"What?! Gaara was actually..."
Temari stared in shock, her lips parted, yet not a word came out.
Kakashi, on the other hand, seemed calmer. He furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before analyzing coolly, "It'll take about three days to reach Sunagakure from here. If we hurry, we might still be able to find some traces they left behind..."
Just then, Jimo cut in. "Then there's no time to lose. I'll rush ahead alone and investigate! According to the reports, Sunagakure suffered heavy losses this time. Several Chunin and Jonin were poisoned, and even Kankuro wasn't spared..."
He shook his head, his expression grave.
"Even Kankuro..." Temari's heart clenched at his words, worry written all over her face.
"Don't worry. I'll take you with me!" Jimo said, then let out a sharp whistle. A golden cloud came rushing over from the horizon.
After two full years of growth, the Flying Nimbus had grown much larger. Jimo had also come up with a brilliant way to carry passengers: he had secured a comfortable seat firmly on top of the cloud!
Without hesitation, Jimo reached out, took Temari's hand, and gently pulled her onto the Flying Nimbus.
Once they were seated, Jimo called out, "We'll go on ahead!" Before his voice had even faded, the two had already become a dazzling streak of golden light, shooting across the sky like a meteor and vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"What a convenient technique..."
Kakashi marveled.
"Come on! We'd better get going too!"
As they traveled, Naruto was consumed with worry and recalled the time Akatsuki had found him...
"Bringing Naruto in is Akatsuki's top priority..."
Whenever he thought of Uchiha Itachi's words, Naruto felt immense pressure.
"They want the power inside Gaara... They're after the Tailed Beasts!"
At the