As night deepened, Logan, having washed up, sat quietly at home, "It should be soon."
He looked outside. The yard was shrouded in darkness, and the thin crescent moon was hidden behind the clouds.
He is waiting for the plot to unfold. Naruto had failed the graduation exam, and Mizuki would soon trick him into stealing the Scroll of Seals. The incident will happen tonight.
Although the fact that a twelve-year-old could steal such an important scroll was ridiculous, Logan didn't care about the process.
Time passed slowly, and as doubts and determinations were ground beneath the wheels of reality, the path was laid out before him. Whether it would lead to success or futility, the moment was near. All other considerations were brushed aside as he prepared for what was to come. Logan waited with a calm yet restless heart, knowing that after this night, everything unknown would be revealed.
The anticipation was more agonizing than any surprise. Finally, he heard the chaotic sounds of Ninjas moving swiftly outside. Then, Logan took a deep breath and leaped out.
Amidst the moving shadows and whispered conversations, Logan intercepted an ANBU, and pretended to inquire: "What happened?"
When the ANBU saw the Jonin Vest in the darkness, his face under the mask hesitated for a second before he answered, "There's an emergency, Hokage-sama urgently summons us."
The ANBU was about to leave after saying that, but Logan grabbed him and said seriously, "I am the former ANBU's Captain of the XX class, my name is Raiden Hattori. My Ninja registration number..."
The Anbu was stunned, and the information in his memory flashed through his mind. Then, he hurriedly saluted and spoke simply: " The Scroll of Seals has been stolen!"
"Whoosh!"
Logan immediately took off, electricity flashed, and he disappeared in an instant, leaving behind the abandoned and dumbfounded ANBU.
"..."
Except for Root, most ANBU lived as ordinary Ninjas outside of missions. At night, many dark figures rushed to the Hokage Tower first, while a small number of those who were already on duty received more timely orders and rushed to the Forest of Death.
Logan was afraid that he might be late, as the difference between being early and being late was too big. So he moved with lightning speed, leaping through near the window of Hokage's Office. As expected, it was brightly lit, with Hiruzen and several Jonin, including Takeshi, present.
The surroundings were filled with Leaf ninjas flying to and fro, and no one was stopping him.
"Hattori, you..." Surprise flashed across Takeshi's face.
He knew that this was not a good time to reminisce, so Logan gave an apologetic smile, "I just came back today."
Then he turned to look at Hiruzen, "I heard a commotion from home. The Scroll of Seals has been stolen?"
"Yes." Hiruzen nodded gravely, and Takeshi did not hesitate too much, and briefly explained the situation to Logan, "ANBU's teams have already been dispatched to the Forest of Death."
The Forest of Death was within Konoha's territory. Due to the timely discovery, the border guards were on alert. Given Naruto's skills, which is Genin-level at most, it was uncertain how far he could get in the forest. After analyzing the situation, everyone understood the severity. However, with the room full of Jonin, although serious, they knew the situation was under control.
Hiruzen calmly gave a few orders to a few Jonin, and Logan listened casually, 'They were already sending those ANBU who had been alarmed but were off duty back home.'
"Hokage-sama, let me go check it out." Logan volunteered. Since he had come all this way, he couldn't just go back to sleep.
Hiruzen cast an incomprehensible gaze at Logan. Logan tried to appear righteous, though he felt uneasy in his heart. After a while, the three ANBU's teams of nine people appeared in the room, "All teams have assembled, Hokage-sama, should we depart now?"
This was likely the second batch of backup personnel headed to the Forest of Death. Hiruzen nodded towards Takeshi.
The other party understood and commanded seriously: "Let's go!" At the same time, he handed Logan a fox mask.
"Wear this to avoid friendly fire." Takeshi said jokingly, making Logan smile wryly as he instinctively took the mask. Just as he was about to put it on, he suddenly realized something and turned to look at Hiruzen, who was also looking at him.
Lowering his eyes, Logan said nothing as he donned the mask. The moment he put on the mask, his temperament suddenly changed. Many of the surprised Jonin didn't have time to react before his figure had already disappeared.
…
Running quickly on the eaves of the building, Logan headed straight for the Forest of Death. He only followed the nine-man ANBU team for a short while, as it wasn't safe to trail behind them at an even pace. The dark and eerie Forest of Death loomed like a giant beast, extending into a corner of Konoha. Without slowing down, Logan crossed the perimeter and accelerated, blending into the thick shadows of branches. For a moment, a flash of lightning illuminated the forest, and the three ANBU's teams were shocked to realize they could barely sense Logan's presence anymore.
The Forest of Death was vast, filled with poisonous snakes and wild beasts, and had few traces of human activity. It can be regarded as a training ground for Konoha's Ninjas.
After Logan went deep into the Forest of Death, he expanded his senses, detecting seven or eight stable presences scattered around, 'They were likely the ANBU who came here first.'
'Naruto couldn't have gone far while carrying the Scroll of Seals, and Mizuki wouldn't choose an obviously dumb location for a rendezvous if he wanted to trick Naruto and take away the Scroll of Seals.'
Fortunately, as soon as he came in, Logan saw a signal flare was launched.
The ANBU had found Naruto, meaning that Mizuki was likely already being beaten up by Naruto, who explosively used Multiple Shadow Clones Technique. And right now, the teacher and student were probably sharing a heartfelt moment.
The lightning flashed, and the wind whistled sharply, creating a momentum that could not even be concealed by the signal flares in the air. Logan rapidly weaved through the trees, his vision heightening as he moved, and whoosh——
"Who's there?"
An ANBU's member, startled as Logan brushed past, called out, but Logan was already out of range of his voice.
Lightning dissipated at the highest point, the wind whistling in his ears as he descended. Logan kept his gaze steady, spotting the scene he was looking for.
"Plop." With the help of inertia, an ANBU with a fox mask landed steadily on the tree at the edge of the clearing.
In the clearing below, Mizuki, who had passed out with a bruised nose and swollen face, was lying miserably on the ground. The injured Iruka smiled and firmly put a Konoha's forehead protector on the stunned Naruto.
"Naruto, congratulations on graduating!"
Whoosh——
It seemed that the deepest and coldest wind was blowing from the darkness of the forest. As soon as he felt the impending sense of foreboding arrived, in the next instant, a chill shot up Logan's spine. He had no time to react, as his thoughts stopped abruptly. The cold wind felt like a giant hand sweeping across the land, bringing a sense of desolation. In the dark forest and the clearing under the moonlight, everything becomes frivolous and bizarre.
Logan opened his mouth slightly, and the font that he had imagined countless times appeared at this moment.
[To be continued…]
Standing quietly on a clump of grass, his senses began to blur, overwhelmed by different lights and shadows, like waves crashing in.