Dragging their exhausted bodies and the civilians who had survived the disaster, Kakashi's team, Temari, and Kankuro finally reached Rally Point Three and reunited with Scarface Jonin and the others who had withdrawn ahead of time.
Seeing how bedraggled they were—especially Ling Yue, who was nearly collapsed, and the unconscious Pikachu—the medical ninjas stationed at the base immediately rushed forward to administer emergency treatment.
Sakura rushed over as well. Only after seeing that Naruto was unharmed did she finally breathe a sigh of relief, then immediately threw herself into the treatment efforts. Her medical ninjutsu was especially dependable at a time like this.
"How did it go?" Scarface Jonin asked anxiously.
Kakashi briefly recounted what had happened at the underground altar, the destruction of the ghost-faced high priest, and the sudden appearance of Akatsuki members Tobi and Sasori of the Red Sands, along with the ensuing battle.
He omitted the specific details of Ling Yue's Shikai, Senbonzakura, saying only that she had used a powerful secret technique to defeat the monster's phantom.
Even so, Scarface Jonin and the surrounding ninjas were left shaken by the account.
"Akatsuki... They really did get involved! And you nearly ran into them head-on!" Scarface Jonin wiped away a cold sweat. "It's a miracle you made it back alive!"
Temari and Kankuro nodded with lingering fear.
Kankuro looked at his badly damaged puppets, his expression dark. "Those two were absurdly strong. Especially that one who could phase through attacks. You couldn't hit him at all."
Sai silently recovered his chakra nearby. That unreadable smile still hung on his face, but his eyes carried an added trace of gravity.
Even Root's intelligence files did not contain complete records of the Akatsuki members' abilities.
Naruto angrily pounded the ground nearby. "Damn it! I'm still too weak! If