The Konoha team were at the borders to the Land of Claws. As they approached the border, a squad of samurai wearing full armor suddenly appeared in front of them. They moved with their swords ready but not raised in immediate threat.
"Halt," someone shouted. Shikaku stopped the team with a calm wave of his hand. The Konoha group came to a smooth stop.
Choza stood protectively in front of the genin while Inoichi scanned the area mentally. The three genin stayed quiet and alert, watching how their seniors handled the situation.
Shunsui was not suprised that they were being stopped. Border checks were common espressially when a great war was going on.
'But they should have been vigilant when the bandits and rogue shinobis were invading their country.' He thought.
The lead samurai stepped forward. "Purpose of entering our country, Leaf shinobi?" he asked in a firm voice.
Shikaku walked up without hesitation and handed them a scroll. "We have been invited by Lord Daimyo."
The samurai took the scroll, unrolled it carefully, and read the contents. His eyes moved from the document to Shikaku, then to the genin team, and finally lingered on Shunsui, who wore swords at his hip and a pink kimono with a straw hat.
The samurai's expression remained serious, but he gave a small nod after a moment. "Very well. You can pass. I will be your escort." The lead samurai turned and began leading them into the country. His men fell in step around the Konoha group, forming a protective but watchful formation.
Shikaku walked beside the lead samurai and asked politely, "Can you tell us more about the bandits situation in your country?"
The samurai looked at Shikaku with clear annoyance in his eyes. "We are left dealing with problems that you shinobi have caused. The previous war and the current ongoing war have displaced a lot of people. That has led to a rise in bandits in our country. Many are desperate civilians, but some are shinobi that fled their villages to escape the war. They have become bold and organized. Our samurai are stretched thin trying to protect our villages, towns, cities, borders and trade routes."
Shikaku replied in a calm and respectful tone, "It was not we that started the war. We only protected ourselves. But we would still help our allies in their time of need, even if we were not the ones to cause these problems. That is Konoha's ninja way."
The samurai looked at him, surprised by the measured response. He gave a small nod of acknowledgment. 'What a subtle way to manipulate him,' Shunsui thought. 'No wonder Hiruzen keeps him so close. He turns blame into goodwill with just a few words. I should take notes on this.'
The lead samurai continued speaking as they walked deeper into the Land of Claws. "We were able to handle the majority of the bandits until two months ago. But it seems the bandits have become organized and have formed into two large groups. Each of them is led by a rogue jonin. One is from Iwa. Another is from Amegakure. They are the real problem. Our samurai are brave, but they are not trained to fight against such experienced shinobi."
The Konoha team had surprised faces at this information. Shunsui thought carefully about what this meant.
Jonin were not cannon fodder in this world. They were very skilled shinobi with years of experience, powerful jutsu, and sharp battle instincts.
In fanfics from his previous life, jonin sometimes looked weak because of the scale of battles involving Kage or jinchuriki, but in reality, a jonin could easily best a full 6 man squad of Chunins easily.
Shunsui knew that if he was not focused, a jonin could kick his ass easily. He had to be careful not to underestimate them just because the main characters in the original story sometimes overpowered them or how Madara and Obito made short work of them.
Inoichi spoke in their minds through his telepathic link, 'We can take advantage of the fact that none of the bandits' leaders are from Konoha and one is from Iwa during the negotiations.'
Shunsui was pretty sure that this information was shared for the genin to learn. The jonin had probably figured it out themselves long ago, but they were teaching the next generation how to think strategically.
"Do not worry," Shikaku said to the samurai. "Our shinobi will help deal with your bandit problem."
After that, there was silence as the group continued walking. Shunsui thought quietly, 'Maybe after completing the mission, these samurai could teach me the flash step. From what I know, their flash step is pretty similar to what was used in Bleach. That kind of speed would be very useful.'
With that thought, the team was finally led to the Daimyo's estate. The grand building stood proudly with traditional architecture, surrounded by gardens and guarded by more samurai. Inoichi immediately went alert. 'Iwa team is here,' he said with a frown in their minds.
'Judging from your grave tone, they must have sent someone strong,' Shikaku said telepathically through Inoichi's help.
'They have sent Han, the Five-Tails jinchuriki,' Inoichi replied.
The man himself was standing along with another Iwa shinobi and three genin near the Daimyo's estate.
Han was a very tall man wearing a red kimono and a conical hat similar to Shunsui's. Genma and Guy's eyes turned to Shunsui at the same time. Choza also glanced at his student.
Shunsui looked at Han and immediately walked straight toward him, muttering under his breath, "Finally someone understands true fashion."
------Author Notes---------
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