"This time, the mission is a B-Class escort mission."
The Jonin leading the squad that Kakashi was part of stood at the gate of Konoha Village, speaking sternly to the three team members.
"A B-Class escort mission? That's quite rare indeed."
One of the Chunin expressed surprise upon hearing the words of the Jonin leader.
The other Chunin in the team nodded in agreement.
Generally, escort missions are mainly C-Class, with B-Class missions already involving ninja battles.
"So who's the target for the escort?"
Kakashi didn't care about the mission's rank; he just wanted to understand the mission contents quickly and get it done as soon as possible.
After Kakashi spoke, the two Chunin in the team looked at him and took a small step back, clearly not wanting to stay with Kakashi.
The Jonin leader sighed quietly to himself seeing this scene.
It was expected to be like this.
He had no choice but to place Kakashi in his squad, partly due to the Hokage's instructions and partly because his squad's combat power was lacking.
Adding Kakashi to the team just happened to compensate for the lack of combat power.
Unfortunately, Kakashi's problem was not a lack of power. Becoming a Chunin at such a young age was simply too astonishing.
This also indirectly proved that Kakashi's strength was extraordinary; otherwise, he couldn't have passed the extremely difficult Chunin exams.
"The caravan from the Land of Demons."
The Jonin leader said.
"The Land of Demons? That far?"
Not only Kakashi, but even the other two Chunin frowned.
The Land of Demons is a rarely seen neutral country in the Ninja Realm, bordered by the Land of Snow and the Land of Earth to the north, the Land of Shadow and the Land of Bear to the south, and facing the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning across the sea to the west.
Though it borders many countries, it does not border the Land of Fire.
The Land of Demons is separated from the Land of Fire by several countries, requiring a long journey to reach.
"Don't worry, this mission doesn't require us to go to the Land of Demons. In fact, we only need to wait for the caravan in the Land of Rain."
Seeing the confusion among the three, the Jonin leader explained: "Due to the long distance between the Land of Fire and the Land of Demons, the caravan has already hired Hidden Rock ninjas for the journey from the Land of Demons to the Land of Rain. As for the latter part of the journey, we Konoha ninja will provide the escort. The Hokage has already privately discussed this with the Tsuchikage, so there won't be any diplomatic issues."
After hearing the Jonin leader's explanation, the three finally understood.
Indeed, at the beginning of the last Ninja War, Hidden Rock was also a participant, having fought Konoha several times in the Land of Rain, but their main force dealt with Hanzou from the Hidden Rain Village, so their friction with Konoha wasn't deep.
However, Konoha and Hidden Rock are not allies, and their relationship has always been lukewarm.
Such a special mission, which requires ninjas from two villages to hand over the escort, indeed requires advance discussion between the leaders of both sides to avoid diplomatic disputes.
"If there are no problems, let's set out now."
◎
In the great forest of the Land of Fire, the four-man Konoha squad moved quickly through the forest.
"Speaking of which, Captain, why is the caravan from the Land of Demons coming to the Land of Fire?"
One Chunin team member caught up with the Jonin leader and couldn't help but ask.
During the journey, it was actually quite boring, so they could only find some topics to talk about.
The Jonin leader replied: "Not quite, this time we're escorting the caravan to settle in our Konoha Village."
The three, including Kakashi, were surprised.
"The Shion Flower Pharmaceutical Company, have you heard of it?"
"Yes, I've heard of it. Although it's recently established, the drugs developed by this company are much better than those on the market, and have been selling well in several surrounding countries, making a lot of money."
"That's right, the caravan we're escorting this time is the delegation from the Shion Flower Company. They plan to set up a branch pharmacy in our Konoha, and this has already been approved by the Daimyo and the Hokage."
"That's really impressive, I think this company hasn't been established for even half a year."
The Chunin exclaimed.
"That's their skill. If the drugs they developed were just average, they wouldn't have received the Daimyo's and the Hokage's approval."
Of course, the neutral status of the Land of Demons provided a lot of convenience.
If the Shion Flower Company's backing was the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind or other great nations, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the Hokage, no matter what was said, would not have agreed.
Much like how the Land of Iron can set up a Ninja Tools Store in Konoha, neutral countries do not participate in Ninja Realm wars, and the Land of Iron's credibility is well recognized by various countries, so Konoha is willing to open its doors.
Moreover, many ninja villages have weapons merchants from the Land of Iron settled in, opening branches and providing excellent weapons.
Now the business model of the Shion Flower Company is no different from that of the Land of Iron.
Good credibility, neutral country status, and outstanding drug development capability are the key reasons for getting permission to settle.
"I've heard the company's monthly revenue is horrifying, surely a number that ordinary ninjas like us can't imagine."
"Then let's strive to complete the mission."
The Jonin leader encouraged.
"Captain, you don't earn much from missions."
One Chunin complained.
Not to mention D and C-Class missions, with compensations of thousands or tens of thousands of ryo, after accumulating and replenishing ninja tools, there isn't much left.
"Well, there's nothing I can do about that. Maybe, in your spare time, you can find a part-time job somewhere."