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  March 17th.

  It was m aiatioweewo parties had already begun. Daichi and two uards stood in the shadows while the sed day iatioaking pce.

  Ryoma was sipping his tea as he looked at the two heads of panies apanied by their managers/advisors. "I suggest that we begin this by addressing the primary that both sides have regarding this alliand explore how we might resolve them for mutual be. Shall we?"

  The two along with Ryoma discussed the disruption they've been causing to each other's business and product distributiowork.

  As the hours progressed Ryoma put forth an idea and the heads of the two corporations froze. There was tension in the room as the weight of years of rivalry hung in the air.

  "You 't be serious. A merger. That's your proposal? That we merge our panies." The incredulity in Yamamoto's voice was mirrored on Tsuyoshi's face.

  "What you're saying is impossible. Even if I were tet what happened between our fathers I won't fet everything that happehe st few decades. So I 't accept that." Tsuyoshi replied.

  The mediator chuckled as he looked at the two. "Look at that. You two agree on something."

  The two presidents weren't in a joking mood as both were sp a stern expression.

  Ryoma decided to expin his decision. "This rivalry began with your fathers. But they're both dead now and it serves no purpose to tihis feud. Your hate for each other stemmed from your fathers and I doubt I do anything about that. But I help your children."

  "And how is that? " Yamamoto asked.

  "While an alliance would make sure that your businesses aren't interrupted and help you with expanding your reach, it is not truly binding. It be broken if someoo put pressure on it or if someone sees an opportunity to take a massive advantage of the other. Now there are risks of course. If an alliance is formed and brokehe 3rd Minister Lord Taji would be less than pleased. Especially because your corporations are the two biggest civilian panies in the Land of Fire in resource ma."

  "And you think a merger will solve our problems?" Tsuyoshi slightly tilted his head and asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "Yes. It might not solve all the problems but it will certainly help a great deal. You might not want a merger but it's in your best i." Ryoma looked at the two and took another sip from his cup.

  "What do you mean?" Yamamoto slowly leaned forward. Tsuyoshi too was waiting for the reply.

  Ryoma took out two thients from his scroll and hahem to the two presidents. "Review that file and you'll uand."

  The two presidents along with their advisors quickly flipped through the pages and their eyes widened after a few minutes of reading. "This is…"

  "The growth rate and distribution trol of yanizations this st decade and the projes for the several years." Ryoma finished for them.

  He leaned forward and spoke. "Right now the Satoru corporation trols 23% of the market in the northern region and the Rising Sun trol 22% in the southern region and its borders. If the two of you form an alliance your produ and distribution els would expand to a little over 48%. But if you form a merger of yanizations then that increases to over 65% in the few years. Your profits would soar and you'd be able to take over other petitors looking to take you on."

  Daichi heard the numbers and did sh calcutions in his head. 'If the rumors about their current busiurnovers are correct then a merger would definitely be in their best is. They might be an excellent iment opportunity. With their expanded resources they'll be able to take over other petitors and will bee the most promi manufacturers in Fire try… Well aside from the shinobi tactors.'

  The two presidents and their advisors looked at each other across the table. They looked at the numbers and realized the potential. Such profits would definitely help them increase their wealth and also with exp their goods to other tries and peting with their businesses. But that was not all that was in the files Ryoma gave them.

  The mediator was silent for a few moments and then tinued. "If you do not merge and just form an allia will set off a rea that will force your peting busio make simir moves and they will try to overtake you. While this might seem like a good thing in the short term, in the long term it will bee a problem. You'll be focused on battling enemies on two fronts. Ones from the outside and the ones from within yanizations that don't agree with an alliance. Yrowth will stagnate."

  "And if we stay the course and keep battling each other then the anizations will see a dee starti year and within the decade we'll be out of business." Tsuyoshi said as he looked at the papers in his hands.

  Yamamoto put the file down and looked at the mediator. "But you 't know all this for sure. These are just numbers on a paper. This hasn't happened. How I be sure that it will go the way you said?"

  Ryoma smirked. "These aren't just some random numbers. Some of the best and brightest people came up with these after analyzing almost every aspect of your twanizations. They took all the data of your family and your business growth and transas this previous decade and created a model that shows the growth these ing years."

  Daichi, who was in the shadows, was surprised to hear that. He kly who his t was talking about. 'He's talking about business analysts. Taking historical data and using it to predict what might happen iure or how an anization move forward. In a world where math and physics take a back priority, I didn't think they would have guys like that. Were people like that alresent or is this something that came about because of my existence?'

  Daichi decided to shove those thoughts to the back of his mind and trated on the meeting in front of him.

  Tsuyoshi and Yamamoto looked at each other in silend with a stern gaze. Ryoma spoke again. "I'm sure you'll want to discuss this with your families. So let's meet again in the evening."

  With that the discussions had e to an end and Daichi escorted his t to his room.

  —-

  In a suite room on the upper floor of Paradise Inn, Yamamoto Hideshi, his wife Nayobi Hideshi, their two children and Yamamoto's advisor Kotei Nanaji were having a serious discussion.

  "I don't agree with this, father. This could all be a ploy from Ryoma so that we would merge with the Satoru corporation." Yakumi Hideshi, the oldest son of the president spoke. He was not happy with the idea of an alliand a merger even less.

  "Could this be something he would do to bolster his reputation?" The younger son Yamaha Hideshi asked the family/business advisor.

  "It's true that if we form an allianerger, it would increase Ryoma's reputation in the capital and thus his influence. But I'm not sure he would lie or make up the information on these dots to achieve that…" Kotei Nanaji gave his thoughts.

  "So do you really think that if we don't form an alliance, we would be overtaken in the few years?" Nayobi asked the man.

  "It might be possible. There are many smaller panies looking to take a piece of anization. But now that we know, if we adjust our strategies then maybe we fight them…" Kotei replied.

  "What do you think dear?" Nayobi turo her husband.

  "If we have to fight Satoru and everyone else, then we might not st past the decade. But I'm sure Tsuyoshi has also e to this clusion by now. To expand, we'll have to take over the businesses of the Satoru pany. So a csh is iable. It's the same for them as well. But if her of us attack the other we could shore up our resources and battle the others but with each year our pany might stagnate in growth. An alliance is good but logically, a merger is better." Yamamoto replied.

  Yakumi sighed, hearing that. "For the record I'm not happy with this…"

  "Yes. You've made that clear my son… Still, I haven't decided anythi. We'll see how these iations go… I'm sure an answer will present itself to us in time." Yamamoto said and leaned ba his fy chair.

  In another part of the building where the Satoru family was residing a simir discussion was taking pce.

  Mika was looking through the dots that her father had brought. After several minutes she closed the files and gave her opinion. "I have to give that ma. He certainly did his research. These numbers aren't just random or fabricated. Based on the informatio and the model they created, our profits would be in a dee starting within 13 months if we keep the status quo."

  Tsuyoshi sighed. "As I feared. It seems at the very least an alliance is necessary."

  "Pops you're not actually sidering this are you?" Yusuke was in disbelief as he heard his father.

  "Yes I am. We have to think about the future. If a merger is the only way to protect everything that our family built then I have to sider that option."

  "Grandfather would disagree." Yusuke spoke in a cold tone looking at Tsuyoshi.

  Hana Satoru was shocked. "Yusuke!"

  The you son turo his mother. "Am I wrong mother? You've known grandfather for a long time. Do you think he'd agree with this?"

  At that moment Tsuyoshi spoke in a cold tone. "He is not here. The future of The Satoru corporation is my responsibility. And I will do what o be done."

  "No. There has to be another way. We 't trust them."

  The president narrowed his eyes at the rebellious nature of the you child. "I don't find your tone of voice acceptable Yusuke."

  Yusuke ched his fist and became silent hearing the cold edge in his father's voice. Before he could say something and make it worse, his friend who was standing in the back came beside him and spoke.

  "Apologies, sir. Yusuke is just a bit emotional right now. I'm sure he didn't mean any disrespect. I'm gonna borrow him for a while." Yuta spoke and the sed he grabbed his friend and dragged him out of the room.

  Kazuki sighed seeing the form of his younger brother and his friend disappear. "Those two…" The oldest son turo his father.

  "Yuta is right pops. Yusuke might seem angry but he has the pany's best is at heart."

  Tsuyoshi sighed while his wife gently rubbed his hands making him feel reassured.

  —-

  "Do you think they'll go for it?" Daichi asked the older man.

  "We'll have to wait ahey're not blind idiots. They'll want to see what I have in mind for the merger. And I'm not sure they'll agree when they hear my proposal…" Ryoma gave the Genin a cryptic reply.

  Daiodded and as they made their way to the upper floor the Genin asked another question. "Why did you ask me to apany you to this meeting and not sensei?"

  "It was actually your sensei's idea. You will uand when we reach my room."

  The two soon came to the top floor and stood in front of Ryoma's suite. Kakashi was leaning against the wall and reading his book as they came up.

  "Is there anything suspicious?" Ryoma asked the Jonin.

  The silver haired ninja put his e book ba his poud nodded his head. "I've examihe room thhly after you two left and I found something stra's ihroom."

  Kakashi led the two to the bathroom and poi the bathtub. "Yesterday I used my Sharingan on every inch of this suite and today when I was iing everything I found some strange pound on the floor of the tub… Daichi, you examihat?"

  The Genin nodded and pced his hands above the floor of the bathtub and they started glowing blue.

  He immediately found a very thin yer of chemical coating at the bottom of the tub. Daichi analyzed the fn pound and in a couple minutes he knew what it was. He stood and turo the two adults.

  "It's a paralytic agent. It's a special designed ohat activates when it es into tact with water and it's absorbed through skin. It has no smell or color and finding it is difficult if you don't know it's there. If you didn't have the Sharinga would have been a lot more difficult to identify it." Daichi replied.

  Ryoma narrowed his eyes as he looked down. "So essentially an almost untraceable paralysis poison. How did it get here?"

  Kakashi was the one who answered that question. "It wasn't here yesterday or this m when you took a bath or you would have suffered the side effects. My guess would be during the time we all had breakfast down in the pavilion."

  Ryoma looked at the two and spoke. "There are 7 suites in this resort. Only Kotohaku knew I was staying in this room when we arrived. It was to minimize information leak and to avoid problems exactly like this. Only two families and guards of the corporations came and no o since. So uhe other rooms were also marked with this poison we have to proceed on the assumption that I'm the target. Someone ihis building wants me dead or at the very least make sure this meeting doesn't end with an alliance."

  "Yeah, but with all the guards around this pce I 't believe someone mao break into this room." Daichi said. He khrough his observation skill that the uards the two families brought were far from inpetent.

  Ryoma sighed and sat on a nearby chair. Daichi thought for a few seds and another idea popped into his mind.

  "Then again… I don't think someone broke in here... I found faint traces of chakra in this pound, I think this art of a jutsu…" Daichi said to the two.

  Kakashi was surprised when he heard that. 'My Sharingan saw miniscule traces of chakra but not anywhere near enough to identify it. To think Daichi could find such faint traces as well… His teiques are impressive.'

  Daichi tapped his and thought about what to do and he found a way. "Hmm… I might have an idea as to how it got here. Sensei with your permission, I'd like to execute a pn I have in mind."

  "Let's hear it?" Kakashi and Ryoma paid attention as Daichi id out his pn. After a few mihey looked at each other and nodded.

  "That could work." Ryoma said.

  "Let's try it Daichi." Kakashi said with an eye smile.

  —-

  It was evening and almost everyone was in the pavilion. They made polite versations but were mostly stig to the ones with their group. At this time they saw the mediator entering wearing new luxurious eye-catg clothes. Kakashi and Daichi were with him and they were calm as usual.

  Ryoma o the people present and then g the two family patriarchs. "Let's tinue where we left off shall we?"

  The Mediator, Daichi, the two presidents and their guards began making their way to the private room to resume their discussion. As this was happening someone who was standing somewhat away from them narrowed their eyes as they looked at Ryoma.

  'Damn it. Did it not work? Did that man fail? From his appearance he looked like he took a bath in that tub. But he's fine. If he oisoned, even if the two ninjas saved him they would have made a fuss over it. But they don't seem ed or anything… It looks like that man must have made a mistake. I o tact him.'

  The unknown person ched their fist uhe table and waited for his ce to exit the room without seeming suspicious.

  Kakashi was standing nontly he duarding the meeting room with his book in his hand. Despite his aloof appearance he was aware of everyone's movements in the room. 'If Daichi is right, then there might be atad this might be our only ce to catch the culprit. If he es into tact with the enemy I'll just have to trust that he handle himself.'