Second Chance

Chapter 34

The promotion's effects hadn't been limited to just them either. All of the shinobi in the village had increased their training in order to prevent themselves from being surpassed by the rookies. The ones that hadn't seen a point had been ordered to do so by Itachi as he wanted the village as prepared as they could be for the coming storm that would hit. Whether sooner or later was irrelevant. However, at the moment Itachi was staring at a mission contemplating his options. In his tome away from the village he had become quite knowledgable about the state of the other nations and he knew that the mission wasn't as it appeared. He was considering rejecting the request until an idea formed in his head.

"Send for Sandayu Asama, we need to discuss some details regarding his mission request." It wasn't to long before the man was standing before him and he sighed looking at the man who seemed quite composed.

"Sandayu-san, we have received your request for an escort to accompany your crew to Yuki no kuni however, there seems to be a few problems with the request itself."

"Is there? My apologies for not being clear on the request. What seems to be the problem?"

"You requested a C-rank escort for a film crew to a country that is neutral with Hi no kuni, however, I am not so naive as to think that the country is anywhere near an ideal state for anyone to be traveling to. I know that the country has been in a state of unrest since the death of the former daimyo Kazahana Sosetsu under suspicious circumstances. Fujikaze Yukie, the lead actress in the movie isn't just a fictional princess, either. She is the heiress to the nation and the rightful daimyo, Kazahana Koyuki. Konoha is not in the habit of involving themselves with political affairs of another nation. Even being seen with the princess could have severe political ramifications."

"So I am giving you a chance to fully explain yourself before I decide to reject the mission outright and blacklist you from future missions as you are intentionally intending to place my shinobi at risk unnecessarily. A mission of this level would typically be given to a genin squad. A rookie team under the guidance of a veteran shinobi. One that could not handle the chance of civil war erupted around them. A mission like this would be suicide for them." Itachi watched as the man slumped slightly before straightening his posture and giving the Godaime a look that showed his true nature.

"You are right about the political climate in Yuki, however, I was afraid that if I listed my true intentions the village would reject the mission without giving it any consideration. Had I known that the C-ranks typically went to more experienced genin teams I would have listed it as a B-rank. The truth is that the former daimyo was assassinated by his own brother in a coup de tat. Doto has been bleeding the country dry while attempting to find some kind of treasure that he believes his late brother had left behind. He thinks that it is a weapon of some sort that will allow Yuki no kuni to stand against the strength of the big five."

"I was a samurai under the late daimyo and have been working tirelessly to try and remove Doto from the throne of Yuki no kuni with what remains of those loyal to the princess. Unfortunately, we need more men and no one else will join our cause without proof that the princess is alive. I have been planning to get Koyuki back to the country to take her place as soon as I found her some years ago on the stage. I had hoped that our guise would allow us to slip into the country unnoticed so that we would have time to meet with the rebel forces and plan our next move." Sandayu explained to Itachi who sighed and closed his eyes.

"You are forgetting some very important things in this plan of yours. One is assuming that Doto hasn't been searching for his niece just as frantically as you had been. Second, is assuming that they haven't recognized the princess from all of her movies just as you did. Third, is assuming that the princess wishes to return to the country and take her place. Fourth, is assuming that the princess's return will spark a desire to turn against Doto in the people who have been living in fear of the man. They would most likely turn the princess over in exchange for things that they have been denied in order to curry favor with the daimyo."