Explosions raged in a one-kilometer radius.
The ground quaked violently. Flames rose like angry dragons, devouring everything in sight. The shockwaves tore through rock and earth, hurling debris into the air like shrapnel.
Birds scattered in every direction, wild animals fled in panic—convinced the end of the world had arrived.
The once-mighty Ryūchi Cave collapsed inward, the ancient terrain reduced to rubble, scattered like leaves in a storm.
Sasuke stared in stunned silence.
"The ground… it's like a thousand-layered pancake. Exploding, layer by layer."
Only minutes had passed since the relentless bombardment began, yet the terrain had already sunken by half a meter. Beneath the fractured surface, a network of serpentine tunnels twisted and turned like a labyrinth.
If they had attempted to search by foot, the maze-like complexity of the cave would've delayed them endlessly. Factor in illusions, traps, and deadly mechanisms—it was a perfect deathtrap engineered by these snake sages.
First, Tanishiro Shinki and Orochimaru had attacked. Then, Ryūchi Cave and the Cloud Shinobi had allied to pillage the battlefield.
"In just a short while, we've all become so familiar with one another..." Logan murmured, his gaze falling on the shattered remnants of Lion Majesty burning in the inferno.
"Let's get even more familiar, then."
At that moment, a colossal snake head with diamond-patterned scales burst from beneath the earth.
It was Green Snake—one of the younger generation of Ryūchi Cave's gatekeepers.
The moment it surfaced, Green Snake's eyes narrowed with caution. It scrutinized Logan and the others warily.
"A kid... and a man with a big blade on his back... That's right. It's Logan."
Ever since Tuanjinji had escaped, Green Snake had felt uneasy.
Logan would come eventually. It was inevitable.
Green Snake had heard the stories—whispers of Logan's deeds spreading like wildfire. Though the White Snake Sage was said to be invincible, even that status offered little comfort.
Looking around at the charred and mutilated remains of snakes outside, Green Snake felt a chill deep in its scales. It had no desire to become the next disposable soldier.
It had hoped to come up with some excuse—maybe claim it was leaving to "travel."
But...
"This happened too damn fast!" it cursed internally.
"Couldn't he have just gone to Cloud Shinobi Village first?!"
Its mind raced, thoughts spiraling in panic. Then, Logan's gaze settled on it.
Oh no.
Logan took a step forward, his voice calm but piercing:
"Have you ever eaten a human?"
That was the first thing Logan had said since entering Ryūchi Cave.
The moment he'd approached, he'd heard the echoes of the dead in the "Breath of the World."
So many lives, snuffed out here…
Countless people.
Green Snake didn't dare respond. It immediately ducked back underground, diving into the tunnels as fast as its body could carry it. Its panicked shriek echoed like an air raid siren:
"Oh no! Oh no! Logan is here to kill us!"
Another round of bombing began. Green Snake's cries reverberated through every passage of the cave.
---
Inside the deepest chamber, the White Snake Sage reclined lazily on a massive cushion. She still looked like an old woman, puffing slowly from her pipe, unfazed by the chaos above.
Only one of the three snake goddesses remained: Princess Tsujin. She stood at the side, pouring tea with trembling hands. At the sound of Green Snake's screech, she visibly flinched.
She was terrified.
You can only truly understand the fear Logan invokes when you're within range of his presence—when you realize life and death are no longer in your hands.
If Princess Ichikishima hadn't spoken first back then, she would've been the one caught by Star Platinum.
The White Snake Sage took another puff, exhaled with satisfaction, and said hoarsely:
"Useless. Logan's here. Who among you will go out on my behalf?"
Silence.
No snake responded.
Who was Logan?
He had killed Yagura, the Three-Tails Jinchūriki. He had slain Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki. He had upended the entire Bloody Mist Village and even assassinated the Daimyō of the Land of Water in broad daylight.
Even if they didn't personally know the victims, they all knew Orochimaru.
Orochimaru—a man whose survival instincts bordered on immortality, who wielded Forbidden Techniques with impunity—had still been slain by Logan.
Every snake present had clawed their way up the food chain—evolving from tiny, aimless hatchlings into the powerful beings they were today. Who would be stupid enough to throw all that away?
Fight Logan?
For her?
For free?
Absolutely not.
This, more or less, was the sentiment held by nearly every snake in Ryūchi Cave.
Almost every snake.
Except one.
Manda.
Manda had grown horns on its head and a tail like a dragon's—it was on the verge of transcending serpenthood.
Its brute power was said to rival the Tailed Beasts. Without the restrictions of a Jinchūriki, Manda considered itself even stronger than most of them.
And it had a score to settle.
Back when Orochimaru was alive, Manda had never gone hungry. Logan killed Orochimaru—that was an unforgivable offense.
Old grudges, new grudges—they all stacked.
It wanted blood.
But Manda didn't speak just yet. It lay coiled on the floor, gazing at the White Snake Sage with cold, calculating eyes.
It wasn't afraid of Logan. But that didn't mean it wanted to get hurt for nothing.
The White Snake Sage simply sat there, asking others to die on her behalf—offering no reward, no bargain.
Finally, she met Manda's gaze and sneered.
"What do you want?"
Manda slowly uncoiled, rising to its full height.
"After I kill Logan, I want the Dragon Snake Orb for fifty years."
"Done," the White Snake Sage replied flatly.
"And half of your food stores," Manda added. "I want the fresh stuff. No bones or rotted corpses."
The White Snake Sage's snake-like eyes narrowed into slits. Smoke curled around her as she took another long puff.
"Agreed."
"Now we're talking."
Manda's posture changed in an instant. Gone was the laziness. In its place: pure, unfiltered bloodlust.
Every scale on its body radiated killing intent.
It surged upward through the tunnels, roaring:
"Have the snacks ready. I'll feast on them after I drench Logan in blood!"
Green Snake stared at Manda's departing figure in awe.
Those horns.
That terrifying presence.
That strength—it made even other snakes tremble.
Soon, Manda's roar shook the cave. Outside, the sound of bombardment—Aerosmith's missile barrage—suddenly ceased.
Green Snake gasped.
"As expected from Manda! With those dragon horns, it's doing what we couldn't even dream of!"
Princess Tsujin finally allowed herself to breathe.
The snakes erupted in celebration.
Only the White Snake Sage remained silent, her head lowered, smoke curling around her hunched figure like a shroud.
---
Boom—
Just as the snakes' cheers reached their peak, a deeper, duller sound thundered from above.
It was unlike the rapid explosions from before—this was heavy, deliberate. Like a colossal hammer slamming into the earth.
The cave trembled.
Dust fell from the ceiling. Stones cracked and rained down.
"What's going on?! Is that Manda fighting Logan?"
Princess Tsujin's hands went ice-cold. Every vibration felt like a strike to her chest, knocking the breath from her lungs.
The sounds grew louder—closer.
The snakes looked up, their bodies tensed.
Then—
Boom!
A massive portion of the cave ceiling collapsed.
A head emerged.
Horns.
It was Manda—the same beast that had stormed out moments ago, full of bravado and rage.
Only…
Its skull had been shattered.
Sticky red and yellow brain matter oozed out like molten slime, dissolving everything it touched. Its lifeless, gray-white eyes stared blankly down at the others.
Drip... Drip...
The body was pulled back slowly—upward—dragged away by something unseen.
Through the hole above, sunlight spilled in like holy fire.
Green Snake stared at it, stunned.
For the first time in Ryūchi Cave's history, sunlight had broken through.
Clink.
The teacup slipped from Princess Tsujin's hands and shattered on the floor.
Her whole body shook uncontrollably, her eyes filled with horror. Following her gaze, Green Snake looked up and saw—
Logan.
Standing calmly at the entrance, bathed in sunlight.
Expressionless.
His voice was quiet, even—but it cut through the silence like a blade:
"Tell me... have any of you ever eaten a human?"
The White Snake Sage tapped her pipe gently and waved away the smoke.
She smiled.
"What if we have?"
Her voice was low and rasping.
"What if we haven't?"
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