Refusing Kakashi's Invitation

"Oh no! We're in trouble!"

Seeing this scene, Kakashi, who had already exhausted most of his chakra in the previous battle, wore a look of despair.

"Big Brother Lin Cheng!"

Kimimaro, equally at a loss for how to resolve this situation, instinctively looked toward Lin Cheng on the other side.

"Damn it! I should have lured him out and finished him off earlier! There's no other way, I have to overdraw my attack!

Ice Release! One-Horned White Whale!"

An astonishingly large one-horned white whale formed in an instant, leaping high into the air to charge upward in opposition.

The two forces collided, the falling debris was instantly pulverized, and the one-horned white whale toppled to one side.

It instantly crushed the two adjacent castle walls!

The few people who had just breathed a sigh of relief were immediately stunned, then scrambled in a panic toward the outside of the castle.

As for Kazahana Dōtō?

The moment he unleashed the Twin Dragon Blizzard, he had lost the ability to act.

When the castle collapsed, he was completely buried beneath the ruins!

"Phew~ nearly got myself killed! How ridiculous!"

Lin Cheng, who had been carried out entirely by Kimimaro, sighed with a hint of dejection.

"No! Without you, we would have been finished! With my chakra depleted, I wouldn't have been able to escape."

Shaking his head, Kakashi said with great sincerity.

"Thank you! I will pay your reward in full very soon!"

Looking at the clearly exhausted Lin Cheng, Kazahana Koyuki immediately promised.

Perhaps because her great vengeance had been fulfilled, Kazahana Koyuki, who was originally similar in age to Lin Cheng and Kimimaro, seemed to mature significantly in an instant.

"That really doesn't matter! I just simply couldn't stand the sight of those guys!"

Shaking his head, Lin Cheng patted Kimimaro on the shoulder and tried to stand up straight on his own.

"My brother and I will stay here for a few days; just take care of our meals. Of course, our identities must not be exposed! Those bastards from Kirigakure are still hunting us! Don't let them take their anger out on you if they can't catch us!"

After giving Kazahana Koyuki these instructions, Lin Cheng walked to a secluded spot with Kimimaro's support to sit and rest.

Seeing this, Kakashi immediately took Kazahana Koyuki and sat down not far from them.

"Are you rogue ninjas from Kirigakure?"

Ignoring the few Snow Ninja who had managed to escape, Kakashi asked in a low voice.

"You're a ninja from Konoha, right? What? Do you still want to capture us on behalf of Kirigakure?"

Looking at the inquisitive expressions of Kakashi and Kazahana Koyuki, Lin Cheng chuckled and asked in return.

"How could that be? I'm just a bit curious, that's all!"

"Instinctively gathering intelligence on the two of us?"

"Cough, cough! No! I believe that even if someone weren't a village ninja, they would still be curious about your identities! To be honest, the strength of you two brothers has surprised me!"

While explaining, Kakashi glanced at Kazahana Koyuki beside him.

Kazahana Koyuki immediately nodded, agreeing with Kakashi's statement.

"Heh! Forget it, let's not talk about us! And don't think you'll get any information about Kirigakure out of us! In fact, we are just two innocent people caught in the crossfire! The current Kirigakure, heh!"

Shaking his head, Lin Cheng stopped speaking further.

"...My name is Kakashi! May I ask how the two of you are called?"

After a moment of contemplation, Kakashi suddenly asked.

"You can call me 'Lin Cheng'! This is my younger brother, 'Kimimaro'!"

Hearing Kakashi's question, Lin Cheng introduced them quite casually.

"If you have nowhere to go, you could consider coming back to Konoha with me!"

It seemed he had already been considering this idea.

Therefore, as soon as Lin Cheng finished his casual introduction, Kakashi immediately extended an invitation.

"If you are willing, I would also like to hire you!"

Hearing Kakashi say this, Kazahana Koyuki, having realized what was happening, also immediately extended an invitation in an urgent tone.

"Forget about your invitation; my brothers and I staying in the Land of Snow isn't helping you—it's harming you!"

Without looking again at the somewhat disappointed Kazahana Koyuki, Lin Cheng turned his head toward Kakashi, who stood to the side.

"As for Konoha? Heh! Forget it! I've heard that the Third Hokage of Konoha is the type of man who would compromise everything for the sake of so-called peace."

"I certainly don't want a day to come where Kirigakure threatens war and demands that Konoha hand over my brothers."

"That old pushover, the Third Hokage, would likely hand us over just to maintain his precious peace."

"So, as for the matter of going to Konoha, let's just drop it!"

"...Very well! Since you put it that way, I shall not be so thick-skinned as to press the issue further."

Nodding in a show of understanding, Kakashi sighed.

Just like that, the scene fell into a sudden silence.