They said Sasuke had defected. When Kakashi arrived, he found only a heavily wounded and unconscious Naruto alongside Sasuke's headband with its deep scratch mark. No one knew what kind of fierce battle had taken place at the Valley of the End that day; they only knew that Team 7 could never go back to how it used to be.
The young comrades who had gone to retrieve Sasuke were all severely injured, but thanks to prompt medical treatment, their lives were saved. Rock Lee's leg had also been healed by Tsunade before the mission. Aside from Sasuke's departure, everything in the village was peaceful.
Jiraiya tracked down Kakashi to explain why he had left Konoha back then: he had obtained new intelligence. Akatsuki, the organization Uchiha Itachi belonged to, was hunting down the Tailed Beasts everywhere. They had already set their sights on Naruto, and perhaps in the near future, they would come after him.
Chapter 217