"It'll be easier for me than it was before," Zack noted. Not really an argument so much as a quiet observation. "I had somebody else to worry about, before. Now I don't."

Cloud was safe and sound in Konoha, Zack could move freely, without having to stop to fight to protect him.

He looked downward.

"A couple more days," he said, finally. "And then I'll look into portals, see what I'd need in order to get there unnoticed."