Return to the Village

Uzumaki Hane helped Gaara over to a tree and sat him down. By then, Hane had very little Chakra left, while Gaara had already exhausted his.

Uzumaki Hane stared at the bone forest and said in a low voice, "We lost, didn't we?"

"Did we lose? That look in his eyes was familiar," Gaara said. He recalled the look in Naruto's eyes when Naruto had defeated him. Thinking about everything he knew of Kimimaro, Uzumaki Hane said, "He was a lot like Naruto. They both fought for the person most important to them." Then the two fell silent.

After resting for a while, Uzumaki Hane had recovered some Chakra. "I wonder if Naruto caught up with Sasuke. I'll go find Naruto first," he said. Gaara nodded.

Uzumaki Hane knew the two of them would have their final battle at the Valley of the End, so he headed straight there.

By the time Uzumaki Hane arrived, all he found in the Valley of the End was Naruto lying on the ground and traces of the battle around him.

Uzumaki Hane hurried to Naruto's side and found that he had only passed out. Hane breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the plot hadn't changed. He scooped Naruto up and was about to leave.

Just then, a dog came running over. It was Pakkun, who had followed their scent here, with Kakashi behind him. Kakashi looked at the unconscious Naruto. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. "Am I too late?" he asked.

"Kakashi-sensei, we really are too late. Sasuke has already left," Uzumaki Hane said.

Pakkun sniffed around and said, "That downpour was too heavy. It washed away all the scents, so there's no way to track Sasuke anymore."

Uzumaki Hane thought of their other comrades. "Right now, instead of searching for Sasuke's trail, we should focus on everyone else's injuries."

Kakashi saw how worried Uzumaki Hane was. "Don't worry. At Lord Hokage's request, the medical team has already set out. They should be treating the others by now. Let's take Naruto back to the village first."

"Okay, Kakashi-sensei," Uzumaki Hane said. He hoisted Naruto onto his back, and together with Kakashi, he leaped through the trees, making swiftly for Konoha Ninja Village. Hane thought of the seriously injured Neji and the others, wondering how they were doing.

After the three had traveled for a while, they met the medical-nin on their way over. "How are the ninja on this mission?" Kakashi asked.

The medical-nin said, "Genin Neji Hyuga was seriously injured, but he's received emergency treatment. Genin Kiba Inuzuka only exhausted his Chakra and passed out. His life isn't in danger. Chunin Shikamaru Nara only suffered minor injuries. However, Genin Choji Akimichi used a forbidden drug, so we can't be certain of his condition. We've sent them back to Konoha Ninja Village for treatment."

The medical-nin's words eased Uzumaki Hane's worries a little. Fortunately, the plot hadn't changed much. Even in Choji's case, surely Teacher Tsunade could treat him. They picked up the pace and headed for Konoha Ninja Village.

As soon as they returned to Konoha Ninja Village, they went straight to the hospital. Kakashi took Naruto for treatment.

Uzumaki Hane's injuries weren't serious, and he had almost recovered, so he only received some simple treatment. He went over to Shikamaru, who was sitting outside the treatment room where Choji was being treated, waiting to hear about his condition. Shikamaru had taken responsibility for everyone's injuries upon himself and was full of guilt.

Temari sat across from him. Seeing how Shikamaru felt, she said, "I didn't expect you to be so fragile. And you call yourself a man."

Shikamaru merely looked toward the treatment room, where Tsunade was doing everything she could to treat Choji. With the life of his best friend hanging in the balance and Neji seriously injured, Shikamaru looked utterly dejected.

"Shikamaru," Uzumaki Hane said softly.

Shikamaru noticed Uzumaki Hane and looked up at him. "Uzumaki Hane, are you all right?"

Uzumaki Hane looked at Shikamaru. "Naruto is back too. His life isn't in danger, but we didn't manage to bring Sasuke back." After a pause, he continued, "Shikamaru, this wasn't your fault. If you hadn't led the team, we might have been in even greater danger."

Just then, the light outside the treatment room went out, and the door opened. Everyone looked toward the room as Tsunade came out. She smiled and said, "He'll be all right now. Choji is out of danger. Shikaku, you were a tremendous help. We owe it to the Nara Clan's secret medicine this time. It must be the result of many years of research."

Shikamaru's father, Shikaku, came around the corner and said, "Thank you."

At the same time, Shizune came running over. "Lady Tsunade, Neji Hyuga is out of danger."

When Shikamaru learned that everyone was all right, he shed tears of joy.

Uzumaki Hane and Shikamaru went to Naruto's hospital room. Naruto had already woken up and was sitting on the bed, apparently thinking about Sasuke. Shikamaru spoke first. "Naruto, you're awake. Are you all right?" Seeing that Shikamaru was safe too, Naruto said happily, "Shikamaru, you're okay! How is everyone?" Shikamaru said, "Neji and Choji were seriously injured, but their lives are no longer in danger. Kiba only exhausted his Chakra, and he's awake now." Naruto said happily, "I'm so glad everyone's all right." But when he remembered Sasuke, his smile vanished. "But we didn't bring Sasuke back," he said in a low voice.

Uzumaki Hane comforted him. "Everyone being all right is the best outcome we could have hoped for."

After spending some time in Naruto's room, Uzumaki Hane left and went to Kiba's room. Kiba was sitting on his bed, looking at Akamaru. He was delighted to see Uzumaki Hane. "Uzumaki Hane, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, and so is Naruto. But we didn't bring Sasuke back, so you could say the mission failed. Kiba, are you all right? How's Akamaru?" Uzumaki Hane asked.

Learning that everyone was all right, Kiba smiled and said, "Akamaru and I are both fine. We just need a few days of rest." Akamaru gave a little yip at Uzumaki Hane, showing that he was all right too.

After spending a while in Kiba's room, Uzumaki Hane left. At the hospital entrance, he ran into Yamano Koromo. She had heard that he had returned from his mission, that the mission had failed, and that everyone had been injured and admitted to the hospital. Worried about him, she had hurried over.

When Yamano Koromo saw Uzumaki Hane, she rushed over and carefully checked him. "Hane, are you all right?" Seeing how anxious she was warmed his heart. He smiled and said, "I'm fine. I was just about to leave the hospital."

Seeing that Uzumaki Hane was all right, Yamano Koromo breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, his stomach growled. Hane's face turned red in a rare show of embarrassment. "I've been fighting these past two days. All I've eaten was Choji's Military Rations Pill."

"Would you like to come to my house? I'll make you a big feast," Yamano Koromo said.

Uzumaki Hane didn't stand on ceremony. "Sure," he said, and followed Yamano Koromo to her house.