Shikamaru touched Naruto's shoulder.
"You good?"
Naruto nodded slowly, though his chest still felt heavy.
As they climbed back to the surface, Naruto paused.
He felt something.
A presence.
Watching.
The forest was quiet, but not empty.
A whisper brushed the edge of his hearing:
"So… the light of the Hokage still burns strong."
A pair of red eyes gleamed from the shadows for a moment…
Then vanished.
Naruto's jaw tightened.
"Shikamaru."
"Yeah?"
"We've got a new problem."
Shikamaru sighed.
"Knew it."
Naruto looked back toward the ruins.
"This isn't over."