After this battle, the land near the Land of Bears no longer looked anything like it once had!
Even setting everything else aside, the explosive tag traps laid by the Akatsuki alone had left scars on this land that would be difficult to erase.
And the flames Shihōin Naraku had sent surging in every direction to save the Allied Shinobi Forces had likewise ravaged the place beyond recognition.
With both combined, the result was plain to see.
As the guide from the Land of Bears listened to Naraku's explanation, beads of sweat the size of soybeans dripped from his forehead.
Naturally, he was happy to see the Akatsuki base destroyed, but the price the Land of Bears had paid to achieve that result was far too great.
The Land of Bears had little territory to begin with!
Now the battle had rendered this area uninhabitable. It was truly heartbreaking.
The guide had no idea how he would explain this to the leader when he returned!
The only silver lining was that the Akatsuki's forces had indeed been driven out of the Land of Bears.
Whatever the case, achieving that goal meant their efforts had not been wasted.
While the guide from the Land of Bears let his thoughts run wild, Naraku looked toward Asuma Sarutobi and his group.
"Are you all right?"
Asuma shook his head. "We heard the explosion before we reached our destination, so we immediately turned around and headed back."
"The danger never reached us."
"That's good!"
Naraku nodded.
Although the explosive tag trap had caused no deaths, quite a few people had been injured.
Fortunately, Naraku had acted in time, and none of their injuries were serious.
Naraku did not even need to help treat them. The medical ninja in the Allied Shinobi Forces had already