Kakashi was just about to turn back and look for Naraku when he ran into two men.
They wore a special kind of armor and attacked Kakashi with kunai in hand.
They were the same two men who had pursued Naraku earlier, following him all the way here.
Faced with their sudden attack, Kakashi didn't let his guard down. He drew the short blade from his back and engaged them in battle.
"Ice Shield, Ice Prison Technique!"
The burly man quickly formed Hand Seals, then shouted.
White ice surged up from the ground around Kakashi, forming an icy prison that trapped him inside.
"Good, we've got you trapped." Seeing the ice prison completely encase Kakashi, the burly man couldn't help grinning.
"Watch out behind you!" Before he could celebrate for long, his companion's shout reached his ears.
The burly man turned and saw only a flash of silver.
Squelch!
The next moment, he felt a chill at his throat. He instinctively clamped a hand over it as red blood seeped between his fingers. "Ugh!"
With a cry of pain, the burly man lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground. Kakashi appeared behind him, the silver short blade in his hand now stained with blood.
"So, Ice Shield Ninjutsu," Kakashi murmured.
Just as the ice prison was about to form, he had slipped underground and emerged behind the burly man. Then, while his opponent was off guard, he took him out.
Ultimately, it came down to the difference in their strength. The burly man was only a Chunin. Even with Ice Shield Ninjutsu, he was no match for Kakashi.
The fight that followed was even easier. The last man was about as strong as the burly one, and he too fell before Kakashi.
After sealing both bodies in a scroll and erasing the traces of the battle, Kakashi turned back once more. He had just received word from his Shadow Clone that Naraku had already reached their meeting point.
Without realizing it, he felt some of his tension ease.
"Just as you'd expect from Kai. You've already taken care of them." Beneath the glacier, Naraku opened his eyes abruptly, as if sensing something. Beside him lay an unconscious Kazahana Koyuki.
"But if that's all you've got, it won't put any pressure on Kai," Naraku murmured.
Then he turned to look to the side, a smile slowly spreading across his face. "I hope you put up a better fight!"
Before long, Kakashi arrived. He frowned at Naraku. "Where have you been?"
"Uh..." Naraku paused briefly. "Two rats were tailing me. It took me a while to shake them off."
Naraku offered a casual explanation.
"Anyway, we need to get this girl out of here quickly. It'll be trouble if Kazahana Dōtō catches up with us."
Kakashi said nothing more. He bent down and picked up the unconscious Kazahana Koyuki, and then they set off again.
They hadn't gone far when they stopped—not because they were tired, but because a man in Snow Ninja armor was blocking their way.
"Nadare Rōga." Naraku's eyes lit up at the sight of him. Just as he was about to charge forward, someone beat him to it: Kakashi.
"Take Koyuki and go."
After dropping those words, Kakashi charged at Nadare Rōga with his short blade in hand. It flashed through the air, slicing toward his opponent's vital points.
"Heh, just a couple of brats." Nadare Rōga leaned aside slightly and easily dodged Kakashi's attack. His sharp gaze settled on Naraku and his companion, full of disdain.
"Has Konoha really fallen so far?"
Though Kakashi and Naraku both wore masks, the experienced Nadare Rōga had still recognized them.
Ignoring Nadare Rōga's mockery, Naraku had already set off in the opposite direction with Kazahana Koyuki in his arms as soon as Kakashi charged.
Kakashi's actions came as no surprise to Naraku.
"Brat, I can't just let you leave." Seeing Naraku trying to get away, Nadare Rōga started to move.
But in the next instant, a silver blur stood in his way once again.
"Kid, move aside, or you'll die," Nadare Rōga said when he saw Kakashi standing before him.
Nadare Rōga didn't want to fight Kakashi and the others unless he had no choice. Though he spoke contemptuously of Konoha, he knew full well how powerful it was.
Even in its current weakened state, Konoha was not a force the Land of Snow could afford to provoke. Besides, given Kakashi and Naraku's age, they were undoubtedly Konoha prodigies. That gave him a few more reasons to hesitate.
Kakashi naturally ignored him. Holding his short blade, he stared at Nadare Rōga with a stern expression.
Nadare Rōga's dodge just now had shown Kakashi that his Taijutsu was superior. His strength was worlds apart from that of the two Snow Ninja he'd fought earlier, so Kakashi didn't dare let his guard down.
"In that case, don't blame me for being merciless." As Kazahana Dōtō's strongest enforcer, Nadare Rōga wasn't the sort to reason with people. He rapidly formed Hand Seals.
"Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale!"
At Nadare Rōga's low shout, the ground shook violently. A huge white whale burst out of the snow and lunged straight at Kakashi.
Kakashi's gaze flickered. The Forehead Protector over his left eye had already been lifted, revealing a scarlet eye that looked eerie against the white snow.
The Sharingan's sharp vision let him easily track the whale's movements. He sprang backward and dodged its attack.
"What's that...?" Nadare Rōga paused when he saw Kakashi's scarlet eye, but his gaze soon turned fierce again.
"It's not over yet!" He braced himself with one hand and slashed toward Kakashi. The white whale on the ground leaped up and lunged at Kakashi in midair.
Kakashi didn't panic. He quickly formed Hand Seals.
"Chidori!"
Blue arcs of electricity crackled in his hand, writhing like real lightning.
Then, gripping the lightning, Kakashi met the charging whale head-on.
Boom!
The tremendous impact sent a wave of air rushing outward. The ice whale shattered under the force of the lightning.
"What kind of Ninjutsu is that?" Nadare Rōga was stunned. To him, Kakashi was just a kid in his teens, yet he had managed to block his attack.
"As expected of a Konoha prodigy."
"But how many times can you block an attack like that?"