akakage seemed unaware, instead, accelerating even more.

"Is this kid crazy?"

The assailant couldn’t comprehend Akakage’s actions, even forgetting his next move.

As the wind blade was about to make contact, a peculiar glimmer flashed in Akakage’s eyes.

Only to see that wind blade, potent enough to cause serious harm, miraculously passed through Akakage’s body, heading towards the wall behind him, leaving a beastly scratch.

Witnessing this scene, the assailant’s face dramatically changed, but it was too late; Akakage’s cold, indifferent appearance materialized before him, and a kunai pierced his heart with precision, ending the fight instantly.

"Your ninja technique... is it Kekkeigenkai?"

The assailant smiled wryly, realizing what Akakage’s abilities stemmed from.