Logan pinched Ichikishimahime between his fingers, waves of energy rippling outward, sealing off all her paths of escape.
Princess Ichikishimahime spat out her tongue, her voice hoarse and trembling.
"Human! What are you going to do to me? I warn you—"
"What are you rambling about?"
Before she could finish, the White Snake swung its arm and slapped her across the face three times.
Then, without hesitation, it crushed her beneath its foot.
> [You have slain Ichikishimahime. Acquired: 400 Soul Fragments.]
So this was the so-called "Snake Fairy."
Without the protection of a human summoner, she was just another minor spirit worth 400 soul fragments.
Trash-tier.
The White Snake glanced over the memory disc retrieved from her.
"Wow… Ryūchi Cave, Cloud Shinobi Village. So those two bastards came for you..."
It paused, squinting. "Huh?"
Tatsuzuhime was seen fleeing in the same memory, having escaped alongside Ichikishimahime.
"Another one slipped away. As expected from someone once tied to Orochimaru—fast reflexes and a faster retreat. Should we chase?"
Logan's expression darkened. He didn't answer. Instead, he turned silently and strode back toward the forest.
Just then, Sasuke appeared, running down the mountain slope.
He smiled when he spotted Logan, but that smile immediately froze when he saw Amber lying burned and unconscious on the ground.
Logan knelt beside Amber and placed a hand on his chest. Sasuke waited nervously beside him.
"He still has a faint heartbeat."
The Orochimaru-style Ninjutsu disc was still spinning nearby—its regenerative properties had likely been what kept Amber alive, even on the brink of death.
Logan made a mental note to burn incense for Orochimaru once he returned.
Just this once—he owed the snake a favor.
"Logan-nii, what should we do now?" Sasuke asked anxiously.
Logan looked at the memory disc of Ichikishimahime in the White Snake's hand.
"…Let's go back first and check on everyone else."
---
That night, Kirigakure was in chaos.
The unexpected attack from Cloud Shinobi Village had sent the entire village into a frenzy.
Even though the primary target of the Two-Tails, Matatabi, was Sasuke, its sheer size and erratic Chakra blasts had caused collateral damage throughout the village.
Kirigakure Hospital overflowed with patients. Even medical ninjas still in training at the academy were summoned to assist.
In the Mizukage's office, Terumi Mei sat at her desk, hair disheveled and eyes bloodshot.
Though she hadn't slept all night, her exhaustion was not merely physical—it was the weight of responsibility.
Piles of intelligence documents lay scattered across her desk. She had pored over them again and again.
Click.
The office door burst open.
Zabuza rushed in, panting slightly and licking his dry lips.
"I'm back."
"Who?"
"Logan, Sasuke, and Amber… they're back!"
Terumi Mei stood up so quickly her chair toppled to the floor.
"Where are they?!"
"Right here."
Logan and Sasuke stepped into the room.
Amber had already been handed over to the medical team and was undergoing emergency treatment.
Tsunade and Kakashi were en route to Kirigakure and expected to arrive later that night.
Only then could Amber's survival truly be ensured.
"Zabuza," Terumi Mei said, her voice cracking with emotion.
"Huh?"
"Get out."
"…Oh."
Zabuza scratched his head awkwardly and left the room.
As the door closed, Terumi Mei's composure cracked. The psychological pressure she'd been under all night finally broke through.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she rushed forward and pulled Sasuke into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry… Logan trusted me and left you here, and I failed. I didn't make the proper defensive arrangements. This is all my fault…"
Sasuke awkwardly patted her back.
"It's okay, Aunt Mei. See? I'm fine."
"…Aunt?"
Terumi Mei pulled back, squinting. "Why do you call Logan 'nii-san' and me 'aunt'?"
Logan ignored the exchange and walked toward her desk, eyeing the scattered documents.
They were all related to Cloud Shinobi Village—industry layouts, troop positions, and even lists of Kirigakure's informants embedded within their systems.
"What's your plan?"
Terumi Mei wiped her tears and, slipping back into Mizukage-mode, replied with resolve:
"Cloud Shinobi Village's attack on us was an outright provocation.
If they want war, we'll give it to them.
I'm planning to activate our hidden spies and blow up their farms and weapons factories.
I know Kirigakure just recovered from internal strife, and I know that among the Five Great Nations, Cloud is the strongest right now.
But because of that, we must strike back. If we don't, others will think we're weak, and this will only keep happening."
She still hadn't changed out of her Strawberry Bear pajamas from last night.
But despite her messy hair and sleepwear, no one could call her immature—not with her firm grasp of political, military, and national concerns.
Logan chuckled softly. "Of course, Mizukage-sama."
Terumi Mei rubbed her sore nose and let out a quiet laugh.
Logan began organizing the documents.
"But there's no need for that right now. It took Kirigakure years—possibly over a decade—to embed those agents. We shouldn't waste them on petty revenge."
He then pulled out the Ichikishimahime memory disc and set it on the table.
"Cloud Shinobi Village. Ryūchi Cave. I'll visit them both... and have a little talk."
Terumi Mei blinked, surprised. "A talk? How exactly do you plan to do that?"
Logan didn't answer.
He simply turned to leave, leaving behind only one sentence:
"I'm going to Luoxue Village first."
His blade had been badly damaged during the battle to overthrow the previous Mizukage. It had been sent to Master Dao Ye for repairs.
Whether visiting Tsunade or facing down a Tailed Beast, Logan lacked a suitable weapon.
And if he was going to "talk" to Ryūchi Cave or Cloud Shinobi Village—
It would be impolite not to carry a knife.
---
In a world dominated by ninja, information spread like wildfire.
Within a single day, news of the Two-Tailed Jinchūriki's ambush on Kirigakure landed on the desks of every village leader.
The Five Kage, the Daimyō of each country, and leaders of rogue organizations across the continent were all waiting to see how Kirigakure—and Logan—would respond.
Would he retaliate with force?
Expose them in a public statement?
Or… would he cave?
"I remember Logan once said, 'Ninja are not enemies, but comrades who fight side by side,'" Pain murmured as he stood beneath the eaves of the Rain Village, watching the downpour.
Konan stood silently behind him, holding the latest intelligence. It confirmed that the Two-Tailed Jinchūriki, Yūgito Nii, was dead.
"I wonder," Pain continued, "will he hold onto his beliefs when foreign nations come knocking at his door? Or…"
"…Choose to walk the same path as me."
Pain looked up at the gray sky, his voice emotionless.
Hatred always led to the same destination.
Logan's ideals were far too dreamy, far too naive.
Those who hadn't endured real bloodshed had no idea what it truly took to achieve peace.
"You're wrong."
Konan's voice was sudden, but firm.
She unfolded a page from Logan's old notebook and read aloud:
> "Even if Cloud Shinobi Village, in pursuit of military expansion, initiates the Fourth Great Ninja War…
The civilians of Kirigakure and Cloud are always on the same side.
Our one and only enemy…
Is not the village itself.
It's the war-hungry trash within both nations."
"His hatred isn't directed at any one village," Konan said softly. "It's aimed at those who perpetuate the cycle of violence."
Pain fell silent for several seconds.
Then, without a word, he turned his gaze back to the falling rain.
"…Let's see if he truly lives by that belief."
---
Meanwhile, in a remote corner of the world, Logan arrived outside a dark cave.
He carried a newly reforged machete on his back.
Sasuke, walking beside him, took out the memory disc of Ichikishimahime and compared it with the rocky formation in front of them.
"This is it. Ryūchi Cave. Logan-nii, are you going in?"
Logan shook his head.
"I'm not a rat. I don't like crawling into holes."
He raised his hand.
Aerosmith emerged.
The missile bay opened beneath it.
Missiles dropped like rain onto the mountain.
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