Who was the Third Raikage?
Known as the strongest Raikage, a title far more credible than Hiruzen's "Professor" or "God of Shinobi" monikers.
Possessing the so-called "Strongest Spear" in attack and the "Strongest Shield" in physical defense.
The fearsome man who could subdue the Hachibi with sheer physical strength!
He hadn't expected Orochimaru to have resurrected the Third Raikage.
[The Third Raikage's fighting style is bold and unrestrained. Moreover, Orochimaru deliberately chooses to fight within Konoha Village, intending to make you hesitate, afraid to fight back freely.]
[Orochimaru's tactic is very successful. Whenever civilians are nearby, you have to lure the Third Raikage elsewhere.]
[But even so, the Third Raikage still causes massive casualties and property damage.]
[And as an Edo Tensei body, even if you kill him, he can regenerate completely.]
[You don't know any sealing techniques, completely unable to restrain the Third Raikage. Ultimately, you have to flee Konoha, luring him out of the village.]
[Then, relying on your immense speed, you turn back and ambush Orochimaru, forcing him to temporarily retreat with the Third Raikage.]
"This is troublesome."
Takumi's expression grew serious.
He realized the gravity of the situation.
He roughly skimmed the rest of the simulation; aside from post-disaster reconstruction, there was nothing else.
He skipped that part and started thinking about what to do.
First,
The best solution was to master a sealing technique as soon as possible.
But unfortunately, the simulation was on cooldown. It was impossible in the short term.
Since he couldn't use sealing techniques to restrain the Third Raikage, his only option was to move the battlefield outside Konoha.
But there was still risk.
Orochimaru might deliberately have the Raikage cause destruction in the village to force him back.
However, this probability wasn't high; Orochimaru would more likely give chase.
So, the best choice now was indeed to find a mission and temporarily leave Konoha.
With no target, Orochimaru would either retreat temporarily or actively seek him out.
Either way, it avoided the main problem:
Preventing Konoha from suffering major losses.
Having roughly formulated a plan, Takumi felt relieved and was able to close his eyes and sleep peacefully.
Just a few hours later, Takumi opened his eyes, ate a quick breakfast, then went out to find construction workers to fix his ceiling.
After that, he immediately headed to the Hokage's Office.
"Sigh, it's a shame. I wanted to see Koyuki."
On the way, Takumi shook his head regretfully.
"After all, Koyuki came all this way, but I can't even spend a day with her."
"Looking at it this way, am I even worse than the me in the simulation?"
Takumi was suddenly speechless.
He had harshly criticized his simulation self earlier.
But now comparing, he found that his simulation self was actually quite conscientious, wasn't he?
Sighing, he arrived at the Hokage's Office. Just as he raised his hand to knock, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from inside.
"Is this?!"
Takumi's eyes lit up with pleasant surprise.
He pushed the door open eagerly and saw a familiar figure with her back to him.
"Koyuki?"
Takumi exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't expected Koyuki, who the simulation said would appear tomorrow, to be in Konoha right now.
Hearing his voice, Koyuki's body visibly tensed.
She spun around quickly, her face showing even more obvious delight than Takumi's.
She rushed straight over and threw her arms around Takumi.
Both old men in the room smiled knowingly, their expressions involuntarily showing a trace of reminiscence.
Perhaps seeing the young couple reminded them of their own youth?
Though old now, they must have had their share of sweet moments back then.
"I missed you so much!"
Koyuki held Takumi tightly, whispering softly in his ear.
Takumi could hear the deep longing in her voice.
He was also very happy, and filled with pleasant surprise.
He had thought he would miss Koyuki this time.
"Me too."
Takumi gently comforted the embracing girl, patting her back softly.
Amidst the pleasant surprise, he suddenly felt the reunion setting wasn't ideal.
If they were on the street, or at his home, they could embrace more intimately, even kiss.
But now, with two old men watching, even Koyuki, though overjoyed after their long separation, didn't dare do anything too bold.
"Why are you here?"
Glancing at the director from the corner of his eye, Takumi asked, though he already knew.
"This time, it was mainly the director's idea."
Koyuki released him, her cheeks still flushed, making her look even more radiant. "Our previous movie was a huge hit, so the director wants to shoot another one."
"Exactly!"
The director chimed in at the opportune moment. "Takumi-kun, you have no idea how popular you are in other countries. Every screening is packed. In such a short time, it's already broken the all-time box office record!"
"Is that so?"
Takumi smiled, not overly excited.
No matter how popular the movie was, it didn't benefit him.
He hadn't invested, nor did he get a cut. Aside from making him more famous across the Shinobi World, he gained nothing materially.
"Well, what do you think, Takumi?"
Hiruzen asked with a smile.
He agreed in principle. Compared to dangerous missions, what risk was there in shooting a movie?
However, he greatly respected Takumi's opinion and wouldn't force him if he refused.
"I don't mind, but the director probably wants to film during a mission."
Takumi knew the director's intentions, and he happened to need a mission that would take him away from the village for an extended period to avoid Orochimaru's timing.
"I see."
Hiruzen fell into thoughtful contemplation.
He thought it was just a regular movie shoot; he hadn't expected it to involve actual missions.
Didn't that mean there would be danger?
But seeing that Takumi didn't seem to refuse, after careful consideration, he handed a confidential letter to Takumi.
"If you want to go, this mission should be perfect for you."
Hiruzen said seriously. "However, if you find the mission too dangerous at any point, you can abandon it at any time."
"Don't say that."
Takumi smiled, taking the confidential letter and reading it carefully.
The letter had already been translated, so he didn't need to translate it again.
But soon, his brow furrowed.
"Mysterious forces attacking the coastal units of the Land of Wind?"
Takumi muttered softly. "And there's a mysterious, massive mechanical ship... this is..."
He felt a sense of familiarity.
After thinking for a moment, he immediately understood what this was about.
He raised an eyebrow, folded the letter, and handed it back to Hiruzen. "I accept this mission."
Takumi remembered the details of this mission.
Simply put, it involved a power different from Chakra.
Its name was Gelel. Legend had it that long ago, someone used a vein of Gelel Stones to create a vast country.
But internal strife, triggered by the pursuit of power, eventually led to the nation's collapse.
And many years later,
The story of the kingdom's royalty being used by a villain to search for the Gelel Stones, intending to rule the Shinobi World.