A Bad Habit!

The failure of Sunagakure's ninja army to surround them had, in effect, marked the complete failure of the Allied Shinobi Forces' attempt to corner this Akatsuki group—Hiruko, Shinnō, and Raiga Kurosuki.

Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, only a handful of people could catch up with the Chimera, which had Flight Ability.

And the strongest among them, the Third Tsuchikage, had been lured away by Akatsuki's Zetsu, using a Spores Clone with the Five-Tails' Chakra. So Hiruko and the others had already made their successful escape a foregone conclusion. Unless they had a Space-Time Ninjutsu like the Flying Thunder God Technique, catching up with them now would be extremely difficult.

Realizing this, the Iwagakure Ninja grew dispirited and utterly dejected.

The Four-Tails Jinchuriki had already been kidnapped by an Akatsuki member and had now escaped the Earth Country. Now the Akatsuki had snatched the Five-Tails Jinchuriki right from under their noses. Losing two Jinchuriki at once was a blow even Iwagakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, could hardly bear.

Just then, a Konoha communications ninja hurried over to Kakashi and whispered something in his ear.

"What!?"

Kakashi looked stunned.

Asami had never seen Kakashi lose his composure like this. He hurriedly asked, "Kakashi, what happened?"

People from the other villages also turned their attention toward them.

Kakashi said grimly, "Sasuke heard that Itachi Uchiha had appeared. He sneaked out of the village with Sakura and Shion to hunt him down in Bird Country!"

Now it was the others' turn to be shocked.

Shizune, Sakura's instructor, stared wide-eyed. "Sakura went with them too?"

Yakumo's face changed. "Shion was far too reckless!"

Kakashi didn't say anything more to the others. Instead, he went straight to the Raikage and Kazekage. "Your Excellencies, we're heading to Bird Country to continue pursuing the