Watching the three members of Shinji's squad walk away, Naruto and Sakura found Sasuke.
Sasuke wore a complicated expression. He was glad Shinji had defeated Yakumo and her Wood Release, restoring the Uchiha clan's honor, but he was also frustrated that he had been nothing more than a spectator, a mere supporting act.
Damn it. I awakened my Sharingan first, so why am I still not as good as Shinji?
He silently fumed.
Seeing this, Sakura said, "Sasuke, you still have us!"
Naruto nodded vigorously. "That's right! We definitely won't lose to them!"
Sasuke took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Let's go!"
Sakura and Naruto asked in unison, "Where?"
"Where do you think? To train, of course!" Sasuke said irritably.
Meanwhile,
Tenten and Rock Lee came over to Neji. "Neji, we'll work hard too!"
Neji nodded.
Shinji's composure and calm in the face of the nearly unstoppable sea of trees created by Wood Release had inspired him. In Shinji, he had seen someone resist despair!
He gently touched the Caged Bird Cursed Seal on his forehead and thought, I'll resist fate in the face of despair, just like Shinji!
Yakumo found Kimimaro in the crowd.
Pouting, she asked quietly, "Kimimaro, are you and Yakumo going to leave me behind?"
"Would it make any difference whether we did or not?" Kimimaro replied coolly.
Then he turned and walked away.
Yakumo stood there, stunned for a long moment before she finally reacted. "Hey! You all think I'm a burden!"
Before long, the spectators began to disperse.
Only the ANBU remained, tasked with cleaning up the battlefield and erasing any traces.
After making sure Yakumo was safely admitted to the hospital, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Kakashi immediately went to the Hokage Office and gave the Third Hokage a detailed report on the match