Mission Failed…!!

Stirring awake as Kakashi carries him toward Konoha, Naruto learns how the rest of the squad sent after Sasuke has fared. Back at the village, Tsunade labors over Chōji, fighting the toll the Three Coloured Pills took on his body. Kiba and Akamaru are in rough shape yet on track for a complete return to health, while a team of medical ninja works to knit Neji's wounds back together.

Shikamaru, who walked away with nothing worse than a dislocated finger, takes the aftermath the hardest of anyone. Convinced he failed to shield his teammates, he starts to wonder whether he should abandon the shinobi path altogether. His father, Shikaku, cuts through the doubt: giving up would not spare his friends from danger, it would only leave him powerless to stand beside them when that danger came. Tsunade then confirms that every member of the team will pull through and that Naruto has been brought back safely. Still, with Sasuke slipping away, the assignment counts as a loss. Overjoyed that no one under his command died, Shikamaru swears never to fail like this again.

This chapter belongs to the Sasuke Recovery Mission arc and was collected in the twenty-sixth volume. Its Japanese title reads Ninmu Shippai, and it first appeared in late 2004.