Hayate looked at Cross, who seemed a bit tight on cash, and let out a light chuckle.
"Besides those five million, how much more can you actually scrape together?"
Carlos hesitated for a heartbeat.
"I can pull another million. But even that... it wouldn't be enough to cover the price for a man of your caliber."
He knew the market. To hire Shiranui Hayate, the starting bid for a single head was a million dollars. If the target was high-profile, that price could easily quadruple.
And the Assassin Brotherhood? That wasn't just a hit. That was a war against a thousand-year-old army of elite killers. Wiping out an entire organization was a task most wouldn't touch for tens of millions. Even the Continental wouldn't list such a contract—unless the High Table itself gave the order.
"Let's do this, Mr. Cross," Hayate began, his voice calm and professional.
"You pay three million for the Agency to provide absolute protection for your son. Separately, you pay another three million—plus the formula for your Recovery Wax—and I will personally help you exterminate the Brotherhood."
"As for your son, Wesley... his protection detail ends only when the Brotherhood is ash. But one thing must be clear: any spoils of war found during the raid belong to me."
Recovery Wax?
Carlos shot a glance at Hotaru, assuming she had leaked the secret. After a moment of grim calculation, he nodded.
"Fine. My only goal is to see them destroyed. I have no interest in their legacy."
Then, a flicker of doubt crossed his face.
"But if you come with me to raid their stronghold... who stays to protect my son? The Brotherhood's assassins are ghosts. Their skills are beyond anything a normal man can handle."
Hayate's expression didn't waver.
"Mr. Cross, this is an Agency, not a solo act. I have two exceptionally gifted ninjas on staff. Even Iruka, whom you met outside, will be mobilized."
He leaned in, his tone dropping to a serious note.
"I will deploy a three-man cell led by Iruka, consisting of Rock Lee and Uchiha Sasuke. Their strength is far greater than you can possibly imagine."
Carlos didn't know the names Lee or Sasuke. But he remembered the man with the scar. Iruka carried the gentle aura of a teacher, yet Carlos's instincts screamed at him.
He didn't just see the danger; he felt it.
Throughout his career, Carlos had stayed alive not just through "Bullet Time" or curving his shots, but because of a preternatural danger sense. Seeking a final confirmation, he turned to Hotaru.
"Carlos, you can be completely at ease," Hotaru said firmly.
"With them watching Wesley, he'll be safer than in a high-security vault. If you're still worried... I'll join the squad myself."
Carlos finally exhaled. The tension left his shoulders.
"Alright. We have a deal. Two separate commissions."
"Hotaru," Hayate called out. "Have Iruka bring in two mission scrolls."
"Mr. Hayate, how would you like the payment processed?" Carlos asked.
Hayate shrugged. "Card or cash—both work. This is a legitimate business, Mr. Cross. We pay our taxes on time."
"Card, then. I'll pay the full amount now. The formula for the wax... you'll have it before we move out."
Iruka entered the room shortly after, drafting the details of both the protection and the extermination contracts. Carlos signed the scrolls, provided his son's location, and left the office.
The protection detail was set to begin tomorrow. The raid? That would wait for Carlos's signal.
Once the door clicked shut, Hotaru turned to Hayate, a shadow of worry in her eyes.
"Hayate, are you really going through with this? I know I brought him here, but... the Brotherhood?"
"The risk is immense. These people aren't like Continental hitmen who aim for the chest. They go for headshots, every single time. Your bulletproof suits won't save you if a bullet takes your head off."
Hayate smiled, a calm, chilling confidence radiating from him.
"Hotaru, trust your Boss. I wouldn't have offered the contract if I wasn't certain I could close it. Don't worry."
Seeing she was still uneasy, he steered the conversation.
"Starting tomorrow, you're part of a four-person squad with Iruka. Watch your own back out there."
"And one more thing," Hayate added. "Keep an ear out for news on John Wick. The moment you hear his house has been blown to pieces, I want to know immediately."
"The Boogeyman? He just killed Viggo. Who would be insane enough to bomb his house after that?"
Hayate's smile widened.
"There is never a shortage of people with a death wish. Just look at Viggo's son."
Hotaru sighed, patting her forehead.
"Right. Welcome to America—land of the idiots. Fine, Boss. But I expect a massive bonus for this!"
"No problem."
After Hotaru left, Hayate picked up the two scrolls and opened his system interface. He accessed the Mission Center.
Since he could only process one active high-level contract at a time, he registered the protection mission first.
System Analysis:
Mission: Protect Wesley Gibson
Rank: B-Rank
Rewards: 2,000 Reputation, 200,000 Copper Coins, 1x Common Chest.
Hayate was satisfied. Chests were a gamble, but they could yield anything from gold to ninja fragments.
As for the second contract—the extermination—he would submit it once Lee and Sasuke finished their current D-rank chores. He had a strong premonition: wiping out a thousand-year-old sect of assassins would easily be an A-Rank Mission.
Walking back into the main office, he watched Hotaru and Iruka huddled over a map, already calculating the Brotherhood's next move. The gears of war were turning.