Determined to go after Sasuke, Naruto contemplates how to defeat Kimimaro. Rock Lee, having recovered from his surgery, soon arrives to fight Kimimaro in his place, allowing Naruto to continue on. Despite briefly gaining the upper hand, Lee, like Kiba and Shikamaru, is forced onto the defensive, and it is not until the arrival of Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro that they are all saved. Temari crushes Tayuya under a pile of debris and Kankuro kills Sakon and Ukon with a barrage of weapons. Gaara proves to have a more difficult fight, as Kimimaro is continually able to recover from his attacks. As Kimimaro is about to kill Gaara and Lee via a sneak attack, he dies of the illness that forced him to leave the Sound Four. Their battles won, the Konoha ninja return home with their saviors, just as Naruto catches up with Sasuke and the Valley of the End, a landmark where the First Hokage similarly fought Sasuke's ancestor Madara.