Chương 35: Lumberjack's Crisis

The next day after the meal at Kushina's place, Team Choza gathered again for another C-rank mission. It was just morning as the four of them met at the usual training ground. Guy was already doing warm-up stretches before anyone came with Genma standing quietly with a senbon in his mouth. Shunsui arrived to this scene and just leaned against a tree with his straw hat tilted low over his eyes. Choza arrived last. He immediately took the team to get them a mission.

As they moved toward the mission center inside the Hokage building, Choza looked over at Shunsui and asked, "How was your training with Yamanaka-san for sensory jutsu?" Shunsui adjusted his hat slightly and answered in his usual calm lazy voice, "It seems that I would not be able to learn sensory jutsu. I don't have the organ for it." Choza nodded understandingly.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Even I don't have it. Half of the shinobi in the village don't. It is not a big problem."

"I am fine with it," Shunsui continued.

"But when Yamanaka-san heard that I wanted to learn sensory jutsu to prevent myself from getting assassinated or ambushed or taken off guard, he suggested training my reflexes, intuition, and situational awareness instead." Choza smiled and patted Shunsui's shoulder with his heavy hand.

"Ah, you should have told me why you wanted to train in sensory jutsu. If I knew you wanted to improve those things, I would have trained you in them from the start. Anyway, I think these three skills would be useful to all three of you. So we will be working on them after we return from this mission." Shunsui nodded quietly. He felt relieved that his sensei was supportive. Improving his instincts and awareness would help cover one of his biggest weaknesses without needing the rare sensory organ.

They reached the mission center inside the Hokage building. Choza quickly looked through the available C-rank missions and picked one without wasting time. After getting the scroll and the necessary details, they immediately left the village for the mission. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The team walked at a steady pace through the forest paths leading away from Konoha. Choza decided to explain the mission while they moved.

"In a nearby town, one of the prime lumberjacks has shown sightings of a large bear that seemed to be a chakra animal. He has been unable to continue operations for a couple of months because of this," Choza explained.

"A couple of months?" Genma asked, surprised.

"It seems this mission had been given to four teams before us, but all of them reported that there was no bear. But the lumberjack insists there is one, and a large one at that." Genma thought for a moment.

"This should be the last mission otherwise he would be blacklisted from giving more missions, right? That was taught to us in the academy."

"Correct," Choza said.

"Anyway, the reason the other squads believed the man was lying was because the bear had not killed anyone. It is very unusual for a wild chakra animal to not kill anyone."

"Even I believe that he is lying and we are going to confirm it," Choza added. Genma asked the obvious question.

"But why would a lumberjack lie about the bear?" Choza gave a small shrug.

"Lumberjacks have quotas to meet and this one has a pretty large area owned by him. He probably wants to get his quota reduced, which he has been successful at for the past two months." Shunsui had been listening quietly the whole time. After thinking for a while, he spoke up.

"You said it is unusual for a wild chakra animal to not kill anyone, but what if it was a summoned beast?" Choza's eyes widened slightly.

"That… makes sense. But why would someone go to so much trouble to summon a beast in the lumberjack area and not kill anyone? And why would a shinobi do that?"

"I think I can guess what is happening," Shunsui said after thinking for a moment. Choza looked at him with interest.

"Then you take the lead for the mission. It would be good to see your decision-making skills in action." Shunsui simply nodded as they continued heading toward the town that was not much far from Konoha. The forest path was wide and well-used by merchants and workers. Tall trees stood on both sides, their trunks thick and old. The team moved at a comfortable pace so they could talk and observe their surroundings. Shunsui walked in the middle, hands tucked in his kimono sleeves, thinking about the mission.

He found the situation interesting. A lumberjack claiming a dangerous chakra bear was stopping his work for months, yet no one had been hurt and previous teams found nothing. It did not add up. If it really was a summoned beast, then someone was deliberately interfering with the lumber operations. The question was why. Money? Territory? Or something else? Choza noticed Shunsui's thoughtful expression and smiled.

"Take your time thinking, Shunsui. A good leader considers all possibilities before acting. We are not in a hurry. The town is only a few hours away." Guy pumped his fist.

"Yosh! With Shunsui leading, We will solve this mystery and protect the hardworking people of the Land of Fire!" The remaining team just ignored him already used to his high level energy. The four of them continued walking. The forest slowly gave way to open fields and then the outlines of the town appeared in the distance. Smoke rose from chimneys, and the sound of axes chopping wood could be heard faintly. Shunsui felt a small spark of interest.

For once, a C-rank mission seemed like it might not be completely boring.

'Lets hope that I did not jinx myself and then this mission into an A rank mission.' He thought. Choza walked beside him, ready to offer guidance if needed but letting the boy take the lead as promised.