The sound of shovels scraping stone and wet clods of earth falling into the snow was all that broke the stillness of the night for ten solid minutes, as they worked. The smaller chunks of rubble were just starting to give way to larger ones — slabs of broken concrete bleeding rebar and broken pipes at their edges — when Pakkun re-emerged from the hole he’d vanished into. He was mud-streaked and panting, with his bandaged paws sodden and soiled.

Ibiki stopped digging and went to pull the dog up.

"Ginta's alive, just about, barely breathing. Both of 'em are barely breathing," Pakkun rasped. He trembled in Ibiki’s hands, from cold or fatigue, or both. "Baiji's tranced deep. I gave him all the chakra I could spare, but I don't think he's got much time left. The roof's starting to groan."

“We’ll dig faster,” Ibiki said. “Are there any limbs trapped?” If they had to do a field amputation to free either or both injured shinobi, it would complicate things dramatically. “And are either of them still bleeding?”

“I don’t— I don’t think so,” Pakkun said. “They’re in a pocket down there. I don’t think anything’s even broken, ‘cept Sakamoto’s face.” He shivered and gave a thin, anxious whine. “And Kakashi’s head.”

“Are they conscious?”

Pakkun shook his head.

“Alright. Do you want to rest with Saiyuri, or go back down to them?” Ibiki asked. He pressed his chakra through his hands again, giving Pakkun another jolt to make up for the energy the dog had donated to Kakashi’s other summons.

“Back down,” Pakkun said. “Keep a watch on my chakra; I’ll flare it if the ceiling starts to come down.” He opened his channels and took the chakra Ibiki gave, visibly gaining strength and sharpness as the fresh energy coursed through him. His head lifted his head to survey the hole Asuma was still digging. “I think you’re about six feet off the mark.”

“Which way?” Ibiki asked.

“Left. Nine-o-clock.”

“Got it.” Ibiki put Pakkun down again, and watched as he disappeared back into the darkness.

Asuma had already moved to the spot Pakkun had indicated and was turning up fresh spadefuls of debris-filled soil.

“What’s the news?” Saiyuri asked, coming over to stand next to Ibiki.

“Alive, unconscious, with possibly severe head injuries,” he told her. “Nothing we didn’t already know.” He picked up his shovel.

“We know they’re still alive,” Saiyuri said quietly. “Get them out and I’ll do what I can to keep them that way.”

Ibiki touch-tapped a salute and went to dig.