This time, an echo, like the second beat of a heart.

Distant splashing, drawing closer. Running feet, unburdened. Genma vaulted over the fallen grate, plunged twenty meters down the narrow tunnel toward them, and called out as soon as he was within ear shot. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ryouma said. "I just—"

"Talk while you move." Fukuda started off again, jogging unsteadily over wave-ripped muck, towing Ryouma along after her. Genma caught up, glanced distractedly down at Fukuda, and fell into step at Ryouma's heels.

"Can you sense the others?" Ryouma demanded. "What did you do?"

"We'll catch up to the others." Genma's hand closed over Ryouma's shoulder, briefly, then fell away. "I sealed off the tunnel and buried the bodies in the rockfall. A good earth jutsu could reopen it, but by the time they figure out where the blockage in the sewer is, we'll be as far from here as possible."

So long as they didn't run into another grate.

No— if Kakashi and Raidou had been stopped by another blockade, Ryouma would have sensed them by now. They must have found the end of the sewer and made it out into open air. Kakashi was fast, and Raidou could hold a jounin's run for hours without tiring. They'd be finding someplace safe and clean for Kimiko and the baby, maybe even a stream or waterfall to clean up…

Fukuda stumbled. Ryouma hauled her up automatically. "How far does this tunnel go?"

"Opens to the river," Fukuda panted. "Downstream of the city. A few kilometers."

A few kilometers was certainly outside Ryouma's sensing range, but not too far for Kakashi to run while Ryouma fought.

Farther than Ryouma wanted to run through a sewer with a concussed Kiri nin on his arm, but life hadn't exactly been handing him all his choices, lately.