"Mm."
Sasuke nodded without explaining further.
His instincts told him that the tremor had something to do with Naraku, and it really did not seem hostile.
Although he could not confirm it directly, that feeling could not be wrong.
Tsunade took a deep breath, then looked into the distance.
In that direction, the gray-white wasteland stretched to the horizon. The chaotic sky pressed down overhead, and everything lay shrouded in a suffocating, deathly silence.
She had to make a decision as soon as possible.
If they changed direction and headed toward the source of the tremor.
And if Shihōin Naraku really was its source, they could find him, then work out how to break the seal or trap, rescue Naraku, and leave this damned place.
But if the source was an enemy trap, they would be walking straight into it.
In this alternate space, they had no reinforcements. If they fell into a trap, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Yet if they continued in their current direction, that would mean abandoning their only lead.
If Naraku really was at the source of the tremor, they would only get farther and farther away.
Once they moved completely beyond sensing range, finding their way back would be next to impossible.
And this alternate space was so vast that even months of searching blindly might yield nothing.
"Kakashi."
Tsunade hesitated briefly, still unable to make up her mind, then looked at Kakashi. "You said just now that the tremor seemed more like a signal Naraku had made."
"Do you think we should change direction, then?"
"We should."
Kakashi answered decisively. "But we have to stay alert."
"If this is a trap, we at least need to make sure we can react the instant we're attacked."
"Sasuke?"
"I agree with changing direction."
Sasuke's voice