"In this world, the strong prey on the weak—that is the fundamental law. Don't overthink it. The reason I never took you on missions before was also because of this. What you encounter on missions is far crueler than the bloodshed and killing you imagine. Generally speaking, there are only a few kinds of missions we take on: assassination, searching for items, and escorting. There is nothing much to say about assassination. As long as everyone's missions don't conflict—like you protecting someone I've been hired to kill—then we just exchange greetings when we meet. Escorting people is usually not a problem either. What you need to fear is finding something others covet, or escorting something others covet. When that happens, you'll probably start regretting not training harder. Generally, in the worst-case scenario, there are two possibilities. First, both sides are evenly matched, or the weaker side has a powerful enough backer that the other side does not dare to make a move. Then everyone naturally stays at peace. Second, the gap in strength is obvious, and the weaker side happens to possess something too tempting. Then, well... I'm truly sorry." As Li spoke, he glanced at Kurama Yakumo. "Don't think black-on-black robbery is something so disgraceful. Every circle has its own rules. Once you enter, you follow them. If you suffer a loss, don't cry about it. That way, people will be willing to keep dealing with you. Otherwise, you'd better get the hell out early."
Itachi nodded without saying anything.
After dinner, he noticed that around a dozen veterans had left the group. All of them were around Jonin level, so Itachi had already taken note of them. Now that they had suddenly disappeared, considering what had been discussed earlier, he naturally understood what they had gone to do.