Takumi was lost in thought when Anko's sudden question brought him back. "Ah, I don't really have an opinion. After all, I've never been to the Land of the Sea."
"Anyway, we'll figure it out once we get there."
Anko said, "The largest island in the center of the Land of the Sea is called Mother Island. We'll board a ship at the nearby harbor to get there."
"Alright!"
Naruto shouted enthusiastically, startling Ino.
She instinctively grabbed Takumi's arm.
Anko saw this and couldn't help but give Takumi a teasing smile.
Takumi returned an embarrassed smile.
Along the way, Anko kept asking all sorts of questions curiously.
She hadn't seen Takumi fight up close, so she was very curious about Konoha's hero.
Of course, she wasn't doubting Takumi's strength.
It was because of Takumi's several encounters with Orochimaru.
Because she had a certain history with Orochimaru herself.
She had once been Orochimaru's student, and before leaving, Orochimaru had placed a Cursed Seal on her and erased part of her memory.
Therefore, she was also very determined to find Orochimaru.
But her strength was limited, so even if she found Orochimaru, she couldn't bring him back.
However, Takumi was different.
Takumi had fought Orochimaru several times and won every time.
That's how he became Konoha's hero.
So Anko was very curious about Takumi.
"What were you thinking when you faced the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage, and Orochimaru?"
Anko asked curiously. "They were all among Konoha's top-tier powerhouses, and you fought all three of them alone..."
Not only was she curious about this question, but Naruto and the others were also very curious.
Even the usually serious Shino was the same.
"I didn't have time to think about so much at the time."
Takumi scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "I was just thinking that I absolutely couldn't let Orochimaru continue to destroy the village. So I fought with all my might, I had no time for other thoughts."
"That makes sense. It was such an intense battle."
Anko nodded in agreement. "If I were in that battle, I probably wouldn't even know how I died."
"That battle was truly dangerous."
Ino also looked frightened, holding onto Takumi's arm tighter. "When the Shodaime Hokage summoned that vast forest, we were all terrified."
"No one could get close, and no matter how we attacked, it had no effect."
"Thankfully, Takumi-kun is very strong. Only then could he force Orochimaru to retreat after a day and night of fierce fighting."
As she spoke, she looked up at Takumi, her eyes filled with adoration.
'So innocent.'
Anko looked at Ino, unable to help but sigh inwardly.
She didn't seem to have someone she admired like that.
Maybe she did once, but not anymore.
A figure appeared and disappeared in her mind.
She could never see his face clearly.
The group chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the harbor.
"It's the salty smell of the sea."
Naruto shouted.
"So this is the sea?"
Ino couldn't help but feel exhilarated. "It's so vast."
"Haha, if you're interested, you can come here for sightseeing on your own later."
Anko said with a smile.
At that moment, she suddenly felt a pang in her heart.
The Cursed Seal on the back of her neck began to burn.
She couldn't help but fall into memories.
The memories weren't complete, but they showed she had been here before.
Takumi was the first to notice Anko's abnormality.
The others were still marveling at the sea, which they didn't see often.
Even Shino's gaze was fixed on the sea surface, not their surroundings.
Takumi channeled Yang-natured Chakra into his hand and placed it on Anko's forehead.
The healing effect pulled her back to reality.
She was stunned for a moment, then looked at Takumi, who had withdrawn his hand.
"Are you okay? You look very pale."
Takumi showed a worried expression. "If you're feeling unwell anywhere, you must tell me. I'm a Medical-nin even Tsunade-sama acknowledges as excellent."
"Thank you, I'm fine."
Anko smiled weakly with a pale face. "An old problem. I'm used to it."
"Is that so? If you feel unwell anywhere, don't hold it in, okay?"
Takumi patiently reminded her again, his gaze occasionally flickering to the back of Anko's neck.
"Huh? Anko-sensei isn't feeling well?"
Ino also noticed Anko's somewhat pale complexion. "Should we rest for a bit?"
"No need, I'm fine."
Anko waved her hands repeatedly. "We have a mission to carry out. How can I delay the mission because of me?"
"Besides, with Takumi here, I'll go to him if I feel unwell."
"Leave it to me."
Takumi patted his chest and said.
Then, the group went to the town on the west side to buy supplies and find a ship to cross the sea.
After getting off, they saw a girl covered in bandages selling fresh fish at a fish market.
Ino noticed the fish buyer only gave the girl a very cheap price. Displeased, she stepped forward to argue, "Hey, mister, that's too low! This is obviously high-quality fish. How can you give so little?"
"Miss, you've misunderstood me."
The buyer quickly said. "Actually, business has been difficult lately because of the Sea Demon, and prices have dropped a lot. Fish prices around here are all about the same now."
The bandaged girl clearly didn't want to stay and argue. She took the money and ran.
"Hey!"
Ino reached out, but the girl was already far away.
"Why is that girl covered in bandages? Is she injured?"
Naruto asked curiously. "Why did she run? Takumi could have helped her."
"Naruto, don't cause complications."
Shino said calmly.
"Her story is quite something."
The buyer chimed in. "She's actually a fisherwoman from a small fishing village on Mother Island."
"A fisherwoman from Mother Island? Then why is she here?"
Ino turned back in surprise.
"Because no one on Mother Island wants to do business with her."
The buyer placed the fish in his shop, then turned around, pretending to be mysterious. "She... once disappeared mysteriously before..."
Takumi quietly followed the girl, not listening to the buyer's subsequent words.
He watched the girl enter an alley, then two men blocked her path from both ends.
With people in front and behind, the girl had nowhere to run.
An apple fell out of the bag of vegetables and fruit she was holding, landing at the feet of the man in front.
He didn't pick it up but crushed it under his foot, then suddenly threw a punch at the girl.
At that instant, a figure suddenly appeared.
The girl only felt a blur before her eyes, then saw two figures flying far away.
"…!"
The girl stared wide-eyed in shock.
She hadn't sensed anything that happened in that instant.
"Are you okay?"
Takumi asked softly.
"So fast!"
At the corner, Anko was filled with astonishment.
She had seen Takumi follow the girl, so she had followed.
She hadn't expected Takumi to have already noticed someone targeting the girl, while she hadn't noticed at all.
In terms of observing the surroundings, Takumi was indeed strong.
And now, she saw Takumi's strength again.
Although those two guys weren't strong and couldn't showcase Takumi's full power, the speed displayed in that instant already made Anko's scalp tingle.
She realized if she faced such speed, she probably wouldn't be able to resist either.
Hearing Takumi's gentle voice, the girl turned to look at him.
'So handsome!'
That was the girl's first impression upon seeing Takumi's face.
Then, she saw the forehead protector on Takumi's head.
'A Shinobi!'
She quickly hugged her bag tighter and ran away.
Before leaving, she said softly, "I'm fine."
Takumi didn't chase her, letting the girl leave like that.
"Is it alright to let her go like that?"
Anko watched the girl disappear around the corner. "Those two men earlier are still alive, right? They'll definitely keep targeting her."
"But those two aren't our mission target."
Takumi said. "We are Shinobi, not murderers. Unless it's for a mission, I don't want to take lives unnecessarily."
"So kind-hearted."
Anko smiled.
"It's just maintaining my true self."
Takumi replied with a bright smile. "I just don't want to lose myself in this chaotic world. I want to protect the things I want to protect."
"Things you want to protect..."
Anko murmured, her eyes filled with confusion.
'What do I want to protect?'
Getting back to business, the group split up to look for shipping companies, but the answer was always the same: it's too late, not suitable for travel.
"Young lady, no one dares to go to sea here after evening. You'd better come back early tomorrow morning."
The shipping company owner said, waving his hand.
"What should we do?"
Ino panicked a little.
"Then, is there any other way to get to Mother Island?"
Shino asked calmly.
The shipping company owner looked at Shino, then said helplessly, "Although I don't recommend this method, if you insist, I can lend you my small boat."
"Really? That's great!"
Ino immediately jumped for joy.