The Land of Waves Affair

"This is really a headache."

Hatake Sakumo sat in his seat, bobbing his head a few times.

"Eh, I never thought that Fourth Generation, who is renowned throughout the Shinobi World, would have such a headache."

Nara Shikaku joked after seeing Sakumo's performance.

"Don't make fun of me, Shikaku- san. You're supposed to be famous throughout the Shinobi World, but you were beaten so badly by a little kid that you couldn't get out of bed for months."

When Sakumo talked about his dark past, he did so very naturally, as if the person lying in bed wasn't him at all.

"So, what happened?"

Shikaku, realizing he couldn't continue joking with the former Hokage, quickly steered the conversation back on track.

Just as he said this, the sun outside the window was blocked by a cloud, and the originally clear sky was instantly shrouded in gloom.

The entire room's color scheme changed instantly.

"A request from the Land of Waves: an old man named Tazuna has issued C-rank mission, seeking to hire ninjas to escort him back to the Land of Waves."

When Sakumo mentioned "the Land of Waves," he emphasized the pronunciation.

Shikaku showed a knowing expression.

"The Land of Waves, huh? That means this matter is connected to Gato."

Reaching out to take the paper Sakumo handed him, Shikaku expression.

"In other words, you're hesitating whether you should antagonize Gato, or rather, the group behind Gato."

Remembering Gato's identity, Shikaku understood Sakumo's dilemma.

Gato is not a threat; what they fear are the various forces behind Gato.

A businessman who can smuggle various contrabands and seize the property and land of other countries right under the noses of several major powers relies on his role as a front man for these major powers.

Otherwise, how could Gato have lorded over the Land of Waves for so many years with just his group of samurai and ronin?

"The Land of Waves, the Land of Water, the Land of Islands, the Land of the Sea, the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, the Land of Birds..."

One country after another was named by Shikaku, outlining the entire network of the Gato Group's maritime empire.

To oppose Gato is to oppose the Daimyo, and to oppose countless rulers of nations.

Based on these factors alone, the wisest choice for Konoha would be to refuse this request.

But Shikaku understood that Sakumo was playing the victim in front of him, and that wasn't the kind of answer he wanted.

"If the Land of Waves can successfully complete the bridge, it will be entirely beneficial to Konoha."

Shikaku briefly analyzed the gains and losses. "After the bridge is built, Konoha's goods can be transported to the Land of Waves, and then smuggled to various parts of the Shinobi World through the Gato Group's smuggling channels."

After listening to Shikaku's account, Sakumo raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

The goods that Shikaku was referring to were obviously not legitimate items, otherwise they wouldn't have been transported through smuggling channels.

What exactly is Konoha producing these days?

Sakumo turned his head to look at the chimney outside the window that was constantly emitting steam day and night, watching helplessly as the white steam disappeared into the clouds.

"Since it's C-rank mission, who should we send?"

Sakumo smiled, a very gentle smile.

Seeing that the other party agreed, Shikaku breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think Asuma's team is a good fit, and most importantly, his surname Sarutobi."

Shikaku's idea was simple: the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire were close by, so the daimyo of the Land of Fire must also have some connection with the other.

Sending Asuma there would allow them to leverage the bonds of the Sarutobi Clan to negotiate with the daimyo of the Land of Fire should the future daimyo come to their aid.

"Alright, have Asuma come over, and also have Anko come over."

Sakumo agreed to Shikaku's suggestion, but he also made a new request: to call Anko over as well.

"Yes."

The Anbu appeared at the opportune moment and took over the task of calling for reinforcements.

"We still need to..."

"I don't think it's necessary. It's more realistic this way. After all, we didn't know that this matter would be related to the Gato Group, and we didn't know that the Gato Group also had connections with the Daimyo's Mansion."

After hearing Shikaku's words, Sakumo laughed even more heartily, "What if they don't believe me?"

Shikaku also smiled, "They have no choice but to believe it."

As Sakumo smiled, he thought to himself, "Shikaku isn't like this when he's working for me."

If Shikaku could hear Sakumo's thoughts, he would surely cry out in injustice, "Don't you even know how loyal your Hatake Clan is? If I were to assassinate a daimyo right in front of you, wouldn't you skin me alive with your White Fang Blade?"

The selection of personnel for the mission to the Land of Waves is very important.

First, one must be strong enough. Although most of Gato's subordinates are weaklings like samurai and ronin, he sometimes hires ninjas at high salaries to serve him. Sending an ordinary Chunin squad would obviously not be a match for them.

Secondly, the strength cannot be too great. If a combat force led by Jonin is sent, it will reveal that Konoha knows the difficulty of this mission. Not only will that person have a hard time explaining, but Tazuna himself will also feel suspicious.

For such a small amount of money, I can get protection from Konoha's elite troops. This service is simply terrifying.

Therefore, the only ones that can be dispatched are the Jonin squads.

This leads to the third reason: this mission is very likely to involve combat with the enemy. Although it is somewhat dangerous, it is also a rare opportunity for real combat. At the same time, the mission level will definitely increase after the mission is completed, which will be a good opportunity to boost one's experience.

Clearly, Sakumo wanted to give this opportunity to enhance his resume to Naruto.