The information released by the Animator in the latest episode was very comprehensive.
Naraku could even deduce Kakashi's and Sakumo's general route.
It was very likely they would run into each other if he walked in the right direction.
Having rested enough, Naraku put Kana on his back, jumped out of the sinkhole, and continued towards Konoha.
Thanks to the still ample food and rest, his Chakra was a bit more abundant than before, and his speed was very fast.
In only about half a day, he had covered several hundred miles.
However, the closer he got to the heartland of the Land of Fire, the more likely he was to be discovered by Root.
"Naraku, someone's on the left!"
Kana suddenly lifted her head from his shoulder, counting the number of people carefully.
"About ten, and one of them has a very strong Chakra presence. He seems to have noticed us!"
She nervously clutched Naraku's clothes, her heart pounding.
Naraku was not in good shape right now; he clearly wasn't a match for that person.
What to do? How could she...
Kana bit her lip, agonizing in her dilemma.
But she knew she was helpless, too weak to even run and jump normally like a Ninja.
"Sister Kana."
Her confusion was interrupted by a call in a daze.
Kana looked at the boy's profile and heard his calm voice.
"Those people are here to kill me."
"Wh-why?"
"Yes... I don't know why either..."
The boy murmured, his eyes filled with a sorrow she couldn't understand.
"I'm sorry, for the rest of the journey, Sister Kana, you should go alone. I can't implicate you."
He put Kana down, pointed in a direction, and spoke gently, as if saying goodbye.
"Keep going straight, don't wait for me."
"If you can reach Konoha, go find the Uchiha, or my Master and Senior Brother..."
Kana's eyes welled up with tears, desperate not to leave him.
Yet she didn't know what meaningful help she could offer.
Wasting time here would only make both of them lose their chance to escape.
The boy saw through her thoughts and changed his approach.
"Sister Kana, go to Konoha and find someone to save me."
He smiled, as if this life-and-death crisis was just a gentle breeze, only stirring a few strands of his hair.
"I'm counting on you."
...
Kana ran breathlessly through the jungle.
There was no path, no landmarks here, so she could only keep running forward, praying she wouldn't get lost.
She could no longer sense Naraku's Chakra.
The feeling of being alone again turned the entire jungle into a hell.
Kana wiped away a tear, suppressing her sobs.
If she cried out loud, she would gasp for air, and then she wouldn't be able to run at all.
"Ah!"
Her blurry, tear-filled eyes couldn't see the ground.
Kana tripped over a bulging tree root, her elbows and knees stinging with pain.
The cramps from exhaustion made her almost unable to move.
But she eventually stood up, staggering as she continued to run, forcing herself to overcome the pain and weakness.
The cold air turned into flames the moment it entered her lungs.
It burned every nerve, transforming into faint whispers in her ears.
Give up... You won't make it to Konoha... What's the use of trying so hard...
"...Hah... No, hah... I won't give up..."
Kana's voice was weak, distorted, and tinged with sobs.
"...I won't... hah... I won't give up..."
"I... I won't..."
"Naraku... is still... waiting... waiting for me... Waaah..."
She haphazardly wiped away her tears, struggling to breathe, desperately swinging her arms.
As she ran, suddenly, with one particular step, a warm current surged through her limbs, and her depleted body regained strength.
Kana didn't know how long she had been running.
The physical pain had made her somewhat numb, and her throat was filled with the taste of blood.
Suddenly, her footing gave way, and she collapsed directly to the ground.
As she fell, she couldn't even manage the reflex to raise her hands to protect her face.
Half of her face hit the dirt and weeds.
"Hah... hah... Eh... Why..."
Kana writhed on the ground, a trickle of blood slowly oozing from the corner of her mouth, desperately trying to control her body.
"Why... can't I move..."
Two stars entered her range of perception, one large and one small, shining with brilliant light.
A sudden realization dawned on her.
"Help... save, Naraku..."
"Save him..."
Towards the direction of the stars, Kana slowly moved her body, her voice growing louder...
Kakashi was hurrying through the trees with Sakumo when he vaguely heard a sound, and a flash of red caught the corner of his eye.
Kakashi paused for a moment.
In that instant, he heard Naraku's name carried on the wind.
Sakumo was faster than him, reaching the source of the sound in the blink of an eye.
A girl about ten years old lay there, covered in wounds.
She was almost a flickering candle in the wind, struggling to crawl towards them, shouting even as she coughed up blood.
"Save... Naraku..."
"Who did you say?!"
Sakumo helped Kana lean against him and continued to ask, "Who is this Naraku you speak of?!"
"Uchiha, Naraku... He's in danger..."
Kana knew she had found the right people.
Never in her life had she been so grateful for the favor of fate, grateful that it had given Naraku a chance to survive.
These two white-haired Ninja before her were the Master and Senior Brother Naraku had mentioned many times.
Whenever he spoke of them, his eyes were always filled with happiness.
"Where?"
Kakashi's eyes burned with urgency.
"Go..."
Kana struggled to climb onto Sakumo's back, patting his shoulder hard.
"Hurry, I'll lead the way for you..."
"Kakashi, I'll go first. You summon Pakkun and follow."
Sakumo immediately stood up, carrying Kana on his back, and sprinted in the direction she pointed.
Feeling Sakumo's speed, Kana gained a bit more hope for saving Naraku.
It didn't take long before she saw the very first part of the path she had taken.
"Over there, it should be over there..."
Kana quickly urged Sakumo to go in the direction where those enemies had appeared, trying to keep her sensory range at its limit.
Finally, she found Naraku's flame again.
Surrounded by several Chakra, flickering, on the verge of being extinguished.
"Found him!"