Chapter Fifty-Five: Utterly Tasteless

“So, what do you think? Would you like to hire me?” Yuu Higashino repeated to Karin’s mother what he had previously discussed with Karin.

“Is there really a place for us over there?” Karin’s mother asked with some apprehension. “I did think about going to the Leaf Village before, but her father always said that when the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, the Leaf did nothing to help us. Even if we sought refuge there, we might not be accepted.”

Karin’s mother had endured a difficult life. Her homeland, the Land of Whirlpools, had been destroyed when she was a child, forcing her into a life of constant flight. During her escape, she met Karin’s father, and together they had Karin. But soon after, her husband died, leaving mother and daughter to drift into the Land of Grass, where their lives were no better.

“There should be,” Yuu replied. “The Land of Whirlpools was once an ally to the Land of Fire, and when it fell, the Leaf’s lack of intervention was a stain on their reputation. If you walk openly into the Leaf Village, I believe they’ll treat you well for the sake of their image.”

If it were any other ninja village, the outcome for Karin and her mother would be uncertain. But the Leaf was different. No matter how much darkness or corruption lurked behind its doors, the Leaf always presented itself as the torchbearer of the Will of Fire, of peace and friendship.

So, in Yuu’s opinion, the Leaf would treat Karin and her mother decently—perhaps even use them as a demonstration of how well they treated former allies.

And if things didn’t go as Yuu expected, that was fine too. He could always take them somewhere else. The Land of Rain, for example, would suffice—he was, after all, still a member of the Akatsuki.

Seeing that Karin’s mother was still hesitating, Yuu added, “I’ve already told Karin how prosperous the Leaf Village is. She’s really eager to see it for herself.”

After a moment of internal struggle, Karin’s mother finally seemed to come to a decision.

“Very well, sir. We’d like to hire you to help us leave the Grass Ninja Village.”

Perhaps her recent brush with death had extinguished any last hope she had for the village of Grass. She couldn’t imagine what might become of them if they stayed.

“All right, the fee is one thousand ryo.”

“No problem. Thank you for your trouble,” Karin’s mother replied, showing no surprise at the price, having realized that Yuu was genuinely helping them.

“Sir…” Karin’s mother hesitated, then finally asked, “Are you from the Leaf Village?”

“No, as I said before, I’m a wandering ninja. I suggested the Leaf simply because it seems the most promising place for you to find shelter.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean any offense. It’s just… for people like us to receive help from someone like you feels almost unreal.”

“It’s nothing, just an ordinary job. That’s what wandering ninjas do.”

Having made their arrangements, Yuu watched as Karin and her mother returned home to pack. Though none of the items in their house seemed valuable to Yuu, for them—who had nothing—every possession was precious.

Shortly after Karin and her mother left, an unexpected visitor arrived.

“Kusa Kage?” Yuu looked at the man before him, whose hat bore the character for “grass.”

The whole “Kage hat” attire was clearly imitated from the Five Great Nations, though having “grass” written on the hat looked somewhat odd.

“That’s me,” the Grass Kage replied humbly.

Before coming to Yuu, he had visited the mountain that Yuu had split in two. Standing at the bottom of the canyon, looking up at the narrow slice of sky, he could almost see the scene of Yuu cleaving the mountain—a force that could not be faced or resisted.

“Is there something you want?” Yuu asked.

“Nothing in particular. I just wanted to let you know that the commission fee of one hundred million ryo is ready. We’ll deliver it to you shortly.”

“Good. I’m about ready to leave anyway.”

“You’re leaving, sir?” The Grass Kage’s feelings toward Yuu were complicated. On one hand, he hoped Yuu would stay longer—who would dare invade the Land of Grass with Yuu present? On the other hand, he wished Yuu would leave soon. Someone so powerful and unpredictable lingering in their village was unnerving.

Ultimately, however, he knew that regardless of his wishes, the decision of when Yuu would depart was not his to make.

“Yes,” Yuu answered, and then brought up Karin’s situation. “There are two survivors from the Land of Whirlpools in your village. I’m taking them with me. Is that a problem?”

The Grass Kage froze for a moment, then replied immediately, “No, no problem at all. Sir, you may take whomever you wish.”

Yuu said nothing more. Seeing that the conversation was over, the Grass Kage quickly excused himself.

After he left, Ryūzetsu arrived.

She brought Yuu his commission fee—ten thousand ryo.

Yuu accepted the money without much conversation. After all, he had already taken advantage of her as much as he could.

When Ryūzetsu had gone, the people sent by the Grass Kage to deliver the money arrived.

The money was packed into a large chest and brought over on a cart.

Yuu carried the money into the courtyard, then looked at Kakuzu, who approached.

“As promised, it’s all yours.”

Kakuzu eagerly opened the chest, his eyes lighting up at the sight of all that cash.

But gradually, as he noticed Yuu’s indifferent expression, his excitement faded.

Remembering how Yuu had conjured up money before, Kakuzu suddenly found all this cash rather meaningless.

Once, Kakuzu loved money because, after so many years, it seemed the only thing he could truly trust.

But now, he realized, even money could be fake.

So, perhaps the method of creating money was more reliable than money itself.

“Sir, you’d better take care of this,” Kakuzu suddenly said.

Yuu looked at him in surprise. Kakuzu refusing money was as inconceivable as Naruto giving up his dream of becoming Hokage.

Sensing Yuu’s astonished gaze, Kakuzu explained, “The chest is too large. If I’m to keep following you, sir, it’ll be too cumbersome to carry around.”

“…All right,” Yuu replied, then used his transformation technique to shrink the chest and slip it into his pocket.

“I’ll just hold onto it for now,” Yuu said to Kakuzu, knowing he had little use for the money himself.

“…Fine,” Kakuzu replied, his feelings mixed. He never imagined there would come a day when money would be passed back and forth like this—least of all by himself.

With everything settled, and after waiting a bit longer, Karin and her mother finally returned, each carrying a small bundle on their back.