Chương 40: A-Rank Mission?

Choza left the genin throwing blunted kunai and shuriken at each other to train their reflexes as well as their situational awareness. The three boys were focused and working hard under the afternoon sun. Choza had watched them for a moment with before turning away. He had been summoned to the Hokage Tower, and he knew it was important. The previous mission report had clearly caught the attention of the village leadership despite it being a normal C rank mission that other teams were not able to complete.

And the fact that a genin managed to figure what was happening when seasoned Chunins who had also been given the mission failed, it was quite a remarkable feat. He entered the office to find both Shikaku and Hiruzen discussing something in low voices. They stopped as soon as he entered. Hiruzen smiled warmly and gestured for Choza to sit. Shikaku gave a small nod of greeting, though his expression remained thoughtful as always.

"Choza, both me and Shikaku were impressed with your genin team and how they handled the last mission," Hiruzen began.

"Especially how Shunsui analyzed the situation, interpreted the clues, and found a way to complete the mission despite the previous teams failing. He also took the shinobi laws into account to prevent the noble court from troubling Konoha for bribing city officials. Very impressive." Shikaku leaned back in his chair and added, "And let us not forget about this game that he used to track the summoner. I never imagined that a children's game like Treasure Hunt would be used like this.

The boy's ability has creativity and practicality. That is a rare combination." Hiruzen nodded in agreement.

"We have decided to give your team a B-rank mission which might turn into an A-rank. There is a high chance of that." Choza, who had been happy about the praise for his students, turned serious.

"Hokage-sama, my students' previous mission was easy and without much threat. Bumping the difficulty straight to A-rank would be too much. They have not even been shinobi for a full year yet."

"Yes, it might have been a C-rank mission without much threat," Hiruzen replied, "but that analytical ability is exactly what we need for this mission. We also need genin with skills that would impress important people. This mission requires more than just fighting power."

"But the threat in an A-rank mission would be too high for them," Choza insisted, still reluctant. He cared deeply for his students and did not want to push them into something dangerous before they were ready. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"And that is why you would not be going alone," Shikaku said.

"You would be accompanied by your teammates — me and Inoichi." Choza looked surprised.

"You would be accompanying us?"

"Yes," Shikaku confirmed.

"Your genin team's role would only be to show off in front of the Daimyo. Let me explain the mission first to give you some clarity. The Land of Claws is facing trouble from bandits that have grown in large numbers due to the consecutive shinobi wars. Their samurai are not able to handle the bandits, and thus their Daimyo wants shinobi help." He continued, "Our goal is that they seek an alliance with Konoha rather than Iwa, who are also aiming to do the same.

We need that extra money that the Daimyo is going to pay. It will strengthen our war efforts and also prevent the Daimyo from sending his samurai to help Iwa in their war. The mission is political as much as it is military. We need to impress him with our strength, discipline, and capability." Choza listened carefully.

"So our task would be to impress the Daimyo of the Land of Claws so that he favors Konoha more. Shikaku would be doing the talking?"

"Exactly," Shikaku said.

"I will handle the negotiations and strategic discussions. Inoichi will support with his mind techniques if needed for intelligence or verification. You and your team will be the visible strength. Your genin, especially Shunsui with his unique abilities, will demonstrate what Konoha's next generation can do. The Daimyo needs to see that investing in us is better than investing in Iwa." Hiruzen added, "The bandits have become a serious problem there.

So they would be seeking an alliance with a shinobi village that we are sure of. We just need to make sure that he finds Konoha a better option than others."

"The Daimyō has asked to send a genin team to see if the genin teams that we would be sending later to clear the bandits would be able to do the job or not. He himself knows that we won't be able to spare our jonins since we are in a war." Hiruzen said before pausing for a few seconds and then continuing.

"He would definitely test the genins skills. Your team's success in the previous mission shows they can think on their feet. That is valuable in a situation where appearances matter as much as combat ability. But that is not the only objective of the mission in fact, the mission in itself is secondary."

"Secondary?" Choza asked confused.

"The land of Claws support does not amount to us sparing three of our best jonins for this mission espressially during war time. But it is a good enough front for others to see it that way." Hiruzen said Shikaku leaned forward as he finished the Hokage's explaination.

"The secondary objective of the mission is for me to observe Shunsui's abilities and how they can be used in the war to our advantage. His games have shown incredible versatility. If we can understand their limits and applications better, we might integrate them into larger strategies. A single genin who can change battlefield conditions through games is something we cannot ignore." Choza asked with a frown,"You are planning to send my team to the war front?"

Hiruzen said with a sigh,"The pressure and the losses are mounting on us. It hurts me to send children to the battlefield when they should be training and doing D rank missions or simple C rank missions. But your team would be send to the battlefield only after the Chunin exams are done." Choza asked,"Is that wise though? The more people know of Shunsui's ability, the more chances of people figuring the tricks of his games."

It was Shikaku who answered him,"There would always be survivors in war that would spread the information about his ability anyways. We can use his ability to scare off some of the smaller shinobi villages that have started showing their fangs to us. It would also allow us to gain the favor of the nobles and merchants and thus more missions would come out way both during and after the war."

"Of course, this would mean your team especially Shunsui would have to deal with assassination attempts constantly. But if you are at the war front, the army would be there for backup. Anyways, We have gotten off track. So you are on board with the mission?" Choza rubbed his chin thoughtfully and then smiled, "With the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, I do not think that my genin would be in much danger."