17 Chapter 17:Proposal pt 1.

Ichigo POV

As night descended we arrived at our destination, it was an insignificant town with no notable features or history, it as bland and boring as could possibly be. Tonight that would change though, if all goes well then tonight will be the night when the underworld was turned upside-down.

Tonight wasn't all it seemed, to those in the loop it was just a desperate bid by Ryōshi's to gain an edge over his rivals, that's what every information broker proclaimed so nobody paid any attention to this meeting. Afterall only small merchants and weak bandits would show up, nobody worth noting in the eyes of serpent's former lieutenants, afterall even if everyone who showed up backed Ryōshi today it'd only be an 80 man strong group with 3rd rate traders worth nothing in their sphere of influence.

Ryōshi was also not known as the smartest when it came to politics, he was the type to rush into a fight and beat down his opponents and he had never shown an interest in the gang's politics until now so his connections and influence, so most saw this as his last ditch effort to gain the seat of leader for himself. That did not mean that they underestimated him though, his three former collegues didn't dare engage him in a fight, they opted to move in the shadows and try to eliminate each other through either politics, assassination or even teaming up with each other.

Of the four, Ryōshi was the one with the most attempts at his life, of the three the one that wanted him dead the most was serpent's second in command, he was also a lietenent but his combat skills fell behind the other three. He more than made up for that through his tactical mind and meticulous planning. As of right now he was in the lead in this power struggle. The man's name was Akira, he was referred to as Akira of the silver tongue.

This was due to his capabilities to negotiate and set up business deals, under his instruction the gang had made millions in profits every year. He was also to take credit for the system used by every crooked noble and ninja in Sora, he used all manner of incentives from bribes, torture and kidnapping to achieve his desired results.

He was also the most worrisome of the three, just like serpernt nobody could find him unless he wanted to be found and even worse he basically had a group of rogue ninja under him. Most were bearly chunin but still against some bandits they would do the job.

Thankfully lord Ryū had assigned me with Ryōshi, I was both thankful and slightly fearful because on one hand I had never shown any skills that suggested I was suitable for this job in front of him. Maybe I should've expected it, to him the insignificant hints were more than enough to judge my capabilities. Afterall luring people to be ambushed required some hefty acting and observation skills.I had also managed to catch his eye so maybe he was grooming me for something?

Whatever it was, it didn't matter, right now I was assigned as his envoy and he strictly told me to deliver excellent results. I didn't want to imagine what would happen if his recent good mood was ruined by my failure. I wouldn't end well for me that's for sure.

This deal had to succeed, too much is at stake for it not to pull through. Even if it evolved into a battle I needed to ensure victory, what use would I be if I escaped and went back empty handed?

Thankfully today's meeting had a high chance of success, afterall nobody would refuse the rare opportunity to become an economic giant in Soragakure through weapon trade, especially with a war going on. Any merchant would jump at the opportunity to gain a monopoly in gun production and distribution.

As to why we didn't approach the bigger companies, lord Ryu figured that they should suffer a little. I had no doubt that those big merchant coalitions would try to get their hands on what we were selling tonight.

Though at the end of the day it was all part of the plan, we needed to make a big statement in order to be taken seriously, but we also didn't want to act unprovoked.

.....

As we entered our meeting location, a small inn. Inside a small crowd of people from different professions. All of the people here had some sort of dealing with serpent's gang and when he died they were deemed as unnecessary by the other lietenents.

This didn't sit well with them since they were most likely to be discarded once a new leader stepped up. Their operations would be given to those under the new leader and they'd be left for dead, so when they received a message that could possibly change their status, they didn't hesitate to show up.

Looking closely at the crowd, I could see some rough looking individuals who were most likely bandits, and scrawny and fat looking men and women with expensive clothes.

Ryoshi stopped up to a small stage, he'd be doing most of the speaking today and I'd be the one to finalize the deals. Ryōshi silently looked down at all those present as he picked up an assault rifle and placed it firmly in his hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're thankful for those who could make it today. As you were all made aware we come with a very great proposal and with your help we could all stand to benefit greatly from this. Ladies and gentlemen, what I offer you is a chance to monopolize an untapped market."He paused and looked at the crowd as the weight of his words settled in.

I'd been traveling with him for almost a month now, he'd managed to show qualities other than fighting during that time. Having some charisma and good leadership skills came second to his skill in fighting. Compared to me or lord Ryū he wasn't that strong, but people outside feard him as the Ryōshi or the hunter so his skills were decent.

"We all know what guns are at this point, very useless and unprofitable utensils against ninja, but what if I told that our views have been wrong? With me now, I have a blueprint, a blueprint to power beyond what we though possible. I can offer you this power, all you have to do is pledge your alligence to me." He continued his speech with fevour as he waved around an assault rifle.

To be honest whenever he waved that thing passed me I got chills, for all my power and skill, one well placed shot and I'd fall like a bag of meat worth nothing. The scariest part was that it could be at the hands of a weakling, only a week of training was enough and anyone could become a soldier with such a weapon circulating in the market, I doubt the war in the elemental nations was going to end anytime soon.

"Sir Ryōshi, if I may be so bold what exactly are you offering us? To our knowledge while muskets are powerful, against a ninja they turn into deadweight scrap." A scrawny man named Akira raised his opinion, the others mumered in agreement to his statement.

"This isn't some simple musket, what I have in my hand is known as a sub machine gun. Namely the P90, and despite its unusual shape, the P90 is an ergonomic weapon and is easy to master. The P90 also has an ammo capacity of 50 bullets, it is also easier to reload and with this a peasant can turn into a soldier ready for battle within a week. So no this isn't some scrap, this is the future a future shaped by those without chakra." Ryōshi preached adamantly as he pitched the gun's capabilities to those present.

As his words dawned on them, everyone started having cold sweat at the implementation of this information, if it was true then the way wars were fought would change forever and anyone who owned the blueprint to this power stood before them, ready to give it away to those who would back him. With such power they would rise in the foodchain.

"I'll give you a day to think this through, for those who'll come back tomorrow night we'll discuss further details. Ryōshi proclaimed and raised his cup of wine before leaving the stage. There was silence for a few minutes before the merchants started talking amongst each other, lots of empty promises were exchanged as people tried adamantly to dissuade other from coming. The less the competition the more profit for those who stayed, tonight would be restless that's for sure.

Like that the first night ended on a very positive note, I left with Ryōshi to our accommodation and fell on my bed, I could still function without sleep for a few weeks but I enjoyed the feeling so I never let go of this habit, not yet anyway.

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I think I'm going to start putting titles of my chapters, anyway please enjoy this chapter