The colossal Demonic Statue of the Outer Path seemed intent on completely reshaping the terrain, leaving the ground littered with debris and craters.
Summoning was a brutal technique, because some people summon big monsters from ancient times, while others could only summon a pack of dogs.
"Now, let's assemble."
With the summoning complete, Pain leaped onto the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's right thumb and formed a hand seal.
Hum.
An invisible ripple spread through the air. Pain's projected form acted like a transmission tower, his Chakra pulsing outward before reflecting back. Then...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Space distorted over the remaining eight fingers, and one by one, shimmering projections of the Akatsuki's members materialized.
Of course, Logan had witnessed these Akatsuki's gatherings before during his tenure. But seeing it again after so long gave him the strange feeling of returning to class after a long absence… like a student who hadn't touched a book in years suddenly sitting in a lecture again.
The analogy is a bit strange... Regardless, Logan spotted plenty of familiar faces, Konan, Zetsu, the Immortal Duo… and finally, Itachi and Kisame, who appeared last.
If he remembered correctly, this was the first time in the Anime that all the Akatsuki's members had gathered like this. Logan could practically hear their signature BGM playing in the background.
Itachi opened his eyes in his projected form and immediately noticed Logan standing awkwardly on the ground. His body jerked slightly and he almost fell down, 'Why hasn't Hattori-senpai run away? Why is he still here?'
His eyes subconsciously glanced at Pain on the right, but his expression was unreadable. Unable to gauge the situation, Itachi forced himself to remain calm, feigning indifference.
"Tch."
"So it's time to seal the Ichibi, huh?"
"Let's get this over with."
"Oh? Look who's here."
After a brief flurry of murmurs, the air suddenly grew still. All seven figures on the massive wooden fingers turned their attention toward one person.
Logan, who had become the center of attention, shifted uncomfortably, 'Well, after not attending the gathering for a while, I knew this would happen.'
"What are you all staring at?" He asked flatly.
"Isn't this Raiden Hattori?" The speaker's tone was the epitome of nosy neighbor spotting juicy gossip, "Why are you here?"
Logan's eye twitched. Fei From a distance, Hidan looked like an overexcited child. Honestly, he didn't feel like entertaining this, but he had to say something.
"I'm here to lighten your workload."
"Seriously?"
"So he's not dead after all…"
"Heh…"
Everyone had different reactions. The Immortal Duo seemed amused, while Zetsu's gaze held a mocking glint, as he'd love to see Logan humiliated.
A long-lost member, one who had practically deserted the organization, suddenly reappearing? Of course, everyone was curious.
Logan decided to shut his mouth and wait for Pain to intervene.
"Enough." Pain's voice cut through the chatter like a teacher silencing a rowdy classroom, "I will handle the matter of Raiden Hattori. Right now, sealing the Ichibi takes priority."
"Orochimaru's whereabouts remain unknown, so Raiden Hattori will take the 'Void' position. This will shorten the sealing process. The Ichibi's host is the Godaime Kazekage, so there are already troublesome pursuers on their way."
Pain's authority was undeniable, and his lengthy explanation made it clear he wasn't joking. Gradually, the murmurs died down.
If this could speed things up, it was good news. The Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals wasn't difficult for them, just tedious and unavoidable, like going to school or work.
Itachi observed silently, relief flickering in his mind.
"If there are no other questions, let's get started," Pain declared.
Hearing this, Sasori and Deidara immediately leaped onto their assigned finger positions, leaving only one spot empty. Under Pain's unwavering gaze, Logan had no choice. With a flicker, he reluctantly took his place.
'Who would've thought I'd end up helping seal a Biju... Life is indeed like a box of chocolates, you never knew what you were going to get.'
'Since I'm already here, I might as well go along with it.'
The situation had taken an odd turn, but Logan decided to adapt for now.
As for what would happen next... he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.
The Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals slowly unfolded. Everyone's expressions turned serious as they concentrated their Chakra, causing the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's ten fingers to light up one by one with the characters for 'Zero, Blue, White, Vermillion, Boar, Void, South, North, Three, Jade'.
Though Logan hadn't performed a Biju extraction before, he had been required to master the technique in the past. After a brief moment to re-familiarize himself, he smoothly integrated into the joint Ninjutsu
The moment his chakra connected with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Logan's heart skipped a beat, and then a cold shiver running down his spine.
'This massive husk... it felt both dead and alive at the same time, pulsing with an overwhelming, eerie vitality.'
Fortunately, the unsettling sensation quickly faded as the sealing continued. Their combined Chakra intertwined in the air, growing denser until, at a certain point, it underwent a qualitative transformation… condensing into several phantom dragons that surged downward toward the unconscious Gaara.
Tubular beams of light connected the two ends, and one of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's eyes seemed to twitch, as if on the verge of opening.
Pure energy flowed backward through the beams, forcibly extracting the Ichibi from Gaara's body in a slow, agonizing process.
Logan glanced down with a complicated look. In this space, surrounded by Elite Ninja of the highest caliber, every movement was under scrutiny.
So silently, he continued maintaining the seal.
…
Time lost meaning in the dim cavern. The glow of the Sealing Technique flickered endlessly, and aside from the occasional shift in posture, no one spoke… as everyone focused solely on sustaining the Chakra flow.
But even the longest techniques eventually reach their end.
At some point, a faint rustling signaled the conclusion, and Logan opened his eyes.
Pain said aloud, "Three days have passed... it's done."
The extraction beams had thinned to mere threads before finally dissipating entirely.
On the ground, Gaara lay exactly where he had been placed, but his face was now pale, devoid of life.
The Ichibi had been successfully extracted.
"Finally, it's over!"
"Standing in the same position for three days makes my hands sore..."
Complaints arose, but no one spared a glance for the lifeless body they had just drained.
As the Akatsuki's members relaxed back into their usual undisciplined demeanors, a dull crash suddenly came from outside the cave.
"Boom!"
Small pebbles trembled from the impact, drawing everyone's attention.
"It seems the pursuers have arrived." Pain said calmly.
Everyone present knew the strength of the Five-Seal Barrier guarding the hideout, so even if the enemies who wanted to kill them was just a wall away, no one seemed particularly concerned and they even chatted leisurely.
Kisame thought of something and said casually: "It's those guys from Konoha. One of them hits pretty hard."
"Oh? What unfortunate timing."
"Kisame, your clone got taken out? Hahaha, that's really pathetic..."
"Shut it. If I were there in person, I'd have crushed them in two moves..."
While the others bantered, Pain received confirmation from Zetsu and spoke flatly, "The Kyubi's Jinchuuriki is among them."
"Oh?"
Everyone was stunned after hearing this. The more tails a Biju has, the stronger it is. This is common knowledge.
Powerful individuals rarely feared others of equal strength, if anything, it only stoked their competitive spirits.
Deidara, in particular, immediately became interested when he heard it was the Kyubi. He turned to Itachi and asked eagerly, "Which one is it? Is there any distinguishing traits?"
Since the Kyubi was Itachi and Kisame's target, the question was directed at them.
"Boom…!"
Another deafening impact shook the cavern, even stronger than before. The hideout's entrance was clearly under immense assault.
"Sasori, Deidara, you two will handle the cleanup. Thank you for your hard work."
With that, Pain effectively dismissed the meeting. There was no need to risk exposing Akatsuki's full strength at this stage. His gaze swept over the group before lingering on one person, "Everyone except Raiden Hattori… dismissed.'
The S-Rank Missing-nin dispersed without protest, vanishing one by one like clocking out after a long shift.
Deidara was still pestering Itachi for details, and Pain glanced at him, "Tell him, Itachi."
Itachi's projection had almost dissipated.
"...The one who charges in first, shouting loudly, will be the Kyubi's Jinchuriki."
Itachi knew he had to leave, otherwise he would arouse suspicion.
Before leaving, he couldn't help but turn his head to look at someone.
Logan met his gaze and gave a slight, reassuring nod.