Logan didn't have to wait long. The group arrived with an imposing momentum.
At about a hundred meters, Gensaku and his team slowed their approach. Despite the dense forest, both sides could now see each other clearly.
'Sure enough, they are from Konoha.' When Logan saw the standard team formation, he sighed in his heart.
The headbands gleamed under the scattered sunlight, their familiar symbol stirring complicated emotions inside him.
'Running into Konoha's Ninja in the Land of Fire was perfectly normal.' Logan told himself.
Soft thuds landed on the tree trunks around him as the veteran team adjusted their pace, their movements precise, always leaving room to react.
Logan noted this but remained still. He had already formulated a plan, 'These guys were probably just passing through on a mission. As long as I kept up a harmless act, my identity wouldn't be exposed. No need for extra words. It seems that it's time to put on a performance.'
At the front of the squad, Gensaku locked eyes with Logan. The cloak obscuring Logan's face made Gensaku frown. His strange attire was suspicious enough, and if he was a Ninja, moving around like this within the Land of Fire was even more questionable.
Cutting straight to the point, Gensaku said without any warmth, "Who are you?"
Logan was stunned, 'Not even a casual 'how are you doing?' first.'
The remaining three Genin stood at a vantage point above him. While Logan's lack of immediate hostility was a good sign, he had no Konoha's affiliation markings, so they remained on guard.
"Sorry to trouble you, Konoha friends. I was just passing through." Logan spoke calmly, his tone unbothered, "I heard some noise in the forest earlier—was I intruding on something? If there's been any misunderstanding..."
"I asked who you are!" Gensaku's voice sharpened, repeating the question with more weight.
Logan scratched his head, feigning awkwardness while internally rolling his eyes, 'Another cold-blooded mission freak. Damn, Konoha's Chunin and Jonin really love this brooding act.'
With a dry chuckle, Logan replied, "Just a nobody. Name's David. Heading north toward the Land of Grass."
Their words drifted beneath the shadowed forest canopy. Mai tilted her head slightly, watching the cloaked figure standing a few meters away. Something about him made her thoughtful.
"Rogue Ninja?" Gensaku ignored the odd name and threw out the term like a loaded statement.
"Yes." Logan nodded after a brief pause. His gaze flicked across the team, sizing them up, 'Decent strength…'
His eyes lingered slightly longer on the girl in the back, 'Hmm, something about her felt oddly familiar.'
"Please take off your cloak. We are commissioned to eliminate the bandits near the Capital, so we need to confirm your identity."
Gensaku's next words immediately soured Logan's mood.
'What the hell? Since when did Konoha have this rule? Besides, was his face something just anyone could casually look at?'
Logan, of course, had no idea that this team had recently encountered faulty intelligence. Given that they had just miscounted the number of Rogue Ninja in their previous engagement, caution was inevitable.
'Great. Just great.'
Logan placed a hand on the brim of his hood, his demeanor subtly shifting, the earlier playfulness fading, "… Is that so."
A breeze passed through.
"..."
Silence fell over the scene, and Mai, ever perceptive, sensed that something was wrong.
After Logan spoke those words, there was no follow-up. His hand remained on his hood, unmoving. The team tensed, their focus narrowing. The only sound was the whisper of rustling leaves.
The wind knocked loose a few dry leaves. It brushed past Mai's ear, tickling her skin, then over her eyes. Her eyes widened.
Something was shifting.
A force, vast and overwhelming, surged forth at an alarming speed. It brewed like a storm, an invisible field of sheer presence expanding outward. Dark clouds seemed to gather overhead, smothering the air with an oppressive weight. There were no gaps. No openings.
Mai turned to her Jonin Instructor, lips slightly parted, the words caught in her throat.
And then, from beneath the cloak, a calm voice spoke, "…You asked for it."
Mai suddenly sensed something, this was a voice that didn't sound mature. She also noticed that this stark contrast in youthfulness felt somewhat familiar.
Unconsciously, her perception, as soft as flowing water, spread outward like reaching tendrils. A ray of sunlight broke open ahead, illuminating the surroundings, accompanied by a blinding flash of lightning.
Zzzzzzt-
"…What?"
Mai stared in a daze as the restless blue radiance surged through the forest, breaking into her world with fervent abruptness. The unrestrained explosion of thunder roared through her eardrums, drowning out whatever Gensaku was saying. Clashing, rustling, many sounds became indistinct.
The blue light accelerated to the extreme, finally piercing through as a sharp, clean arc. In the storm of Chakra, her perception wavered like a boat about to capsize. Still, she held on, following the trajectory of the light as it delicately traced the contours of a person's face.
The long journey actually lasted only a few seconds. As the lightning faded, successive thuds followed. In midair, the last imprint of blue light remained for a long time, lingering just like the image in Mai's memory.
... Her teacher and companions had been attacked. Mai shut her eyes, momentarily blinded by the brilliance, then gritted her teeth and pulled out a kunai.
Before she could strike, she felt a grip on her collar, and suddenly, she was lifted off the ground.
She didn't even get the chance to swing her kunai. She felt utterly powerless, and was effortlessly disarmed with a crisp snap.
Mai raised her hand for a punch, but before she could land it, her wrist was firmly pressed down.
In an instant, she was pinned against a large tree. The rough, brown-black bark pressed against the fabric of her back, leaving her no room to struggle, 'Too strong.'
She felt she might die in the next second. Mai trembled, bracing for the pain she expected to shoot through her chest, neck, or head… but it never came.
Mai cracked her eyes open slightly, and the first thing she saw was Gensaku lying on the ground in the distance, along with her classmates, Arata and Yuta… The figures collapsed in the grass seemed startlingly small now. In just a fleeting moment, as if by magic, she had been moved over a hundred meters away.
Gensaku struggled to look at Mai, who was now restrained, attempting to get up but failing.
Thud…
He collapsed again.
Mai's collar was still held tight, her hands pinned against the tree. Gathering her courage, she slowly lifted her gaze, bit by bit, inch by inch.
Logan looked at the girl in front of him, not knowing what to do. He finally understood what was happening.
At that moment, the cloak on his back was caught in the chaotic wind, slightly lifting, then Mai caught a glimpse of the man's face.
"You are…"
Logan murmured, his voice wooden. To be honest, he was surprised.
The pressure on Mai's right hand unconsciously loosened until it was gone entirely. The man sheepishly withdrew his hand, hesitating as if wanting to touch his own face.
Whether from fear or the lingering glare of the light, Mai's eyes welled up with tears. Two silent streaks ran down her cheeks.
She took a step forward, grasping Logan's collar with her small hands, gripping it with all her strength.
Getting even closer, she raised her large, tearful eyes and spoke in a trembling voice, "Uncle."
"..."
Suffering is always buried in solitude. Emotions always erupt when least expected.
Logan was utterly at a loss. After a moment of hesitation, he raised his hand to wipe away Mai's tears and said, "Why are you still calling me 'Uncle'? Stop that."
"Raiden Hattori..."
"Hey, that's rude..."
"..."