After a satisfying meal, led by Sasame, the group arrived at one of Orochimaru's hidden research bases in the forest.
"A cave? Quite a fitting research base for someone like him," Takumi remarked casually, looking at the pitch-black cave entrance before him.
It was similar to the environment from their last mission investigating the large number of disappearances in the Land of Rice Fields… another huge cave.
"Everyone, stay on high alert. Orochimaru could very well be here. The terrain is narrow, and there are bound to be various traps," Takumi cautioned the others seriously. "I'll scout ahead. All of you follow behind me. No one acts on their own."
Everyone nodded.
They also knew how formidable Orochimaru was.
Even though they spoke disparagingly of Orochimaru in front of Sasame, that was only because they were comparing him to Takumi.
If it were them, they would definitely be no match for Orochimaru.
After all, he was one of the legendary Sannin and could use Forbidden Techniques like the Impure World Reincarnation to summon powerful fighters.
An enemy of that caliber was clearly not someone they could handle.
Thinking about it this way made them realize even more how unfathomably strong Takumi was.
Even an Orochimaru like that was no match for him.
He was just too strong!
Entering the cave, torches were placed at intervals along the cave walls, providing enough light to see the path.
"Wait, there's a trap!"
Takumi suddenly stopped, then gently tossed a kunai forward.
Swish, swish, swish!
A series of mechanism triggers sounded, and countless arrows shot out, embedding themselves in the opposite wall.
"Gulp."
Looking at the dense array of arrows, everyone's expressions changed drastically.
"Everyone, be careful."
Even though he had said it many times, Takumi tirelessly reminded them.
They continued forward.
After disarming several more traps,
Takumi and the others arrived, albeit with some fright, at a fork in the road.
There were three paths.
"There are three paths here. Should we split up?" Sasuke asked, frowning. "It would be more efficient."
"No, it's too dangerous," Takumi refused decisively. "What would you do if you encountered Orochimaru on the path you chose?"
"It's better to stick together."
Takumi examined the paths carefully, then pointed to the right. "Let's go this way first. Whether it's a dead end or full of traps, I'm confident I can bring everyone back safely."
"But we're Shinobi too. How can we improve if you're always protecting us?" Naruto protested loudly. "Don't underestimate us!"
"That's right. If we're afraid to take even a little risk, what kind of Shinobi are we? Might as well go home and be kids," Sasuke's expression wasn't great either.
"This..."
Takumi felt troubled, but seeing how insistent they were, he could only relent. "Alright then. In that case, you two can go separately. Sakura and Ino will come with me, and you too," He added, pointing at Sasame. "Just remember what I said, be extremely careful, understand?"
"Don't worry. I don't plan on dying here," Sasuke finally showed a slight smile. "At least not before I kill that man."
"Don't look down on me! I'm going to be Hokage!" Naruto declared boldly, then directly took the middle path.
Seeing this, Sasuke took the left path.
Takumi shook his head and sighed, then turned to the three girls. "Let's go. We'll take this path."
Sakura and Ino had no objections… in fact, they secretly wished the other would have gone on a different path so they could have some rare alone time with Takumi.
As they walked, Takumi noticed something off about this path.
The lighting was no longer a warm orange-yellow but a cold blue-white.
Not only that, it gave off a disorienting, illusory feeling.
In the distance, a small hut was visible.
It was very obvious… some kind of Genjutsu.
But Takumi wasn't afraid at all.
He wanted to see who was so bold as to use Genjutsu on him.
"Wait here. I'll go in and scout first," Takumi stopped the others. "Guard this spot. If anyone appears, signal me immediately."
"Yes!" Sakura and Ino quickly nodded, then began vigilantly watching their surroundings.
Takumi gently pushed the door open and went inside.
"Hehe."
A seductive, light laugh. A woman dressed alluringly, with an elegant figure, was reclining on a tatami mat. Beside her were placed wine and delicacies.
"What a rare guest. Won't you try this humble one's fine wine?"
Takumi raised an eyebrow, carefully examining the woman.
'Hmm, her face and body are original, not an illusion created by some old man. Worth investigating.'
So he sat down without ceremony.
The wine in the cup was clear and transparent, emitting an enticing aroma.
No need to say, it definitely had something in it.
But Takumi wasn't afraid.
He had poison resistance.
Takumi downed the poisoned wine in one gulp, then looked at the seductive woman. "Is that all?"
The woman's composure nearly slipped.
'Damn it, this was poison strong enough to take down an elephant!'
'And this guy is fine?'
'As expected of someone Orochimaru-sama values. His strength truly shouldn't be underestimated.'
The woman remained inwardly alert, but her face still wore a seductive smile.
"What's the hurry? We have plenty of time, don't we?"
She slowly got up, crawled over to Takumi's side, and reached out, gently placing her hand on Takumi's cheek.
Takumi could feel her Chakra attempting to invade his body, seemingly trying to cast a Genjutsu.
But how could Genjutsu possibly work on Takumi?
Takumi looked at the woman with an unchanged expression.
The woman's body writhed like a snake against Takumi, but her eyes were fixed intently on his.
'Huh?'
'The Genjutsu didn't work?'
'Why is there no change in his eyes?'
The woman's sense of alarm spiked.
But it was too late.
Takumi grabbed the woman's arm. "It seems you've finished using your tricks. Now it's my turn."
In one swift motion, Takumi pulled the woman tightly into his embrace, while his other hand moved to his own clothes.
One hour later.
Takumi, feeling refreshed and energetic, opened the door and stepped out of the hut. Outside, Sakura and Ino were still on guard.
"What took so long..." Sakura and Ino asked, puzzled.
"Couldn't be helped. It was a dead end inside. Scouting took some time," Takumi explained calmly.
"Let's go. This is a dead end. We need to regroup with Naruto and Sasuke," Takumi said to the three girls.
"What was inside?" Sakura asked curiously, craning her neck. Before the door closed, she thought she had seen something.
"Just an overconfident enemy. I've already taken care of them."
"As expected of Takumi, so strong."
Leading the three girls back the way they came, they returned to the fork.
At that moment, Sasuke also emerged from the left path.
Seeing Takumi's group, he looked surprised. "Was yours a dead end too?"
Takumi nodded. "It seems Naruto chose the right path. I hope he's okay."
"Why?" Sakura was confused, not quite getting it. "Isn't finding the right path a good thing?"
"Then who do you think would be on the right path?" Takumi countered.
Now Sakura understood, her face immediately changing. "Then let's hurry! If that idiot Naruto really encounters Orochimaru, he'll..."
Although Sakura usually couldn't stand Naruto, she was a kind girl at heart, and Naruto was, after all, a teammate in her team.
Now that her companion was in danger, she couldn't remain indifferent.
Sasuke's expression also changed drastically, and he immediately charged into the middle path.
"Wait!"
Takumi hadn't expected him to be so impulsive.
He quickly rushed in after him.
"I'll take the lead." Takumi overtook Sasuke. "If we encounter a trap, I can disarm it immediately."
"Don't worry. I'm not being careless," Sasuke's face looked surprisingly calm. "I told you, I don't plan on dying yet."
"Even so, Orochimaru's traps are countless. Better safe than sorry."
Takumi insisted, but Sasuke didn't slow down.
However, they didn't need to slow down.
Along the way, they could see various traps that had already been triggered.
Clearly, someone had seemingly set off every single trap on this path.
"I wonder if he's incredibly lucky or just that strong," Takumi couldn't help but comment. "Isn't this the fifteenth trap already?"
Sasuke's mouth also twitched.
He hadn't expected Naruto to trigger so many traps and still seem unharmed.
At least, there was no blood or bodies on the path.
And what was Naruto doing at that moment?
He was getting beaten up.
At the end of the path, he was being relentlessly pummeled by Kabuto.
"Damn it!"
Naruto was furious. He was sent flying by another punch, slamming hard against the wall.
"I never thought someone like you, a worthless burden, would be kept around by that Takumi," Kabuto said with disdain, looking at Naruto. "You're clearly just dead weight."
"Don't look down on me!" Naruto shouted angrily. "Shadow Clone Technique!"
A dozen Naruto appeared, but under Kabuto's Fire Release, they all vanished in puffs of white smoke.
Naruto was knocked back again, but this time he didn't hit the wall… someone gently caught him.
"You did well. Leave the rest to me," Takumi set Naruto down gently. "Naruto."
Naruto turned, looking at Takumi and Sasuke in surprise. "You took so long, I thought..."
"You thought something happened to us?" Takumi smiled lightly. "Don't worry. I won't die."
That confident smile instantly affected Naruto. The tears that were about to fall from his eyes receded.
"I knew you could do it." Naruto stood up, then looked at Kabuto. "Be careful. He's very strong."
"I know." Takumi narrowed his eyes, looking at Kabuto in the distance.
"You're not Kabuto, are you?" Takumi said loudly.
'Kabuto' was startled, then immediately said, "What makes you say that!"
"Kabuto is skilled in Medical Ninjutsu and is also adept at fighting using Medical Ninjutsu."
"But you, the Ninjutsu you're using aren't ones he knows. No matter how you look at it, you can't be Kabuto."