Due to Kakashi and the others hastening their journey,
they continuously used special military ration pills to replenish their chakra.
In just half a day, they successfully arrived at Sunagakure!
Upon arrival, Kakashi noticed a fully armed team of Sand ninja.
The team also numbered around ten members.
Their presence was imposing; all of them clearly at the Jōnin level.
This, of course, was expected, as the One-Tail Shukaku was considered a treasure of Sunagakure.
Losing such a treasure would be disastrous.
However, what surprised Kakashi the most about this elite Sunagakure squad was...
"You, kid, look familiar!"
The person on the other side directly questioned him, and Kakashi could sense their aura.
Though aged, their demeanor clearly reflected the trials of war they had endured.
Kakashi quickly replied,
"My name is Kakashi Hatake, captain of this Konoha expedition team!"
"Kakashi Hatake! Oh... the one they call the Copy Ninja of Konoha, said to have copied over a thousand jutsu!"
Hearing this from a senior, Kakashi felt slightly embarrassed.
"Not bad! It seems Konoha hasn't turned a deaf ear to our words!"
With that, Chiyo turned to the other side, looking at Might Guy.
"And you, what's your name?"
"Senior, I am Might Guy!"
Hearing this, Chiyo paused for a moment.
"The Blue Beast, huh? Impressive. Very well... if Konoha is taking responsibility, this is the best outcome!"
Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy, while not quite at the true Kage level individually,
were together more formidable than an average Kage-level ninja could handle!
It seemed Konoha hadn't shirked its duties.
Chiyo initially intended to vent her frustrations,
to ensure Konoha understood who was at fault for this incident.
However, seeing both Kakashi and Might Guy present,
she chose to restrain herself.
Should they refuse to cooperate due to her attitude, that would be a problem.
Chiyo scrutinized the group of younger ninja accompanying Kakashi and Might Guy.
At first glance, they appeared to be just a bunch of kids.
But upon closer examination, she sensed that their chakra levels had all reached Chūnin standards.
Their abilities were impressive!
'Not to mention the Sasuke Uchiha they mentioned, even these young Konoha ninjas are exceptional!'
'Is Konoha truly a cradle of talent?'
For some reason, Chiyo suddenly felt a sense of helplessness.
Perhaps Sunagakure was indeed in decline.
This wasn't something Chiyo could change.
All she could do was sigh silently.
"This is our village's elder, Lady Chiyo!"
Seeing Kakashi unsure of how to address her, a nearby Jōnin stepped in to introduce her.
The puppet master renowned for her "Ten Puppets"!
She was once on par with Hanzō of the Salamander.
No wonder her aura was so formidable.
"Lady Chiyo, without further delay, why don't we begin searching for Gaara?"
Hearing this, Chiyo nodded.
"Handle it as you see fit! Just act quickly!"
Kakashi and another Jōnin began discussing their next steps.
Having now joined forces with the Sand ninja, the next move was to proceed to the target area.
The Sand ninjas conducted a search to pinpoint where Sasuke was last seen.
This was at the border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire,
in a forest within the Land of Rain.
Given their current numbers, locating Sasuke quickly was not easy,
especially if he continued moving.
This would only increase the difficulty of the search.
Hearing this, the Sand Jōnin looked troubled.
"Although most of us specialize in sensory and tracking abilities,
finding Gaara or Sasuke in a short time is still challenging!"
"Moreover, there are at least two enemies.
If Gaara has been moved elsewhere, the search will become even harder!"
"In that case, why don't we split up?
We will search for Sasuke, and you search for Gaara!"
"If anything arises, relay the information immediately!"
"We'll do our utmost to assist!"
Kakashi's words were well-received.
Furthermore, Konoha taking responsibility for Sasuke's search
effectively meant that once Gaara was found, the Sand ninja could withdraw,
leaving the rest to Konoha to handle.
This could be seen as Konoha compensating Sunagakure for this situation.
"Do you have ninja specialized in tracking?"
Hearing this, Kakashi smiled, turning to Shino Aburame.
"This kid belongs to the Aburame clan, who raise special insects capable of tracking targets by scent!"
"We have personal items belonging to Sasuke Uchiha, which we can use for tracking!"
Kakashi then looked at Kiba Inuzuka.
"The Inuzuka clan ninja can help as well, along with two members of the Hyūga clan!"
"And a sensory ninja!"
"If Sasuke is truly in this forest, rest assured, we will find him."
Hearing Kakashi's confident words, the Sand Jōnin didn't know what to say.
Should they feel gratitude or envy?
It truly had... so many clans.
The Hyūga, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans, each with their own secret techniques,
were an enormous asset to a ninja village!
"Alright! Let's begin the operation!"
The search for Sasuke and Gaara commenced.
Chiyo led Kankurō and Temari, while Kakashi and Might Guy stayed with her
until the trackers found their targets.
After all, cooperation required more than just splitting up immediately upon meeting.
Meanwhile, the tailed beast sealing process was nearing its conclusion.
Deidara looked at Sasuke.
"Sasuke, wait here for us. We're not far away and will return for you soon!"
Hearing this, Sasuke frowned slightly.
He wanted to say there was no need for that.
Meeting near Kumogakure would've sufficed.
But since this guy wanted to leave, Sasuke didn't stop him.
At this point, the members of the Akatsuki began disappearing one by one.
Pain was the last to leave.
He glanced at Sasuke,
but said nothing and vanished.
Sasuke, puzzled, wondered what that glance meant.
As he pondered, Sasuke suddenly felt something unusual—
someone had entered the forest...
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