"See? They won't let you go." Watching the Hyuga Clan ninjas' reaction, Sōkyū Hatake simply shrugged. "You don't meet the requirements to go."
"Hmph, hmph." Hyuga Hiashi could only huff twice. He knew himself that neither he nor his brother could go onto the battlefield.
"All right, let's settle it, then. I'll head over and take a look. Sunagakure has declared a truce anyway," Sōkyū Hatake said outright. He was determined to see this through.
He had stayed here so long that he desperately wanted to get out for some fresh air.
"Then be careful." Orochimaru glanced at the others. Since no one objected, he would let Sōkyū complete it himself.
"Got it. Don't worry," Sōkyū Hatake said. Orochimaru then wrote up a mission document and tossed it to him.
"Thank you, Teacher Orochimaru." After accepting it, Sōkyū Hatake hurried back to prepare.
"What? You're going into the Land of Wind?" When he returned to his room, Mitaraishi Anko happened to be there. As soon as she heard about Sōkyū Hatake's mission, she spoke up anxiously.
"Yes. The mission document has already been issued. I'll be leaving shortly." Sōkyū Hatake reached out and stroked Mitaraishi Anko's hair.
"Take me with you!" Mitaraishi Anko said outright. She knew the risks involved, so she did not want Sōkyū Hatake to go alone.
"I can't do that, Anko. If I'm alone, I can get away immediately even if I run into danger. But if I take you along... I'll be distracted." Sōkyū Hatake reached out and lightly flicked Mitaraishi Anko's nose.
"But..." Mitaraishi Anko wanted to say more, but Sōkyū Hatake placed a finger against her lips.
"No buts. Your task for now is to study hard under Teacher Orochimaru. Once you've grown stronger, I'll be counting on you to look