"Damn it…"
Outside the small town, Logan channeled Chakra and sprinted at full speed. Passersby and carriages on the road turned their heads in surprise, but he couldn't care less.
He had just traversed the path between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire not long ago, and now he was retracing his steps at breakneck speed. The official road ended, giving way to streams and rolling hills… he was practically running the same route twice in a short span.
Beyond the hills, the familiar endless sea of trees came into view. His figure flickered as he leaped onto the first sturdy branch, propelling himself forward with a gust of wind that rustled the leaves violently.
The contents of the intel were burned into his mind. Logan chose the right direction without hesitation, pouring Chakra into his movements as he charged into the vast forest, heading west at full speed.
'Deidara, the Land of Fire, targeting the Uchiha…' These points connected instantly in Logan's mind, 'This had to be the event where Sasuke, trying to find Itachi, ran into Deidara, who happily took the bait for a one-on-one fight. And after 'Art is an Explosion', the brothers' decisive battle at the Uchiha Hideout would follow!'
'That guy Sasuke actually came early...' Logan weaved through the dense foliage, his mood a mix of disbelief and irritation. Coming out to such bad news completely shattered his original plans.
As for why things had changed, there was no point in overthinking it now. The most likely culprit was his own butterfly effect.
One event shifted earlier, and the rest followed suit. He had been so confident in his calculations, never expecting to be blindsided like Obito. Without realizing it, he had already missed the critical window.
There was nothing to be done… intel always had a delay. He had no idea how far things had progressed. Maybe they had just met, maybe they had been fighting for a while...
"Hope I'm not too late."
Logan glanced at the sky, where dark clouds loomed. Suppressing his impatience, his expression darkened.
Crackle!
Lightning wrapped around his body, and his already-maximum speed surged further. A streak of blue light tore through the air, slicing through branches and leaves in its wake.
A gathering of powerful figures awaited in the depths of the forest. He didn't bother concealing his presence anymore, and his only goal now was to get there as quickly as possible.
At this moment, Logan, who had been outside the loop, finally connected with the unfolding events.
…
Unbeknownst to Logan, who was now rushing over, the situation at the convergence of Konoha, Akatsuki, and Team Hebi had already reached the brink of what he dreaded.
Gnarled, ancient roots.
Shuriken flew, the clang of weapons echoed across the clearing, and figures darted between flashes of techniques that erupted with deafening booms.
The combined forces of Team 7 and Team 8 were locked in a fierce battle against the masked Akatsuki member.
Fierce might have been an overstatement. The fight was bizarre. Obito's reveal of the Mangekyo Sharingan had already shaken Kakashi and the others to the core, but even in the ensuing battle, the Konoha's Ninja struggled to keep up.
His unpredictable fighting style made it impossible to land a hit, yet the slightest lapse in focus meant a solid strike from him would connect.
There shouldn't have been a third Uchiha in existence, and this incomprehensible ability left the Konoha's young Ninja frustrated, their strength rendered useless.
Kakashi and Yamato could only try to stabilize morale, switching to a defensive stance to minimize casualties. But this played right into Obito's hands, as his goal was to stall.
Ding!
Mai swung her kunai with all her might, clashing against Obito's with a metallic ring.
'It's a real entity!' Mai's eyes lit up, and she instantly burst out with Chakra Enhanced Strength, pressed forward, and threw a punch with her other hand… only for her fist to phase right through him.
The sudden loss of resistance threw her off balance, leaving her wide open. A kick slammed into her stomach, sending her flying.
"I told you… you can't hit me anymore." Obito said flatly. He glanced at the fallen girl, then surveyed the tense faces around him.
They had tried everything, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, but nothing worked. Now, they hesitated to act, knowing that without a way to 'pierce his defense', all attacks were meaningless. Worse, they had to guard against his sudden disappearances and unpredictable ambushes.
"Cough."
Mai clutched her stomach, pain rendering her unable to stand. Her fingers dug into the dirt, gripping roots as she forced herself up. Her clothes were filthy, her once-pristine face smeared with grime.
Whoosh!
A projectile flew at Obito, who dodged effortlessly. He turned to Mai, watching as she gritted her teeth, her face tight with determination. He frowned.
After a deep breath, she charged again. Attack, block, Obito didn't even need his eye's power to subdue her. He tilted his head, raising his kunai for a strike, only for Sakura to intervene, her powerful punch carrying a sharp crack of force.
But it wasn't enough.
Obito sent Sakura flying, only for Naruto to leap in next. Another effortless toss aside. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl still refusing to retreat, gathering her strength to come at him again.
Irritation.
A sudden, inexplicable irritation welled up in Obito. He blocked her strike, seizing her collar in one hand, "I'll admit, you're an excellent Ninja, at least at your level. But… isn't this too much?"
Blood trickled from the corner of her lips. Obito's voice was cold, "You've made me wonder something."
"Why are you trying so hard?"
Why was she trying so hard? It wasn't a question one normally asked a Ninja on a mission. But Obito couldn't help but feel a sliver of confusion. He glanced at Naruto and Sakura, who were struggling to their feet. He knew Kakashi's Team 7, as behind him, their former teammate, Sasuke, was fighting his own battle.
'The others had their reasons to persist. But her?'
'What was her reason?'
Obito asked, "What does this have to do with you?"
Mai had rejoined the fight the moment she recovered even a sliver of Chakra, relentless and unyielding. Then, he heard her speak.
"You're Akatsuki. I have to capture you." The girl's voice was clear.
"That's it?"
With a stubborn kick, Mai lashed out. Obito blocked effortlessly, then seized her throat mid-air before she could land.
Her feet dangled as she struggled against his grip, her eyes locking onto his Sharingan. For a brief moment, her vision blurred, "Because..."
"Stop!"
Chirp, chirp, chirp!
Kakashi burst forward like lightning, Raikiri crackling in his palm. His own Sharingan tracked every movement, forcing Obito to release Mai and retreat.
"Mai, fall back." Kakashi positioned himself between her and Obito, his voice sharp.
"Ah, I see now!"
Obito suddenly spread his arms, his tone theatrically exaggerated, as if slipping back into his Tobi persona.
His eyes gleamed with realization, as though a weight had lifted. Behind the mask, his right eye narrowed, "It's Raiden Hattori..."
Bang, bang, bang!
Shino and Kiba attacked in unison—swarms of insects and a spiraling Fang Over Fang shattered the ground. Dust billowed, but Obito emerged unscathed.
"Tsk tsk, ganging up on me? How unfair~"
Obito chuckled, turning back to Mai, "My apologies, little girl." He made an exaggerated, heartbroken gesture, "But unfortunately... Raiden Hattori is already dead."
"…"
This was like dropping a bombshell on Konoha's Ninja...
Mai stood there in a daze.
…
Uchiha Hideout.
Outside, Suigetsu and Kisame had struck up a violent 'sparring session', each strike meant to kill.
Deep within the abandoned hideout, another battle raged… one of vengeance and fate.
The upper floor of the building had been torn open by Fire Release Ninjutsu, rubble still crumbling from the shattered ceiling. Sasuke and Itachi now stood in the exposed ruins, the sky looming above them.
The probing phase was over, Sasuke's Sharingan gleamed, lightning coiling around his Kusanagi Sword.
Itachi watched his brother silently. Their Chakra surged, the tension thickening like storm clouds.
One wrong move, and this would become a fight to the death.
Was this where the weight of his life would finally be laid to rest?
The scenery around them seemed to wither. Itachi's gaze drifted to the darkening horizon, 'Senpai had said he would go to talk to Sasuke, but it seems they never met.'
'Perhaps this was for the best.'
'This was how it was meant to unfold.'
'This was how it had to be.'
A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Itachi's lips, 'Sorry, senpai.'
Whoosh!
The red color covered the black pupils, and the two figures charged at each other.
…
Electricity crackled as the distance closed rapidly, but even this wasn't enough.
Logan gritted his teeth.
His Chakra was draining wildly under the extreme speed. With Lightning Attribute Chakra amplifying his movements, he streaked toward the location indicated by the intel. The monotonous forest scenery blurred past in endless repetition as he raced forward in silence. Without any reference points and no way to know the situation ahead, all he could do was push himself faster.
"At this rate, I won't have enough Chakra left."
Taking a deep breath, Logan closed his eyes and focused. Before leaving the Paulownia Forest, he had left a shadow clone behind, just like Naruto in the original work, to gather Natural Energy for use in battle.
But now, he had no choice but to retrieve it early.
His eyes snapped open, glowing like pure flames, illuminating the air for an instant!
Sage Mode… activate!
Bang!
Immediately afterwards, Logan formed another hand seal, creating a shadow clone.
"You stay here..."
"I know. Go."
The clone, sharing his thoughts, didn't hesitate. It sat cross-legged on the ground, focusing intently to absorb the Natural Energy drifting through the world.
Logan nodded. Then, with a single step, lightning and fire erupted around him. His figure shot forward like a breaking storm, tearing through the air with a sonic boom as he crossed hundreds of meters in an instant.