At the border of the Land of Water, while Kirigakure and Iwagakure were locked in a fierce battle, there was a somewhat open area not far from the battlefield.
Two figures stood there. One had long silver hair and wore a black mask—it was Kakashi.
The other, the burly man standing opposite him, was none other than the Fourth Raikage.
The two looked rather strange at the moment. Though they faced each other in a standoff, neither had made a move. They were simply holding each other in check.
Yes, holding each other in check. The Fourth Raikage knew full well that he was no match for Kakashi. If they fought, he would not last more than a few exchanges.
Once Kakashi dealt with him and joined the battle between Kumogakure and Kirigakure, the Kumogakure shinobi would face an even more perilous situation.
Just as things stood now, Kumogakure was already at a disadvantage in its battle against Kirigakure and was even highly likely to lose.
But even if they lost, this Kumogakure force would at most lose ten or twenty percent of its men. If Kakashi joined the battlefield, however, the Fourth Raikage did not even dare imagine it. With Kakashi's strength, if he truly fought without restraint, the entire Kumogakure force would suffer incalculable losses.
That was why the Fourth Raikage felt immensely fortunate to be able to keep Kakashi tied down here.
Unlike the Fourth Raikage, who felt fortunate, Kakashi's mood barely stirred, even though he was in the midst of a battle involving nearly twenty thousand people.
That was understandable. Given Kakashi's current strength, if he wished, he could have ended this war in a very short time. He simply had not chosen to do so.
With his current combat power, under certain circumstances, he alone