The lights were dim, and the air was filled with a pungent odor of mold, moisture, and a faint rotting smell. The black walls were chillingly cold. This was the dungeon of the Hidden Whirlpool Village.
The space was suffocatingly small, with only a narrow iron window hanging high on the wall. Dust motes floated in the faint light, unable to dispel the darkness in the corners.
Following the leading man, Shin'yu and Nen passed through the dark and narrow corridor one after the other, their footsteps echoing noticeably in the silent prison.
In reality, the entire prison was empty. There were none of the vicious criminals Nen had imagined, until they reached the end and saw a group of shadowy figures.
It was the deepest cell in the dungeon. A dozen or so figures were sprawled haphazardly on the cold floor, all of them looking weak. Each of them had a Sealing Talisman stuck to their chest, and strands of black ink-like *Techniques* extended from the talismans, binding their bodies tightly.
They were disheveled and in a sorry state.
"Brothers, it's these guys. They've been lurking suspiciously outside the village all day. Take a look, what kind of background do they have?"
Shin'yu slightly pushed up his sunglasses. In fact, he didn't need to look at all. The moment he entered the dungeon, he had used his powerful sensory abilities to scan everyone.
These people were dressed in ordinary clothes and had unremarkable appearances. They were the kind of people who would disappear into a crowd. Whether it was the feedback from the Chakra's *Overclocking* wave transmission or what he saw before him, he couldn't see the slightest clue.
Although the Sealing Talismans restricted the Chakra in their bodies, he could still roughly gauge their strength through soul perception. Each of them was at least at the Chunin level, and the soul fluctuations of some even reached the Jonin level.
Nen frowned slightly, obviously also using the passive perception of the "Spiritualization Technique" to investigate the details of these people.
Seeing Shin'yu's arrival, the prisoners' eyes flickered, and they tacitly remained silent, like numb machines.
Shin'yu narrowed his eyes slightly. This group of people together was a standard reconnaissance team for wartime...
It seemed that the other party had clearly come prepared and with ill intentions.
Shin'yu was thoughtful. The Uzumaki Clan must have already seen what he was seeing on the surface. Obtaining deeper information was simply easy for a Yin Release expert like him, and even his grand nephew could easily do it.
However, neither the Sharingan nor the soul-searching of the "Spiritualization Technique" could be displayed in front of the Uzumaki Clan.
He pondered slightly, beckoned to the man behind him, and said in a low voice:
"You know what, I did see something about a few of them."
"Really!" The man seemed extremely excited and quickly asked, "Who are they?"
"Hey, don't rush. There's always a 'but' to everything..." Shin'yu said with a smile, "It's just that I can't be sure yet. What if I'm wrong? Wouldn't that make your Uzumaki Clan make enemies for no reason?"
"This..." The man scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
"The safety of the Hidden Whirlpool Village is at stake, so this matter can't be taken lightly," Shin'yu said, putting on a thoughtful look. "How about this? If you don't mind, brother, I'll write a letter now and retrieve information from the Merchant Guild's database. That way, we can definitely confirm their identities accurately."
Forging Blades Workshop headquarters, what database? The Uchiha Nen next to him was a little stunned, looking at his grand uncle, who was full of tall tales, and couldn't help but cast a strange look, as if to say:
Grand Uncle, you're too good at bluffing!
Shin'yu glanced at him, a faint smile appearing on the corner of his mouth, as if responding:
This is nothing. He should be thanking us!
"Ah, then thank you so much!" The man's eyes lit up with excitement, and he grabbed Shin'yu's hand, his face full of sincerity. "The Uzumaki Clan will not forget this kindness!"
"Well, then I'll go back and write the letter, but..." Shin'yu chose his words carefully, putting on airs. "We people of the Land of Iron are not good at Ninjutsu. Although we've opened up diplomacy in recent years and the Merchant Guild has reformed a lot, our communication methods are still very backward. It'll take at least a day for the message to be delivered..."
"It's okay, then we'll have to trouble you, brother. We can wait." The man patted his chest, full of heroic spirit. "Next, you two can stay in the village with peace of mind. Don't worry, I'm Uzumaki Kongming, the district chief of the southern district of the Land of Whirlpools. My words still carry weight. As long as you don't go to the forbidden areas, you can wander around the village as you please!"
As he spoke, he suddenly thought of something and looked up at Shin'yu. "Seeing that you're so young, brother, how old are you this year?"
"3..." Shin'yu blurted out subconsciously, but seeing the other party frown, he immediately changed his words, "Uh... 23?"
"Well... that's more like it, I thought you were just over 20." Uzumaki Kongming's brow relaxed, and he smoothed his soft red hair, "I'm 8 years older than you, so I'll take the liberty of calling you 'brother'!"
"Uh... Big Brother?" Shin'yu tentatively called out.
"Yes!" Kongming patted Shin'yu's shoulder, "With me here, you brothers can stay as long as you like! If we can really confirm the identities of these thieves, I won't let you work for nothing!"
"Hey, it's just a small effort, not worth mentioning."
"Hey, you're too kind."
The two put their arms around each other's shoulders, getting along harmoniously, appearing like close brothers, while Uchiha Nen on the side already had black lines all over his head, standing there like a clay sculpture.
Just like that, the grand uncle and nephew left the dungeon, and under Uzumaki Kongming's warm hospitality, they enjoyed a hearty meal, and were then arranged to stay temporarily in the best hotel in Whirlpool Tide Village.
The economic strength of Whirlpool Tide Village was obviously not comparable to Hidden Leaf Village, and even slightly inferior to some small countries. Therefore, even the most luxurious hotels had somewhat simple and old-fashioned facilities, but they were superior in their environment, with lush trees and strange rocks, allowing one to appreciate more natural scenery.
Soon, night fell, and the moon quietly climbed into the sky.
Inside the room, the windows and doors were tightly closed, and the two sat facing each other at the table.
"Grand Uncle, you can leave this kind of thing to me." Nen said in a low voice.
"It's rare that I'm in the mood, you just need to stay here and protect my body from being disturbed." Shin'yu waved his hand, "Besides, I still want to stroll around Whirlpool Tide Village, and if I encounter something that triggers certain restrictions, I'll need your help to break them."
Shin'yu refused Nen's good intentions, closed his eyes slightly, and with a gust of breeze, a light Spiritual Body leaped out from the top of his head, disappearing into the roof in the blink of an eye.
Nen was suddenly stunned. Grand Uncle's operation just now was too smooth, even the steps of forming seals were omitted. The Spiritual Body was born from thought, and the mind moved at will. This was the highest realm of the Spiritualization Technique!
Even he, who also cultivated the Spiritualization Technique, didn't react, and Shin'yu's Spiritual Body had disappeared without a trace.
The only thing he could feel was that the seemingly light Spiritual Body contained spiritual energy as vast as the sea, unfathomable.
"Grand Uncle... have you become this strong already?"
Only now did he understand that Shin'yu's sentence "I'll need your help to break them" was just coaxing a child.
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