Inside a secluded cave.
Naraku brought the unconscious Kazahana Koyuki here and slowly lowered the girl from his back onto the ground.
Looking at her adorable face, Naraku couldn't help thinking, No wonder she grows up to be such a big star.
"Sorry for the trouble, but could our big star wait here for a little while?"
Poof! Poof!
A cloud of white smoke appeared as Naraku made two Shadow Clones to guard Kazahana Koyuki. Then he left the cave and hurried toward Kakashi and the others.
Come on, Kai, you must be feeling the pressure now! Naraku thought to himself.
Actually, if he and Kakashi teamed up, they wouldn't have to fear Nadare Rōga. After all, their opponent was only a jōnin at most. He had the advantage thanks to the terrain and the special armor he wore.
If he and Kakashi joined forces, they might not be invincible below Kage Level, but they could at least hold their own.
The reason he hadn't chosen to face Nadare Rōga alongside Kakashi was, on the one hand, their mission. Their only goal was to rescue Kazahana Koyuki.
If Kazahana Dōtō showed up while they were both busy fighting Nadare Rōga, they would have been worse off for it.
On the other hand, it was because of Kakashi. Naraku wanted to put some pressure on him—or, more accurately, make him realize the drawbacks of the Sharingan.
The Sharingan was powerful, but its effectiveness depended on the person using it. For Kakashi, who had no Uchiha blood, it did more harm than good.
If not for the Sharingan, how could his strength have barely improved over more than a decade in the original story? His talent was no weaker than anyone else's in the world of Naruto.
At the very least, Naraku had decided to change Kakashi's current situation for the sake of the enemies they would face in the future. He had to help Kakashi deal with the Sharingan.
Meanwhile,
Kakashi was now completely on the defensive under Nadare Rōga's relentless assault.
Because of his limited chakra, he had techniques he couldn't afford to use and could only keep dodging his opponent's attacks. Even so, he was still managing to slow Nadare Rōga down.
"What a pesky brat." Nadare Rōga, who had been held up by Kakashi, was growing irritated.
"If that's the case, I'll deal with you first!"
Nadare Rōga stepped forward, and white mist poured from his armor once more. He then charged at Kakashi at top speed, forming Hand Seals as he released more than a dozen Snow Wolves.
The Snow Wolves surrounded Kakashi, leaving him unable to escape for the moment.
"This is troublesome. I really don't have enough chakra to spare." Kakashi gave a helpless smile beneath his mask, then rapidly formed Hand Seals. Blue lightning appeared once more.
But this time, the lightning didn't gather in his hands. It coursed across his body, blue arcs flashing over him.
Chidori Current—the technique Sasuke developed in the original story. With Naraku's guidance, Kakashi had developed it more than a decade ahead of schedule.
Crackle! Crackle!
Lightning flashed. Chidori Current strengthened Kakashi's body and gave him a decent defense, too. The Snow Wolves charging at him were reduced to scraps by the lightning before they could even touch him.
"Come on!"
Kakashi pushed off with both feet and collided head-on with Nadare Rōga.
The two began fighting with Taijutsu. Nadare Rōga's armor had powerful defensive capabilities and several special abilities, but Kakashi, enveloped in lightning, was no weaker. After several exchanges, neither had gained the upper hand.
But Kakashi knew it was only temporary. In truth, after using Chidori Current, his chakra was already nearly depleted. He couldn't maintain this state for long.
The shock waves from their fight kicked up a flurry of snow. After dodging another attack, Kakashi no longer wanted to keep fighting. He turned and retreated in the other direction.
Nadare Rōga glanced after him, but ultimately gave up on pursuing him. Kakashi was heading in a different direction from the one Naraku and Kazahana Koyuki had taken, and Nadare Rōga hadn't truly intended to kill Kakashi anyway.
He then pursued Naraku and the others.
Before long, Kakashi met up with Naraku, who had just come out of the cave. As for Nadare Rōga, the person he had chased was only one of Naraku's Shadow Clones.
The two then returned to the cave together. They had found it ahead of time, and it was well hidden. Nadare Rōga wouldn't discover it anytime soon.
As soon as they entered the cave, Kakashi began recovering his chakra.
"So, Kai, have you thought it over?" Naraku suddenly asked.
Kakashi looked at Naraku with his visible right eye, which had gone as lifeless as a dead fish. "Let's talk after we get back to the village."
Then he closed his eyes and focused on absorbing chakra.
Naraku said nothing more. Some things couldn't be pushed too far. He believed Kakashi would come around on his own, and besides, Kakashi hadn't outright refused just now.
"Sharingan, huh? Heh. Just wait until I seal you."
While Kakashi absorbed chakra, Naraku took some rations from his backpack. After traveling for so long, he needed to replenish his energy, too.
As for soldier pills, they smelled and tasted so bad that Naraku was afraid eating them would stunt his growth.
A day later, in a small town outside the Land of Snow's border,
a silver-haired boy arrived with two children of about seven or eight.
The three of them were Naraku and the others.
After leaving the Land of Snow, they had decided to stop here for food. Their destination, the Land of Artisans, was still some distance away.
If it had only been Naraku and Kakashi, they might have packed a little food and set off. But they had a girl of seven or eight with them now, so they needed to prepare more food and water.
"Big brother Kakashi, big brother Naraku, will I ever be able to go back to the Land of Snow?" Kazahana Koyuki asked them with red-rimmed eyes.
Though she was young, she understood some things. Besides, children in this world tended to mature early, so there were things Kakashi and the others couldn't hide from her even if they wanted to.
Kakashi didn't answer. He thought that, barring unforeseen circumstances, Kazahana Koyuki might never be able to return to the Land of Snow in her lifetime.
"You can. When you're all grown up, I'll take you back to the Land of Snow, all right, Koyuki?" Naraku said.
"Really?"
"Really!"
Kakashi didn't think much of it. He assumed Naraku had only said that to cheer her up.