A thick, overwhelming smoke erupted without warning.
Just as seen before, an ancient medium connected from afar. The rolling white mist gathered and dispersed like a sea of clouds, its vast life force undeniably sweeping over everyone present.
A beam of fiery red light pierced through the fog, overshadowing even the radiance of the sky. Like the breaking dawn, more and more brilliant crimson rays melted away the white mist.
A clear, melodious cry echoed as a pair of eyes, grand as the sun, gazed down from above.
'These birds really have similar entrances, huh…'
Logan looked up, recalling the dramatic appearance of Akiyama's summoning. However, he knew this time, the one responding to his call was another Divine Bird, Kotonami.
As for the old clan head with a cane and glasses… well, he probably wouldn't make an appearance.
"Hattori, you didn't lie to me! You really called me so soon!" A cheerful, pleasant voice rang out. Kotonami curiously glanced around before turning her attention to the tiny figure below.
"Yeah, I told you I wouldn't lie…" Logan replied smoothly.
"But you don't seem to be in a good situation." Kotonami remarked, noticing Logan lying motionless on the ground, "Even with Sage Mode, you ended up like this? And the Chakra you used to summon me isn't much either…"
Her tone carried a hint of displeasure. Less Chakra meant she couldn't stay for long.
Without waiting for Logan's instructions, Kotonami's demeanor instantly turned serious, "Then I won't waste time chatting. Let's handle the important matters first."
Logan opened his mouth but closed it again, 'You've already said everything I was going to say.'
"These are your allies?"
Kotonami briefly glanced at the group beside Logan before turning her gaze to the other side, "So those three are the enemies?"
The awkward, frozen figures of Black Zetsu and the others trembled under her scrutiny.
"You're right." Logan praised, Compared to Akiyama, this level of consideration was just… Why is there such a gap between birds from the same forest?'
"Then I'll make this quick."
Her wings spread, and golden-red flames instantly engulfed her body. Sparks drifted without wind as Kotonami declared solemnly, "Let's go."
"Yeah, go for it…"
On the opposite side, locked under the overwhelming pressure of Kotonami's aura, the previously confident group could no longer remain composed.
"This is Hattori's summon…" Obito muttered under his breath, feeling as though an immense weight pressed down on him. The rising temperature in the air scorched his exposed wounds, sending waves of burning pain.
Black Zetsu's expression darkened further. He stared at the towering Divine Bird, its feathers like polished rubies, its presence alone painting the sky and earth in hues of crimson.
He knew the power of such summons. Years ago, at the Valley of the End… a certain toad had been unlucky enough to face one, nearly burned to ashes.
"Damn it…"
"We're done for! She looks way too strong! Should we retreat?" White Zetsu, unable to withstand Kotonami's gaze, shamelessly suggested.
But Kotonami gave them no time to consider. She paid no mind to their thoughts, gathering energy in an instant before unleashing her technique with precision.
"Sage Art: Blazing Heaven."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground trembled as if struck by earthquakes. Towering pillars, resembling a mix of stone and wood, erupted from the earth, each dozens of meters tall and wide enough to require multiple people to encircle.
Six massive pillars, engraved with intricate patterns, rose around Obito and the others, encircling them within a radius of several dozen meters.
"What is this…?"
Debris still crumbled from the towering pillars as Black Zetsu and Obito stared in shock at their surroundings. Even Logan's group was taken aback by the sheer scale and speed of the technique.
"Activate."
Kotonami's voice was calm, indifferent.
Within the enclosed space, Natural Energy surged violently, as if all elements had been converted into aggressive Fire Attribute Chakra.
Hum… Hum…
A strange resonance filled the air. The six pillars glowed with a deep crimson light.
Then, in an instant, a thin red line shot out from the base of one pillar, streaking across the ground to connect with the opposite one.
Swish!
The red lines crisscrossed in a flash, forming an enormous, intricate hexagram seal beneath their feet.
"…"
Obito looked down. The lines were thin as threads but blindingly bright, as if molten lava simmered beneath. Where they passed, the ground sizzled, steam rising from the scorched earth.
The temperature inside had risen to an unbearable level.
Exchanging a glance with Black Zetsu, both saw the same panic in each other's eyes.
"Not good!"
"Seal."
Kotonami uttered the final word.
With that command, every symbol and rune within the hexagram blazed to life, reaching their peak brilliance.
Boom!
An endless torrent of flames erupted toward the heavens. Within the boundaries of the pillars, the golden-red fire, dense enough to seem solid, filled every inch of space, annihilating everything in its path. Propelled by an unimaginable force, the inferno surged into the sky.
The spectacle lasted nearly half a minute. Logan and the others watched from nearby, witnessing what looked like a colossal pillar of fire bursting from the earth, piercing the clouds like the roar of the world itself. Even after the flames dissipated, the sky remained dyed red, as if scarred beyond repair.
Blazing Heaven… true to its name, it vented the earth's fury toward the heavens.
If the scale were any larger, it would resemble an apocalyptic catastrophe.
Sasuke, Mai, and Itachi stared at Kotonami with newfound awe, 'Why is this summon so different from what we know?'
"Done."
Kotonami extinguished the flames around her, her demeanor relaxed as if she'd merely done a trivial task.
"That should settle it, right, Hattori?"
Logan, relatively unfazed, looked ahead. The pillars had vanished, leaving the ground scoured clean. The figures who once stood there had been erased without a trace.
"Yeah…"
"Then I'll take my leave." Having effortlessly annihilated the enemy, Kotonami's gaze turned to the vast world beyond.
Eager to explore, she flapped her wings and prepared to take flight.
A gust of wind whipped up, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.
Like a curious child, Kotonami soared into the sky, quickly shrinking to a distant speck.
She came and went without a trace, leaving nothing behind.