Chapter 224 The Cursed Seal

Logan turned his head slightly, preparing to leave the two behind. But just then, Sasuke lifted his head with difficulty.

"What nonsense are you talking about... Who are you telling to go back?"

With his fingers dug deep into the soil, Sasuke slowly pushed himself up, his limbs trembling. His clothes and face were dirty and disheveled, yet he rose, slowly but determinedly.

"Don't be ridiculous." Logan saw Sasuke's slightly shaking arms and shook his head, as Sasuke was in no condition to continue fighting.

Sasuke's face still stung with pain. He saw Logan shaking his head; after all this fighting, Logan was still standing there, barely injured. A mix of frustration, both outward and inward, caused Sasuke's hand to clench involuntarily, but it only brought a sense of powerlessness.

"Who's the one being ridiculous!"

Sasuke bit down hard on his lip, the pain searing through his nerves. The gap between them was indeed that vast. But what frustrated Sasuke most was that the man standing before him, turning away indifferently, bore a striking resemblance to the one he had always hated.

It wasn't just about losing in power or speed, or that his techniques were ineffective, the real problem was that it was Logan. The indifferent, almost disdainful, dismissive tone echoed in his ears, just like that man.

Tonight, two of the most important threads in Sasuke's life appeared before him, yet he failed to grasp either, both slipping through his fingers. The double sense of powerlessness amplified his own weakness, and he loathed himself for being this way.

"Why..."

Logan paused when he heard Sasuke's whisper, but still didn't say anything.

The silhouette in Sasuke's vision merged with the dark sky. Lowering his head, Sasuke felt the two people he had once respected were leaving him, each in their own way.

"Are you... are you treating me like a fool?" Sasuke lifted his head again, Logan's image etched into his crimson eyes.

"Raiden Hattori, you are the one who should go back!"

Logan had already taken several steps away when Sasuke's voice, suppressed and filled with anger, reached him. Similar words had been spoken too many times today, much like Naruto's defiance. Perhaps it was just a childish way of confronting a reality they couldn't change.

Just as Logan was about to leap from the giant statue, a dangerous feeling suddenly emerged, and he stopped in his tracks, turning back with a puzzled expression.

A pair of three-tomoe Sharingan shone a bright red in the darkness.

"You..." Logan's expression shifted as he sensed the change in Sasuke's aura, 'Under such circumstances, his Sharingan advanced to three-tomoe? No, something wasn't right… He should have been almost out of Chakra by now.'

Through the veil of night, Logan saw the black markings crawling up one side of Sasuke's body.

"Cursed Seal?"

Sasuke, half-kneeling with his hand still in the soil, clenched his fist once more. The sense of powerlessness was gone, replaced by a surge of strength that crushed the sharp rocks beneath his grasp into powder.

He stared intently at Logan, "Stop, this kind of thing..." he muttered, before stomping hard on the ground.

Boom! The gust of wind that kicked up was stronger than ever. The distance between them was closed in an instant. Logan, caught off guard, instinctively retreated, but Sasuke, now replenished with Chakra, relentlessly pursued him.

Logan leapt off the statue, but in mid-air, Sasuke became a dark blur. Logan retreated along the stone wall, but no matter how far he pulled back, Sasuke closed the distance just as quickly. The path they carved out filled with dust and debris, until Logan was forced into a disadvantaged position, catching a punch head-on.

Sasuke's next punch came without pause.

Thud!

As their fists and palms collided, Logan was unable to withstand the torrent of Sasuke's fierce power. The overwhelming force threw him off balance, sending him plummeting at high speed toward the ground.

The dust scattered, and from the stone wall, Sasuke heard the heavy thud of a body hitting the ground. His lips curled slightly, 'Finally...'

Whoosh!

But before Sasuke could savor his success, a spark of lightning flickered within the layers of dust. The faint winds seemed to be pulled from somewhere, and suddenly, a flash of lightning pierced the darkness like a sharp blade.

The figure that had just been struck down reappeared at lightning speed, bursting through the dust cloud and closing in on Sasuke, his fist magnified in his Sharingan.

Bang!

Sasuke was struck and launched high into the air. Still reeling from the unexpected counterattack, his vision rose above the stone wall, waterfall, and statue, and the lightning-clad figure seemed to teleport above him.

"Even with the Cursed Seal, it's useless."

Logan's voice was calm but had turned cold, and those words struck a nerve deep within Sasuke. He gritted his teeth, his Sharingan spinning wildly as he crossed his arms to block Logan's next strike.

It was as if the scene was replaying itself, Sasuke lost control and plummeted at high speed. Using his Sharingan, he managed to deflect some of the force at the last moment, but only slightly. The fierce kinetic energy gave him no chance as the rocks shattered, and Sasuke was slammed into the stone wall.

Crackling sounds echoed as the emotions surging within Sasuke continued to fuel his power. The black marks of the Cursed Seal spread further, flooding him with Chakra. In the cramped crevice, streaks of electricity tore through the darkness. Sasuke braced against the stone walls on either side and, bathed in lightning, charged out.

Logan clicked his tongue and vanished.

"You said it's useless?"

The two figures collided, lightning erupting, shrouding the surroundings in unstable voltage. Sasuke, enhanced by his Lightning Release, stared intently at Logan, dangerous currents sparking and crackling around his limbs.

Another fierce clash, their attacks creating visible shockwaves.

"You're still far off." Logan said coldly, sensing the sinister Chakra emanating from the air.

Both fighters were highly skilled in Chakra Nature Transformation, but there was a stark difference in their mastery.

Lightning flickered over their bodies, Sasuke's was wild and rampant, scorching his clothes at times, while Logan's was steady and controlled. The disparity was clear at a glance.

Sasuke's expression darkened. Perhaps the contrasting sounds of their electrical discharges made him acutely aware of the gap between them, as the less control one had over Lightning Release, the louder and more chaotic their attacks became.

But Sasuke refused to give up. He would never allow himself to be helpless and powerless again.

"Tell me, why are you with Itachi?"

The Cursed Seal's black patterns spread further across Sasuke's body, the electricity surrounding him taking on a dark hue. A metallic clang echoed as kunai and Sasuke's sharp short blade clashed, his movements driven by raw determination.

Using his shoulder, elbow, or any part that could gain even an inch, Sasuke forced his way into Logan's guard. The next moment, he grabbed Logan by the collar, "When you came to pay your respects at the Uchiha Clan's mourning hall to express your condolences, there is no way you didn't know what he did! "

Sasuke spat each word with intensity. The crimson flames in his eyes reflected his unwavering resolve. He sought answers, vigilant and wary, dreading the answer he least wanted to hear...

"Why are you now with that criminal? Are you insane!"

'Even if Hattori-sensei had betrayed the village, he shouldn't have aligned himself with that man whose hands were drenched in blood, the man devoid of humanity.

"..."