Black and gray ash spread across the ground as an intangible breeze swept through the now-quiet hideout, leaving faint trails in its wake.
The Sage Art: True Flames had purged everything in their path. The scorched earth lay bare and exposed, its terrain reshaped by the devastating power into a flat, open expanse.
Only a single corner of the hideout's structures remained, and even that was reduced to shattered ruins, a desolate sight.
Sasuke and Itachi, one huddled in the last remnants of the wreckage, the other standing on a now-barren platform, were both at a loss for words to describe what had just transpired.
A blade of fire that reached the heavens, a manifested Divine Bird, a flood of golden-red flames… it had been an overwhelming display of power, as if a higher existence had casually swept aside a lesser one.
The once-mighty Orochimaru and his Eight Branches Technique had been effortlessly crushed.
The sheer spectacle left them stunned, their minds struggling to process it all.
Meanwhile, on the scorched battlefield nearly half a kilometer wide, Logan took a few steadying breaths. The golden flames enveloping his body were visibly dimming, the immense power within him becoming unstable, like a mirage on the verge of vanishing.
'The Sage Mode is ending...'
The golden edges of his irises faded, and he sensed the presence of a Flying Thunder God's imprint. A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
'But it's enough.'
In the distance, Itachi was still staring blankly at the now-empty battlefield.
'Orochimaru... was really eliminated just like that?'
He hadn't even gotten to use the Sword of Totsuka or the Yata Mirror... Itachi had activated Susanoo primarily to draw out Orochimaru, who was lurking within Sasuke's Cursed Seal. The Sword of Totsuka could seal anyone it pierced into an eternal, drunken dream, which is a crucial tool to eliminate this threat to Sasuke once and for all.
'To think Senpai...'
Itachi sighed in amazement, but before he could finish his thought, he suddenly realized the figure standing on the battlefield had vanished.
A second of confusion passed, then he sensed a presence behind him.
"Well, Orochimaru's dealt with. Now you can obediently lie down and stay put."
Itachi's pupils contracted. Reacting with lightning speed, he tried to summon his Chakra and activate his Mangekyo, but Logan's attack was far quicker.
With a single palm strike, Itachi was hit with the same overwhelming force he had experienced earlier, like being rammed by a colossal beast, the sheer power of Sage Mode rendering him helpless.
Caught off guard, his Susanoo shattered instantly, and he was sent flying uncontrollably.
Thud!
Itachi crashed and rolled across the ground, his Mangekyo Sharingan fading back into ordinary black eyes.
Gasping for breath, he coughed up blood, unable to muster even a shred of strength.
When he turned his head, he found himself face-to-face with Sasuke, just two or three meters away.
"..."
Sasuke was panting heavily, still reeling from both Chakra exhaustion and the shock of Orochimaru's forced escape. Now, he found himself staring directly into the eyes of the brother he had sworn to kill.
Itachi averted his gaze, attempting to summon even the slightest bit of Chakra, even if it meant burning through his life force. But he failed. His Chakra refused to respond.
A foreign energy was at work. That palm strike hadn't just sent him flying, as Logan had also injected a trace of Senjutsu Chakra into his body, completely suppressing his Chakra.
'Senpai, you really...'
Itachi gave up, collapsing limply onto the ground.
A whistling sound cut through the air as a streak of crimson light descended from the sky.
"Heh, you two…"
But halfway down, something went wrong.
The fiery wings flickered violently, and Logan nearly plummeted out of the sky.
His face flushed unnaturally red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his complexion instantly paling.
The wings behind him flickered erratically, the golden patterns on his body receding rapidly.
'The Divine Gift is running out...'
Logan steadied himself as best he could, trying to maintain his balance. Before the Senjutsu Chakra completely dissipated, he adjusted his trajectory and made a less-than-graceful landing.
Unable to slow his momentum, he tumbled across the ground, rolling to a stop in a rather pitiful state.
Dust swirled around him as he coughed weakly. All traces of the golden flames and intricate patterns had vanished. He lifted his head slightly, taking in his surroundings.
His crash landing had been surprisingly accurate.
Itachi and Sasuke were lying right in front of him.
"..."
"Hey, everyone."
The chaotic battle had ended, leaving only the wind howling through the ruins.
As the dust settled, the bizarre scene became clear. Itachi and Sasuke lay on either side, with Logan sprawled between them, slightly lower.
Surrounded by rubble, the three were barely a meter or two apart.
The situation was absurd. They stared at each other, all incapacitated, the silence so thick that even their breathing was audible.
Sasuke and Itachi's expressions were strained, 'This was too close. Way too close. How had we ended up lying like this?'
And the worst part is, they were too exhausted to move.
"..."
"Agh… damn, that hurts..."
Just as the awkwardness reached its peak, a pained groan shattered the tension.
Logan hissed through clenched teeth as the backlash from the Divine Gift hit him full force. Countless needles of pain erupted across his body, and every muscle screaming in agony. It felt like thousands of ants were gnawing at his flesh, an unbearable torment that made him tremble uncontrollably.
If not for the mental fortitude he'd gained from enduring Tsukuyomi, he might have passed out on the spot.
"Damn it, this is unbearable..."
His agonized moans filled the air.
The Uchiha brothers exchanged a glance, then turned their heads to watch Logan writhe in pain.
Strangely, they found the sight... somewhat satisfying.
The Divine Gift had forcibly elevated Logan's physical abilities to their limits, and now, the backlash was hitting him just as hard. The excruciating pain lasted a full fifteen minutes before finally subsiding, or perhaps Logan had simply grown numb to it.
"Hah... hah..."
Gasping for breath, drenched in sweat, Logan glanced up at the two brothers.
"What are you looking at? Never seen an expert pay the price for his power?"
Itachi and Sasuke immediately averted their eyes, feigning disinterest.
Logan looked their helpless forms for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. Despite being in the same miserable state, he couldn't help but find the situation amusing.
Sunlight streamed over the ruins.
And so, the climactic battle at the Uchiha hideout had ended with all three combatants completely drained of Chakra, unable to move a muscle.
Logan was satisfied. No one had died. No tragedies had repeated themselves. The necessary threats had been dealt with.
There could be no better ending, or beginning.
Now, all that remained was to explain everything to Sasuke.
After such a brutal fight, emotions had been vented. Now, Sasuke would have no choice but to listen, whether he wanted to or not.
"Cough. Alright, you two, listen up. I'm about to drop some important truths."
Logan cleared his throat, the lingering pain now negligible. He adopted a lecturing tone.
"Anyone who doesn't want to hear it can leave. I'm a reasonable man."
"..."
Never had they witnessed such shameless audacity.
Sasuke and Itachi stared at Logan with a mix of disbelief, disdain, and sheer incredulity.
'Leave, why don't you try to move a finger first?'
Neither spoke, their silence serving as reluctant acquiescence.
Logan smirked, nodding in satisfaction.
He thought the hard part was over… that no further obstacles stood in his way.
But fate had other plans.
"Pfft."
An unexpected sound reached their ears.
A disturbance.
A small mound of earth shifted a few meters away, near the edge of the scorched battlefield.
A figure clad in the black-and-red cloak of Akatsuki emerged, brushing dirt off his clothes.
With his bizarre, venus flytrap-like appearance, the half-black, half-white Zetsu stepped forward, clicking his tongue as he approached the three powerless figures.
"Hey, everyone."
He repeated Logan's earlier greeting with mocking amusement.