Hayato Kanhara relaxed in the hot spring, soaking in the warmth with a satisfied sigh.
He'd made a decent amount of money since teaming up with Logan—but he was also completely exhausted.
Tonight, he had a date with a girl from the Land of Lightning. Rumor had it she was training in Thunder Shield Ninjutsu, and Hayato figured he needed to unwind before the evening festivities.
"When it comes to hot springs and women, even the old daimyō can't compete with me," he hummed proudly, admiring the little haiku he'd composed. The more he repeated it, the more poetic it sounded to him.
Brushing back his hair, his handsome features emerged, though the lecherous look in his eyes ruined the effect. He wrapped himself in a towel and pulled open the curtain with exaggerated flair.
"Darling, here I co—"
He flung his towel open, fully expecting to be greeted by the alluring moans of a Lightning Country beauty.
Instead, there was silence.
No girl. No date.
Instead, Logan and Sasuke were seated on the sofa, one on each side of the room.
Logan politely turned his head away, clearly not wanting to witness whatever disturbing display Hayato was putting on. Sasuke, on the other hand, made a rude gesture with his fingers—one that had the potential to start an international incident.
"Wh-What the hell?!" Hayato shouted, scrambling to cover himself. "Why are you two haunting me?! Didn't we agree we'd take some time off?!"
"Sorry," Logan said, dragging an unconscious man—Sato—out from behind the door and dropping a folder of coded documents on the table. "But you're the only one I can trust with this."
Logan briefly explained the situation, recounting his encounter with Sato and the information he had revealed.
"Help me verify if any of this is true."
The gleam of lust faded from Hayato's eyes, replaced by a sigh of resignation. "You really do attract trouble like a magnet, don't you?"
Logan said nothing.
Shaking his head, Hayato pulled on a robe, grabbed a pen and paper, and got to work.
He studied the documents carefully, reading, scribbling notes, and comparing cipher keys throughout the night. When dawn finally approached, he looked up.
"Every intelligence network uses specialized code systems, combined with internal 'core texts' that change regularly," Hayato explained. "Technically, I shouldn't be able to decipher this without the key. But since Sato leaked some intel, I was able to reverse-decode it."
He tapped the folder.
"He didn't lie to you, but he definitely held something back. This operation isn't just being investigated by the Root organization—others are involved too. The city mentioned in the intel is Mirage City. It's crawling with mercenaries, criminals, and foreign agents. If you head there, you'll likely be walking into a hornet's nest."
Hayato knew Logan's personality too well—charging headfirst into danger, destroying anyone in his path like a spear piercing enemy lines.
A true warrior, brave and straightforward.
But even spears can snap.
"If you ask me… don't go."
"Is that professional advice from an intelligence operative?" Logan asked quietly.
"No," Hayato said with a rare note of seriousness. "That's advice from a friend."
Logan smiled.
He didn't want to risk it. Who wouldn't prefer a life like Hayato's—bouncing from hot springs to women, enjoying every indulgence life had to offer?
But that kind of life wasn't made for him.
He thought about how the world of Naruto worked. He hadn't read the manga, but he understood its structure: the protagonist grows stronger, the enemies become more powerful, and small-scale battles escalate into world wars.
Unlike JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, which had multiple protagonists across generations, Naruto followed one hero from start to finish: Uzumaki Naruto.
And to keep the readers invested, the stakes would keep rising—battles growing deadlier, villains more terrifying.
Right now, the strongest fighters might be the village Kage, but in the future?
Who knew?
Danzo wanted him dead.
Uchiha Itachi wanted him dead.
Root agents were already hunting him.
If Logan let himself relax just because he had drawn a five-star Stand, then next time he might be the one unconscious, captured or worse.
"When you're given a choice, don't choose the path you'll regret," Logan said.
He stood up and clapped Hayato on the shoulder. "Thanks."
Sasuke followed him silently.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?!" Hayato shouted after them.
They didn't respond—just waved as they walked away, one tall and one small, vanishing down the road.
---
The Land of Water wasn't large to begin with, and thanks to their mastery of Ripple Breathing, Logan and Sasuke moved swiftly, mere blurs against the terrain.
Aerosmith flew above, scouting the road ahead with constant vigilance.
By the next afternoon, they reached Mirage City.
Nestled along the ocean, the city shimmered in the mist. Sunlight pierced the rising water vapor, making the skyline appear like something out of a dream. It was almost too beautiful—like a fairy tale city.
But as they got closer and the mist cleared, the illusion faded.
The city walls were mottled and crumbling. The air stank of salt and filth. The streets were packed, loud, and dangerous.
Within minutes of entering, Logan witnessed a thief slicing open a pedestrian's backpack.
Moments later, another thief wasn't so lucky—he got caught and had both hands chopped off on the spot. Blood splattered across the ground. Sasuke's eyelid twitched.
Underneath Mirage City's dreamy exterior lay chaos, rot, and despair.
Logan found a cheap inn and rented a room. It was too risky to move during the day, so they used the time to rest and train.
Later that night, a second-story window creaked open, and Logan and Sasuke silently jumped out, vanishing into the darkness.
The sky was overcast. Moonlight barely peeked through the clouds. Most of the city was dead quiet, aside from a few rowdy entertainment districts.
Anyone still walking the streets clutched something in their coat.
Locals knew: that hand inside the jacket held a knife.
A thief by day. A robber by night.
Screams echoed in the distance. Logan couldn't tell if he was in the world of Naruto… or had accidentally stepped into Gotham City.
"There," Logan said.
They crouched on a rooftop, watching a large factory from a distance. A rusted sign creaked above the entrance:
Murata's Sausage Processing
Everyone in town knew it was a front.
Logan had already drafted a plan.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were elite shinobi from Kirigakure. Fighting them directly would put a permanent target on his back.
First, he needed to confirm what kind of shady business they were running. Once he found evidence, he could stir up trouble and flush out the hidden players in the city.
More chaos meant more chances for a good fight.
"Aerosmith."
Logan pointed, and the miniature plane soared into the building.
"Begin reconnaissance."
The carbon dioxide sensors activated.
Dozens of red dots lit up in Logan's vision.
At first, he thought they were pigs—appropriate for a meat-processing facility.
Then realization hit.
Pigs don't live in cages stacked on upper floors.
These were people.
Logan adjusted Aerosmith's sensors, increasing precision.
Inside, a horrifying sight emerged.
A person was locked in a cage.
Each cage was only about 1.3 meters tall and barely a meter wide—just big enough to sit hunched or stand with your neck bent.
Only the smallest among them could stand upright.
Children.
Hundreds of them.
Aerosmith's scan showed at least four hundred red dots.
More than 400 people, packed in cages like livestock.
"The Land of Water… is running a human trafficking operation?"
Suddenly, Logan spotted a familiar figure.
A girl, knees hugged to her chest, the shape of her face outlined by the carbon dioxide she exhaled.
"Xiao Tao…?"
His heart dropped.
She had come to the Water Country with her mother to visit relatives. How did she end up here?
Where was her mother?
What kind of hell was this "factory"?
There was no time for answers. Right now, only one thing mattered.
He looked at Sasuke.
Their eyes met.
No words were needed.
They were going to save these people.
Tonight.
---
Aerosmith continued to circle above, marking guard positions in red.
Logan and Sasuke moved like ghosts, dispatching guards silently and slipping deeper into the plant.
The patrols followed a cycle, with supervisors rotating in and out to prevent errors.
Logan had ten minutes at most—any longer, and reinforcements would swarm them.
They reached a hidden entrance following Aerosmith's guidance and pushed open the door.
The air hit them like a wall.
The stench was overwhelming—sweat, blood, infection, and waste all mixed together and rotting.
Sasuke instinctively reached for his face, but froze when he saw the cages.
Even though Logan had described it, words hadn't prepared him.
Hundreds of human beings, stuffed into cages like animals, unable to even stand straight.
All dignity bent and broken, their hunched spines painted a grotesque picture of oppression.
Logan moved quickly through the cages.
And there she was.
Xiao Tao.
Her lifeless eyes stared blankly ahead. In her small, frail hands, she clutched a withered, rotten orange.
On it, someone had drawn a crude smiley face.
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