A Proper Seven-Foot Man

"Brother Shikaku, you don't look very pleased to see me."

Houka immediately cut off Nara Shikaku's avenue of retreat.

"How could that be? You're the Nara Clan's god of wealth. How could we not welcome you?" Nara Shikaku yawned and replied listlessly, his expression clearly saying, I'm being sarcastic, so don't take it seriously.

With the village's situation so complicated now, Houka coming to find him in person meant that he was surely here to ask for a favor.

Nara Shikaku truly hated trouble, but the Nara Clan held a ten-percent stake in Konoha Fried Chicken. As more and more businesses joined the franchise, the Nara Clan had been raking in money, and every clan member's pockets had grown fat. Ordinary clan members could not repay this favor, so it could only fall to him.

"Go on, then. What do you need from me?" Nara Shikaku sat up from the wooden floor and sighed.

Houka narrowed his eyes. On the way here, he had already come up with a solution that was hardly a solution at all.

"Brother Shikaku, the village's situation has been too complicated lately. I'm a little tired, so I want to leave the village and travel for a while," Houka said.

"I see. Taking on a long-term mission would be enough to meet that condition, wouldn't it?" Nara Shikaku smiled faintly. He did not believe it would be that simple.

"I'd be too lonely on my own, so I want to bring someone along. We can talk on the road and keep each other company," Houka continued.

"Who?" Nara Shikaku's gaze turned slightly serious.

"Don't be so tense. It's an orphan I brought back from outside before. His name is Haku." Houka revealed a foxlike smile.

"Haku?"

Nara Shikaku had no impression of the name at