Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
Several figures flashed into view and arrived at the scene. It was clear that they were all ninjas from Kumogakure.
"Lord Raikage!"
"Lord Raikage!"
Everyone who arrived turned their eyes toward the one-armed man slumped on the ground ahead, his head lowered. It was the Fourth Raikage.
After confirming that the Third Raikage and the Second Mizukage had left, Kakashi and Mei Terumi departed as well. This mission had exceeded their expectations somewhat, though the outcome had developed in a better direction.
This time, Akatsuki and Kumogakure had completely fallen out. Unlike Ōnoki, the Fourth Raikage would never cooperate again with those who had abducted his brother.
Without Akatsuki's help, and having also lost Killer B, one of their top combatants, Kumogakure had suffered grievous losses.
Even if they still wanted to make a move against Kirigakure, the threat they posed would be greatly reduced.
More importantly, whether the Fourth Raikage could stand back up after all this was still uncertain.
Although Kakashi's assistance had allowed him to narrowly escape death at Orochimaru's hands, his life remained while his spirit was gone.
The Fourth Raikage had clearly lost all fighting spirit.
The Kumogakure ninjas were stunned to see the Fourth Raikage in such a state. They had no idea what their leader had gone through.
"Darui!"
"C!"
Someone also noticed Darui and C lying on the ground.
"He's still breathing!"
After one of them crouched down to check Darui's condition, his tense expression eased slightly. He had detected Darui's heartbeat.
And judging from the sound, it was still strong. That proved Darui had merely been severely wounded and knocked unconscious; his life was not in danger.
For Kumogakure as it stood, this counted as good news. Most Kumogakure ninjas knew that the Fourth Raikage had been