章節 98: Chapter 99 Unlimited Debt

"What the hell are you saying from the start? Just die already!" Tayuya didn't believe Naruto's nonsense at all.

"I'm serious." Naruto's tone returned to normal again, "If you go back now, you'll probably just end up rotting in some corner."

"The Sound Four are no more. So, where does your significance lie now?"

"You…" Tayuya clenched her fists, "Impossible, you must be lying to me again! Damn it!"

Naruto paused, then spread his hands and said, "I have no reason to deceive you. Orochimaru has many good children, so he doesn't need you. Do you really want to go back? Or rather, have you already considered the consequences of going back?"

"Stop talking!" Tayuya punched a tree, leaving a large hole in it, "No matter what you say, I'll never betray Orochimaru-sama!"

With the flute in her hand, Tayuya's eyes were filled with killing intent.

"If I kill you, I can go back!"

Hearing this, Naruto paused slightly and responded with a simple 'oh'.

"That won't do."

"No one's asking your opinion, bastard!" Tayuya was starting to lose it.

She couldn't beat him, and she couldn't run away.

'Is there something wrong with this guy?! No, I had to get rid of him, or else my will would start to waver. What is he even talking about?'

'Forget it, forget it! He is just a lowly Genin. For the sake of the red bean bun, I'll just scare him off!'

"How much are you willing to pay?"

"Hm?"

Seeing Naruto's confused expression, a hint of pride flashed across Tayuya's face, as if she had found a weak spot.

"Oh? Are you starting to back off at the mention of money? Talking about buying my soul, ha ha ha." Tayuya said deliberately, "My soul is very expensive."

"What did Orochimaru give you? I can give you the same." Naruto said, "Sell your soul to me, and I'll pay you triple."

"I just want money." Tayuya said.

Naruto was silent for a while, took a deep breath, and seemed to make a decision before asking through gritted teeth, "How much are you willing to sell your soul for?"

This question left Tayuya stunned, 'Yes, how much would my soul cost?'

Tayuya's small, clever mind quickly calculated a price that Naruto could not afford.

She thought, 'I'll just use this as an excuse to scare this lunatic off, then figure out how to escape.'

'Since Uchiha Sasuke had already escaped, even if I was the only one left of the Sound Four, the mission would still be considered complete. I am Orochimaru-sama's subordinate, I didn't have time to waste playing games with this guy.

"One thousand... no, ten thousand ryo!"

Without saying a word, Naruto produced a bundle of ten thousand ryo bills that unfolded like a blooming flower in his hand.

"Where did you get that money from?"

Tayuya was dumbfounded. After a moment of panic, she managed to speak, "I... I've changed my mind. Who would sell their soul for a mere ten thousand ryo?! How naive, I meant thirty thousand ryo, you bastard."

With a swish, Naruto raised his other hand, and another bundle of bills bloomed like a flower.

" Ah!! I mean... fifty thousand ryo!"

With a whoosh, a handful of banknotes appeared in Naruto's hand.

Tayuya was instantly petrified, frozen in place for a long time, her lips trembling.

"One hundred thousand ryo."

The stack of banknotes in Naruto's hand grew thicker and thicker, far exceeding one hundred thousand ryo. He eventually began tossing the money into the forest. Halfway through, Tayuya finally couldn't bear it any longer.

"Stop it!" Tayuya squatted on the tree trunk, her face twisted with frustration.

She started to regret ever accepting Naruto's offerings in the first place, and felt a pang of pain for suddenly realizing the true value of money.

'If I hadn't been idle that time, waiting around for him just to get some grilled meat, if I hadn't spent that month following him around, eating and drinking, then maybe...'

'This was simply a trap set by an evil god, setting me up step by step.'

'But I had eaten so much that she couldn't forget the food. I had planned to go back and get some money to buy food, but why did this guy have to say those things?'

'Maybe I couldn't go back anymore, as I would no longer be valuable to Orochimaru-sama. The fate of a useless pawn is just to be discarded.'

'But with this guy... there's endless food!'

Naruto kept throwing money, his movements showing no hesitation.

"Don't throw it away! Don't throw it away!" Tayuya couldn't bear it anymore. She stood up on the tree trunk, the curse mark receding from her body as she crouched down, hugging her knees, and started to cry, "Why did you tell me that? It's not even my money! I could never spend it all!"

"You're throwing so much, I can't possibly pick it all up! Waaaah!!"

"You seem to have no concept of money." Naruto suddenly stopped tossing the bills, as if something occurred to him, "Do you even know how much ten million ryo is?"

"Get lost!" Tayuya shouted through her tears, her temper as prickly as a wild cat with its fur standing on end.

Naruto wasn't angered by this. He jumped over to the tree trunk where Tayuya was standing, landing in front of her. He looked down at Tayuya with a calm expression, asking her once again, "How about selling your soul to me for 100,000 ryo?"

"Shut up! If you keep talking, I'll kill you! Waaaah, my money!!"

"Tayuya, Orochimaru doesn't need a child like you." Naruto's eyes had no emotion, and his gaze fell on Tayuya's curled up body.

"Sell your soul to me, and you'll be my only debtor."

"Do you know what that means?" Naruto continued in an unhurried tone, as if tempting a solitary, grumpy black cat with food.

"Unlimited debt."

Tayuya was silent for a while, then slowly lifted her head to meet Naruto's gaze. Her eyes were brimming with tears, her red hair hanging over her shoulders. She no longer showed any hostility or tantrums. She just stared at him for a long time before finally asking, "What does that mean?"

"It means exactly what it says," Naruto looked down at her from above as he said, " Sell me your soul and faith, and in addition to the 100,000 ryo, you will also receive the right to lend unlimited debts."

"Can I not pay it back?" Tayuya was also stunned.

"Unfortunately, no." Naruto narrowed his eyes and showed a sly, villainous smile, "Debt means obligation, and I gain the right to control your life."

"The higher the debt, the greater your obligation, and the more control I have over you."

"For example, if you owe me one hundred ryo, you'll have to peel an apple for me."

Tayuya seemed to understand. She sat on the tree trunk, looked up at Naruto, and showed a disdainful expression, "I'm not doing that."

"Yes, a debt of one hundred ryo allows you to refuse any request you don't want to fulfill." Naruto said, "At one thousand, you can still refuse, at ten thousand ryo, you can refuse moderately, at one hundred thousand ryo, you must obey general requests, and at ten million ryo…"

As he said this, Naruto leaned in closer, his face nearly touching Tayuya's. He stared directly into her eyes, squinting with a sly smile and said, "I'm really looking forward to the moment when I can completely control your life."

"Are you Jashin?" Tayuya instinctively leaned back, trying to avoid Naruto's piercing gaze. (T/N: Jashin means Evil God.)