"Why didn't I do anything?"
Jiraiya's life and death now rested in Logan's hands.
But he didn't even have the will to resist.
It wasn't that he couldn't fight—or that he was afraid.
It was guilt that froze him in place.
Jiraiya understood clearly how foolish he had just been.
This was a trap set by Orochimaru for Logan—a true death trap.
Logan had shattered that deadlock with sheer strength and pulled Jiraiya back from the edge.
From the beginning of the battle, Logan's every move was precise and correct.
But what had Jiraiya done?
At the most critical moment, Logan had done 99% of the work. All Jiraiya needed to do was take a step forward, block Orochimaru even for a second, and victory would be theirs.
But he did nothing.
That was a betrayal of a comrade.
If Jiraiya were a young, inexperienced ninja, still unsure in life-or-death battles, Logan might have understood. Panic and fear are human. Mercy, even in war, is forgivable in the inexperienced.
But Jiraiya was not a child.
He, Orochimaru, Tsunade, the Third Hokage, Danzo—these were ninjas who had seen the deepest darkness of the shinobi world.
They knew when to kill. There was no excuse.
"So, why didn't I act?"
Jiraiya asked himself.
Then he looked again at Logan and Sasuke—both without Konoha forehead protectors.
And he understood.
Because Orochimaru hadn't violated the "Will of Fire."
Orochimaru hadn't crossed the line in Jiraiya's heart. So for years, Jiraiya merely tracked him, hoping to bring him back.
He wanted Orochimaru to repent, not to die.
"Because he didn't break my rules, I hesitated. That hesitation caused Sasuke, who Logan had protected all this time, to be hurt."
That was why Logan was furious.
Orochimaru escaping?
That didn't matter. Soul fragments could be replaced. Logan might have let it go over drinks and laughter.
But Sasuke's life?
That was different.
Sasuke could die.
Two entirely different outcomes.
Jiraiya wasn't a man to make excuses. He bowed his head after confronting himself.
"I have no excuse. Logan, I've let you down."
He looked at Sasuke.
Dark magatama swirled from the bite mark on Sasuke's neck.
The Curse of Heaven.
Jiraiya said, "Logan, if you must kill me, do it after saving Sasuke."
Logan remained silent, back still turned. Star Platinum vanished. Jiraiya dropped to the ground.
Slowly, he stood and knelt beside Sasuke, placing two fingers on his wrist.
A moment passed.
Jiraiya's eyes widened with concern.
"Three forces are battling in his body: chakra, natural energy, and ripple energy."
If only chakra and natural energy were involved, Jiraiya's decades of Sage training might have stabilized Sasuke.
But with ripple energy? Things became complicated.
A heavy silence followed.
Until a mocking voice broke it.
"He's dying. Instead of wasting him, why not let me eat him? Then I'll forgive your disrespect."
Tian Xinshen Ji.
In a matter of minutes, the snake demon's wounds had healed significantly. She had reverted to a snake-bodied woman, dragon-snake pearl in hand.
Logan turned his head slowly.
"What did you say?"
"I said, give me the boy, and—"
Before she could finish, Logan kicked her.
The dozens-meter-long snake rolled, demolishing a nearby farmhouse.
Hermit Purple snapped out and reeled her in like a limp fish.
Logan stood over her and summoned the still-burning Destruction Sword.
He placed the blade at her throat.
She froze, eyes wide.
"Can you save him?" Logan asked coldly.
"No, I can't. Just like the ugly guy said, it's not just the curse mark. There's a third power inside him. I can't help. The only way is to find Orochimaru and have him remove the curse."
"Can you find Orochimaru?"
"Yes! If he returns to Ryūchi Cave, I can contact him, and—"
"Too slow."
Sasuke couldn't wait that long.
"Can you find him now?"
"No... I can't."
Orochimaru's movements were unpredictable. Without reverse summoning, even Tian Xinshen Ji couldn't locate him.
Logan's eyes grew colder.
"You can't help. You can't find him. Why should I let you live?"
"You dare kill me?!"
Tian Xinshen Ji thrashed. Star Platinum reappeared, slammed her to the ground, and pinned her.
The centuries had made Tian Xinshen Ji cling harder to life. Her pursuit of immortality only deepened her fear of death.
"You can't! I am the Snake Princess of Ryūchi Cave—a chosen elder of the White Snake Sage! Kill me, and Ryūchi Cave will hunt you until the day you die!"
She turned desperately to Jiraiya.
"Let me see the Toad Sage! Even if I'm wrong, a human cannot judge me! For the sake of the alliance between Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya, you can't let him kill me!"
Jiraiya's lips were dry.
She was right. If a low-level snake or toad died, that was war. But if an elder died, retaliation would come from the sacred lands.
Jiraiya opened his mouth to speak—
A flash.
The Destruction Sword fell.
Tian Xinshen Ji's head dropped to the earth, transforming mid-fall into a green snake head.
She was dead.
Really dead.
Her head blinked with the last sparks of life. Her golden eyes locked onto Logan.
"Logan, you will be eaten by thousands of snakes! Ryūchi Cave will—"
The sword struck again.
Split her skull clean in two.
Brains spilled onto the ground.
Jiraiya stared in horror.
"That's Ryūchi Cave!"
Logan wiped the blood from the blade.
"What dragon? Just beasts playing gods."
Immortals?
If they were truly strong, why did the world belong to humans?
Logan turned back to Sasuke.
The boy was burning up. His body temperature continued to rise. Left untreated, he would combust from within.
Jiraiya was helpless.
Tian Xinshen Ji was gone.
Orochimaru had fled.
There was only one option left.
Draw a new Stand.
And pray.
Pray that the next Stand had the ability to heal—Crazy Diamond, Golden Experience, Pearl Jam, any of them.
Logan opened the system interface and reviewed his spoils:
"Defeated Kimimaro: +320 Soul Fragments."
"Defeated Jūgo: +290 Soul Fragments."
"Defeated Orochimaru: +890 Soul Fragments."
"Killed Tian Xinshen Ji: +400 Soul Fragments."
Along with the 900 fragments he already had, and fragments gathered from trash mobs of Root ninjas, his total stood at:
2,990 Soul Fragments.
Logan exhaled deeply.
He opened the system interface.
Draw a card!
pàtreøn (Gk31)