The small flames crackled as Logan's words dropped in like pebbles into a lake.
"Akatsuki?"
Surprise appeared in Orochimaru's cold pupils, or perhaps confusion. After all, Konoha's ANBU and Akatsuki are two things that should not be related.
Hearing the faint voices of people as the fire spreads outside, the commotion would soon drown out the burning flames. Logan took a step closer and said, "Not long ago, you were still one of the core members of Akatsuki, possessing the 'Sky' ring, right?"
"..." Orochimaru looked at him coldly, neither confirming nor denying.
"But since you've already left the Akatsuki, please return that thing." Logan's face was stern. Time was pressing, so there was no room for planning, but he knew that speaking directly might not change much, "You won't be able to use that thing anymore. Just give it to me and I'll stop."
The buffer provided by Logan's words was enough for Orochimaru to understand the situation, "'Return'?"
Orochimaru maliciously emphasized a word, then carefully examined the ANBU mask on Logan's face. Suddenly, a gleeful expression appeared on his face, almost like he couldn't suppress a laugh, "Hahaha..."
"So that's how it is..." At this moment, Orochimaru's original hostility towards Logan disappeared a lot, and a strange and disgusting smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "It's truly interesting. Why would you go to that place, the famous ANBU Lightning Release user?"
Logan furrowed his brows. He really didn't want to waste time talking with Orochimaru. He knew that if Orochimaru sensed his relationship with Akatsuki, it would have to keep himself entertained for a while.
The electric current knocked down a pile of burning firewood, and Logan's right hand began to light up with lightning. He looked coldly at Orochimaru, who was less than three meters away, and threatened, "Orochimaru, this isn't your main body. You can't possibly be my match. So, I'll say what I want. No more nonsense."
Internally, Orochimaru sneered at the memory of his aged teacher being interrupted. Then, his smile vanished instantly upon hearing the threatening words. He looked at Logan with a sinister gaze and said, "Hehehe... Since you know this is just my clone, so what if you destroy this body? Why should I agree to your request?"
"The one who should be anxious is you, isn't it?"
These words are very true. On the surface, it seems that Orochimaru is completely unaffected by Logan's life or death threat. With the majority of the Otogakure's Ninjas arriving to encircle him, and when the encirclement is formed, unless Logan was strong enough to take on a thousand opponents, just one person will definitely be drowned in the sea of people.
"Is that so?" Logan sneered. Orochimaru was right. He was indeed anxious now, but he may not be the only one who was anxious.
Logan was thinking about this issue after Orochimaru appeared, "Of course destroying this clone of yours isn't a big deal, but what about destroying this base? Or rather, after the news of 'Orochimaru, the maniac of human experimentation, secretly established a stronghold in Otogakure and reached a dirty deal with the leader of the Ninja Village' spreads, will you be anxious?
Orochimaru's body stiffened, and his gaze towards Logan changed. This was indeed his greatest concern.
Whether on Earth or in the Ninja World, human experimentation is a despicable and detestable act that most people abhorred and avoided. Orochimaru does control Otogakure behind the scene, but it does not mean that he can show up openly. Not to mention that this place where experiments on the human body and all kinds of active life are conducted will be exposed to the eyes of the large number of Samurai and ordinary Ninjas who are coming.
Establishing a base for experiments with enough backup support was no easy task for Orochimaru. It doesn't matter if the base is destroyed, as it can be easily rebuilt, but if this place was exposed and destroyed after years of painstaking effort, he would have to run outside to wander around again.
"How about it, Orochimaru? I just want something that is completely useless to you. Give it to me, and I'll leave. I can even share some advanced biological knowledge I know with you... It's you who caused this situation. If you didn't attack me first, we could have had a good talk." Logan saw Orochimaru's change in expression and knew there was a chance, so he kindly withdrew the lightning, and even added a touch of 'sincerity' to his tone.
Logan threw all the blame onto Orochimaru's head, and Orochimaru's lips twitched into a cold smile. After a few seconds of silence that felt like days, he finally spoke again.
'You dare to gamble with your life... Konoha's ANBU, I will remember you. Isn't it just Akatsuki's ring? No problem.
Logan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, he was really afraid that Orochimaru wouldn't let go of his pride and fight him to the end. If that happened, Orochimaru would suffer great losses, but at least, he wouldn't risk his life. Logan, on the other hand, might have to put his life on the line, and even with the trump card of Railgun, he wasn't sure he can protect his life.
Catching a glimpse of Orochimaru looking at him with eyes as cold as knives, Logan silently avoided eye contact. No matter what, Orochimaru had completely turned against him this time. Experts were always proud, and Logan knew he wouldn't have an easy time if he encountered Orochimaru again in the future.
"Ugh—" Orochimaru opened his mouth and spat out suddenly. The sound of vomiting made Logan's scalp numb. He really didn't know whether the other party was doing it for real or just pretending to disgust him. Orochimaru extended his tongue, and spat out a ring engraved with the word 'Sky', which is accompanied by mucus.
"…" Logan's eyes twitched, hesitating whether to reach out or not.
Without wasting more words, Orochimaru simply tossed the ring to him.
"Zzzttt..." As Logan was about to grab the ring, electricity surged from his palm, directly roasting the surface of the ring. After making sure that the disgusting liquid had evaporated, Logan cautiously took the ring.
It feels cold to the touch, and the texture is nothing remarkable. There wasn't anything particularly astonishing about it, but what was important was the faint Chakra fluctuation on the ring. Each of Akatsuki's ten rings all had a mechanism on them. By pouring a small amount of Chakra, the user's consciousness could partially leave their body and be transferred to a designated area. With this, when decisions were made within the Akatsuki, Logan could participate, which made a significant difference from before. The convenience of transmitting messages meant Logan wouldn't have to bother gradually passing intelligence up the chain of command, but could directly reach Pain and Obito.
"Thank you." Yu Logan courteously said, pocketing the ring into his inner garment pocket. Glancing at the chaotic scene around him, he didn't mince words, "Well, I'll be off then. Good luck cleaning up the mess. And make sure nobody sees you."
Electricity flashed across the surface of Logan's body, and he used Lightning Release to stimulate his cells, boosting his speed to the maximum. He then rushed towards the tattered scrolls scattered on the ground.
Orochimaru's eyes grew even colder, and the light in the depths of his eyes could almost freeze the soul, but he didn't make a move in the end. After all, he was just a clone, so he was too weak to stop Logan.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!" Orochimaru formed hand seals, and with a rumbling sound, gravel and dust fell gently, causing the ground to tremble as protruding rocks began to seal the opening in the ceiling.
Logan quickly scooped up a few scrolls, and was not greedy. When Orochimaru's Earth Style hand seals ended, he had already rushed upwards, and the blue light and shadow intertwined with the closing of the rocks.
"Hmph." Orochimaru snorted coldly. After briefly covering the scene, he found a cloak to cover his face from somewhere and quietly returned to the ground.
Several of the fastest Otogakure's Ninjas jumped over from the buildings, including the middle-aged Otogakure's Ninja. With a swift gust of wind, they arrived at this place. When they saw Orochimaru's figure, they all knelt down with solemn expressions, and respectfully said, "My Lord."
Orochimaru felt exhausted dealing with this newly formed team. He pointed in the direction in which Logan was escaping, and saw a black shadow moving away very quickly. The Otogakure's Ninjas he encountered on the way were either left behind or killed by his lightning, "Didn't you see that person? He's the culprit who sneaked into the village."
The few of them were startled, but after looking over, they knew what they should do, "Yes, my lord. We'll lead the others to chase after him immediately!"
In a flash, the figures disappeared again. At the same time, a large number of people, who had not yet arrived, changed their original route to converge on Logan's position.