I'm Broke

The headmistress closed the scroll and nodded. She can definitely find some suitable mercenaries for this task, even if it meant that they had to send spies to the fire temple. The duration of the mission is long enough, and the payment is also better than normal.

Yasui was pleased when his mission is accepted. Yasui knew that it won't be easy. In the fire temple, there's a strong foe there. That foe is called Chiriku–a person who is one of the twelve guardian ninja guards for the Land of Fire's daimyo.

Still, he was sure that the money is enough. If the headmistress said that she needed more, he would've definitely cussed at her for being such a money grubber like Hiruzen.

He needed information on Sora solely due to the fact that he wanted the Nine tails chakra inside of Sora. That kid is currently the jinchuriki to the leftover chakra that the nine tails left behind after the attack of the nine tails 8 years ago.

If he can steal the nine tails chakra inside that kid and make it his own, his chakra reserves will increase significantly. All that's left for him to do now is to prepare a sealing jutsu strong enough to contain and control the nine-tail's chakra. However, getting that sealing jutsu will definitely take a long while.

Many of the tailed beast sealing jutsu are not publicly shared amongst the populace. But four years later, he's sure that he can find a sealing jutsu that's strong enough to contain the tailed beast chakra from Sora.

"Is there anything else that you need?"

Seeing that Yasui has yet to leave, the headmistress asked with a questioning face. She wanted to get back to counting her money!

"Yes, I am here to repay Katsumi's debt and free her from this establishment." Yasui took out a gold-layered check and waved it in front of the headmistress.

"What!?" Katsumi–who was standing behind Yasui this whole time–was shocked. He is going to free her from her debt? Why!? How!?

The headmistress's eyes almost popped out when she saw the gold-layered cheque. Anyone who has that gold layered check definitely has deep pockets!

"Lad! Do you even know how much Katsumi's debt is? Here is the official document." The headmistress took out a debt document from her desk.

"Regardless of the price, I will free her." Yasui accepted the debt slip and glanced at the numbers. But sheesh! Five million Ryo! That's five S-class missions at the very least!

It's a good thing that his novel brought in so much revenue. The initial payment for his novel contract is 2 million Ryo, and he managed to earn another 6 million through royalties so far. But he didn't think that he would go broke so quickly to save one person that will potentially be his ally.

Nonetheless, helping Katsumi is possibly also helping himself. He is investing in her, hoping to have her stay by his side and work for him. She definitely didn't have the qualifications, but he can slowly train her.

The most important thing is that she stays loyal. He reckoned that she will definitely stay by his side after he helps her from the lowest point of her life. In a way, this is him being selfish while also being nice…

[A/N: The money may seem like a lot now… but the amount of money that he will move in the future is larger than you can imagine.]

Yasui wrote a cheque for 5 million and handed it to the headmaster. In return, he received a document, saying that Katsumi's debt is now paid, and she no longer owes them anything.

"Is that all, lad? I always welcome more business from you!" The headmistress loved these spend-all rich masters. She'll even jump to the moon if they gave the right price.

"That's all. Let's go, Katsumi. From this day forth, you will no longer work in this establishment." Yasui offered his hands to her.

Katsumi wondered…Could she really accept this? Could she really regain her freedom? Is this what he meant by showing answers to her? If that's so… is it possible for her to see more? Is it… right?

Katsumi's shoulders slumped, and her breath became shallow. Her eyes glistened as she tried to keep them from spilling out. She had done enough crying for the day, and she mustn't let it out. She didn't want to be moody! But today must've been the day that she was destined to cry on.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her delicate features twisted into an expression of mixed feelings. Her muscles were tense as if every emotion was knotted up inside her body. She felt a lump in her throat and her mouth felt dry.

"Don't cry, Katsumi. You're free! Crying too much will add wrinkles to your beautiful face! Haha!" Yasui held her hand as he took her away from the district. He took her away from the life of pain that she detested.

No longer will she be a plaything for others. No longer… will every day of her life be enthralled with bitterness.

"Hick…" Katsumi smiled beautifully as she stepped out of the darkness behind her.

"Be happy, Katsumi. From today forth, you are no longer alone!" Yasui pointed at the sky as if pointing at the future.

"Be proud, Katsumi. You are a survivor in this cruel shinobi world!" Yasui shouted not only for Katsumi, but he also shouted at the cruel world.

"Yeah!!" Katsumi shouted alongside Yasui. The looks of the passerby did not faze her at all! Not anymore!