The response was straightforward, and Itachi's expression remained unchanged. Faced with the challenge ahead, he would not back down.
He took a step forward but suddenly stumbled as if tripped by something. His face paled slightly, and the ordinary Sharingan faded back into normal black pupil.
"Hmm?"
A ripple of doubt crossed Logan's mind as he glanced at Itachi, who seemed unwell.
'Was there something wrong with his body?'
Whoosh…
However, the sharp sound of incoming projectiles abruptly cut off his thoughts. After steadying himself, Itachi lunged forward without hesitation.
Several kunai were thrown in a high arc, their trajectories curving dramatically… By the time they landed, Logan found himself forced to deal with both the frontal assault and the attacks from behind.
Ding!
Metal clashed as Logan swiftly blocked the onslaught from both sides. Just as he pushed Itachi back, he sensed something off about the resistance, as the Uchiha suddenly released his grip on the kunai locked with Logan's blade.
Bang, bang, bang!
A flurry of Taijutsu strikes followed. At a certain moment, Logan repelled Itachi but felt an odd shift in the force.
Whoosh…
As Itachi retreated, he tugged sharply on a wire. The sound of wind roared behind Logan, and in the next instant, the wire coiled around him, cutting off his escape.
Another pincer attack, crafted with precision despite being executed by a single opponent.
Logan felt the pressure mounting. Knowing that falling into this rhythm would be disastrous, he decisively channeled Chidori Current, electricity bursting from his body in a dazzling display.
Itachi dodged the crackling lightning.
Thunk…
A kunai struck its target, only for smoke to erupt, a Body Replacement Technique.
What seemed like a drawn-out exchange had unfolded in mere seconds. The two Ninja clashed and separated, each retreating to reassess.
"Still no sign of the shadow clones…"
Before Logan could catch his breath, an unexpected attack came from a blind spot.
A sudden gust of wind heralded a devastating punch to his side. The force rippled through his body, sending him flying into a nearby pile of rubble.
"Cough…"
His chest ached, 'Damn, where did that hit land?'
Logan struggled to pull himself out, only to see Sasuke standing there, having just sucker-punched him.
"You…" Logan wanted to curse him out.
"I don't know why you're not teaming up with Itachi," Sasuke said coldly, one side of his face still bruised from Logan's earlier punch. His gaze swept the battlefield as he declared righteously, "But Hattori, whether it's you or Itachi, I won't hold back."
"Internal conflict or whatever… none of it will stop me from getting my revenge."
Sasuke stood there, exuding the arrogance of someone who believed the world revolved around him, his sword pointed defiantly.
"Got it." Logan replied nonchalantly, stretching his limbs.
"Just admit you took a cheap shot. No need to dress it up so grandly."
The gloomy sky and the rustling autumn wind added to the tension.
Sasuke's eyes darkened, his teeth gritting as he charged forward with his sword, "What did you say?"
Logan calmly met Sasuke's strike, their swords locking.
Crackle…
Lightning Attribute Chakra surged over both their bodies.
Almost simultaneously, Sasuke's own Lightning Release flared to life.
Boom…
Their power escalated in an instant, yet a strange equilibrium held.
The electricity raged, the screeching energy turning into a deafening roar. The ground beneath them cracked under the strain.
"Huh, your Lightning Release's gotten better." Logan remarked casually, recalling their duel years ago.
The same element, the same application… it truly felt like a master and disciple facing off once more.
"You think so? I've long surpassed the level you were at back then." Sasuke sneered, his Sharingan flashing with memories of their battle at the Valley of the End, "Hattori, as I've grown stronger, I've realized how overrated you were. Today, you'll lose here."
The two opposing currents of lightning clashed violently, scorching the ground around them.
They shared the same origin but refused to yield, each trying to overwhelm the other. The energy roared, intertwining and devouring.
"Big talk." Logan muttered, though he didn't underestimate Sasuke.
In fact, Sasuke wasn't bluffing and his Lightning Release had reached an impressive level, enough to rival Logan's own.
The air reeked of ozone as the crackling lightning grew more violent, forming a massive cage of electricity around them. Even Itachi hesitated to intervene in such a dangerous zone.
Sweat beaded on Logan's forehead.
He had rushed here in less-than-optimal condition, and after all the fighting, his Chakra Reserve was nearly depleted.
The deep blue lightning snakes writhed menacingly.
Unconcerned with superficial victories, Logan broke the stalemate before his disadvantage became obvious.
Like a hundred explosive tags detonating at once, the built-up lightning energy erupted. The deafening explosion shook the entire structure, threatening to collapse it.
As the weaker party, Logan was sent flying by the blast.
Midair, he flipped his grip on his sword and stabbed it into the ground, skidding to a stop at the edge of the battlefield.
A metallic taste filled his mouth as he suppressed the discomfort of his organs shifting.
"Had enough?"
Sasuke emerged from the smoke, sheathing his sword. Though he didn't look unscathed, as he was now covered in minor burns with residual electricity crackling around him, his Chakra Reserve was still ample, giving him the upper hand.
He tilted his chin up, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.
Logan exhaled deeply and stood, his expression unreadable.
His Chakra was nearly gone.
He glanced at Sasuke, then at Itachi.
The earlier exchanges had proven that both Uchiha brothers were formidable opponents. Handling either one alone was tough enough, but taking on both at once?
Given the circumstances, the odds of winning one against two were slim.
Crack…
A piece of rubble fell from above. The once-sturdy building had been reduced to ruins by the relentless ninjutsu exchanges.
Sasuke stood confidently ahead, while Itachi watched calmly from a distance, his gaze silently conveying, 'This is your last chance to leave.'
But Logan wasn't going anywhere.
Instead, he smirked, 'Fighting one against two was beyond most people's capabilities, but hadn't I prepared for exactly this scenario when I went to the Paulownia Forest?'
"Sasuke, you've barely scratched the surface, yet you're already this arrogant?"
"What?"
Logan's consciousness expanded. Far away, deep in the forest he had passed through, he sensed the presence he had left behind… a shadow clone, prepared for this very moment.
After such a long wait, the absorption of Natural Energy was finally complete.
Bang!
The shadow clone dispersed, and in an instant, an overwhelming surge of Senjutsu Chakra flooded back into him.
Logan's pupils transformed into a blazing crimson.
An imperceptible shift occurred, with his aura transformed entirely. His depleted Chakra Reserve was instantly replenished with boundless power.
"I said you know nothing about true power."
Fury twisted Sasuke's features as he swung his sword and charged like a lightning-infused arrow, "You still refuse to admit defeat?"
The Lightning Release-enhanced strike closed the distance in a flash.
'Time to teach Hattori-sensei a lesson…' Sasuke's thought was abruptly cut off as his vision blurred. Streaks of azure and crimson flashed before his eyes, and a gleaming white blade suddenly appeared inches from his face.
'Impossible!' The sheer speed difference left Sasuke stunned. In that critical moment, his Sharingan focused unblinkingly on the attack.
Clang… His Kusanagi Sword met Logan's Shimizu.
A tremor ran through his sword as an overwhelming force crashed into him.
This was nothing like the power he remembered. Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as the sword pressed against his chest.
Before he could react, a devastating kick slammed into his abdomen. His Sharingan saw it coming, but his body couldn't keep up.
"Cough…"
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was sent flying backward at the same speed he had charged in.
Crash…
Walls collapsed in his wake. In Sage Mode, Logan's single strike had sent Sasuke reeling, utterly humbled.
Itachi glanced at the wreckage where Sasuke had landed before turning his wary gaze back to Logan, who now radiated an oppressive, majestic aura.
The abrupt reversal was baffling…
One moment, Logan had been on the verge of exhaustion, but the next, he seemed like a completely different person, his speed and power elevated to an entirely new level.
His eyes looked like burning, luminous orbs. Unlike the Sharingan's red, they glowed with an almost transparent flame, just as they had when he first appeared…
In Sage Mode, Logan's spirit, stamina, and confidence were all revitalized.
Like a superhero transforming or a Saiyan powering up, within this heightened state, nothing felt impossible.
Crack…
A grotesque, wing-like appendage burst from the rubble as Sasuke emerged, his face dark. The Cursed Seal's markings spread across his skin, exuding a sinister aura.
Logan and Itachi both frowned imperceptibly.
"As you can see…"
Logan strode forward calmly, each step resonating in the hearts of the two brothers.
On the rooftop, the three stood in a tense triangular standoff. Time ticked by relentlessly.
Logan surveyed the two before him and snapped his fingers. Thunder and flames erupted around him like a battle mantle, Chakra swirling into a visible aura.
He stated plainly, "I'm not joking about what I'm here to do."
Whoosh whoosh whoosh…
In an instant, countless black shadows shot into the sky before raining down like a meteor shower.
Thunk, thunk, thunk…
Within moments, the entire battlefield was studded with kunai marked with sealing formulas.
"If you don't mind…" Logan said coolly, "Come at me together."