Naruto: The Primal Hyuga Pierces the Shinobi World.

In the dimly lit alley, a burly man shoved a sack over Shinichi Hyuga's head.

This guy was a pro. The moment he succeeded, he groped for the child in front of him and delivered a powerful chop to the back of Shinichi Hyuga's neck.

Without any struggle or scream, the man felt the child's body go limp, then skillfully slung the sack over his shoulder, his face showing excitement. He glanced around the empty alley and hurriedly left, disappearing into the night.

Not long after the alley returned to silence, Might Guy rushed over and ran forward along the alley until he reached the bustling street, but he still couldn't see Shinichi Hyuga.

Standing in the middle of the street, watching the flow of people, Might Guy, unable to find Shinichi Hyuga, scratched his head and muttered to himself with a hint of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and awe), "Did he use the Flying Thunder God Technique? That really is fast!"

As he spoke, Kai identified the location of the temple where he would be staying and started walking towards it, enjoying the lively night market of this Buddhist city as he went.

...

A candlelight flickered at the end of the corridor, and heavy footsteps echoed into the prison cell.

This was a dimly lit cell, only six or seven square meters in size, with three sides made of thick stone walls. At the top of the high walls was a small window, no bigger than a palm, through which the cold moonlight shone into the cell, illuminating one corner.

The moment footsteps sounded outside, the children imprisoned in the cell quickly huddled together, as if this was the only way they could feel a little safe.

The children being detained are all quite young; the oldest is probably only around ten years old, and the youngest is only four or five.

In the corner, a ragged little girl reached out and hugged a child who had come close to her. The two of them lowered their heads and buried their faces together, not daring to look in the direction from which the sound came.

A short while later.

The heavy gate was flung open, and a heavy sack was thrown into the cell. A muffled thud echoed inside, and the voices of adults talking could be heard outside:

"Have you already made some progress so early today?"

"What grade of goods?"

"A four or five-year-old boy, with his hands crossed."

"Wow!!! Did you just snatch it from the owner's hand? How did you manage to get your hands on something like this at this time of year?"

"Hehe, no, I just got lucky, I happened to be peeing there."

"....."

The sounds of men talking outside the cell faded into the distance.

The children imprisoned in the cell also heard the conversation outside, but they didn't dare to leave the corner. They just stared blankly at the sacks being thrown into the cell.

The sound faded completely away, and then there was a sudden movement from the sack on the ground.

A kunai pierced the sack, and a moment later, a boy of about five or six years old crawled out of it.

Shinichi Hinata slowly stood up, rubbed his slightly sore neck, looked around, and took in his surroundings.

The soreness in his neck wasn't from being beaten by human traffickers; that kind of force wouldn't have any effect on a ninja like him. The soreness was simply from maintaining one posture for too long, which was uncomfortable.

The children in the cell could see Shinichi Hyuga's face by the dim moonlight shining through the air vent. When they saw that it was a child who was about the same age as them, the tension and fear on their faces immediately dissipated a little.

Even in such a dimly lit environment, Shinichi Hyuga's vision was not restricted in any way, and he could see everything inside the cell.

He gently tapped the heavy iron gate and listened to the dull thud it made. He knew that conventional methods would not be effective.

"You...you were all arrested, right?"

"Can anyone tell me, among you, who has been imprisoned the longest, and how many days have you been locked up?"

Shinichi Hinata probably realized that he was being targeted by human traffickers, and that the six children in the cell in front of him must have had the same experience as him.

His glare had given him a general idea of ​​the underground chamber. Besides his cell, there were seven other cells in the place, each holding several children of varying ages.

A rough estimate suggests that nearly fifty children were imprisoned in the entire underground area, a truly terrifying number.

The human trafficking ring that abducted him probably has quite a few members.

Shinichi was determined to eliminate this group, but the most important thing right now was to gather intelligence.

Human traffickers don't just take children in and not let them out. Knowing how long these children are detained can give some indication of how long the trafficking cycle is.

If possible, Shinichi wants to strike down the "upstream and downstream" as well.

"Sister Hezi must have been here the longest... She was already here when I was locked up..."

In the corner, a little boy being held tightly in a girl's arms suddenly spoke up. The boy was about the same age as Shinichi, while the girl holding him, judging from her height, was probably eleven or twelve years old, and was likely the oldest child in the cell.

"Hezi?"

Upon hearing the little boy's address to the girl, Shinichi was momentarily stunned, then looked towards the corner of the wall.

The girl named Hezi was noticeably different from the other children present. The other children were all dirty, but Hezi, despite being dressed in rags, had a clean face.

Upon closer inspection, the girl had numerous bruises and injuries, suggesting she had been severely beaten by human traffickers. However, similar marks were rarely seen on the other children in the cell.

Noticing Shinichi's gaze, Kawako lowered her head even further and subconsciously tucked her somewhat tattered clothes into her hands, seemingly out of shyness.

Upon seeing this action, Shinichi's pupils constricted slightly, and he immediately realized something.

"......"

Children of this age wouldn't act this way unless they've personally experienced something. Staying the longest...does that mean she's experienced the most among all these children?

The moment Shinichi saw Qinghezi's face, he had already recognized her.

Isn't this girl named Hezi the missing daughter of that informant?!

The good news is that Hezi is still alive, but the bad news is...

"Don't be afraid, I am a ninja from Konoha Village."

"I will take you out."

Shinichi Hyuga exhaled a heavy breath, showing no intention of asking any further questions, and casually pinned the kunai in his hand to the ground.

With a soft thud as the kunai hit the ground, Shinichi Hyuga's figure vanished from the cell.

"ah??"

"It's gone!"

"It...it's disappeared!!!"

Shinichi Hyuga's sudden disappearance caused the children in the cell to scream in terror. Their screams attracted the attention of the human traffickers, and heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor outside the cell, followed by shouts from the traffickers:

"What are you yelling about! All of you, shut up!"

"Haven't you suffered enough?"

................