Logan had the sudden urge to punch Deidara in the face.
"Say that again?" Unwilling to accept the situation, he asked through gritted teeth.
"The Kyubi's Jinchuriki and another Konoha' Ninja are coming." Deidara repeated, slightly puzzled. 'Why did it sound like Hattori was grinding his teeth when he spoke?'
Just then, faint rustling noises emerged from the edges of the quiet forest, branches brushing against fabric, leaves shifting underfoot.
Deidara suppressed his small and irrelevant doubts and said, "Hey, they are here."
"What do you say, Hattori? I'll generously share the glory of capturing the Kyubi with you."
'Share your head!' Logan nearly shouted, feeling somewhat speechless.
He had just wrapped up his own business, ready to ditch the scene after dropping off Sasori.
But then, Deidara had to show up out of concern, dragging two pursuers along like it was nothing.
If Logan hadn't wanted to see Sasori die, he would've left long ago. Now, he had to face Naruto and Kakashi.
"Hey, are we doing this or not? Quit stalling." Seeing that Logan didn't respond, Deidara urged.
Whoosh, whoosh…
Two dark figures were already closing in, sprinting through the trees. Seeing this, Logan's eyes twitched.
"No need. Since they're your opponents, you should handle them yourself." Logan said magnanimously. "A gentleman helps others fulfill their virtues, not their vices. It wouldn't be right for me to interfere with the Jinchuriki you targeted."
Deidara gave him a weird look, wondering what was going on with his style of conversation.
"Besides…" Logan glanced at Sasori, who was sitting sluggishly beside him, and immediately found a reason, so he said a solemn look on his face, "Didn't you see that Sasori is injured? If the fight spills over here, what then?"
He shook his head disapprovingly and started shoving Deidara away, "Go on, hurry up..."
"You seem to have a point..."
The confused Deidara stumbled a few steps, then looked back at his once-mighty senior, which is now a shell of his former self, and nodded.
However, it was already too late.
"Stop!" A resolute and powerful shout came from Naruto's very recognizable voice.
After all this time, his presence was still unmistakable. He landed on a nearby branch, breathing heavily from the long chase, his eyes locked onto his enemies.
Kakashi followed close behind, his sharp gaze scanning the scene.
"Three of them?" Kakashi tensed.
"One of them must be the same guy from before. That cold, lifeless aura is hard to forget. Seems like Sakura and Granny Chiyo forced his real body out. And the last one..."
Naruto rarely had a sharp mind to analyze, and when he got a clear look at the third figure, he was suddenly stunned.
Kakashi's expression under his mask became extremely serious, and there was even a dangerous light in his eye.
"Hattori."
The forest fell silent again.
Logan opened his mouth slightly. He couldn't turn his face away to avoid being seen, though for a fleeting moment, he had considered it.
He had imagined this possible reunion. Returning to this world meant returning to the story that had paused after their parting.
Kakashi's gaze was nothing like his usual lazy self, it was terrifyingly serious. And Naruto, after the initial shock, clenched his fists tightly, his expression intense.
Logan could only watch them with a calm demeanor, as if cracking a joke would ruin the moment for both sides.
Deidara planted his hands on his hips. He had expected the opponents they'd chased all this way to attack immediately, but instead, the atmosphere had turned strangely delicate.
He observed thoughtfully, displeased as his eyes darted between Logan and the Konoha's Ninja.
At this time, the mood had shifted inexplicably, as if the main character of the scene had been sidelined in favor of others.
"Oh, so Hattori, you've got history with these guys." Deidara suddenly realized and slapped his thigh in displeasure, "That explains it… Back at the hideout too..."
Logan had no patience to deal with Deidara's complaints.
Behind them, Sasori leaned against a tree trunk, his arm resting on a raised knee as he quietly recovered. Though his puppet body was now just an empty shell, he still struck a pose that made him seem formidable, watching covertly from the shadows.
"So you're here. It's been a long time since I last saw you." Kakashi's voice betrayed neither anger nor joy, but inwardly, his suspicions from Sunagakure had been confirmed.
"You're involved in the Akatsuki's operation to kidnap the Kazekage, aren't you?"
"W-what? Hattori-sensei..." Naruto instinctively refused to accept this fact, but after a pause, he fell silent.
'The possibility existed… Gaara had been reduced to such a miserable state. If Hattori-sensei was one of the culprits responsible…' The boy, who had become much more mature, didn't want to believe it, so he told himself he still needed proof.
"I..." Logan hesitated, then decided against explaining. Their stances were clear, and words wouldn't change anything.
"He just happened to be traveling with us." Sasori suddenly interjected, his youthful voice forced into an unnatural depth.
The question wasn't even worth answering. Deidara glanced over. Seeing that everyone else had spoken, he decided to assert his presence, "That's right. Hattori has nothing to do with this. I was the one who defeated the Ichibi all by myself… hahaha!"
Hearing this, Naruto secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is that so?" Kakashi murmured, "Either way, I won't hold back in the coming fight."
"Hah! As if!" Deidara sneered immediately.
With the verbal sparring over, both sides readied themselves for battle, each with their own motives. Sasori's delicate brows lifted as he effortlessly adopted a mocking expression, "Hmph, you're asking for death."
Logan was speechless when he heard this. He turned sideways and looked at Sasori's weak puppet body.
He didn't want to fight, but at this point, he might as well see it through.
'This was all Deidara's fault for bringing them here.' Logan mentally noted it down.
Kakashi lowered his stance slightly, his entire body coiling like a spring. His left hand remained pressed against the forehead protector covering his Sharingan.
Taking a breath, he whispered to Naruto, "Naruto, there are three of them, but only two can fight. Normally, facing two Akatsuki's members, the smartest move would be to avoid direct confrontation..."
Naruto's expression shifted, and he opened his mouth to speak.
"But there are exceptions." Kakashi's killing intent surged, and his tempered aura from more than 20 years of experience as a Jonin surged, "We may not be able to defeat the enemy alone, but Sakura and Guy are definitely on their way here, so, we stall."
Even in this standoff, Kakashi hadn't lost his cool-headed judgment.
Naruto's face hardened and he said, "Two against two. Who do I take on?"
The Naruto of a few years ago would've already charged forward.
"Hattori." Kakashi said an answer that surprised Naruto, "I'd love to face Hattori myself, but that guy who rides the white bird… If he takes to the sky, only my technique can handle him."
Naruto stared ahead, where the second teacher of Team 7 stood. Gripping his kunai tightly, he nodded, "I understand."
At this time, Deidara grinned fiercely as he manipulated his clay bird to ascend. The flapping wings stirred a violent gust, shaking the trees.
"Hattori, the masked one's yours! I'll handle the Kyubi!"
He soared into the sky. In an instant, shadows darted across the ground, splitting the confrontation into two separate battles.
But the script didn't go as planned. Deidara's face stiffened, 'Where was my expected opponent? Why did that blond kid ignored me and rushed past directly?'
Seeing the white-haired one was heading straight for him, Deidara's eyebrow twitched, "The hell? Who even are you?"
Kakashi's raised his hand, and a scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan seared into Deidara's vision.
A terrifying sense of déjà vu flooded over him… like blood-red moonlight reflecting on a river at night.