Naruto: The Outsider's Resolve: CH_570: Mission Negotiations (Patreon)

“What do you know about Kikyo?” Kurosawa asked.

As the name suggested, Kikyo Transit & Protection provided transport and security services. It presented itself as a provider of a fleet of shinobi couriers and bodyguards for individuals or caravans on the road, but in reality, that was only part of its business.

“A private military company,” Takuma answered.

It wasn’t a secret, nor did they particularly try to hide it. The private military company didn’t need retail marketing, but the transit service did. The “Kikyo Mercenaries” had enough of a reputation that no one would forget them when it came to hiring sellswords.

Takuma continued, “An interestingly positioned one at that. They operate out of both the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, and their men are former shinobi from the respective hidden villages.” Usually, mercenary bands operated out of a single country even if they employed combatants of various nationalities, but Kikyo had a stable presence in both countries. “They have seventeen elite chūnin-level mercenaries who are sent into high-intensity situations for extractions, protecting sensitive infrastructure, and operational support. They’re good, I’ve heard.”

And it was the entity that had hired Basara to scout the Land of Fire for what looked like an extraction corridor. But it was strange that they couldn’t do it themselves.

“They are, but their business is changing,” Kurosawa said. “They’re really leaning into their other businesses lately.”

“Oh?”

“Kyohei Watari is in his forties. He doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life on the battlefield—same goes for his core circle—but they still want the money to keep rolling in, hence the need for diversification. And as it so happens, the way Kikyo is set up gave them an excellent opportunity.”

“The two-nation presence? Import-export across the border?” Tern guessed.

“That, and of course, smuggling. He has also been serving as a middleman and broker, facilitating deals between parties in both countries. Because they operate out of both countries, they hold a level of trust that they’ve been using to their advantage, and it has become increasingly profitable for them recently.”

“What kind of deals?” Tern asked.

Takuma was curious as well. From what he could find, they were specialised mercenaries with an impressive record worldwide, focused on quality over quantity. The seventeen elite chūnin-level combatants allowed them to pick and complete contracts that many others couldn’t. In fact, they regularly scored contracts despite the Great Five's near-complete control of the high-end market. Kikyo especially dealt with the Fire Daimyo’s court when they wanted something done that they couldn’t ask of the Leaf—and enjoyed a similar position with the previous Wind Daimyo before his sudden departure from the mortal world; his successor was much closer to the Hidden Sand.

Their involvement in international dealings was a bit of an unknown to Takuma because that was the Foreign Branch’s domain, and he hadn’t had the time to go through the complicated channels to get some reliable information.

Kurosawa was once again in the perfect position to know much more about Kikyo.

“Trade of restricted materials is a big part of it, apparently. I’m sure I heard we did some dealings through him.”

“We?” Tern asked.

“The village, through the Foreign Branch. I think they were getting some rare herbs that only grow in the Land of Wind from a noble in the Wind Daimyo’s court for a while, until the noble cut us off because it was becoming noticeable. Of course, if you asked, any involved parties would deny any knowledge. I mean, even with perfectly legal dealings, it doesn’t matter how safe it is if the two sides don’t trust each other, so many prefer to go through Kikyo, using them as the procurer or escrow. The commission they earn is apparently very lucrative.”

Takuma and Tern were increasingly convinced that they were on the right track. Given Kikyo’s background, their involvement wasn’t strange because war and conflict were good for business for mercenaries. But with their new source of income, a conflict between the two nations would create fertile ground for growth. The movement back and forth across the two nations’ shared border would tighten, but people would still need to get stuff across the border—not even the hidden villages were an exception—and that would rocket the value of Kikyo’s services to new heights. And it wouldn’t just be for the time when the two nations were in active war with each other; the tension would remain for years to come, and if Kikyo were able to capitalise on the opportunity properly, their mercenary business would seem insignificant in comparison, which seemed to be the goal of the ageing leadership.

“We want access to the Hewn Stone Estate,” Takuma said.

Hewn Stone Estate had been the home of Kyohei Watari ever since the man decided that being close to the Fire Daimyo’s court was good if he wanted to diversify his business. More accurately, it was Kikyo's base of operations in the country. Ten out of the seventeen chūnin from the core circle operated out of the Land of Fire, and all but two of them lived in the Hewn Stone Estate.

If they wanted more information, it could only be there.

“Seeing that you’re targeting the party they’re throwing, it must mean that you want them distracted. What are you after? What have they done?” Kurosawa asked.

“We aren’t at liberty to say,” Tern said.

“If you want my help, I need to know what I’m getting into.”

When Tern didn’t reply, Kurosawa turned towards Takuma, who wasn’t keen on sharing that information, especially with Kurosawa, who had significant ties with the Foreign Branch despite being a Domestic Branch operative. He was in a position to use any information they gave him to his advantage, jeopardising what Takuma was trying to do. Even though they had the same goal to keep the village safe, they were still individuals who valued their own work above others’. He didn’t doubt that the cutthroat bastards at the Foreign Branch would go mad with greed if they knew the Hidden Sand was conspiring to invade the Hidden Leaf Village during the upcoming Chūnin Exams. Takuma was sure that just their visit here would be used by Kurosawa in some way.

“We aren’t sure what we are looking at right now; this is us wanting to find out more. Until we are sure of what we have, it’d be unwise to share anything and allow speculation to then fill the gaps.”

A smile twitched at the corner of Kurosawa’s lips, amused by Takuma’s subtle implication that he didn’t trust him not to utilise the information.

“I can get you into the party, sure.” He looked at Tern. “You can come with me as my plus-one. As for Chūnin Tobi, I’ll make some calls and see what we can do. Fret not, I’ll get you both inside.”

“—? You’re invited—no, you’re coming with us?” Tern asked, baffled.

“Not only that, but I’ll be taking the lead.”

“Pardon?” Takuma said, hearing something truly absurd. “I’m sorry, but this isn’t your operation. You’ve no reason or authority to commandeer it suddenly.”

“Authority? How could I when you outrank me, Lieutenant? As for a reason, on the other hand, I have a good one. You require my aid to get into that party, and the only way for that to happen is for me to put my reputation to work. If something goes wrong and it can be traced back to me, you two would be mostly unscathed and could leave for the safety of home back at the village, while I’d be left here holding the bag. This is the Ember Imperial City; the samurai barely tolerate me because I’ve put in the work. An incident at the gathering, attended by court nobles and other influential people, would be disastrous for my squad and our work if we’re implicated. Why should I take that risk when you won't even tell me the basics so I can judge whether it is worth it?

“If you want my help, you will have to abide by some of my rules,” Kurosawa said.

Takuma frowned. “I’m not pleased with where this is heading. The captain won’t be pleased either; he’s paying close attention to the outcome of this,” he said, bluffing.

“Somehow I doubt that,” Kurosawa replied calmly. “The scroll that we just shredded had you as the highest authority mentioned on it. There was no mention of Captain Weasel on it. If he were truly as invested as you’re trying to make me believe, I’m sure he would've made some kind of remark. Especially considering how last-minute all of this is, I’m sure he would’ve helped you smooth things out.”

He threw his hands up. “But maybe he trusts you implicitly and thinks you can handle yourself, which I’m sure is the case, considering your track record. Maybe I’m completely in the wrong here. In that case, please feel free to bring down some pressure from above, but,” he paused for effect, “is there enough time when the party is the day after tomorrow?”

Having his bluff called out so directly didn’t feel good. It was as Kurosawa said; Itachi wasn’t particularly involved. He knew Tern was frequently out doing something on Takuma’s orders, but she had been doing it for so long without any real progress that Takuma wanted something meaty so he could justify all the time he'd spent having Tern do seemingly nothing.

Takuma stayed quiet for half a minute. They had found out about Kikyo from Basara too late, and there wasn’t enough time to prepare for the upcoming party. They needed Kurosawa for things like access to the estate and other essentials like the blueprints, guest list, and important personnel information. Kurosawa was connected, with the capital city as his base of operations; he was by far the best choice to get them into the party.

“We need freedom to operate.”

Kurosawa smiled. “I don’t want to bind your limbs, Chūnin Tobi and Chūnin Azami. I know how these things work, but at the very least, I need to have a say in when to pull back. If I feel something’s wrong, I need your word that you’ll drop everything and pull out immediately.”

Takuma didn’t like it, but he gave him a nod of agreement.

“Then we are in agreement,” Kurosawa said, standing up. “Worry not, I’ll aid you in completing your objective to the best of my ability.”

Takuma gazed at the outstretched hand, stood up, and shook it.

———

That evening, Takuma and Tern talked over takeout in an ANBU safehouse provided to them by Kurosawa. He had wanted them to stay in the residential units at the base, but they wanted to avoid attention and declined his offer.

“This is the same safehouse that we used during my recruitment,” Takuma said, looking with some nostalgia at the plain walls and the impersonal paintings one would usually find in hotels.

He turned to his subordinate and noticed her poking at her food and not really listening to him.

“Why would Kikyo, the operator of a fleet of couriers, hire Basara? They should already know every trade route between the village and the border,” Tern suddenly asked—after all, who better to know the roads than those who travelled them frequently?

“Because they had to know everything that the couriers wouldn’t know,” Takuma answered, putting down his oily chopsticks. “The couriers would always take the most optimal route. They’d choose the best paved roads, take corridors protected by the Leaf, and route themselves through towns with stop houses that serve couriers for rest on their journey. If they are building an extraction corridor, they don’t want the shortest route, but a short route that would reduce their exposure to the Leaf. They wouldn’t want towns with hospitality. Instead, they’d want terrain that would give them an upper hand or make it difficult to spot them.

“The couriers wouldn’t know any of that, but the mercenaries at Kikyo would know that they need that information.”

As someone who harboured a healthy interest in maps, Takuma had spent hours poring over what Basara was researching and eventually identified the importance of each marked location.

Realisation flashed across Tern’s face, and she took some time to digest the information before asking, “But why Basara and not someone from the core group or someone more personally trusted?”

Before Takuma could answer, she came up with the answer by herself. “Because he’s a supposedly dead man who could be easily blackmailed with the fact that he isn’t really dead. It would ruin his life if the Leaf found out that he’s alive… Maybe Basara feared that he’d be killed by those who helped him disappear if they found him, and he wanted to get close to Kikyo, who operates in two nations, in hopes of starting a new life in another country where he wouldn’t have to live looking over his shoulder…”

Takuma decided to add one last thing to her conclusion. “They could also deny having a connection to him, keep their hands clean, and avoid any suspicion just in case someone is watching them.”

“He’d also not be missed if he suddenly died,” Tern said. While Basara lived, his second life wasn’t really full. He lived in fear, which kept him from creating any meaningful relationships.

In short, he was a pawn in a game far bigger than himself.

Tern heaved a sigh, shook her head, and finally started eating.

“What do you think about Kurosawa?” Takuma asked.

Tern ate a few bites before answering. “I don’t think he’s going to hinder us, but he’ll definitely try to benefit from the situation.”

“Can’t really blame him.” While Takuma didn’t like that he would need to follow someone else’s lead, he didn’t personally dislike Kurosawa. “He couldn’t have held this position for this long without utilising every opportunity presented to him. He’ll try to get something out of this.”

“Well, to us benefiting more than him,” Tern said, raising her glass of iced tea.

“I will toast to that, yes.” Takuma raised his glass of water.

The two clinked their glasses together. They had two very busy days ahead.