"What? Kuina actually lost to an outsider?"
"Are you serious? You must be mistaken. Kuina is really strong. I remember she's beaten everyone who's come to challenge the dojo these past few years. How could she possibly lose?"
"Well, it's not that surprising if you think about it. She's only eleven, and there are plenty of adults stronger than her."
"Yeah, exactly. Losing once isn't that big of a deal. Kuina is still young. The person who beat her must have been a really strong adult."
Although everyone was shocked that Kuina, who had never lost before, had finally been defeated, they quickly reasoned it away by remembering how young she was.
However, the person who brought the news shook his head and wagged his finger. "No, no, it wasn't some adult who beat her. It was a kid with a wooden sword. And from what I heard, that kid's even younger than Kuina."
The moment he said that, the noisy tavern fell silent.
A few seconds later, the room erupted in disbelief.
"What? A kid younger than Kuina beat her? Are you sure that's true?"
"That's impossible! How could Kuina lose to some kid? That kid must have cheated!"
"Hey, don't try to fool us with lies like that. We'll beat you up if you keep spreading false rumors!"
Seeing that no one believed him, the messenger sighed. "I'm telling you, it's true. Kuina really lost to that kid. She even gave him her prized sword."
"Liar! Kuina treasures that sword. There's no way she'd give it to some outsider kid!"
"Yeah, you must've gotten it wrong. We're not that easy to fool!"
As everyone argued back and forth, Takumi finished filling his gourd with sake, slung it over his waist, and hopped down from the high stool.
Ignoring the commotion around him, he calmly walked toward the exit of the tavern.
Just as he pushed open the door and stepped outside, someone shouted, "Look at that kid's sword!"
Everyone's eyes turned toward Takumi.
When they saw that he was indeed carrying both a wooden sword and a real one—especially a real sword that looked very familiar—they all widened their eyes in shock, as if they'd just seen a ghost.
"Wait, isn't that Kuina's sword?"
"No way! Kuina really lost to a kid younger than her?"
"Who is that kid? How could he possibly defeat Kuina, who's never lost before? He must be incredible!"
"Oh no! I was just making fun of him earlier. I hope he doesn't hold a grudge!"
Completely ignoring the noise behind him, Takumi left the tavern without looking back.
Over the next few hours, the news of Kuina's defeat by an outsider spread like wildfire throughout Shimotsuki Village.
Takumi had originally planned to quietly complete his mission and then leave without drawing attention.
But now, thanks to this, he'd become the talk of the village.
To avoid any more trouble, it seemed he would have to keep a low profile from now on.
Takumi headed straight back to the Isshin Dojo.
As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, Zoro came running up to him, practically bursting with excitement.
"Takumi!" Zoro exclaimed. "I heard you went into the mountains to hunt this morning. Were you training? Next time you go, take me with you!"
Takumi felt a wave of exasperation.
Here we go again. This annoying brat...
He ignored Zoro and walked past him.
But Zoro, undeterred by Takumi's cold shoulder, stuck to him like glue. "I've already finished my basic training for today. How about we go into the mountains to train right now?"
Despite Zoro's enthusiasm, Takumi continued to give him the silent treatment.
Seeing that Takumi still wasn't responding, Zoro refused to back down. "You said I need to learn to counter moves as they come, right? But just thinking about it isn't enough. I have to keep fighting stronger people to really understand it. So, I've decided that in addition to challenging Kuina every day, I'm going to fight you too!"
Takumi suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He was seriously not interested.
"Don't bother me!"
Zoro stopped as well, looking puzzled. "Why not?"
"I don't have time," Takumi replied bluntly.
"Huh?" Zoro asked in surprise. "You just don't want to fight me because you think I'm too weak, right?"
Takumi didn't bother to explain further. "Exactly."
With that, he continued walking.
Zoro watched him go, gripping his bamboo swords tightly. After a moment of hesitation, he suddenly yelled and charged at Takumi from behind. "If you won't fight me, I'll just keep attacking you until you draw your sword! Take this!"
Feeling the increasing killing intent from behind him, Takumi dodged Zoro's attacks with ease, not even turning around.
Then, as Zoro charged at him again, Takumi swung his fist, sending Zoro flying across the courtyard.
Takumi glanced at Zoro, who was now lying on the ground several meters away, struggling to get up.
Let's see how you keep up with that.
With a slight smirk, Takumi continued on his way.
As he passed by the tea room, Koushirou's voice called out, "Takumi, come have a drink. I want to introduce you to someone."
Takumi paused and looked over. He saw that Koushirou was sitting with Dragon, who had arrived the previous night.
Given Dragon's identity and the timing of his visit to Shimotsuki Village, this wasn't just a casual encounter. There was a good chance that interacting with him might trigger progress on Takumi's mission.
After a moment's thought, Takumi stepped into the tea room and sat down next to Koushirou.
Koushirou smiled and asked, "Would you like some tea?"
"No thanks, I've got my own drink," Takumi replied, pulling out his gourd and taking a swig.
Koushirou smiled and introduced him. "Takumi, this is my friend, Dragon."
Takumi nodded politely. "Nice to meet you."
Dragon looked at Takumi with interest. "How old are you?"
"Ten," Takumi answered casually.
"You can handle your liquor well for your age," Dragon said with a faint smile. "Koushirou tells me you're pretty skilled with a sword."
"Just decent," Takumi replied.
"Modest, too." Dragon studied him closely. "Even though you only showed a little bit, I noticed you used Observation Haki to dodge that kid's attacks earlier, didn't you?"
Takumi looked up at him and calmly said, "That's right."
There was no point in hiding it; it wasn't exactly a secret.
"I thought so. You're even more interesting than I expected. But I still feel like something's missing," Dragon said, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Then, his expression changed, and a golden glint flashed in his eyes. A powerful aura suddenly erupted from him, spreading out and filling the small tea room.