The sky gradually darkened.
"Mang, do you think something happened to them? They've been gone so long."
Sakura Haruno looked at Luo Mang, her expression anxious.
Luo Mang raised his head too. Two small, unconscious wild boars now lay beside them.
They had already gathered their food and were waiting at the agreed meeting spot, but the others still hadn't returned.
It felt as though something had happened.
"Should we go look for them?"
Sakura Haruno sounded worried.
"Hmm..."
Luo Mang shook his head, with no intention of going.
"They should be fine. They're both incredibly strong, after all."
He already had a guess in mind. Most likely, they had run into Karin.
He had only intended to try his luck. His arrival in this world might have changed things, after all, so he hadn't held out much hope.
Yet reality had delivered just such a coincidence.
Still, their prolonged absence was dangerous. Orochimaru's situation remained unknown, and staying out there would be troublesome if they ran into the Sound Ninja or caught Orochimaru's attention.
But if he went himself...
He could simply urge them along through the Diary. There was no need to go personally. Doing so would mean setting off themselves, and missing each other along the way would be another hassle.
"All right, let's wait a little longer."
Sakura Haruno didn't object or say anything pessimistic about what they would do if the others never returned. They would wait for now and follow the plan.
[It's already so late. Why haven't Sasuke and Naruto come back? Did something happen?]
[Should we go look for them?]
By the river.
Sasuke Uchiha was still discussing what to do next when a sudden vibration sounded in his mind.
Bzz, bzz, bzz.
Feeling it, he immediately opened the Diary. Once he