Meanwhile.
Carried by Takumi, Koyuki looked helpless.
"Hey, why can you always find me?!"
"This time I deliberately avoided your surveillance!"
"Can't you just let me go?!"
Koyuki was exasperated!
This time, to escape, she purposely chose when everyone was busy.
Takumi was talking to someone then, so he shouldn't have noticed her. Yet he found her again.
"I wanted to ask, how come you always get caught by me?"
"And, you're so... well-endowed."
Takumi rolled his eyes.
His words made Koyuki blush involuntarily.
"None of your business!"
Koyuki snorted coldly, trying to jump off Takumi's back.
But Takumi just held her firmly in place on his shoulder.
"Stop moving, or I'll spank you."
"You!"
Koyuki's face instantly flushed red.
No one had ever been so rude to her!
"Good grief, already have poor stamina, yet insist on running. Is this called 'low skill, high enthusiasm'?"
While talking, Takumi had already brought Koyuki back to the group.
"Having you around is really reassuring, Takumi."
Kakashi said with a smile, then composed himself, looking seriously at Koyuki: "Fujikaze-san, could you explain why you keep trying to escape? What's the reason?"
"None of your business!" Koyuki avoided Kakashi's gaze, her face still tinged with blush.
But her eyes held fear and panic.
"But isn't this just wasting everyone's time?"
Naruto exclaimed loudly, "You don't know how worried this uncle was, he even cried."
"What's it to me." Koyuki didn't even look. "I don't want to film anymore. I'm quitting the production."
"What?"
The director looked at Koyuki in shock, not understanding her sudden decision. "But we signed a contract..."
"Then pay the penalty!"
Koyuki said adamantly.
Now, everyone looked at her with headaches.
Kakashi scratched his head helplessly.
This was the employer's own matter, and as hired help, they couldn't easily intervene.
Sakura and Ino wanted to persuade her but were deterred by Koyuki's glance.
Just as everyone was at a loss…
Slap!
A crisp sound reached everyone's ears.
"This isn't really appropriate..."
Kakashi looked utterly helpless but didn't intervene to stop it.
The others widened their eyes in disbelief.
Even Koyuki herself stared wide-eyed in shock, then covered her slightly reddened cheek.
Because Takumi had actually slapped Koyuki.
"Hey, if you want to be willful, look at the situation. Everyone is worried about you. What are you trying to do, make enemies with everyone?"
Takumi said coldly: "I don't know why you're running, but why did you hire us? Isn't it to protect your safety?"
"If you hired us, give us enough trust. As long as we're alive, we absolutely won't let anyone harm you."
"If you run again, I'll charge extra."
The sudden slap not only stunned Koyuki but also left Kakashi dumbfounded.
'Wow, directly hitting the employer?'
'And she's a female celebrity.'
'You're really something!'
Kakashi quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Takumi is right. Although we don't know what you fear, our purpose here is to protect your safety. Please trust us."
Kakashi said with sincere expression.
He was a bit worried now that Koyuki might give them a bad review after this mission ended.
"Yes, that's right, milady!" Sandayu also snapped back to reality, earnestly persuading: "This journey will be over soon. Just persevere a bit more, milady."
Koyuki gradually came to her senses, but her eyes remained cold.
"You don't understand anything, so don't talk nonsense!"
"Don't understand? I think it's you who doesn't understand anything."
Takumi's voice was serious. "I don't care why you want to run, but regardless, doing something that holds others back is simply wrong."
"If you didn't want to go, you shouldn't have taken this job in the first place. Since you accepted the job, do it properly. That's the responsibility a person should uphold."
"Just like us. You paid us to protect your safety. So even if we face opponents we can't resist, we won't retreat."
"At the very least, before enemies step over our corpses, we won't let them touch you."
"If you don't even have that kind of resolve, you should have refused the job initially, hiding in your home like a groundhog."
Takumi's series of words left Koyuki unable to retort.
Or perhaps Koyuki was still reeling from Takumi slapping her.
"Although Takumi-kun hitting you wasn't right, what he said is correct."
Kakashi sighed, stepping forward: "No matter what hardships you have, please trust us. We will definitely protect your safety."
"That's right, we're Shinobi! Don't underestimate Shinobi!"
Naruto clasped his hands behind his head, grinning.
"Hmph, idiot."
Sasuke snorted coldly, but his expression was equally serious.
"Don't worry, Fujikaze-san, we'll ensure your safety. And Takumi-kun is very strong, no one is his match. You can rest assured."
Ino and Sakura also approached, speaking softly.
Koyuki stared blankly at everyone, unclear if she took it in.
"You just don't understand... how dangerous it is there..."
Koyuki murmured.
Her voice was very soft, thinking no one could hear.
But everyone present were Shinobi, and not far from her.
"Danger?"
Takumi frowned. "Shinobi are a profession that lives with danger. What tasks do we perform? Infiltrating enemy camps, assassination, protection, even participating in wars… all involve danger, danger enough to lose lives."
"Would we avoid work because of danger? Of course not!"
"Perhaps you experienced something terrible as a child, but terrible things are just daily life for us Shinobi."
"Speaking of terrible experiences, do you know this one's story?"
Takumi pulled Sasuke, who stood nearby with a bewildered expression, and said solemnly: "When he was six or seven, his own brother slaughtered his entire clan and killed his parents right before his eyes. Do you think your experience compares to his?"
Sasuke's face changed drastically. The deepest scar from his childhood was ripped open so harshly, making him glare at Takumi with a sour expression.
"Takumi..."
Kakashi's face also changed.
Takumi, you're too careless.
That matter is taboo for Sasuke!
"Sorry for bringing it up, but I think blindly running away isn't the solution. You must face your hatred to make more rational choices."
Takumi looked apologetically at Sasuke, then said with a stern expression.
"Hmph."
Sasuke turned his face away, but his expression softened somewhat.
Koyuki looked at Sasuke, her expression complex.
'Similar to my experience...'
'But even worse than mine?'
Koyuki was about to argue further, but Takumi pulled Naruto over.
"This one is even more heavyweight. At least Sasuke had a family, felt family warmth. But Naru-... his parents died when he was born. He's lived alone until now, often facing disdain and mockery in the village. But didn't he still pull through?"
Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed.
"…"
Koyuki fell silent, not daring to say another word.
Because she feared saying something wrong would lead to another hit.
She lowered her gaze, hiding her unyielding eyes.
After a full ten seconds of silence, she looked up, staring intently at Takumi's face:
"What about you?"
"Me?"
Takumi was puzzled.
"Yeah, your experience."
Koyuki swallowed nervously.
"You seem like their leader, and you can easily talk about their tragic experiences. Surely your experience is even more tragic, right?"
"No, I'm a life's winner."
Kazahana: "..."
Kakashi: "..."
Sasuke: "..."
Sakura: "..."
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Seeing her like this, Takumi figured she was convinced.
So he didn't press further.