Chapter 232 Retreating

The river flowed over the shattered rocks, spreading into the cracked ground. The valley was silent, and not a single bird call or insect chirp could be heard. Every trace of life seemed to have vanished, scared away long ago by the thunderous noises from the battle between two Summoned Beasts.

Logan touched his lower back. He had nearly thrown all his Ninja Tools, with only Shimizu left on him, and his Chakra Reserves were almost depleted.

Jumping down from the tree branch, he made his way up the slope of the valley. The two statues there occasionally shed pieces of rock, appearing unstable, yet still maintained their hand signs, keeping the waterfall between them intact.

The contrasting quiet in the air was unsettling. Logan leaned on a broken tree branch. Snap! The branch, which had been tenuously holding on, was accidentally pulled down, spilling a string of water droplets from its leaves.

A faint glow in the sky gently probed the world, as daylight was approaching. Logan walked on the grass, the clear but tender white light illuminated the drops of liquid sliding off the leaf tips. He couldn't distinguish whether they were morning dew or remnants of Water Release Ninjutsu.

Having not engaged in combat after summoning Akiyama, Logan still had some strength left. He headed towards the spot where he remembered Naruto falling, eventually finding him on the far side of the valley, pinned beneath a few tree trunks.

Sasuke was sprawled not far away, just a few meters apart, both unconscious. Logan approached, 'They must have fallen together.'

He uprooted several trees in the process, and the separated trunks which had struck them.

'It is normal for Naruto to lose consciousness after being struck while holding Sasuke after the exhaustion.' Logan squatted down, lifted the tree trunk as thick as a bowl, and tossed it aside, removing the debris from Naruto.

After a brief check on the two of them, he found neither of them was in any mortal danger. Logan clapped his hands and looked at the two sleeping boys on the ground, peacefully resting without any loud shouting or crackling electricity, feeling they looked quite agreeable this way.

"Sigh, who would've thought you two would cause me this much trouble." The corner of Logan's mouth raised slightly. Initially, he had anticipated facing enemies like Kakashi, Guy, or other Jonin, possibly even the ANBU or Root's members. In the worst-case scenario, it would have been Jiraiya.

But unexpectedly, it was Team 7 that intercepted him, just like something straight out of a manga.

'The protagonists are still in Novice Village right now… I hope they can take it easy the next time we meet.'

For the first time, as a teacher guiding the next generation of Ninja, Logan felt he had learned a lot, even if he and Kakashi, dubbed the 'laziest duo', had nearly let Team 7 slack their way through the Land of Waves' arc.

As a teacher and friend, Logan was pleased with the progress Naruto and Sasuke had made, and he knew these two would go far beyond this. After all, they were the main characters in this world, with all the plot armor stuffed on them, so how can they stop here?

Whether it was fate or just the narrative of the story driving these events, Logan found meaning in witnessing and experiencing it all.

There was no need to leave any parting words with no one around to hear them, and there wasn't much to say anyway. Logan exhaled deeply, knowing it was time for him to go.

In the unchanging path ahead, there were incomplete and branching farewells. He cast a long look back, moving forward and passing by his two students, who would one day become renowned Ninja.

Following the river, Logan walked through areas that transitioned from scorched and broken to untouched, where the ground hadn't been ravaged by the two Summoned Beasts. He stopped and looked back, the Valley of the End had already fallen behind him.

The fish-belly white of the dawn reflected off the two statues facing each other. In his view, only half of them remained, and by the time he looked back again, they were just small silhouettes.

No longer thinking about it, Logan decisively crossed the border of the Land of Fire, 'According to the agreement, Itachi and Kisame would gather here. With the night nearly over, they should be arriving soon.'

…

The other side.

"The title of the Sannin is indeed no exaggeration."

Itachi looked at Jiraiya in front of him and said expressionlessly.

"Haha, I've heard that a lot, so it doesn't really affect me anymore." Jiraiya, who was forming hand seal, replied with a seemingly carefree smile, though his eyes were serious.

After a brief exchange of words earlier, Itachi had run out of topics to stall for time, and Jiraiya, having been courteous enough to wait for a while, found the atmosphere turning quiet. With no further conversation, the battle continued.

Though the forest's state wasn't as disastrously ravaged as the Valley of the End, it was still a chaotic mess, as branches severed at odd angles, charred remains scattered about.

Itachi, slightly panting, felt a drop of sweat slide down his cheek. His past wealth of experience no longer provided any advantage in a fight against one of the Legendary Sannin, as Jiraiya had been through far more battles than him.

Especially when the distant horizon lit up with a blinding red glow, like a mountain ablaze. Jiraiya's approach shifted from probing for information to a relentless and seasoned assault, making it increasingly difficult for Itachi to cope.

'That red light...' Reflecting on the phenomenon that had captured both of their attention, Itachi discreetly glanced towards the distance. He knew that was the direction of the border of the Land of Fire, which was where Hattori went to.

He wondered if Naruto and Sasuke, who had gone after him, be capable of creating such a spectacle.

Half of the sky in the night was dyed red, which was simply a strange phenomenon in the world. The spectacle was so unusual that it visibly unsettled Jiraiya, who shifted from his calm demeanor to one of mild urgency, 'It was unlikely that the two kids were responsible, but if it was Hattori...' Jiraiya himself couldn't be certain.

The sky, painted red by nightfall, amazed all who could see it, including Itachi and Jiraiya. The intensity of the sight left them uncertain, pushing their combat to a level with even fewer restraints.

Itachi continued to rely on his Genjutsu to stall for time, but his stalling tactics had already been stretched. However, under Jiraiya's relentless pressure, Itachi couldn't find an opening for a clean retreat and was forced into several direct clashes, each with mixed outcomes, leading to the current brief pause.

The fiery glow on the horizon had faded, and Itachi pondered his next move, discreetly taking a step back.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed from the direction they had come from. Both Itachi and Jiraiya turned their heads to see Kisame emerging from the shadows.

At that moment, the two opponents had very different reactions. Jiraiya's brows furrowed deeply, while Itachi felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

"You're still not done? Can we leave now?" Kisame asked, arriving at Itachi's side. His Akatsuki cloak, with its black fabric and red clouds pattern, was partially torn, evidence of a difficult battle.

"Yes." Itachi nodded, sparing a glance at the composed Jiraiya before turning to Kisame, "How did it go on your end?"

"One Jonin and one Genin, couldn't quite finish them off, almost had them though. They're probably chasing me now." Kisame said, grinding his sharp teeth in mild frustration. He had wanted to settle the score with Kakashi, but their mission was to delay, and if more Konoha's reinforcements arrived, Kakashi wouldn't engage him in a fair duel.

Kisame knew he'd have to consider if he could handle multiple opponents simultaneously.

"The fire in the sky earlier..." Kisame started to ask.

Itachi, knowing he couldn't give a straightforward answer, interrupted, "We'll discuss it after we regroup."

With that, Itachi and Kisame exchanged a quick look of understanding and, without sparing Jiraiya another glance, disappeared into the depths of the forest, retreating swiftly.