"I guess I really shouldn't use Lightning Release for a while," Hagoromo muttered, swaying as he fought off a wave of nausea.
He felt a trickle of chakra and physical energy returning, which told him he'd likely been unconscious for some time after arriving in this space. The Reverse Summoning had knocked him out cold—he should consider himself lucky that no wild beasts or enemies had stumbled upon his limp body while he was out.
After painstakingly re-dressing his wounds, Hagoromo surveyed his surroundings. He was standing on a barren, jagged mountain. The landscape was a sickly, lifeless yellow, devoid of any greenery. It felt instinctively "wrong."
It turns out that not everyone can be like Jiraiya—using a random Jutsu and miraculously ending up in a paradise like Mount Myoboku.
Given Hagoromo's lack of travel experience (having spent most of his life within the village walls), he had no way of determining his exact coordinates. His priority was clear: leave this eerie place, find civilization, and determine the direction of the Land of Fire.
As for Kushina? He wasn't overly worried. A ninja of her caliber was far better equipped to survive a random wilderness than he was. She would know exactly what to do.
"Forget people... I can't even find a sign of life here," he grumbled, clutching his bandaged shoulder.
The universe, it seemed, was listening. As if in response to his complaint, a living creature appeared. But upon seeing it, Hagoromo found himself wishing for the loneliness again.
Accompanied by a low, guttural growl and a strange, metallic baying, a monstrous creature stepped into view. It was a massive, four-legged canine with three heads and short wings sprouting from its back. Its expression was pure, unadulterated malice.
If Hagoromo were more familiar with the future of this world, he might have said: "Hey buddy, you look familiar..."
Actually, if he had any sense left, he wouldn't call a creature like that "buddy." Aside from the missing black receivers and the lack of Rinnegan eyes, this thing was a dead ringer for one of Pain's Multi-Headed Hounds.
The beast looked hungry. Hagoromo smiled, showing a flash of white teeth, looking for all the world like a friendly animal lover... while his hands blurred through a sequence of signs.
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
A roaring dragon of flame engulfed the giant hound. Hagoromo waited for the scent of roast meat, but as the flames died down, the three-headed dog stood there, completely unscathed.
What? Fire Style has no effect?
Severely anemic, low on chakra, unable to use lightning, and facing a monster that shrugs off B-rank fireballs... Hagoromo made a split-second decision. He turned and bolted.
The hound, understandably annoyed at being set on fire, didn't hesitate to give chase. It wasn't about to let its meal run away.
The pursuit proved a basic scientific law: two legs cannot outrun four. Hagoromo was forced into a grueling cycle: sprint, stop to launch a desperate counter-attack with his limited chakra, sprint again to regain distance, and repeat.
The Aftermath at the Command Center
Back at the battlefield, the situation could be summed up in two words: Sand Retreat.
With Konoha's reinforcements arriving, Kushina missing, and the command center still standing, the Sand had no choice but to pull back. They left a trail of corpses behind, having achieved none of their primary goals and nearly losing their Tailed Beast. It was a total disaster for Sunagakure.
But Konoha wasn't celebrating.
"Tsunade-sama, should we pursue?" Shikaku Nara asked.
Tsunade's face was still stained with blood. She gripped her right arm with her left hand, her voice tight as she fought to suppress her hemophobia. She could not show weakness in front of her troops.
"No. Search for survivors immediately. Then... use our fastest messenger to report Kushina's disappearance to the Third Hokage. Tell him to contact Minato Namikaze at once."
"Understood," Shikaku replied, moving quickly to execute the orders.
"Reverse Summoning, huh?" Tsunade whispered to herself after he left. Looking at the residual spatial distortion where the two had vanished, she could only hope they were safe.
The odds were against them. Reverse Summoning is notoriously unstable. Even if the Jutsu didn't tear them apart, they could be anywhere. If those two unlucky souls had been teleported into the heart of the Land of Wind... well, she tried not to think about it.
Only Minato had a real chance of finding her.