Chapter 247 - A New B Rank Mission

March 15th. Leaf Village.

It was early morning and Daichi was in training ground 3 meditating. 'In 5 days Naruto and the others will graduate. But what will happen on that day? Will everything go the same or will canon be shot to hell… Since we hadn't gotten a C Rank mission in a while I'm pretty sure I'll get one today and that'll take me out of the village. But for how long? There is a chance that I'll miss their graduation and if anything happens I won't be here to run interference.'

Daichi had been debating on whether or not to leave a Shadow clone behind just in case. 'No. That jutsu reduces my chakra. If Kakashi uses the Sharingan during the mission and sees that my chakra is cut in half then he might have some questions I'd rather not answer.'

Daichi opened his eyes and let out a breath of air. He stood and went near the lake running through the training ground. He stood still and thought about everything and finally made a decision.

'I can't babysit them. If there are any changes and if anything bad happens, then I need to see if Naruto or the others can handle it on their own. For better or worse… I have a feeling I'm going to see the bigger ripple effects of my actions from this point forward. Can I trust them to protect the future or do I need to bear the burden and battle all the enemies myself to make sure the future is secure… What happens on the night of the graduation will decide my course of action in the next couple of years.'

"What's worrying you?" The sudden voice of Kakashi brought the Genin out of his thoughts. The Jonin rarely saw Daichi having such an expression.

The young ninja looked at his sensei and spoke after a few moments of silence. "It's nothing… and maybe everything."

The Jonin raised an eyebrow at the cryptic answer. He thought about anything that could be bothering his student and after a few moments he had an idea. "Your former class is graduating in a few days? Are you worried that your friends won't pass the Genin exam?"

"No. I'm sure they'll pass even the real Genin exam. But I'm worried about what comes after. The giant obstacles and trails some of them would face…"

Kakashi slightly narrowed his eyes at that statement. He knew Daichi was friends with Sasuke and that they would sometimes train together and he also knew from the Hokage that Daichi was aware of Naruto's connection to the Nine tails. 'Are you concerned about Sasuke and Naruto? '

The Jonin spoke. "Daichi, you can't hold their hands every step of the way. No one can. Even we as teachers have limits. There are some things in life that you have to go through on your own. All you can do is trust them and hope that they get through their trials and tribulations and come out stronger."

"Yeah… you're right sensei. Thanks." The Genin said with a small smile. The talk with Kakashi helped and he got out of his funk.

"Come on. Let's get us a C Rank mission."

—-

It was a little after 10 am. Daichi and Kakashi were making their way towards the Hokage tower. The two quickly reached their destination and were soon granted an audience with the kage.

Hiruzen looked at the two ninjas and spoke. "I have a B Rank mission that I think would be best suited for the two of you."

Kakashi glanced at his student and Daichi just shrugged his shoulders. "B rank huh. We'll take it."

Hiruzen nodded and began giving them the details. "Good. You two will be heading to the capital to meet with a man named Ryoma. He's a mediator of sorts. Someone who brokers peace between different companies. Two companies in the Land of Fire have requested his aid and he has accepted. Your mission is to protect him for the duration of the mission. You will travel with him from the capital to another destination and then once his business is concluded, safely escort him back to the capital."

Once the kage gave them the brief overview Daichi raised his hand.

"Yes Daichi."

"This mission is Ranked B. So that means we're expected to battle shinobi. But is there any information on their threat level? Is there any info on the companies that hired this Ryoma guy's services?" Daichi asked.

"We don't have much information but the two companies are rival corporations that have existed for over 3 decades. What I can tell you is that there are many people who don't want to see an alliance between the two. You'll have more information when you meet Ryoma. He'll explain the mission in more detail." Hiruzen said and handed a scroll to Kakashi.

The Genin nodded and the Jonin took the mission scroll. The two soon left the Hokage tower and made their way to the gates of the village.

Daichi looked at the new quest that appeared.

[Quest created - Protect the Mediator ]

[The Hokage has assigned your team a B rank mission. Protect your client from bodily harm for the duration of this mission to complete this quest.

Bonus: Make sure the negotiations between the two companies are successful and an alliance is formed.]

.

[Rewards:]

[20000 Exp.]

[4000 Exp. (Bonus)]

[Reputation increases with client and everyone else involved.]

.

[Failure:]

[Reputation decreases with client and everyone else involved.]

[No B Rank missions for a while.]

[Accept] (Y/N)

'So the bare minimum is to protect the client but making sure the negotiations end up a success is a bonus huh. I need the experience so I guess I might have to meddle in this if the need arises…'

Daichi accepted the quest and the two soon reached the village gates.

Kotetsu looked at the mission scroll and then at the Genin. "Man, I envy you. You're already going on B rank missions, meanwhile we're bored out of our minds here." The chunin said slumped on the table.

Izumo gave his friend a light hand chop to the head and spoke. "Come on. We're doing important work here. Can't you at least pretend to be serious."

Daichi chuckled looking at their interactions. "I'm sure you guys will get some good missions soon."

"Yeah yeah… Good luck on your mission you two. Imma take a nap." Kotetsu said and closed his eyes.

Izumo just sighed and sat next to his friend. He looked at Kakashi who was ignoring everything and had his nose buried in his favorite orange book. 'He hasn't changed. With how this guy is, it's surprising that Daichi hadn't picked up any of his questionable habits.'

The gate guard watched the two ninjas exit the village and then leaned back in his chair humming to himself.

—-

As the two ninjas hopped through the trees in the Land of Fire, Daichi asked his teacher a question. "So sensei, do you know anything about this Ryoma?"

Kakashi hummed as he recalled what little information he had about the man. "Hmm… I've heard some rumors about him. As Lord Hokage said, he's a peace breaker of sorts. Some call him the 'Dealmaker'. There are rumors that he joins 2 warring factions through mutual self interest, manipulation of both parties and in some rare cases violence. But these are rumors and they haven't been confirmed or anything."

Daichi nodded and kept the information in mind. 'Need to use 'observe' on this guy as soon as he's in sight. I get the feeling I'm not dealing with the average mediator.'

The two man Genin team kept their pace and reached the capital in a few hours without facing any problems. They made their way to their client's home and soon came in front of a wealthy mansion.

"Looks like this Ryoma guy is pretty loaded." Daichi whistled as he looked at the giant gates and the building behind it.

"Come on." The two met the guards outside and were escorted in.

As the two ninjas entered the living room they saw a man in wealthy garments waiting for them. He was in his late 40s, tan skin and had a lean body with long black hair. He had sharp jaws, black eyes and two piercings in his right ear.

The man smiled as he looked at the two ninjas. "Welcome, welcome. I recognize young Daichi so then you must be Kakashi Hatake. I expected a chunin team but I'm satisfied with the two of you. I'm Ryoma."

The Jonin just smiled at the man while Daichi calmly stood in his spot. 'Observe'

The gamer ninja quickly read the details and had a more thorough understanding of his client.

'Age 44 and his level is 42. High Genin level and average physical stats but his intelligence stat is slightly higher than normal but isn't noteworthy. A cunning man who's talent lay in business.'

At this time Kakashi spoke. "Lord Hokage mentioned that you would need protection for the whole duration of our mission. Since you asked for a B rank mission I'm assuming you believe there will be ninjas after you?"

Ryoma nodded in agreement.

"Then I will need more details on our mission. The routes, destination, the parties involved and the likes."

"Of course." Ryoma smiled and glanced at the servant standing to the side. "Bring something to drink for my guests here."

After the maid bowed and disappeared the wealthy man turned to the two ninjas and motioned them to the nearby chairs.

The older man began to explain the situation in more detail. "Alright to begin with, there are two companies that have requested my aid in seeing if an alliance can be made between them. The Satoru corporation and the Rising Sun corporation. I'm sure you're aware of their business."

Kakashi leaned back as he thought about the two famous companies. "I've heard of them. They deal with resource gathering, processing and even transportation through the Land of fire and its bordering small nations."

"Yes. Exactly. Wood is a crucial resource used in construction, furniture and weapon making. These two companies are the biggest ones that's responsible for sustainable logging of trees, transportation of timber and its processing into usable forms."

Daichi had also heard about the two aforementioned corporations. "I heard they expanded their reach into agricultural resources. They've even released a few food products." The Genin spoke.

Ryoma was surprised that the Genin knew that information. "Very good Daichi. I'm impressed. You know not many Genin have such insight on what happens outside their borders. Especially if it doesn't have anything to do with the shinobi world."

"I like to keep myself apprised of major events happening in the world. Maybe invest if a good opportunity arrives…" The Genin said with a shrug.

Ryoma nodded. "A wise policy."

At that moment the maid came and served drinks to the three. Daichi and Kakashi were cautious as they tasted the drink and after making sure there wasn't anything harmful or unusual they drank it.

Seeing the ninja accept his polite gesture the man continued. "Yes. They've only been in the agricultural field for a little over a year but they are already making waves. The Satoru corporation has been the major supplier in the northern part of Land of Fire while the Rising Sun is the supplier in the Southern region. Decades ago when it was founded the two companies were originally one and were managed by two friends. But a few years later they had a falling out and each started their own businesses. Ever since then they were both rival companies looking to outdo the other. Now they're expanding their territories and looking to take more. And so as you can imagine they have clashed. There have been a few small incidents so far but nothing major and no damage that can't be undone but if this keeps happening things will escalate and one of them will get destroyed. It will have an impact on our economy and no matter how big or small that effect is, we must avoid it."

"And they asked you to mediate or did you approach them?" Kakashi asked.

"They came to me. They couldn't trust each other so they decided to ask for an outside party to help. Their representatives came to the capital last week to meet with me. They knew I have experiences in matters like this and I decided to take their case." Ryoma replied.

"The two companies you mentioned are the biggest ones in the market. And if they form an alliance it will push some of the smaller ones out of business. So there are at least a few people who don't want to see this alliance form. You believe they are the ones who'll send ninjas after you." Kakashi deduced as to the reason why this was marked a B rank and who their enemies could possibly be.

"I believe so but there's more… I did some investigating of my own and found that there are elements within their own companies that don't want this alliance. So if enemies come there is a possibility that they could be sent by certain factions in the two families… It's not a certainty but a possibility." Ryoma said as he sipped his drink.

"When and where is the meeting taking place?" Kakashi asked.

"Tomorrow. Tanzaku Town. We'll need to leave in an hour and reach there before sundown. Then tomorrow I'll be sitting down with the heads of the two companies and our negotiations will begin. Now keep in mind that this could take a few days and maybe even a week. It depends on them."

"We understand." Kakashi and Daichi nodded as they had a better understanding of the situation.

"Will you be traveling in a carriage or…?" Daichi asked.

Ryoma chuckled and replied. "I may not look like it but I'm quite capable of moving like a shinobi. Battling… not so much. Besides, being stuffed in a box and carried around is not my style… Alright. Now that you two know what to expect, let me get ready. We'll move in an hour."

With that the wealthy broker left the room while Kakashi and Daichi waited for the man outside. Around an hour later Ryoma met his escorts and the three began their journey to Tanzaku Town.