The first to act wasn't Logan, nor was it Orochimaru.
It was a ninja from the Root organization.
If they didn't move now, they would really turn into snakes.
"Orochimaru! Open the barrier and let us out!" shouted the fox-masked ninja, panic flooding his voice.
They could accept being hacked to death in battle.
But to stand by helplessly as they turned into monsters—into Lion Majesties—was a fate far crueler than death.
"Ohhh…"
Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "You're all Root ninjas, aren't you? For the so-called 'Will of Fire,' haven't you already sacrificed many of your comrades? Now it's your turn. Why the panic?"
The Root ninjas realized it all at once—they had been deceived.
Out of the five Root operatives, Logan had already killed two. The remaining three exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and charged at Orochimaru.
One went in close with a kunai, while the other two quickly formed hand seals, preparing to launch ninjutsu attacks. But before they could complete them, a surge of natural energy rushed into their bodies. The intense influx disrupted their chakra flow. Their jutsu collapsed.
Orochimaru didn't even have to move. Kimimaro and Jūgo rushed forward and cut the three Root ninjas down with brutal efficiency.
Their bodies collapsed to the ground.
Orochimaru stepped over them without the slightest hint of emotion, pausing only when he noticed one was still breathing. He leaned down slightly and said with a smirk:
"Don't worry. I'll have Danzo arrange double the pension for your family. If there's not enough from Konoha, I'll cover it myself."
The ninja's eyes rolled back at those words. Whether from genuine relief or pure rage, he exhaled one final breath and died.
Straightening, Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya again.
"As classmates, I'll give you one more chance," Orochimaru offered with mock sincerity. "Leave. Head south after you escape the barrier. Return to Konoha. And don't ever come looking for me again."
Jiraiya crouched down beside Logan and Sasuke, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I'm going to leave a purified zone here to keep you two safe. I'll find a way to break through the barrier and get help."
Without waiting for a reply, Jiraiya formed hand seals, creating a Shadow Clone that stayed behind to maintain the purified space. His real body dashed forward to engage Orochimaru, Kimimaro, and Jūgo directly.
Sasuke stared anxiously at Jiraiya's retreating figure.
"Will he really be okay?" he asked aloud, more to himself than to Logan.
He turned to Logan—and froze.
From the very beginning, Logan had stood still, staring silently at his own left hand as though lost in deep thought. But now, Sasuke's eyes widened in alarm.
"Logan! Your arm—!"
Scales had begun to appear on Logan's left hand. They were smooth and slick like a snake's.
Sasuke's heart leapt into his throat.
Was Logan also turning into a snake?
But before Sasuke could say anything more, he saw the transformation continue—and then shift.
The snake scales changed into fish fins.
Then into mammalian fur.
Then into arthropod shells.
And finally into bird feathers.
The transformations were rapid, fluid, and ever-changing. Sasuke could only stare, dumbfounded. It felt like a hallucination. A strange and absurd dream.
---
"Ugh...!"
Jiraiya's groan of pain snapped Sasuke out of his stupor.
The battle had begun in earnest.
Originally, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had been fairly evenly matched.
But now Orochimaru had the advantage of terrain, and Jiraiya was dividing his chakra to maintain the purification field for Sasuke and Logan. Outnumbered and weakened, he was beginning to falter.
Kimimaro and Jūgo kept Jiraiya occupied while Orochimaru circled behind him, his eyes set firmly on Logan.
His strategy was clear:
Logan's spiritual power and strange abilities were a dangerous unknown.
If he could eliminate Logan first, this battle—
—would be his victory.
Orochimaru grinned wickedly and rushed at Logan. But as he approached, his expression shifted.
What... is that?
He saw Logan's left arm mid-transformation. It wasn't any known jutsu. And it wasn't a bloodline limit either.
As one of the most knowledgeable scientists in the shinobi world, Orochimaru knew the human body better than anyone. He could see that this level of transformation was something far beyond any known technique or mutation.
A gust of wind swept by.
The feathers on Logan's arm rustled, then vanished, revealing normal human skin once again.
Then, slowly, Logan lifted his head and locked eyes with Orochimaru.
That gaze—
It wasn't filled with malice.
It wasn't even angry.
It was ancient.
Heavy.
Like the gaze of a being that had lived through countless ages, staring through the veil of time itself.
He lifted the Destruction Blade with one hand and took a deep breath.
Far above them, Tian Xinshenji—who had been floating and watching from the sky—suddenly jolted.
Her beautiful eyes went wide as she stared at Logan.
The natural energy she had spent centuries cultivating…
…was being drawn into him with every breath!
How could a mere mortal absorb her energy?
How could he tame the power of a Sage?
The shock overtook her until she noticed the ripples of Logan's power converging with the natural energy and pouring into the Destruction Blade.
First, golden lightning crackled around it.
Then, emerald green winds danced across the blade.
The sword grew larger and larger, dozens of meters long. The brilliance of it tore through the darkness of the barrier, allowing a shaft of sunlight to shine down.
It illuminated Logan like a stage light.
Tian Xinshenji finally broke her stunned silence.
"Little Snake! Get out of the way!" she screamed.
But where could he run?
Orochimaru felt it too.
For the first time in years—perhaps ever—he felt the cold hand of death close around him.
---
"Orochimaru-sama!"
Kimimaro and Jūgo broke off from their battle with Jiraiya and leapt toward Logan in a desperate attempt to block the blow.
They poured all of their strength into their movements, activating their cursed states, determined to shield their master with their lives.
The sky howled.
The sword fell.
The wind and thunder screamed as the massive Destruction Blade came down like the wrath of a god.
A deep crack tore through the barrier that had surrounded the village.
Jiraiya looked around, wide-eyed.
He swallowed hard.
Kimimaro… dead.
Jūgo… dead.
Orochimaru…
Only his upper half remained, intestines sprawled across the ground.
One strike.
Just one sword strike.
It had torn through all of Orochimaru's careful preparations. All of his secret plans. Every contingency, nullified in a single moment.
Jiraiya was stunned. He couldn't believe it.
He couldn't help but tremble in awe and fear.
---
The Destruction Blade now glowed a deep red, burning hot from the massive amount of energy it had channeled.
At the core of the blade—formed from the bones and soul of Samehada—a soft, eerie whine echoed faintly.
The blade had reached its limit.
Logan looked down at it gently.
"Don't worry," he whispered, placing a hand on it. "Just this once… for now."
That sword strike had been possible only because of the vast reservoir of natural energy released by Tian Xinshenji.
Now that the barrier had been shattered and the natural energy had dispersed, Logan wouldn't be able to replicate that attack for a while.
But with what he had just learned—how to harmonize ripple energy with natural energy—he now had a path forward.
With enough practice…
That sword light could return. Stronger than ever.
He planted the Destruction Blade into the earth and let it cool naturally.
---
Suddenly, Orochimaru's mouth opened wide, and another version of himself slithered out of the body, fresh and whole again.
The previous body peeled away like discarded snakeskin and fell to the ground.
Orochi-ryu Body Replacement Technique.
Orochimaru didn't pause.
He turned and ran, clearly intending to flee.
"You're really hard to kill," a voice said calmly behind him.
A hand clamped down on his neck and lifted him off the ground like a child's toy.
Orochimaru gasped and looked up—
Star Platinum's piercing gaze met his.
But that wasn't the worst part.
The true terror came from the one standing just beyond Star Platinum.
Logan.
Standing still. Silent. Calm.
Looking directly at Orochimaru.
"Let's see," Logan said, "just how strong your so-called regeneration is."
pàtreøn (Gk31)