The next day, Team Choza left the town. Shunsui kept his face set in an annoyed expression, kicking small stones on the path as they moved.
Guy walked with heavy steps, complaining about the waste of time. Genma stayed quiet but looked equally displeased. They made sure their voices carried far enough for people nearby to hear them.
"There was no bear at all," Shunsui said loudly enough for passersby to notice. "We searched the entire area for the entire day and found nothing. Just trees and more trees. What a waste of our time."
Genma added in a flat tone, "The lumberjack must have been lying. Or maybe he was seeing things. Either way, we are done here."
They reached the edge of the town and continued walking until they were out of sight of most people.
Then they doubled back quietly, taking a hidden path through the forest to avoid being seen. Once they were far enough, they returned to the town
They circled back toward the lumber mill property. Choza had stayed hidden the whole time, watching from a distance. The plan was simple but effective. If someone was watching, they would think the Konoha team had given up and left.
They reached the lumber mill area and found a good hiding spot deep in the trees near the edge of the property. From there, they could see the main operations without being noticed. The workers were busy cutting and moving logs, but the owner looked nervous and kept glancing toward the forest.
They waited silently for a full day. The sun rose and set.
On the second morning, a large bear finally appeared from the forest. It was enormous, with thick, dark fur. The lumberjack saw it from his office window and let out a terrified shout. "It is here! The monster is back!"
Genma acted immediately. He threw several senbon enhanced with chakra augmentation. The needles flew true and pierced deeply into the bear's side. Poison spread quickly through its body. The bear roared in pain and staggered, but before it could fall, it disappeared in a large puff of white smoke.
"What do we do now?" Genma asked. "The summoner should be a little further away and would have already escaped."
"Now we find the place where the summoner summoned him," Shunsui said calmly. They searched the area from where they believed the summoner had been directing the bear.
After careful checking, they found a small patch of fresh blood hidden under some leaves. It was still slightly wet.
Shunsui smiled as he saw the new blood. "Perfect."
Genma asked, "What are we going to do with the blood? I do not think any of us are trackers, and we do not have an Inuzuka who could use the blood to smell the person."
"No. But this is a clue. A clue for our treasure hunt," Shunsui said. He activated his Shikai.
His shikai ability activated as he began the game called Treasure Hunt. The game was simple. The goal was to find hidden things using clues. The "clue" here was the blood of the summoner.
Shunsui could see a path made of pink mist appear, directing him toward the source of the blood. "Follow me," he said.
As expected, the path led them straight toward the neighboring lumber mill property. This one looked almost identical but was in full operation. Workers moved everywhere, and loud saws cut through wood.
Shunsui did not bother to hide. He strode through the property as if he owned the place. Workers gave him glances, but the Konoha headband and visible swords kept them silent.
No one wanted to mess with shinobi. A well-dressed man soon came out to meet them and was forced to follow along as Shunsui did not slow down. The pink mist only he could see kept guiding him forward.
The man, clearly the owner, spoke nervously. "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you to my property?"
"Monster hunt," Shunsui replied without looking at him.
"You're Lement?"
"Mustace Lement, yes sir. You think there is a monster on the property?"
"I am sure you are familiar with the troubles your neighbor is having," Shunsui said. "A monster appeared there several hours ago, and I have been tracking it to the source."
"Tracking it?" Lement asked, panic creeping into his voice.
"I managed to get some blood of the summoner which led me directly to your property."
Lement was starting to sweat. His eyes darted nervously in the direction Shunsui was heading. "You have obviously been working hard. Why don't you let me offer you some hospitality? You can have some refreshment and I can tell you about the property. It might help you find what you are looking for."
"These swords are all the help I need," Shunsui said, continuing his rapid stride.
"I will leave you to your business then," Lement said and started moving ahead at a half-run.
"Stop," Shunsui ordered. His chakra came down hard on Lement, who staggered and stopped immediately. "Sir?" he asked feebly.
"I think it would be best if you stayed with me," Shunsui said. "For safety."
Withering under the force of Shunsui's chakra, Lement reluctantly nodded and fell in behind him.
They quickly came upon a building detached from the main residence, made from stone and an indulgent amount of wood. On a porch swing, a man was sitting up, rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up. He gave the approaching group a bleary-eyed look, focusing first on Lement.
"Mustace," he said, "what was that chakra I just…" The man trailed off as he realized the source of the chakra was standing right next to Lement. Then his gaze locked onto Shunsui and the other genin's faces, and his eyes went wide with shock.
------Author Notes---------
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