A ball of golden flame flickered quietly in Logan's palm.
But a closer look would reveal that the so-called "flame" wasn't fire at all—it was a concentrated surge of Yamabuki-colored ripple lightning.
This was the greatest benefit Logan had gained from absorbing the life force in the Dragon Pill.
He had finally broken past his former bottleneck. The ripples he absorbed, mastered, and now manipulated were denser than ever before. The energy within them had increased by dozens of times.
This small, unassuming flame could reach temperatures of 1,500 degrees in an instant—more than enough to reduce an ordinary person to ash.
"…This is it," Logan murmured, gazing at the golden flame dancing in his hand.
"Three Stages · Ripple Qigong."
In the first stage, the user could cast ripples for basic combat and healing.
In the second, the ripples could change color, amplify metal, control water flow, and even enhance one's mental strength enough to release two substitutes for a brief period.
In the third stage, the user's life force reached a higher realm, and the ripples became highly condensed.
Now, even without tapping into natural chakra or using genetic enhancements, Logan's physical vitality alone was incredibly strong. Unless he suffered a truly fatal injury, his body could regenerate with astonishing speed.
"Ripple may not have the raw destructive power of the Golden Spin," Logan muttered, "but in terms of survivability, it's unrivaled. Still, my offensive techniques are limited… especially while flying."
His feet descended slowly, lightly touching the ground. The moment they made contact, he took a deep breath and clenched his fists.
The golden flames in his hand spread rapidly, engulfing his entire arm.
The scorching heat made the air shimmer, and the ground beneath him cracked. The earth hissed beneath the sudden rise in temperature—like the sun itself had descended onto the earth.
Logan's eyes opened. He studied the way the flames surged around him.
"Once I'm grounded, the shortcomings of ripple-based attacks can be compensated," he said. "This is what I've gained from the Dragon Pill."
He extinguished the flame and turned toward the giant white snake head, resting nearby on the side of the trail like a bizarre statue. It had long since become a tourist attraction for the toads and residents of Mount Myōboku.
From his pocket, Logan took out an orange that had been gifted to him by Xiao Tao.
He gently placed it in front of the snake head, bowing his head in quiet respect.
Offerings from others already lay there—flowers, bugs the toads had caught, and even a still-sealed book left behind by Jiraiya.
The toads had no particular reason for the offerings. They simply believed that since the White Snake Sage was the only one of the Three Great Sages who had died, she might have some power in the underworld… and maybe she could grant their wishes.
Beside her stone head sat a small sculpture of Orochimaru, placed by Jiraiya himself.
"To complete the family portrait," he had said.
Logan gently patted the snake's head. "Let's go."
It was time to return to the real world.
He had been secluded at Mount Myōboku for half a month, pushing himself beyond limits to reach the third stage of Ripple Qigong. Now, the training was complete. It was time to say goodbye to the Great Toad Sage and return to Kirigakure.
But as soon as he stepped out of the training ground, he ran into the liaison officer waiting anxiously outside—Toad Gama Kousuke.
Toad Xiaojie exhaled in relief the moment he saw Logan.
"Master Logan! Thank goodness—you finally came out!"
He hopped over quickly and added, "Five days ago, Lord Mizukage received an invitation from the Daimyo of the Land of Water. They've been waiting for you to return so you could discuss it. If you'd stayed in there any longer, they might've left without you."
Toads weren't fond of heat, and Logan's training ground constantly emitted high temperatures and caused minor tremors. Toad Xiaojie hadn't dared to interrupt his practice, so he'd simply waited outside the entire time.
Logan raised an eyebrow. "An invitation from the Daimyo?"
His first thought was trap. A political Hongmen Banquet, as it were.
"Got it," he nodded. "And the Great Toad Sage?"
Gama Kousuke patted his chest. "The old man's asleep again. Leave it to me—I'll pass your message along when he wakes."
"Thanks. Sorry for the trouble."
Logan wasted no more time. He headed straight for Kirigakure.
---
It had only been half a month, but the village looked completely different.
Every street was decorated with lanterns and ribbons. Vendors filled the walkways. Music and laughter echoed from street corners. A festival was underway.
As Logan made his way to the Mizukage's office, he couldn't help but take note of the energy in the air.
He reached the familiar door and knocked gently.
There was the sound of scrambling inside, then after a long pause, Terumi Mei's voice called out:
"Come in."
Logan pushed the door open.
Terumi Mei was standing at the filing cabinet. When she saw it was him, she let out a breath of relief.
"Oh, it's you. You scared me half to death."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "What were you hiding?"
She smirked, lifting her chin slightly. "Women's secrets."
Logan shrugged and said nothing, taking a seat across from her.
"So, the Daimyo sent you an invitation?"
"That's right." She locked the filing cabinet behind her and retrieved a small wooden box from her desk drawer.
It was inlaid with gold and jade, and engraved in the center was the sunflower crest of the Daimyo's family.
Even the box alone was valuable.
She opened it, revealing a gold-embossed letter.
Without a word, she handed it to Logan.
He took the letter and unfolded it.
The handwriting was clean and elegant—full of discipline and restraint. Just from the writing style, one could imagine a calm, upright gentleman.
The message was formal and polite. It invited both Terumi Mei and Logan to attend the upcoming Suigen Water Festival, held in the capital of the Land of Water, Kyoto.
At the bottom, the signature read:
> "Daimyo of the Land of Water, Oda Ieyasu."
Logan handed the letter back.
"What's your take on it?" he asked.
Terumi Mei had known him long enough to understand what he meant.
"Unlikely to be an ambush," she said without hesitation.
"Why?"
"It's not worth it."
She took out a thick folder and placed it on the desk.
"Since Oda Ieyasu took office, I've been collecting information on him."
She opened the file, revealing charts, letters, photos, and intel reports.
"Right now, there are two heroes in the hearts of the people of the Land of Water."
She held up her fingers. "You're one of them—your reforms brought food and stability, and you beat back the invasion from the Land of Lightning."
"And the other?"
She slid a photograph across the table.
A man, around 27 or 28, with long ink-black hair and a soft, sincere smile.
"This is Oda Ieyasu, the new Daimyo. Since taking power, he's reformed tax laws, restructured the bureaucracy, and lifted living conditions for the common people."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "So the decorations outside?"
She nodded. "That's the Suigen Festival—held in gratitude to the Daimyo… and to you."
She pointed to another photo on the wall—her and Killer Bee, shaking hands. Behind them stood a newly built military technology institute.
"The Cloud Village couldn't take you down. You think the Daimyo would try, in the open, in his own capital? He'd risk destroying all the credibility he's built."
Logan nodded slowly.
"So," Terumi Mei said with a little smile, "will you go?"
There was a strange light in her eyes—expectation, maybe.
Logan leaned forward, gaze locked with hers. "Do you want me to go?"
She looked away.
"You can go if you want. Doesn't matter to me."
Logan chuckled softly.
"I'll go."
He picked up the photo of Oda Ieyasu again.
"I didn't have a good excuse before. Now I do. I'd like to have a long chat with the Daimyo."
When he said "chat", Terumi Mei's lips parted slightly.
She had a feeling…
This wasn't going to be a simple conversation.
"Is he planning to bring his blade?" she wondered.
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