"Ice Release?"
Kakashi had no time to finish off Kuroso with another strike. He hurriedly pulled back to dodge the sharp, keen ice pillars that looked capable of piercing flesh with ease. Trading his life for his opponent's wasn't out of the question, but he had to choose the right target.
Besides,
he wasn't fighting alone.
As he dodged the ice pillars, Pakkun leaped from his head and lunged at Kuroso, biting down on his throat. Pakkun wasn't a combat-oriented summoning, but that didn't mean he had no fighting ability.
He had all the basic abilities a Ninja Dog should have.
With that bite, he cleanly tore out Kuroso's throat.
"Damn it!"
An angry curse rang out through the dense mist.
With Kuroso dead, the Hidden Mist Technique lost the support of its caster's Chakra. The white fog began to disperse at an incredible speed, and silver moonlight poured down like flowing water once more, illuminating the state of the battlefield.
Kuroso had paid with his life for underestimating the speed and destructive power of Kakashi's Chidori. Tamaki had learned from his comrade's death. He used the Water Clone Technique to conceal his real body among dozens of clones, keeping Kakashi tied up and denying him a chance to land a killing blow.
The tactic was certainly getting on Kakashi's nerves.
All he wanted now was to end the fight quickly, not waste time getting dragged into a stalemate.
But Tamaki was no ordinary Jonin. He came from a very special family in the Land of Water—the Yuki Clan, whose members inherited the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai. Unlike other ninja clans, they didn't live together as a group. For certain historical reasons, they were scattered throughout the Land of Water like beads strewn across the ground.
Tamaki was one such