Shino joined in the conversation, his words seemed to pointing out that there was no need for useless trouble.
The beast, though powerful, did not seem to get out of the limited area. At least that's what his bugs had conveyed.
...
"Don't disturb it. If the beast has marked the territory then let it be. It's not close to our travel routes anyways."
Kurenai made the final decision for the team. They were going to avoid the beast but that did not mean that they would not patrol that area. It was just that they would not willingly indulge in battle with the bear.
Since the bear did not seem to be close to various roads taken by merchants, it was needless to slay the isolated beast. At least not until the bear reacted aggressively towards them.
'There is a chance that a spy would choose to hide in that area. But with Shino's bugs and Hinata's kekkei genkai, it's hardly a problem for us.'
Kurenai was not worried about the possibility of an enemy being able to escape. Not with the kekkei genkai her students had!
'Why stop them from fighting? She could have just prohibited them from killing the bear.'
Reko had a very different opinion from that of Kurenai's. When she wanted the students to avoid the needless fight, Reko wanted them to fight in order to gain experience in combat.
They were shinobis, strength was the one and only thing that mattered. Avoiding a battle which they could use for experience was a big no-no in Reko's mind.
If he were the teacher of the Genins then he would have suggested the battle first, hoping that his students would learn some more of combat.
But this was not his place to interfere as Kurenai was a far more experienced shinobi than him, an otherworlder.
Reko was still unsure if he would be able to win against Kurenai in a proper spar. Even with cheats like Rasengan and shadow clone, he was still unsure!
'A surprise attack would be an easy kill, but a spar would put me down badly. She is a genjutsu specialist.'
Reko was not delusional. He had not even experienced a genjutsu yet, but he was sure that even someone like Kurenai would be able to subdue him.
This was not counting Kurenai's physical strength and combat skills. Combat skills and physical stats could be overpowered by his chakra and Rasengan though.
But genjutsu? He was not so sure.
Reko kept diligently channeling his chakra to his kekkei genkai, in hopes that he would be able to have a Genin level charge this time before being disturbed.
Following Kurenai's orders, the group moved towards their target. Reko did not voice out his opinion on the bear and battle.
They decided to travel to the beast's hideout but with soft steps and vigilance. Their intention was to just make sure that the area was devoid of the enemy.
...
At another location, Anko and Tsume were walking side by side as they searched the surroundings attentively.
Finally, it seemed as if there task has been completed as both of the ladies stopped for a moment before beginning to talk.
'It ends here. Now, it's time we get back to the village!'
"The checkposts have been safe up until now. Would you be returning to the village after this mission?"
Tsume asked Anko curiously, she wished to know about Anko's response. It was obvious that Anko was extra motivated to deal with turmoil caused by her former master.
And to complete with that, Anko would keep pursuing the enemies on the borders and she might even go looking for various missions to hunt for Orochimaru or his hideouts.
But this was all Tsume's own assumption. From her position, it was very clear to Tsume that fighting or chasing Orochimaru is an insurmountable wall for Anko.
At least with the strength of Tokubetsu Jonin Anko had shown, it was barely possible to even participate in the manhunt mission.
However, Tsume also understood that the desire for revenge was overwhelming Anko, and stopping her at the moment would result in an awful breakdown of Anko's psych.
"I think I would pass on that, for now. Lady Tsunade has allowed me the freedom to decide and join the teams here on the borders."
Anko understood the intention behind Tsume's words but she did not mind the question. Tsume Inozuka was one of the few understanding leaders in the village, unlike the guys like Danzo and the council members who stopped at nothing to get the results.
Even before the Konoha crush incident, Anko had been looking for traces of Orochimaru. She wanted answers, the reason behind the treatment she received, the reason behind the betrayal from her own sensei.
However, somewhere along the line she had deviated from her goals. She had grown idle, laid-back in life. Her growth as a shinobi had stopped and there seemed to be little chances of her getting further.
The recent incident, the death of Hokage, the death of various shinobis in the village had reignited the fire in her heart.
And this time, she was not going to be idle. Not until she had got her questions answered.
Lady Tsunade, the new Hokage had given her freedom to go around the borders and help depending on the manpower requirements.
Anko was a Tokubetsu Jonin, her strength was sufficient to make that type of decision on her own. She decided that she would use this freedom to get to her goals.
She had snake summoning techniques, jutsu taught by Orochimaru himself, and the various combat strategies too.
If things took turn for worst then she also had that option, the jutsu that she did not believe a teacher would implant into his own student.
Anko was prepared to risk her life at this point. Not that she did not already realise the difference of strength between them, but it was results that mattered now and she needed to start from somewhere.
'Lady Tsunade did that? Doesn't she know that Anko hates her former Sensei?'
Tsume was slightly surprised that lady Tsunade had given such a mission to Anko. According to Tsume, Tsunade would have tried to stop Anko from going after an S rank shinobi. More so, because Anko had known Tsunade from her Genin days under Orochimaru.
...
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