The foot I was about to plant beyond the threshold paused in midair.
The thick crust of snow beneath my sole gave a piercing crunch.
I turned my head and looked at that iron faceplate, a little puzzled.
"That brat Kabuto? He's still alive?"
With the dry grass stem between my lips, I exhaled a cloud of warm white breath.
The samurai beneath the iron faceplate kept puffing out cold mist, his hands trembling badly.
"N-no, he's not dead. Though he looks pretty much like a corpse."
"He said... he said the real stage has already been set, in the Land of Lightning."
"He prepared some... some special 'old friends' for you there."
I frowned, irritation stirring inside me.
That damn four-eyes Kabuto never did anything useful, just copied Orochimaru's tricks all day.
"Old friends? What old friends could he possibly have? Unbelievable."
I muttered under my breath, not taking the threat seriously.
But before I could cross the threshold, Raikage A came striding over from behind.
His fists, each the size of a cooking pot, banged against the iron armor.
"Kabuto? Kabuto Yakushi, that lackey of Orochimaru's?"
The Raikage's booming voice made my ears ache, painfully unpleasant.
"That bastard has teamed up with the Akatsuki too!"
Kakashi's expression darkened as well. His hand rested on his kunai pouch, his gaze grave.
"Big Sis investigated him before. That brat has been collecting corpses from every nation."
"If he uses Impure World Reincarnation, we'll have a serious problem."
Behind us, Ōnoki rubbed his old back, his face as white as flour.
"You Konoha brat! You absolutely cannot act alone now!"
"If Kabuto is targeting you along the way, this is a trap!"
"The allied forces need a unified command! You must join the Raikage's First Division!"
The instant that old fox