Hokage:Overturning Ninja world

Deidara laughed.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just fight from the start?"

Negotiation had never been their strong suit.

Konan had always been a straightforward person, following Nagato's orders to the letter for years.

Deidara was wholly absorbed in his art. If you wanted a conversation, you'd better be ready to talk to his explosions.

And Uchiha Itachi—diplomacy wasn't even in his dictionary. If he had been better at that, maybe he wouldn't have slaughtered his own clan on someone else's command.

The suffocating tension among the three vanished the moment the fight broke out.

Deidara took to the skies on a giant clay bird, hurling explosive bombs he had prepped ahead of time.

Konan activated her signature Paper Jutsu. Her body turned into thousands of white sheets, swirling in the air like snow before forming deadly spears and butterflies that surged toward Logan.

Uchiha Itachi shifted his position away from the center of the battlefield. He coldly observed Logan's response, but in his mind, he was planning something else entirely.

Originally, Itachi had intended to capture Orochimaru and use a genjutsu to force him to reveal a method for saving Sasuke.

But now, Orochimaru was dead. That plan was useless.

To Itachi, Logan had only gone to Orochimaru for revenge. Whatever disc he had taken from Orochimaru's body, Itachi doubted it had any healing function.

He also knew Sasuke was being treated back in Konoha.

"If Logan makes it back alive, even if Sasuke recovers, he'll leave with him again. The village won't waste resources treating a kid who's just going to run off. Sasuke will die."

"But if Logan dies here, Sasuke will be seen as the last Uchiha—the village will do whatever it takes to keep him alive."

"So for Sasuke to live… Logan must die."

Itachi's expression didn't change, but his resolve solidified.

He stared at Logan fighting Deidara and Konan, then slowly closed his right eye.

"Logan... I appreciate what you've done for Sasuke. But for his future—"

"You must die."

Blood trickled from his closed eye. The Mangekyō Sharingan activated, its pattern spinning violently. His gaze locked onto Logan in the center of the chaos.

"Amaterasu."

A burst of black flame ignited from thin air.

Logan's instincts screamed. He shifted slightly, but the fire still latched onto his right arm.

Deidara shouted from above, panicked.

"Itachi! Are you out of your mind?! We're supposed to bring him back, not roast him alive!"

But Itachi didn't respond. His eyes continued tracking Logan like a predator.

The burning pain was immediate—unrelenting.

Logan knew exactly what it was.

Amaterasu.

Black flames that would never die out until the target was completely incinerated.

He didn't hesitate. With his left hand, Logan touched his right shoulder.

Ripple energy surged like a blade—

He severed his own arm.

Blood gushed out. Controlling it with ripple, he formed a thick wall of blood that shielded him from Itachi's vision. The flames latched onto the wall instead.

Logan dropped behind the barrier, gasping.

Itachi closed his right eye again, now nearly drained of chakra. He began channeling energy into the left.

"Genjutsu—Tsukuyomi."

He knew the white snake could interfere, so Tsukuyomi wouldn't work properly—but that didn't matter. He just needed the opening.

He called out:

"Konan! Logan can only summon one Stand at a time. If he's using that snake to block genjutsu, now's the time to strike!"

Konan hesitated.

Since Itachi had joined Akatsuki, he had been calm—detached. This was the first time she had seen him this driven.

She made a note to tell Nagato everything later. But for now, this battle had already gone too far. Logan had severed his own arm. This wouldn't end peacefully.

She summoned thousands of paper spears, holding the sharpest one in hand.

Wings of white paper flared out behind her as she charged forward like a divine warrior descending to Earth.

Above them, Deidara had completed a massive clay dragon. It let out a thunderous roar and dove toward Logan.

Spies hidden in the shadows barely dared to breathe.

The pace of the fight was insane.

Only seconds had passed since the first blow, but these four had already exchanged multiple devastating moves.

Logan, who had just killed Orochimaru moments ago, was now badly injured—on the verge of defeat.

"This is Akatsuki? Terrifying!"

For years, Pain had thought about how to build Akatsuki's reputation.

Today, that goal was achieved.

After this battle, requests for Akatsuki's services would flood in.

Everyone's eyes—both hidden and visible—focused on Logan.

The man who defied the shinobi world's rules and fought his way to power.

Some called him a madman.

Others… a savior.

But now, he looked defeated.

Konan observed his face, searching for any sign of resistance.

But Logan... closed his eyes.

He looked like he had given up.

"So this is it?" she thought.

"Logan—just another man who breaks down when pushed to the brink?"

But then—

A gust of wind swept through the battlefield.

Dark clouds surged overhead. The light vanished. The air grew heavy.

Logan opened his arms to the sky.

Wait—both arms?

His severed right arm had regenerated completely.

Konan's eyes widened.

A spinning disc hovered over Logan's chest, etched with Orochimaru's face.

"Orochimaru's healing? You're using his abilities?!"

Logan slowly opened his eyes.

When Konan met his gaze, she froze.

She had never seen eyes so bright.

Golden light radiated from the depths of his pupils.

He inhaled deeply. With every breath, natural energy surged into his body.

"Orochimaru's power?" he said, almost amused.

"No... just his knowledge."

The fusion of ripple and nature energy could trigger a transformation—something beyond the human limit.

Before, Logan couldn't control it. He didn't know which genes were safe to push beyond their limit.

But now—he had everything:

Ripple, Nature Force, the Dragon Serpent Orb, and Orochimaru's intimate knowledge of human biology.

The final piece had fallen into place.

BOOM.

A peal of thunder shook the air. Golden lightning crackled across Logan's skin.

Clouds swirled like a vortex, thunder and wind converging around him.

Deidara gawked from the sky.

"What the hell... is this guy even human?!"

Limbs regenerating.

Floating midair.

Summoning storms and lightning.

To those watching, Logan didn't look like a shinobi.

He looked like a god.

"I don't believe in gods!" Konan screamed.

There was only one god in her heart—Nagato.

She lunged with her spear.

Logan caught it with one hand.

BOOM.

The detonating tag inside exploded. Logan's palm cracked—but it healed instantly.

"I can't fight him up close!" Konan realized.

"God's Paper Jutsu!"

Her body burst apart into thousands of butterflies, scattering in all directions.

Even Logan wouldn't be able to find her real body instantly.

She just needed to gain distance—to support Deidara's long-range assault.

But then...

Star Platinum appeared in front of her.

In a blink, all the scattered butterflies were snatched back, crumpled like origami in his massive hand.

Konan had no choice but to rematerialize.

But instead of fear, she grinned.

Star Platinum was here.

That meant the white snake—the genjutsu-blocker—was gone.

"Itachi!" she shouted. "Now's your chance!"

But no genjutsu came.

Instead, she heard a familiar hissing sound.

She turned just enough to glimpse a white snake slithering toward her.

Two Stands?!

"What? Logan said he could only summon one! Itachi—you lied!"

Itachi was equally stunned.

Logan had never summoned two Stands at once. What changed?

He looked again into Logan's golden eyes.

He felt it—something beyond human.

Logan had transcended the limits of normal life.

With his current spiritual power, he could sustain two Stands simultaneously.

Only for a short time—2 to 3 seconds.

But that was more than enough.

Star Platinum seized Konan by the neck.

She couldn't even turn to look behind her.

Then she heard the white snake's voice:

"Hey. Your disc..."

"I'll be taking that."

pàtreøn (Gk31)