Tayuya and Sakon grumbled in frustration as they got back on their feet.
"They're such annoying pests," Sakon growled.
Naruto and Shikamaru nodded in agreement as Kiba urged them to flee. The group dashed through the forest, trying to put distance between them and their pursuers.
Sakon, fueled by his cursed seal, chased after them relentlessly, his speed surprising Kiba. Kiba called out to Akamaru and quickly set up a trap using a paper bomb seal.
"Finish up and let's go!" Kiba instructed Akamaru. But Sakon spotted the duo and cursed at Akamaru for howling, causing the dog to whine and run.
In the commotion, Akamaru accidentally triggered the bomb and fell into the gap between trees with Sakon closing in on him. Kiba didn't hesitate and leaped into action, saving Akamaru just in time before the bomb detonated.
However, the explosion's shockwave knocked Kiba, Akamaru, and Sakon over the edge of a nearby cliff.
"Damn it!" Tayuya cursed as she sprinted through the trees.
"What happened?" Shikamaru asked, turning to look at the cliff where Kiba and Akamaru had fallen with Sakon.
"The other one is coming!" Naruto warned, as Tayuya rapidly closed in.
"I'll handle this. Naruto, you need to take that barrel and keep moving ahead!" Shikamaru ordered.
Naruto hesitated for a moment before Shikamaru's urgent tone snapped him out of it.
But then, Tayuya suddenly came to a halt and her expression changed to one of fear.
"What... Why..." she stammered, her gaze fixed on something beyond Naruto and Shikamaru.
"Kimimaro!" Tayuya shouted in alarm.
-.-
As Menma and Neji sprinted through the trees to catch up to Naruto and the others, Menma noticed that Neji was starting to breathe heavily and his pace was slowing down.
"Are you okay, Neji?" Menma asked with concern.
Neji nodded, but his breaths were becoming more labored. "I'm fine," he managed to say.
Menma looked skeptical. "You don't look fine. Maybe you should take a break and catch your breath. I'll go ahead and leave a clone here to keep watch."
Neji tried to protest, but his voice was strained. Menma quickly created a clone to stand guard while he continued on ahead to catch up with the others.
After a while, Menma spotted Naruto hurtling towards him. It seemed that he had been hit by one of the enemies during their confrontation.
Menma caught Naruto and set him down, Shikamaru jumped down beside them.
"Is Naruto okay?" Shikamaru asked Menma, concern etched on his face.
"He's fine, just a little shaken up," Menma replied, giving his younger brother a reassuring pat on the back.
Neji arrived shortly after, looking much better after his brief rest. "I'm sorry for slowing us down," he said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it, Neji. You did great," Shikamaru said, clapping him on the shoulder.
Kimimaro was standing alone on a tree branch, holding the barrel that contained Sasuke. "Your body is no longer...?" Tayuya asked him with a nervous expression.
"I am no longer moving with my body... This is the power of my will," Kimimaro replied.
"Darn... With one foot in the grave..." Tayuya muttered.
