The edges of the enormous hole Goten had blasted were smooth and still steaming.
He glanced down and gave a lazy yawn.
"Come on. The elevator's here."
With that, he jumped down first.
Sakura followed close behind.
Naruto and Yamato exchanged a glance, then jumped in after them.
Wind howled past their ears.
Below lay an enormous circular hall, where dozens of guards in Sound Ninja uniforms were in chaos.
Before they could figure out what that thunderous noise had been, they saw a huge hole open in the ceiling.
Then four figures descended from above.
"Enemy attack!"
A man who looked like their leader had barely shouted the warning.
Goten had already landed lightly on the floor, without so much as a footstep.
Sakura landed behind him, stumbling and nearly falling.
Goten casually swept an arm around her slender waist and drew her into his embrace.
His palm was large, and through the thin layer of fabric, he could feel the firm contours of the girl's waist.
"Careful."
Goten lowered his head and brushed nonexistent dust off her clothes.
His fingers skimmed the edge of her collar, whether deliberately or not, bringing a blush to Sakura's cheeks.
"Mm..."
She murmured softly in his arms, leaning a little closer against his solid chest.
Naruto and Yamato, meanwhile, were nowhere near as graceful.
Their landings made quite a racket, jarring even the floor.
The Sound Ninja guards were dumbfounded by this scene of justice descending from above.
They looked at the huge hole leading straight through the ceiling, its edges still melting, then at the four people strolling about at leisure.
The black-haired man with one arm around a pretty girl, in particular, gave off an aura that made their knees go weak.
"Run!"
Someone shouted.
Terrified out of their wits,