The mine where the mission was located wasn't far from the Land of Fire.
Quite coincidentally, Lee had been around there many times before.
It was last year, when he had just become a Genin, training with Guy.
He had met an old woman who made curry and her grandson.
The old woman always added too much spice when seasoning the curry.
Making the taste turn out wrong.
But Lee could always eat it deliciously.
As for the others.
Seeing how much Lee enjoyed it, they couldn't resist trying it.
They all ended up regretting it, their faces turning dark red, as if flames were burning under their skin.
After smelling the curry, Takumi decisively used the spices on the table to re-season it before reluctantly eating it.
"Ah, you cheated!"
Naruto noticed and shouted.
Looking at Naruto's half-eaten curry, Takumi raised an eyebrow. "Naruto, wasting food is a shameful act. Every grain of rice is planted by farmers through immense hardship."
"So, never waste food, or you'll be punished by god."
As he spoke, Takumi thoughtfully refilled Naruto's bowl.
Naruto stared blankly at this.
He had finally eaten half, and now it was a full bowl again, piled up like a small mountain with a peak.
"By the way, Grandma Sansho."
Lee asked curiously. "Where's Karashi?"
"Karashi, he..."
The old woman's originally happy face dimmed. "After meeting you, he became cheerful and lively, wanting to become someone like you."
"Maybe he became too cheerful, so he left the village."
"Said he wanted to become a real man, join the Kurosuki Family or something..."
Speaking up to this point, the old woman suddenly snapped back to reality. "I'm not blaming you, this isn't your fault..."
Tenten struggled to drink water, swallowing the burning sensation in her throat. "Too late..."
"It is my fault!"
Lee's face was covered in sweat, his eyes full of remorse.
Takumi looked speechless, 'It was obviously the kid's own doing, why was Lee feeling remorse here?'
'It had nothing to do with him at all.'
"Neji-kun! I request an addition to the mission: include rescuing Karashi!"
Lee raised his hand high, his face full of determination. "I must bring him back from the wrong path. I absolutely cannot let him tread the path of evil!"
Neji, who seemed to have never eaten such surprising food, had even activated his Byakugan from the spiciness.
He was frozen in place, unable to move.
It took Tenten giving him water for him to recover.
Though his voice became slightly hoarse. "Fine."
It was just rescuing one person, not conflicting with their objective.
After dinner, it was already late.
As team leader, Neji decided to rest here for the night and act tomorrow.
Hearing the order, Takumi noticed the man named Rokusuke clench his fist unwillingly.
He was the client, yet he couldn't give orders.
He could only let Neji and the others make the decisions.
This was perhaps because they were just ordinary people, without power themselves.
Night fell.
Takumi, however, was not sleeping in the house.
Although Grandma Sansho's house wasn't small, it was clearly impossible for all of them to sleep there.
Moreover, Takumi, with Yugito, couldn't sleep with the others anyway.
Because Takumi needed to hold Yugito.
This would have seemed quite strange to others.
To avoid unnecessary speculation and to maintain his image in front of others, Takumi decided to sleep in a tent outside.
"What exactly is your intention?"
Throughout the journey, Yugito had been full of questions.
But with others around all the time, she had remained silent.
Now, finally alone with Takumi, she immediately voiced her doubts. "Wasn't keeping me in the village for surveillance the best choice? Then you could carry out your so-called fishing plan."
When mentioning the fishing plan, a mocking expression appeared on her face.
Whether she was mocking Takumi for his plan not succeeding, or mocking herself for not being as important as she had imagined, it was unclear.
Although she didn't truly hope anyone would come to rescue her, when no one actually did, she still felt a hint of disappointment inside.
"You should have heard my conversation with the Hokage-sama."
Takumi glanced at her calmly. "First, the time for Kumogakure's Shinobi to learn of your departure from the village and confirm your current location is limited."
"Second, this is the Land of Rivers, not close to the Land of Lightning. Even if an elite team comes, they might not arrive in time."
"Most importantly, third, even if an elite team comes, so what? Do you think I would be afraid?"
Calmly stating three reasons why he had no worries, he watched Yugito's expression gradually change. "The most likely scenario is that we'll be back in Konoha before Kumogakure's Shinobi even have a chance to react."
Yugito carefully considered Takumi's words and found the situation was indeed as he had analyzed.
This proved that Takumi's decision to join this mission wasn't impulsive, but a choice made after sufficient consideration.
She hadn't expected that after hearing about the mission at the door, Takumi, who made an immediate decision, could have thought through so much in an instant.
Possessing both strength and wisdom.
'An enemy like this, even at the cost of my life, I should...'
'But...'
Yugito thought about the past two days spent with Takumi, his gentle treatment, and his occasional subtle advances, all of which gave her a unique feeling.
Her expression at this moment was extremely complex.
Sometimes her face showed determination, sometimes hesitation.
Takumi didn't know what she was thinking inside.
His attention was more focused outside.
Because he knew tonight would be a sleepless one.
Soon, he noticed slight movements outside.
That man named Rokusuke indeed couldn't resist.
Perhaps his regard for friendship was admirable-
But putting himself in danger showed his foolishness.
Moreover, his actions meant exposing Neji and the others' presence.
Waiting silently for a moment, Takumi finally heard Neji and the others' commotion.
"Rokusuke is gone!"
Rokusuke's two companions thought he had just gone to the toilet.
But after waiting a long time without his return.
Thinking it strange, they went to look for him, only to find no trace of Rokusuke in the entire house.
They then realized what happened and hurriedly approached Neji and the others. "Rokusuke must have gone to the village alone."
"This is bad."
Tenten frowned. "If he gets caught..."
She didn't finish, but everyone knew what she meant.
"Situation has changed. Looks like there's no time to continue planning!"
Naruto stood up. "We must leave immediately. We'll have to force our way in."
"It has to be a forceful entry!"
Lee was filled with fighting spirit; he wasn't good at thinking things through anyway.
"Let's go immediately."
Neji didn't deliberate long. The current situation didn't allow him enough leeway.
The four quickly left, heading towards the village.
At this moment, they seemed to have forgotten about Takumi sleeping in the tent outside, or in their haste, they didn't think to notify him.
"Quite impatient."
Takumi raised an eyebrow. He had initially wanted to lecture Neji, but decided against it.
"Let's go too. They might not necessarily be able to handle Kurosuki Raiga."
Takumi tugged the chain, picked up the mobility-impaired Yugito, and quickly followed Neji and the others, hanging back at a distance.
At this distance, Neji's Byakugan could notice him, depending on whether he would pay attention to the rear.