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"You old geezer really are 'ancient in years, short on truth!'" Shikamaru looked down at Tazuna and snarked, a rare sneer coloring his tone.
"Baka yaro!" Kiba lunged, seizing Tazuna by the collar and hoisting the old man's upper body off the floor. Akamaru bared his fangs, letting out a menacing growl that vibrated through the floorboards. "What do you take our lives for? You still expect us to help you? If you hadn't lied about the mission rank, Kurenai-sensei would never have been hurt!"
Kiba's roar echoed through the cramped room. Tazuna turned a sickly shade of green as he was shaken like a rag doll. The shameless, bully-fearing old man was left speechless for once.
"Kiba, let the geezer go."
A sharp reprimand cut Kiba short. Everyone turned to Kakashi, but the silver-haired Jonin just innocently spread his hands—he hadn't been the one to shout. Shino silently stepped aside as the door slid open.
Asuma Sarutobi stepped in, fury blazing across his face as never before. The cigarette pinched between his fingers was crumpled into a mess of tobacco and paper; his eyes looked cold enough to freeze the room.
"Kiba, move," Asuma's voice was frighteningly calm. "Let me beat him to death."
If the old man hadn't falsified the mission rank, Kurenai would never have accepted it—never have been injured. Kiba released Tazuna and stepped back. Akamaru, who had just clamped his jaws on the old man's leg, let go and obediently cleared the way for the Sarutobi heir.
"You can't do this! I'm Konoha's client—you can't kill me!" Tazuna sat sprawled, scrabbling backward on hands and feet, terror written across his face.
"Our assignment is to escort you to the Land of Waves," Shino adjusted his sunglasses, the lenses flashing an icy glint. "The moment you set foot here, our mission is technically complete."
"But we still have to settle the score for your deceit," Asuma added, his knuckles white.
Just as Asuma raised his fist, a long-haired woman burst from the inner room and threw herself around Asuma's leg. "Please don't kill my father!" The woman lifted her tear-streaked face, voice trembling yet resolute. She was Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami.
Asuma froze. He'd gladly pummel the old man for lying, but striking an innocent woman—Asuma couldn't bring himself to do it.
"I… I'll pay! I'll commission you to deal with that Demon and Gato—A-rank or even S-rank! Once the Great Bridge is finished, I'll have the money!" Tazuna blurted, his voice quavering.
"You can cough up a Million Ryo?" Kakashi raised a skeptical brow.
"Yes! Once the bridge opens, two million, three million—anything!" Tazuna promised, clutching his daughter like a shield.
"Asuma, let him keep breathing for now," Kakashi said. An extra commission fee made sparing the old man far more profitable. Killing him would only tarnish Konoha's name. Kakashi's thoughts drifted to past events—reputation was something Konoha prized, yet it often tied their hands. "You and Kurenai are about to marry, right? You two take seventy percent of the pay; I'll cover the mission desk's cut."
The offer cooled Asuma slightly. Konoha's cost of living was brutal. Earnings in ryo, expenses in ryo! Just Asuma's Chakra Blades cost tens of millions to forge. But Asuma didn't stop immediately; he kept a hand around Tazuna's neck. He cared nothing for the money; his father would fund his wedding regardless.
"Kakashi-sensei, are you short on money too?" Sakura whispered.
"Who isn't short on money?" Kakashi sighed. "Ninja-tool wear, Military Ration Pills, and—" He cut himself off, remembering the limited edition of The Romantic Ninjutsu Tales of Shimura. "Anyway, you'll each pocket at least fifty thousand ryo."
Sakura's eyes sparkled. Fifty thousand! Six hundred times more than her last pay!
"Asuma, don't do it," Kurenai's weak voice drifted from the inner room.
Asuma finally released the old man. Tsunami hesitantly supported her gasping father, retreating to the corner.
"Kurenai's right," Asuma drew a deep breath. "Right now we need a plan to deal with Zabuza."
Kakashi turned to Tazuna. "Since you promised S-rank pay, we'll treat this as an S-rank mission. However, if you can't produce the money afterward... you know the consequences."
Tazuna nodded frantically, cold sweat soaking his collar. Forced marching had compressed the three-day trip into one; everyone was exhausted. Even Naruto looked weary. Kakashi and Asuma decided to rest for a day.
"Kurenai and I will take one room; the rest of you sort yourselves out," Asuma said, returning to Kurenai's side.
Kakashi surveyed the seven remaining Genin. "Two bedrooms left—one's Tazuna's bridge-design studio, the other's storage. Pair up. I'll bunk with Mr. Tazuna—convenient for 'protecting' the client." He stressed the word "protecting," making Tazuna shrink in fright.
"Big Sis Tsunami and her son Inari can share; that leaves the studio for the girls and the storage for us boys," Kiba suggested, eyeing the dusty storage room.
Naruto looked at the narrow storage space and then at the five boys: himself, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba. Five growing boys in one storage room. He sighed. This was going to be a long night.
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