On the outermost clearing, the Konoha's team took a rest.
Naruto tugged hard at his clothes, trying to smooth out the wrinkles from the previous battle. The ground around them still bore the scorch marks left by the rapid-fire combination of Lightning and Fire Release Ninjutsu. He grumbled angrily, "Hattori-sensei actually showed up, and he seems even stronger now..."
The members of two teams gathered around. Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, signaling him to calm down. He scanned the group, 'Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.'
Most of them had only minor scrapes and bruises, but among the lightly wounded, Mai was in the worst shape.
Her exposed skin was marked with over a dozen crimson cuts, tiny beads of blood still seeping from broken capillaries.
Her clothes were frayed from friction, and her face was smudged with dirt and soot, making it hard to tell if there were any bruises underneath.
'In the end, this kid fought the fiercest in the last battle.' Kakashi thought to himself. He glanced at Yamato, who nodded in understanding.
The strange Akatsuki members had fled, but so far, they hadn't caught sight of their targets… Sasuke or Itachi. That meant their mission wasn't over yet.
"Mai, are you okay?" Sakura sat beside her, gently patting her shoulder, "Don't cry anymore, okay?"
"I-I wasn't…" Mayui, who was bandaging her wounds, instinctively tried to deny it, but everyone had clearly seen it, and in detail.
"I'm not crying anymore." She finally admitted, feeling deeply embarrassed.
Mai kept her head down, pretending to focus on treating her injuries, but her ears turned slightly red. She dreaded hearing any comments from her teammates.
A Ninja wouldn't blink even if slashed open with a bloody wound, but bursting into tears out of nowhere? That was just undignified.
However, Sakura simply comforted her calmly, and the others nearby showed no unusual reactions.
Perhaps they had been surprised at first, but the scene they had witnessed, the raw emotion between Mai and Logan, was something no one could ignore. Having grown up in Konoha's nurturing environment, they understood.
Still, none of them picked up on the deeper, more complicated feelings hidden beneath the girl's reaction, assuming it was just the bond of siblings or a teacher-student relationship.
"Luckily, everyone's fine." Kakashi clapped his hands together. Seeing that the team had mostly recovered, he said, "No need for lengthy discussions. We need to plan our next move."
"Hattori-sensei went in the direction where that masked guy was blocking." Naruto immediately spoke up, his eyes burning with determination, "He's definitely here for Sasuke too. So what are we waiting for, Kakashi-sensei? Let's go after them!"
"Don't be too hasty, Naruto." Yamato, who has always been a cool-headed person, said, "We don't know his true intentions yet. Don't forget, he's still part of Akatsuki."
Naruto clearly didn't agree with that assessment, 'If Hattori-sensei was part of Akatsuki, then what about the masked man? The two had openly clashed… there had to be more to it.'
After a brief back-and-forth, Kakashi fell into thought before making a decision as the team leader.
"Time is limited. We can't afford to waste any more of it here. Even if we don't fully understand why Hattori appeared, our objective remains unchanged. The fact that Akatsuki tried to stop us confirms they don't want us interfering."
"Naruto's right. Either way, we need to move quickly."
"Mai, can you keep up?" Kakashi suddenly turned to ask.
"No problem," Mai replied. With fresh bandages now wrapped around her body, she stood up. Though she had expended the most energy, her spirits seemed higher than anyone else's at the moment.
With that, the next course of action was settled. Everyone was inclined to continue the mission… giving up now was out of the question.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The nine Konoha's Ninja dashed into the forest, leaping forward with swift movements. They moved efficiently, even holding their breath.
After being stalled for so long, the masked man they couldn't defeat had been taken down in a single blow, and now everyone had scattered, leaving them as mere bystanders in the aftermath.
Their opponent had been strong, but not unbeatable. As they vaulted from tree to tree, the distance quickly melted away, and soon, they spotted the abandoned hideout.
…
"We can't just stand here! We have to go help Sasuke!"
On the roof of the building, Karin paced anxiously, hands on her hips, looking as if she had resolved herself to die if necessary. She glared at Suigetsu and Jugo with a stern expression.
A few minutes earlier, Logan had blasted past them, leaving chaos in his wake. Focused on breaking through, he hadn't bothered finishing them off, so Kisame and the others had quickly recovered.
"Seriously, are you for real?" Suigetsu, who had retrieved the Kubikiribocho he'd dropped earlier and was now sitting on it, gaped at Karin. "We're obviously no match for that guy."
"That's exactly why we need to go! What if Sasuke's in danger?" Karin snapped, irritated by Suigetsu's usual reluctance to act.
"I agree." Jugo said, rubbing his still-sore stomach, but his steady expression betrayed a flicker of excitement.
None of them had fought at full strength. If they were prepared, they wouldn't lose so easily.
"Can't we just let Sasuke and his brother handle it themselves...?" Suigetsu muttered under his breath. Seeing his teammates' unwavering determination, he sighed and reluctantly stood up, "Fine, fine, I'll go. Everyone's like this, huh? Whatever."
With their decision made, Karin turned to Kisame, who seemed deep in thought. "Hey, Hoshigaki Kisame, things have gotten out of hand. What do you think…?"
Her meaning was clear, 'Someone had already broken through, so why bother blocking us now?'
Kisame, still trying to place where he'd seen that fleeting figure before, glanced around and found the trio's eyes were fixed on him, "Well…"
He was conflicted, 'Itachi-san had insisted on facing his little brother alone… what was I supposed to do now? '
Suddenly, Karin's expression turned pale, "Wait, why are there more people coming?"
From the direction of the forest beyond the building, multiple dark figures emerged, charging toward them with clear hostility.
"One, two… nine of them!" Karin broke into a cold sweat. The earlier assault had left such a deep impression that she instinctively assumed these were equally formidable enemies.
But she forced herself to stay calm, "Th-they don't seem as fast as the last one, at least."
"There are so many, who could it be?" Suigetsu took a few steps forward to get a better look.
"It's Konoha." Kisame, being the strongest present, identified them first. His expression was hard to read. It was hard to tell whether he was relaxed or serious.
Team Hebi remembered that on their way here, they'd encountered a blond kid wearing a Konoha's forehead protector, but Sasuke had taken care of that shadow clone with a single Chidori.
"This is such a pain!" Suigetsu groaned, grabbing his hair in frustration.
The same thought ran through the minds of the other three.
As Kisame and Team Hebi hesitated over whether to enter the hideout to assist their respective teammates, misfortune struck… the pursuing Team 7 and Team 8 had caught up.
The Konoha's team burst out of the trees, and the two groups sized each other up. No introductions were needed… it was instantly clear they weren't friends.
A fierce battle was inevitable.