Chapter 67: Demon — Never Again

"Land — I want a piece to build a village."

"People — once Yagura is gone, I want you to become Mizukage."

Terumi Mei raised an eyebrow. "And the promise?"

Logan lowered his hand. "No rush. We'll talk about that after we win."

"No problem, I can agree to all of that. But... Mizukage?" she asked, scratching her cheek awkwardly and pointing to herself. "I'm only twenty-one."

According to the original plan, once Yagura was removed, Elder Yuanshi would temporarily take over as Mizukage until a proper election could be held.

But Logan shook his head.

Before coming here, he had asked Kanhara Hayato for a list of Kirigakure's top-tier ninja and their personality profiles. Out of all of them, no one was more suitable than Terumi Mei.

If Logan wanted to carry out his plan, Terumi Mei had to be the Mizukage.

Still, he didn't press the issue further. All rewards come after victory.

With just three days remaining until the graduation ceremony, Terumi Mei had to coordinate her forces and left in a hurry.

Konan, watching her disappear down the hall, turned to Logan.

"Is she your woman?"

At her words, Logan, Sasuke, and Xiao Tao all choked on their tea, spitting it out—directly into Konan's face. She looked ready to explode when Mayuri gently handed her a towel.

"Of course not," Logan said quickly, wiping his mouth.

"Then why are you helping her? Risking your life to back her? Even suggesting she become Mizukage?"

"Because she has potential."

"What kind of potential?"

Instead of answering, Logan changed the subject. "Do you think the masked man will show up?"

Konan hesitated. "He's… mysterious. No one knows his true motives..."

She trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly frowning.

"Why should I tell you anything?"

Logan chuckled. "Then let me ask it differently. After everything you've seen in the Land of Water… in Kirigakure… do you want that masked man to stop the change that's coming?"

This time, Konan had no answer.

---

Worried about leaks, Terumi Mei had reserved the entire hot spring hotel. Aside from Logan's group, there were no other guests.

Taking advantage of the rare break, Logan changed and headed to the hot spring. Just as he was about to step in, Mayuri's voice floated over.

"Sir, if you'd like… I can rub your back."

Logan pretended not to hear and slipped into the men's bath. Thick steam blanketed the room, limiting visibility. He slowly made his way to the pool's edge and slipped in, eyes closed, enjoying the heat.

Then came a cold voice behind him.

"So this is the so-called 'invincible Logan'? I don't see what makes Terumi Mei trust you so much."

A kunai pressed against his throat. Logan opened one eye to see a rugged man wrapped in a bath towel behind him—feral eyes, face like carved granite.

He recognized the man from Hayato's intelligence briefings: Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist.

A former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Zabuza had long resented Yagura's bloody reign. He'd once tried to assassinate the Mizukage but was intercepted by Terumi Mei. Now, he was a core member of the reformists.

Logan leaned back comfortably against the edge of the pool.

"Look behind you."

From the steam, Sasuke silently emerged and pressed a kunai to Zabuza's back.

Zabuza scoffed.

"You look behind you."

The fog behind Sasuke thinned—and another Zabuza appeared, holding a kunai to Sasuke's neck. The original had been a water clone.

"Let's see... never mind," Logan muttered.

From the back of the room, Star Platinum materialized and promptly tossed both Sasuke and Zabuza into the hot spring with a splash.

Water shot over the bamboo partition and into the women's bath, followed by startled screams.

"So noisy," Zabuza grunted, waving his hand to disperse the mist with the Hidden Mist Technique. The steam cleared, revealing Logan sitting at ease in the now calmer water.

"You should leave while you can," Zabuza growled. "Either we kill Yagura, or he kills us. This is an internal Kirigakure matter. Outsiders should stay out."

Before Logan could reply, Sasuke, still dripping, snapped, "Without Brother Logan's help, you'll lose."

"Bullsh*t!" Zabuza raised a fist. "I'm the Demon of the Mist. With me around, there's no way we lose."

"You're full of sh*t!" Sasuke shouted back—and to prove his point, farted in the water. Bubbles surfaced. Using ripple energy, he solidified the bubbles and hurled them at Zabuza.

"Hot Spring Ripple Fart!"

Zabuza shattered the bubbles with a swipe, but the foul smell hit immediately.

"Stinky brat!"

Despite his irritation, Zabuza didn't retaliate. He was arrogant, yes—but not petty. He could've joined Yagura's forces and made a fortune. But he hadn't. That alone spoke to his stubborn pride.

Logan chuckled. Zabuza's little display wasn't about disrespect—it was a test. The Demon wanted to see if Logan could live up to the hype. With reformist morale riding high, having Logan chicken out three days before battle would be devastating.

Still, one thing troubled Logan.

"Perfect Jinchūriki... can I really handle it?"

He had never fought a tailed beast before. From what he'd gathered, they were basically giant monsters, like something out of Ultraman—huge, powerful, absurdly durable, and capable of firing chakra beams.

The simplest countermeasure would be mass bombardment, like the Super Fire Dragon Storm jutsu used by the Root ninja. But Kirigakure's reformists were few—just fifty or sixty in total, without the training or unity to pull off such techniques.

Logan reviewed his resources.

Hermit Purple? Useless in battle.

Aerosmith? Great for long-range recon, but too weak in a straight-up fight.

White Snake? Possibly useful for breaking illusions, but wouldn't survive long in real combat.

Rainbow Catcher? A powerful trump card.

"If only it would rain..."

If it rained, Logan was confident—even against multiple tailed beasts. The Rainbow Catcher's combination of ripple energy and natural forces made it a devastating zone control ability.

But unfortunately, Kirigakure hadn't seen a drop of rain in days.

"That leaves just one option," Logan murmured. "Star Platinum."

His strategy became clear: overpower the enemy with raw, unrelenting physical force.

But to do that, Star Platinum needed to be upgraded to the maximum level.

Currently, Star Platinum was at Level 4, 0% progress. To reach Level 5, Logan needed 4,000 soul fragments.

After killing Danzo and over a hundred Root ninjas, Logan had amassed a total of 3,810 fragments.

He was just 190 short.

Unfortunately, offering a bounty or hunting ninjas openly would draw attention—something he couldn't afford before the coup.

"Where can I find 190 fragments fast?"

"If there were a well-known ninja nearby… I could just beat the crap out of them…"

As that thought crossed his mind, he slowly turned his head and locked eyes with the brooding man sitting across the pool.

Zabuza.

Logan grinned mischievously.

"Heh…"

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

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