Land of River (2)

[Note: Accepting [Slash and Burn] will automatically lock off [Don't burn that farm] and vice versa]

Huh? The system actually generated two different quests with contrasting objectives. This had never happened before… Looks I can only choose one.

Once again, it is rather obvious which direction the system is pushing me towards. Not burning the crops granted more EXP as well as more hidden objectives and presumably more hidden rewards. However, it also had failure consequences which the other quest did not have.

At first glance, the second quest obviously offered better rewards, and thus would be the obvious choice. However, if I considered the indirect consequences of failing the mission, it wouldn't even be worth the time to consider.

Failing our team's second C-rank mission would tarnish our reputation, which would possibly affect the opportunities our team will receive in the future. It might even muddy our chances of being entered into the next chuunin exam which I needed to participate in.

It was not a difficult mission; the only hard part being having to suppress our conscience and do what the uninitiated might consider inhumane. However, such acts were not exactly new to me.

Back in my previous life, I was pretty sure my family did some shady shit as well. Be it blackmailing competitors or orchestrating civil wars in foreign countries, I was certain my family had a hand in some of these dark deeds when obstacles in our way 'magically' resolved themselves.

As a result I did not protest the morality of the mission. It would be hypocritical of me, who enjoyed the fruits of my families' dubious enterprises, to judge how another went about doing the same thing.

In other words, I accepted the [Slash and burn] quest, which automatically locked out [Don't burn that farm].

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Traveling to the Land of Rivers didn't take long. Just like the time we returned from the Capital, without a civilian slowing us down, we could run across treetops at a fast pace. Asuma pushed us to go faster than we had to even though there was plenty of time until the deadline for the mission completion. It was because he wanted us to train our bodies while travelling, maximizing efficiency.

It wasn't a very effective training for me, however. My stamina was directly linked to my VIT, which wouldn't increase unless I was really pushing myself. Since we were running at the pace of the slowest member of our team, Shino, I didn't get the opportunity to really work up a sweat.

While on the way, I struck up a conversation with Asuma, wanting to know more about the specifics of the mission brief which is typically only issued to the squad leader.

"Asuma-sensei, who is our employer?" I asked, trying to make conversation while leaping off a tree branch. Although forests covered a large proportion of the Land of Fire, now that we were crossing the border to the Land of Rivers, the geography and biome started changing as well. There were more plains and flatland in the Land of Rivers as compared to the lush forests and undergrowth of the Land of Fire. And of course, we started seeing more streams and rivers, the name sake of the country.

"Our employer has requested to keep his identity hidden, so even I have no idea of their identity." He answered absentmindedly, clearly paying more attention to our surroundings than to the question.

"Oh? I didn't know people could make mission requests anonymously." Shino remarked.

Though Shino was the taciturn type, he was slowly opening up to us as the days went by. He was speaking his mind more often nowadays, and with longer sentences as well.

"Well the mission assignment office probably knows who he is since they are required to dispatch people to do background research on the client. But clients can also request to stay anonymous, so his identity is on a need-to-know basis only."

Asuma responded before continuing, "Conditions like that are actually pretty common for higher-ranked missions, since there is a possibility the shinobi assigned the mission can get captured and interrogated. The client wouldn't want their name to spill out of loose lips in those situations."

"Scary…" Hinata muttered under her breath.

Thinking that she was starting to get nervous over the possibility of getting captured and interrogated, I changed the subject. "Doesn't the Land of Rivers have their own shinobi village? Why did the client hire us instead? And would the burning of crops really warrant the employment of shinobi? Some local thugs would be sufficient, no?"

"Plenty of reasons why…" Asuma began before his lips curled up wryly, "What do you guys think? Why would the client hire us instead of Tanigakure shinobi or even some local thugs as Shinji suggested? Take it as a mental training exercise."

He's testing us, I realized.

"Umm… the client might be from the Land of Fire? Maybe that's why he hired Konoha shinobi instead." Hinata offered hesitantly.

"Could be. But our rates are also more expensive than say Tanigakure, so that might not be it." Asuma refuted.

"Discretion. It is likely Tanigakure shinobi might divulge the employer's identity, so we are the obvious logical alternative." Shino assessed.

The jounin's nodded sagely, "Good guess. Though initial reports might suggest that the farm owner has no relation to Tanigakure members, it could still be a possibility down the line that the truth might be exposed one day. And Konoha certainly has a better reputation than Tani. What about you, Shinji. What do you think?"

"Hmm… What Hinata and Shino has said makes sense, but I think the answer is likely simpler than that." I suggested.

Asuma looked intrigued, "Go on, elaborate."

Following his prompting, I clarified my earlier remark, "The farm we are going to is in the Land of Rivers, and so is Tanigakure. For Konoha, we don't usually do missions that can potentially harm the interests of the Land of Fire, this might simply hold true for Tani as well. The client might have contracted us knowing that Tani would not entertain his request since what the mission entails could be considered as harming the interests of the Land of Rivers."

He looked amused, "So we were approached simply because the client didn't think Tani would have accepted his request? Interesting theory."

"Right, and for all we know, we might have been approached second – after the client was rejected by Tani."

"Oh? If what you have said is true, wouldn't that suggest that it might be dangerous if Tani took that information and went to the farm owner and cajoled him into hiring Tani shinobi for protection?" Asuma continued his probing.

I titled my head, only now considering that possibility. "Maybe? I never considered that."

Asuma looked satisfied at my concession, "That is why it is good to always examine a situation at many different angles. Look underneath the underneath and consider how not just your enemy but even third parties might act and react to your own actions."

"We understand, Asuma-sensei." I answered for the rest.

"Good. Never be careless, and never take what you have been told and what you can see at face value. There is no need to be paranoid, but vigilance can keep you out of unnecessary trouble or even save your life one day." He lectured, though I figured he wasn't chiding us. Rather, it was a teachable moment for us genin.

"And about possible enemy shinobi who might be guarding the farm… we just have to be extra cautious when we approach, as we always should be. Take some time to scout out the area, observe our target from afar and determine if there are any hidden dangers lurking ahead. Luckily for our team, we have not one but two great trackers and scouts that can sieve out potential enemies." He finished while looking towards Hinata and Shino in acknowledgement.

Hinata in response blushed at the sudden praise while the Aburame showed no particular reaction.

"Then what about the farm we are going to? Any info on that?" I asked Asuma.

"Hatanaka Farms. They mainly produce corn, but they also ranch some livestock like sheep and cattle."

I turned to him in surprise, "We're going to burn those animals too?"

At my question, Hinata and even Shino felt upset. Fighting against armed assassins looking to take the life of the client who employed us to protect him was one thing, torching innocent animals was another. They weren't cruel after all.

Sensing their trepidation, Asuma waved our concerns off, "Nah, the mission didn't specify killing any livestock. Just the crops."

"Thank god. I wouldn't want to be forced to burn cute, baby goats alive." I confessed.

The jounin nodded in satisfaction, "There are times we have to suppress our conscience in order to complete the mission. That said, I am also glad this is not one of those times. It's good to know you three don't approve of wanton cruelty. Remember, we may be shinobi but at the same time we are also humans. Make sure never to lose your humanity, otherwise we wouldn't be humans anymore. Just weapons - tools wielded by the rich to do their bidding."

Shino and Hinata nodded with conviction, though I just mulled over the thought. Being used by the rich? Laughable. I used to be the one who did all the using, there is no way I would let myself be used. Let them try, and I will show them why the Gamer cheat is considered by people to be overpowered.

Thinking of tools, I wonder when Team Seven would go on their Wave mission and encounter the iconic Zabuza and Haku. When we left Konoha, they were still doing D-rank, but they were about to reach the two month mark before they could start doing C-ranks. My team could be considered to be relatively precocious since we started C-ranks early as a result of the smashing success that was our first escort mission.

Who knows? Maybe when we get back to Konoha, Team Seven would have already left for the Land of Waves.

A part of me wanted to be there with them, experiencing the legendary Wave arc alongside the series' main characters. I wanted to test myself against Haku, who was portrayed as a genius whose strength was not far from Zabuza. Furthermore, though I wanted to minimize the butterfly effect my existence brought into the world, I was also curious if it was possible for the Hyoton user to be saved.

But the rational side of me knew that it would be highly unlikely. They would have no reason to send out two genin teams on a single C-ranked mission since the mission assignment office wouldn't have known about the missing nin Zabuza being involved.

Which actually had me wondering how they missed that in the first place, if, like Asuma had mentioned, they dispatched investigators to conduct background checks on mission requesters. Perhaps they only investigated the identity of the client, just to make sure they weren't a spy sent by another hidden village setting up an ambush. And after making sure that Tazuna wasn't some sort of undercover agent, it would be too much effort to scrutinize just a C-ranked mission even further.

But perhaps my presence wouldn't be needed after all. Sasuke and Naruto were stronger as compared to their canon counterparts, and in place of the deadweight that was Sakura, Shikamaru was there instead. The outcome of their battle at the Great Naruto Bridge might be completely different to how in concluded in the series.

In truth, even though I always reminded myself to keep butterfly effects and unintended changes to the future at a minimum, I was kind of looking forward to seeing how my intervention might have changed the outcome of the Wave mission.