"What could possibly be going on?"
Shinku chuckled as he poured the elder a cup of tea.
He wasn't stupid.
He knew perfectly well his interview performance had been a mess, yet he'd still been hired.
That meant the Academy hadn't hired him for him.
I mean—what advantage did a "stinky mission runner" have?
Shinku decisively performed a sacred severance from his former self.
Thanks, past me.
I've made it onto shore now.
I've got nothing to say to you, you stinky mission runner.
Since they weren't looking at him, that meant someone in his family had something they wanted.
And once he connected that to the god of wealth's little "hobby," Shinku made his decision on the spot.
Free love!
Send his daughter to become the god of wealth's guard—comfortable, easy, and perfect.
Besides, his daughter was already an old maid.
He wished he could marry her off today.
Kurenai's brain stalled.
She was…
Sold off?
"Ahem. That's not how you should put it," the elder said, displeased, tapping the tatami.
The clan head had it exactly right.
Free love.
Whether it worked out or not, she could at least try with the man first.
And honestly, for big shots, three wives and four concubines were so normal it barely even counted as gossip.
Kurenai blinked her big eyes. She didn't feel much resistance, really.
Because the god of wealth was the reason her clan could finally eat their fill.
And the god of wealth was the reason the Yuhi clan had life in it again.
Compared to that dead, suffocating atmosphere they'd been living in before, she liked this far more.
And she was an old maid—she was anxious, too.
She'd even snapped once while out on a mission.
She couldn't stand anyone calling her an old maid.
They said the god of wealth's eldest son was into men.
That alone made Kurenai pretty satisfied.
She liked handsome guys.
Of course, if he had some refinement and depth, even better.
"All right, Kurenai. Tomorrow you'll submit an application to go live with the god of wealth's eldest son."
"Then… do I still take missions to earn money?"
The moment she said it, both the elder and Shinku's faces turned sour.
That damn Third Hokage… he really did people dirty.
To be fair, taking missions for money used to be workable.
There were two kinds of missions.
Konoha-issued missions, and bounty missions.
Bounty missions were posted by merchants, villagers, shop owners—do the job that day, get paid that day.
But Konoha-issued missions were the problem.
Those came from the top.
Back then, even if they dragged their feet, the money eventually came.
But now—ever since the higher-ups got buried under debt—every time you went to collect your pay, the Third Hokage would hit you with the same line:
"It's not that we won't pay. We'll pay gradually, slowly, in order, with adjustments.
Those in difficulty get paid first. Those with merit get paid first.
We also have to pay based on circumstances, not blindly.
That way, earlier payments can drive later payments."
Dog-blooded nonsense…
And who knew which blockhead had coached the Third Hokage into saying that garbage.
It created one obvious result.
Nobody wanted to touch Konoha-issued missions.
But bounty missions?
Those were so competitive people would fight like rabid dogs over them.
"Fine! Fine! Then put the missions down! Put them all down—!"
Shinku genuinely wanted to curse.
Because bounty missions were too competitive and Konoha-issued missions were getting ignored, the Third Hokage came up with a rotten trick:
Only after you'd done enough Konoha-issued missions would you be "rewarded" with a bounty mission you could actually use to earn money.
At this point…
How much mission pay did the higher-ups owe that still hadn't been delivered?
Even Kurenai could see it clearly.
Konoha-issued mission pay was probably fed to the dogs. You weren't getting it back.
"Fine. I'll apply tomorrow," Kurenai said after thinking it over.
She'd go try her luck with the god of wealth.
If she got approved, great. If she didn't, she'd stage an "accidental" encounter.
A chance like this didn't come often—an actual opportunity to marry out—so she was in a hurry, too.
After all…
A suitable match who wouldn't look down on her family situation might only exist in one place: the god of wealth.
As for Asuma…
Shinku's mouth nearly twisted off his face in sheer terror.
Girl!
That man is not someone you can afford to get involved with!
That damn wastrel—he came out the gate and immediately screwed his father out of 3.5 billion!
Is that someone our clan can provoke?!
"Huh?" Kurenai went blank.
I didn't say I'd give him a chance?
I haven't even talked to him.
Where are you getting these rumors?
The next day.
Hokage Tower, the office.
The Third Hokage stared at Shinku in disbelief.
What the hell?
A blockhead like you got hired by the Academy?
You, a stinky mission runner—do you even know how to teach?
"Third Hokage-sama, don't worry! If I don't know something, I can learn!"
Learn your—!
For a moment, the Third Hokage genuinely didn't know whether to curse.
The system wasn't even the same—what were the odds he could really learn it?
And a jonin, a proper combat asset, being recruited to teach… what a waste of manpower.
Sure, there weren't many missions for jonin right now, but seeing jonin sitting idle still irritated him.
Why aren't you workhorses busy?
Does that look right to you?
"Ahem. There's one more thing, Third Hokage-sama," Shinku added. "My daughter wants to apply to become Lord Kangetsu's guard-nin."
The Third Hokage's expression immediately went sideways.
You've got a lot of business today, don't you?
But the second he heard it was an application to guard his family's moneybag, his face transformed instantly.
Oh?
Protecting my moneybag?
That's a good thing!
Why didn't you say so earlier?!
People with that kind of initiative, that kind of awareness, that kind of resolve—there weren't many left.
As for guarding his moneybag, the Third Hokage wanted as many layers as he could get.
"Kurenai that old—" he coughed, "—young lady, right?
Good. Approved. I'll sign it right now."
Shinku hurriedly bowed, grinning, and thanked him.
As for that almost-said "old," Shinku chose to ignore it.
His girl was an old maid—what, people weren't allowed to say it?
And if the one saying it was the Third Hokage, there was even less reason to argue.
Shinku understood: this was the Third Hokage reminding him.
Old maid. Time to marry out.
Konoha needed population.
High-quality population.
A twenty-year-old still waiting at home? That wasn't acceptable.
With the signature in hand, Shinku's heart leapt.
That easy?
Wasn't it said the competition to be the god of wealth's security detail was fierce?
The Third Hokage just smiled, sipped his tea, and said nothing.
He'd heard the "rumors" coming out of the Academy, too.
His "good boy's" little hobby—he didn't oppose it in principle, and in practice, he supported it.
Subordinates needed little hobbies.
It was positive reinforcement. Motivated the people under them.
As for Asuma…
The Third Hokage shook his head.
He'd opposed his second son having that kind of idea from the start.
The son of the Third Hokage should marry into a matching household.
A noble family in the Land of Fire would be perfect.
And when it came to political marriage, it would never be the Yuhi clan's turn—what with them being a fallen, broken-down bunch…
(End of Chapter)
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