But before he could continue investigating or head in that direction,
he immediately retreated without hesitation. As he did,
the ground where he had been standing was already covered and sealed in a layer of ice.
At the same time, Mizuki Rei slowly revealed himself.
Compared to over three years ago, Mizuki Rei seemed like a completely different person. There was an even colder air about him,
as though what stood there was not a person, but a lump of ice. In a way, that was not wrong.
For the first time in a rare occurrence, Mizuki Rei spoke. His voice was not loud, yet Kakashi heard him clearly.
"Don't keep going. Let Shuoyue make her own choice! Stay out of it."
Kakashi did not continue forward. Instead, he watched Mizuki Rei with a grave expression.
Elsewhere, as Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma rushed onward at full speed, their steps abruptly came to a halt.
On the road they had to take, a girl in a baseball cap sat on a relatively open patch of ground ahead.
She held a paintbrush in her hand, though it was unclear what she was painting. Under normal circumstances, it would have merely seemed a little odd,
but amid the ruins surrounding them now, the sight felt deeply out of place no matter how one looked at it.
Climax Seven: Madmen
Not far away stood a boy who appeared rather frail.
Wrapped in a black robe, the boy leaned sideways against an abandoned wall.
It seemed that he and the girl had not noticed Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma's arrival at all.
But that was clearly impossible. The fact that Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma had stopped with solemn expressions instead of going around them was proof enough.
Elsewhere, Might Guy was racing toward the Hokage Building