Was He Worth Two Million Ryo?

Early in the morning, before the sky had fully brightened, the Hyuga household's gates were pushed open.

Hyuga Hiashi left in a hurry, dark circles hanging heavily beneath his eyes.

Because of Kanami, he had not slept well all night. Whenever he fell asleep, he dreamed of his daughter Hinata flirting and bickering with Kanami every day.

Especially when the two of them, half-willing and half-reluctant, were about to press their lips together.

Fortunately, Hyuga Hiashi woke with a start every time it happened.

He could not wait any longer. He had to get Kurenai Yuhi to kick Kanami out as soon as possible.

He moved at incredible speed, leaping from rooftop to rooftop and taking the shortest route in a straight line.

Many people had not even gotten out of bed before they were awakened by the commotion on the rooftops.

They did not need to guess—it was those ninjas again. The townspeople cursed and hurled insults at his family.

But as long as Hyuga Hiashi moved fast enough, the sounds could not reach his ears.

"Whoosh." Hyuga Hiashi leaped down from a rooftop and arrived at Kurenai Yuhi's residence.

Kurenai Yuhi, who was watering the flowers, sensed someone standing outside the door.

She poked her head out through the window and saw Hyuga Hiashi standing there, his face full of urgency.

Kurenai Yuhi was somewhat baffled. She knew Hyuga Hiashi was the head of the Hyuga Clan, but the two had never had much interaction.

"What brings you here?"

Hyuga Hiashi saw Kurenai Yuhi's head poking out.

He hurriedly stepped forward. "Kurenai, there's something I need to discuss with you."

As he came closer, Kurenai Yuhi noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes.

"Please come in and talk."

Kurenai Yuhi set down the watering can in her hand and opened the door.

After entering, Hyuga Hiashi looked as though he did not want to waste even a moment resting and immediately said,

"Kurenai, could you transfer that student named Kanami to another class?"

Kurenai Yuhi raised a brow.

She had been puzzled at first, but she immediately understood why Hyuga Hiashi had come so early.

He was here as a parent to break up a young couple.

"Senior, Kanami's situation is rather special."

"I know. No teacher is willing to take him. Don't worry, I can send one of our clan's elites to teach him."

Hyuga Hiashi thought Kurenai Yuhi was concerned about the bond between teacher and student, so he offered to have a clansman help teach him.

But he had deliberately kept his words vague. A clan elite—who knew whether the "elite" he meant was Jonin or merely Chunin level?

He believed he had already shown enough sincerity, because he had investigated long ago. Kanami had been a dead last at the Ninja Academy, with average aptitude and no displayed talent.

Yet Kurenai Yuhi merely shook her head.

"Senior, you misunderstand. I mean that Kanami is special. In my eyes, he is well worth cultivating."

Hyuga Hiashi froze. He had not expected to be rejected.

Giving up a dead last in exchange for a good relationship with the head of Konoha's strongest Hyuga Clan was a deal that could not possibly lose money.

After thinking it over, he could only conclude that Kurenai Yuhi had noticed what was going on between Hinata and Kanami and had anticipated that he would come knocking. She was using an excuse to demand benefits.

It could not be that Kanami truly had talent, could it?

After considering it, Hyuga Hiashi calmed down considerably. A smile touched his lips. If she only wanted benefits, then the Hyuga Clan's resources could easily satisfy her.

"Afterward, I'll give you one million ryo in my personal capacity."

Kurenai Yuhi frowned. "What do you take me for?"

Not enough?

Hyuga Hiashi said in a low voice, "Two million ryo."

In his eyes, that price had already far exceeded what he expected to spend on a dead last. But for his daughter's sake, he was willing to take a greater loss.

The gentleness in Kurenai Yuhi's eyes turned cold.

"I don't know what exactly I did to make you misunderstand and think I would sell my student. Please leave, Senior."

Hyuga Hiashi's face turned livid. He had not expected her appetite to be so great—two million ryo was still not enough!

Only S-Rank Missions could earn more than a million ryo, and those were missions only Kage Level ninja could accept.

Kurenai Yuhi had only recently become a Jonin. Even if she was strong enough to complete A-Rank Missions alone, an A-Rank Mission generally paid one hundred fifty thousand ryo. She would need to complete more than a dozen missions to earn two million ryo.

That was not even accounting for the danger and time costs involved in missions.

Even if she took ordinary B-Rank Missions worth eighty thousand ryo each, it would take even more of her time, and the danger went without saying.

If she gave up high-risk missions in pursuit of lower profits and took thirty-thousand-ryo C-Rank Missions and five-thousand-ryo D-Rank Missions, she would still need to work continuously for around three months to earn two million ryo.

He abruptly rose to his feet and said coldly, "Hmph, a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Is a worthless student really worth two million ryo?"

Kurenai Yuhi knew that he was the head of the Hyuga Clan, so she had always addressed him politely as Senior and had not wanted to make an enemy of him.

But in Kurenai Yuhi's eyes, his actions were an insult to her.

Kurenai Yuhi rose as well and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Kanami is a student I chose myself. In my eyes, he is no worse than Neji Hyuga."

Ever since enrolling, Neji Hyuga had been hailed as the Hyuga Clan's most talented youth. Yet only the Hyuga Clan knew what a huge joke that was—the Hyuga name had actually been upheld by a genius from the Branch House.

Hyuga Hiashi's expression darkened. Neji Hyuga had always been a thorn in his heart.

Although Neji Hyuga belonged to the Branch House, he had no choice but to acknowledge his talent.

"A piece of trash who barely graduated from the Ninja Academy—what makes him better than Neji?"

In his eyes, this was merely an excuse Kurenai Yuhi had invented for her greed, and it was a laughably absurd excuse.

Kurenai Yuhi looked at him coldly and said, "The piece of trash you speak of has already learned Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu."

"It's only a C-Rank Ninjutsu. It merely shows that he works hard."

"Have you ever seen a newly graduated Genin casually unleash a Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu five meters in diameter?"

Hyuga Hiashi chuckled. "Hmph, so what if it's five meters?"

Wait.

"Five meters in diameter?!"

Hyuga Hiashi's eyes widened.

Being able to unleash a fireball five meters in diameter was enough to prove that he had mastered Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu. Even Sasuke, the well-known genius as famous as Neji, would find it difficult to achieve that.

Five meters was already Kanami holding back. In truth, he could easily spew out a fireball ten meters wide, and the chakra it consumed was negligible.

Could he really not be worthless?

Hyuga Hiashi found it somewhat strange.

"Then why did he establish the image of a dead last?"

Kurenai Yuhi shook her head slightly as well. "I'm not sure either. Maybe it's just his personality."

Hyuga Hiashi's expression eased. "Sorry. I misunderstood earlier, and my tone was a little harsh."

"This junior understands that you're only being protective of your daughter. Rest assured, Senior, I won't let them fool around."

Seeing him take the initiative to apologize, Kurenai Yuhi gave him an out. At the same time, she gave him reassurance by stating that she would keep a closer eye on Hinata.

Whether she would actually keep an eye on Hinata afterward would depend on Kurenai Yuhi's mood. Hyuga Hiashi had no way to control her anyway.

"Sorry for the disturbance."

Hyuga Hiashi turned and left.

He now desperately needed to verify whether what Kurenai Yuhi had said was true.

He quickened his pace back home.

If what Kurenai said is true...