"This is bad! We're in trouble!"
Seeing this, Kakashi—who had already used up almost all his chakra in the earlier battle—looked utterly despairing!
"Lin Cheng, big brother!"
Kimimaro, just as clueless about how to deal with the situation, instinctively looked toward Lin Cheng on the other side.
"Damn it! I should've lured him away and finished him off! No choice now—I'll have to push myself past my limits to attack!
Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale!"
The enormous white whale formed in an instant, leaping high into the air and charging upward in the opposite direction.
The two sides collided, instantly shattering the falling rocks. The One-Horned White Whale toppled to one side.
It brought down the walls of two adjoining sections of the castle!
The group, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, immediately gaped in shock before scrambling in a panic out of the castle.
As for Kazahana Dōtō?
He had lost the ability to move the moment he unleashed Twin Dragon Blizzard.
When the castle collapsed, he was completely buried beneath the rubble!
"Phew! I almost got myself killed! What a joke!"
Lin Cheng, who had been carried out by Kimimaro, let out a somewhat dejected sigh.
"No! We'd have been finished without you! With my chakra depleted, I wouldn't have been confident I could escape."
Kakashi shook his head and spoke with complete sincerity.
"Thank you! I'll pay you what I owe as soon as I can!"
Seeing how exhausted Lin Cheng looked, Kazahana Koyuki quickly reassured him.
Perhaps because she had avenged her family, Kazahana Koyuki seemed to mature in an instant, despite being about the same age as Lin Cheng and Kimimaro.
"Don't worry about it! I just couldn't stand those guys!"
Lin Cheng shook his head, patted Kimimaro lightly on the shoulder, and tried to straighten up.
"We'll stay here for a few days. Just take care of our meals.
"Of course, our identities can't be revealed!
"Those bastards from Kirigakure are still hunting us down!
"Don't let them catch us, or you'll be the one they take their anger out on!"
After giving Kazahana Koyuki a few instructions, Lin Cheng went with Kimimaro's support to a secluded spot and sat down to rest.
Seeing this, Kakashi immediately led Kazahana Koyuki over and sat down nearby.
"Are you two missing-nin from Kirigakure?"
Ignoring the few Snow Ninja who had barely escaped and were scattered around them, Kakashi asked quietly.
"You're a shinobi from Konoha, right? What, are you thinking of helping Kirigakure capture us?"
Looking at Kakashi's inquisitive expression and Kazahana Koyuki, Lin Cheng replied with a light laugh.
"Of course not! I'm just curious!"
"Your instincts are telling you to gather information about the two of us?"
"Ahem! No! I think anyone would be curious about who you are, even if they weren't a shinobi from a village!
"To be honest, your strength surprised me."
As he explained, Kakashi glanced at Kazahana Koyuki.
Kazahana Koyuki nodded at once, agreeing with Kakashi.
"Heh! Never mind us. Don't expect to learn anything about Kirigakure from us!
"Honestly, we're just two innocent people who got caught up in this. Kirigakure these days, heh..."
Lin Cheng shook his head and said no more.
"...I'm Kakashi. May I ask your names?"
After thinking for a moment, Kakashi suddenly asked.
"You can call me Lin Cheng. This is my younger brother, Kimimaro."
Hearing the question, Lin Cheng introduced himself casually.
"If you have nowhere to go, you could consider coming back to Konoha with me."
He seemed to have already been considering the idea.
So, as soon as Lin Cheng casually introduced himself, Kakashi immediately invited them.
"If you're willing, I'd be happy to hire you, too!"
Hearing Kakashi, Kazahana Koyuki quickly caught on and made her own offer, her voice urgent.
"Thanks, but we can't accept your offer. If we stay in the Land of Snow, we won't be helping you—we'll be putting you in danger."
Lin Cheng turned away from Kazahana Koyuki, who looked disappointed, and faced Kakashi.
"As for Konoha? Heh, forget it! I've heard the Third Hokage is someone who'll compromise for the sake of so-called peace.
"I don't want Kirigakure to threaten Konoha with war one day and demand that the village hand us over.
"That old good-natured man, the Third Hokage, might hand us over for the sake of that so-called peace!
"So, going to Konoha is out of the question."
"...All right. If that's how you feel, I won't keep pressing you."
Kakashi nodded in understanding and sighed.
And just like that, silence fell over them.
Before you continue