Xuandou withdrew his gaze.
"Miss Mabui, with all due respect, Darui is worth far more than fifteen billion."
"A future Raikage, a Storm Release user, a commander capable of leading vast armies..."
"Our asking price is already very low."
Mabui fell silent.
She looked at the Raikage. His face was livid, but he did not argue.
Xuandou turned his gaze to the last person.
"And then there's this one, Yugito Nii."
Yugito Nii suddenly trembled slightly at his words.
"For this woman, we're asking fifty billion ryo."
Dead silence fell over the gathering.
Yugito Nii jerked her head up, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Fifty billion?
She had served as Kumogakure's Jinchūriki for so many years, completed countless S-rank missions, and risked her life time and again, yet she had never earned that much money!
Was she really worth that much?
Pah!
That damned Xuandou was clearly demanding an outrageous price!
Across from them, however, the Raikage suddenly spoke.
"We don't want Yugito Nii anymore."
"We'll give this Jinchūriki to Hidden Xuan Village and only ransom Darui and the other shinobi. Can you lower the price?"
Didn't want her anymore?
Yugito Nii froze, her mind completely blank.
Those words cut into her chest like a knife.
There was no bargaining, no hesitation, not even another glance at her.
He had simply said, without the slightest fuss, that they did not want her anymore.
She had imagined the Raikage would negotiate, that he would bargain as he had for Darui, that he would say fifty billion was too much and ask whether the price could be lowered.
She had even imagined that perhaps the Raikage would look troubled, fall silent for a moment, or make some gesture to show that she had value in Kumogakure.
But he had not.
There had