Kaede felt he'd done more than enough to win someone over, risking his life to woo her and all. If Pakura still wasn't even a little moved, if she still didn't trust him, then he'd have no choice but to storm Sunagakure and take her by force.
He'd fought on the front lines for a long time, killed plenty of Sand Shinobi, and taken on the most dangerous vanguard mission. If he returned without a single scratch, it would look far too suspicious. Letting Pakura give him a near-fatal wound made it seem more believable.
Why not take the chance to rest and recover without feeling guilty? Was he supposed to wait for Snake Uncle to trip him up again?
As he fell into the gorge, clouds enveloped him and Pakura disappeared from sight. He immediately used the Flying Thunder God and returned to the gate of Konoha Camp.
When Kaede appeared at the Konoha Gate, he was covered in blood and deathly pale. He looked as if he were about to stop breathing. With the Divine Body Rune's energy prevented from healing his injuries, he appeared just like an ordinary person.
The Konoha Ninja guarding the camp's entrance saw the sudden figure and cautiously approached to check. Through the blood smeared across the man's face, they recognized who he was.
"It's Uchiha Kaede! Quick... get a medic!" they shouted.
He seemed to see Konoha Ninja carry him onto a stretcher. Reassured, he closed his eyes and sank into a deep sleep. The wound on Kaede's chest looked frightening, but it wasn't actually severe. It was the repeated use of high-intensity Ninjutsu that had left him mentally exhausted.
Kaede fell asleep, unaware of what was happening on the battlefield.
The Sannin led Konoha's main force into the final battle against