149. Escort Mission

Konoha Orphanage—if Kabuto hadn't taken the initiative to contact him, Yagami would have almost forgotten about this future boss. But for now, Kabuto should still be working for Orochimaru.

"So, Orochimaru is planning to attack Konoha? One-Tail Jinchūriki... Are the Sand Shinobi actually willing to cooperate?"

As expected, Kabuto had come to deliver a message from Orochimaru, outlining the plan for the Konoha Crush.

In the original events, Orochimaru meticulously calculated every detail of the plan and even relied on Shukaku's power.

However, with the presence of the Akatsuki, the five villages were now highly protective of their tailed beasts. Convincing the Sand Shinobi to align with Orochimaru might not be as straightforward this time.

"Master Orochimaru has his own arrangements. I'm here to warn you in advance so you won't feel embarrassed when it happens. If possible, you might want to leave Konoha before it begins," Kabuto said respectfully, revealing Orochimaru's concern.

This only clarified Orochimaru's thoughts for Yagami.

After all, Orochimaru's obsession with Uchiha far outweighed any other considerations.

"I won't feel embarrassed. The relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha is far from repaired. Even if I see the Third Hokage beaten to death by your group, I won't feel any pressure. Still, let Orochimaru be cautious. As a teacher, the Third Hokage isn't as simple as he looks!"

Yagami rolled his eyes, his words clearly suggesting that he wouldn't interfere. Orochimaru wasn't concerned about Yagami hindering his plan but rather about Yagami potentially taking advantage of the chaos in Konoha to act. If Yagami were to stand idly and let the plan proceed, it might tarnish the Uchiha clan's reputation in the ninja world.

Recalling the original timeline, where the Third Hokage sealed Orochimaru's arms and significantly reduced his abilities, Yagami couldn't afford for such a loss to occur now. Orochimaru, as the chief scientist for the Uchiha, was far too valuable.

Still, a little reminder wouldn't hurt.

Of course, if Orochimaru still fell into a trap, it wouldn't be a problem for Yagami .

After all, bugs are bugs.

With some effort, Yagami could catch a few White Zetsu to solve any immediate issues.

After all, with the Kamui in his possession, finding Obito—or even Black Zetsu—was entirely possible. Capturing White Zetsu from Black Zetsu might be a hassle, but it was manageable. Still, avoiding the problem in the first place was better.

Meanwhile, after completing a series of D-rank missions like finding cats and pulling weeds, Team 7 finally received a C-rank escort mission.

Most of their earlier tasks had been confined to Konoha, and Yagami had seen no reason to supervise them. But now, with Naruto leaving the village, Kakashi couldn't let Yagami shirk his duties.

More importantly, ever since Naruto's Thousand Years of Death prank, Kakashi had been slightly wary of his late sensei's son.

"An escort mission to the Land of Waves? Alright, let me know when you're leaving," Yagami replied, showing some interest in the mission.

His interest wasn't in the mission itself but in the people involved—figures tied to the development of the Uchiha Heavy Industry Group.

The Uchiha Group comprised three major divisions:

Entertainment Group, with the Uchiha Hotel as its primary business. New Development Group, focused on scientific research. Heavy Industry Group, specializing in construction.

These three pillars formed the backbone of the Uchiha Group's operations, handling the majority of revenue-generating ventures. Business relations with the five great nations were managed separately by the Uchiha Group as a whole and didn't fall under any of the three divisions.

The existence of the three major sections of the Uchiha Group is integral to fostering business cooperation and expansion.

What worries Yagami, however, is the enemy that Team 7 will face during this mission: the businessman Kado.

If Uchiha Shipping oversees large-scale maritime transportation in the ninja world, then Kado's business dominates short-distance shipping.

At first glance, this wouldn't seem like a problem. The Uchiha, with their vast resources and influence, wouldn't normally concern themselves with such a competitor. However, Kado, in a bid to protect his monopoly, has resorted to underhanded tactics—preventing the construction of bridges and even sabotaging existing ones.

While Uchiha Shipping specializes in long-distance, large-scale transportation, the presence of more bridges would render Kado's short-range maritime operations nearly obsolete. From a business perspective, Kado's behaviour might seem rational.

Yet, this has led to repeated conflicts between Uchiha Heavy Industry and Kado's company.

On multiple occasions, bridges constructed by Uchiha Heavy Industry were mysteriously damaged or collapsed. Such incidents led to questions about the quality of Uchiha's construction projects.

Deidara was infuriated to the point of nearly storming Kado's headquarters to settle the matter directly.

However, despite Uchiha Heavy Industry's knowledge that Kado was behind these acts, the evidence only pointed to hired wandering samurai. Kado himself maintained plausible deniability.

The Uchiha Group's adherence to its own business rules complicated the situation further. As the enforcers of the business order they established, they couldn't violate those same principles by taking matters into their own hands.

This stalemate persisted, with Uchiha Heavy Industry unable to retaliate against Kado's actions directly.

Killing Kado for commercial reasons would violate the business order, yet if Kado brought his own demise upon himself, no one could blame the Uchiha for that.

Business disputes were handled within the bounds of commerce, but the ninja world's larger order still took precedence. Assassination was technically an option, but tarnishing the Uchiha Group's reputation for someone as insignificant as Kado wasn't worth it.

Yagami also recalled the original storyline of this mission, which introduced Zabuza Momochi and Haku. While their threat level wasn't extraordinarily high, Yagami wondered if they could still serve as adequate challenges for Team 7 in their current state.

"With how strong they've already become, it wouldn't hurt for them to face tougher opponents. But if we deal with Zabuza and Haku too quickly, what happens to Kado afterwards? I can't handle every little detail myself..."

Yagami briefly considered enhancing Sasuke's strength further to let Team 7 dominate their way through the mission. However, if Kado caught wind of their capabilities, he might flee before they could finish him off.

It seemed wiser to follow the original events and let Zabuza deal with Kado as intended. The only issue was whether Zabuza could last long enough against Team 7 in their current state.

"Forget it. We'll play it by ear. If the Uchiha Group has to outmanoeuvre Kado through new business developments, so be it. It just takes more time."

The next morning, all members of Team 7 gathered at the village gate, waiting for Kakashi's arrival. Joining them was a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat—their client and the bridge construction expert, Tazuna.

Tazuna was clearly uneasy about his safety, given the ages of Naruto and the others. His doubts quickly escalated into an argument with Sakura before they even set off.

Naruto and Sasuke, however, remained unaffected by Tazuna's scorn.

Especially Sasuke. Unless someone brought up Itachi, provoking a reaction from him was nearly impossible.

An Uchiha raised under Yagami's doctrine of the new era wouldn't be so easily swayed by external opinions.

After all, ideological and political lessons weren't taught for nothing.

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