After nearly another half hour, a flash of lightning dissipated just a short distance from the Land of Waves, and Kakashi collapsed flat on his back.
After falling, Kakashi barely managed to bite his finger open and form hand seals, then laboriously rolled over and slapped his hand against the ground.
"Summoning... Jutsu..."
His voice was utterly feeble.
Pop.
Pakkun, the ninja dog he had summoned, instinctively looked up but saw no sign of Kakashi.
Then he looked down—and found Kakashi lying facedown in the dirt, one hand stretched out against the ground, blood still flowing from the wound on his finger onto the summoning formula.
For some reason, Pakkun felt that, although there was nothing unusual about this scene, Kakashi would be terribly embarrassed if anyone saw it.
So he stepped forward and caught Kakashi's collar in his teeth. Kakashi cooperatively rolled his face out of the dirt.
"Good thing you still had enough chakra left to summon me, Kakashi... You really calculated that precisely."
"When you don't have much, it's like money in a poor household. There's only so much to count, so getting it right is always easier than it is for the rich."
Kakashi smiled helplessly.
"They've already rescued everyone over there, too. With you in this state, do you need me to drag you into the shade?"
"No need. You can go back."
"All right, then."
Pakkun dismissed the summoning with a pop.
Whoosh.
Almost a second later, Kakashi heard footsteps from where he lay on the ground. Naruto brought Sakura, Mei Terumi, and Sasuke over one after another.
Everyone froze at the sight of Kakashi lying flat on his back, but he managed to prop himself up first and looked toward the women.
"Sakura, can you still tell which direction the Land of Waves