As Logan approached Yukino Town, the traffic on the main road gradually increased, and the lively atmosphere of the settlement made the exhaustion from his day-long training feel lighter.
By the time he reached the town, wisps of cooking smoke drifted everywhere, and the faint scent of burning firewood permeated the streets and alleys.
Under the dimming light, the townsfolk moved at a leisurely pace, as if time itself had slowed.
Logan headed straight back to the inn where he was staying. Located near the center of town, the inn had pleasant decor but eye-watering prices… not that it mattered to Logan. He had generously rented a high-floor room by the window long-term without batting an eye.
Nearby is the busiest night market in Yukino Town, but Logan, having seen far grander spectacles before, had no interest in wandering around.
After a good meal and a wash, he leisurely settled into his room, embracing the lifestyle of a retiree.
This ascetic routine might have to last a while. And without electronic devices or entertainment, his days were structured from dawn to dusk. Fortunately, he could endure solitude.
'But now that I think about it, why did Itachi choose Dosei City?'
At one or two o'clock, a few scattered stars dotted the sky, the moon hanging over the willow branches.
Not feeling particularly sleepy, Logan pushed open the window, noted the thinning crowds below, and then flipped out onto the roof.
Gazing southward, which is the direction of Dosei City in his memory, Logan pondered.
During their brief encounter, Itachi's sudden Genjutsu had initially caught him off guard. Thankfully, with his quick wit and dashing looks, Logan had deciphered the 'hidden message'.
Standing on the wooden eaves, surrounded by the nightscape… that had been shortly after Logan was promoted to ANBU, when he and the equally young Itachi were on their first mission outside the village. They had stopped in a city before crossing the border.
At the time, Logan had marveled at Itachi's extraordinary talent and relentless dedication, then felt inspired to train himself. By coincidence, they had run into each other again afterward.
'Could it be that Itachi developed admiration for me, who was his senior, back then?' Logan mused, staring into the night sky as if he could see their past selves. The nostalgia was overwhelming.
'That must be it. I knew it…' Logan nodded sagely to himself, 'Thinking back, I was striving to be a model Ninja of the new era… someone whose ANBU exam performance even moved the proctors to tears with my full-score essays.'
'I remember those two examiners were practically choking up from the sheer inspiration.'
'Truly outstanding…'
The nearby night market had quieted down, as most of the revelers having returned home. The vibrant lanterns were taken down, leaving only scattered lights.
The curfew bell rang, and at a street corner, a lone straggler struggled to stay upright against a wall. The town seemed frozen in time, enveloped in a dim stillness.
Above, the empty rooftops stretched with neatly arranged tiles.
Logan's murmurs drifted into the tranquil night, quietly dissolving into the wind… now blowing through the 63rd year of Konoha.
…
Time passed very quickly. As the only sizable town in the northern region, Yukino Town bustled with goods and people, maintaining its orderly rhythm. Half a month slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Though living a monk-like existence, Logan was nothing if not patient.
Back in the Land of Wind, the autumn equinox had still been over a month away, but the long wait made sense, as Itachi had to come alone, ensuring no one noticed, so it naturally required preparation and caution.
The two-man cell system in Akatsuki served as mutual surveillance, after all. Even if Kisame held a shred of camaraderie for Itachi, if it clashed with the organization's interests, he'd likely side with Pain and Obito.
During this time, Logan focused on mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique, refining its application to avoid any clumsiness or mistakes in real combat… something he absolutely wanted to avoid.
Between the inn and the training grounds outside town, his routine was as disciplined as a student preparing for college entrance exams.
Speaking of which, despite his youthful appearance, Logan was indeed young… barely old enough to have taken those exams, yet he had already fought a lot of Kage-level opponents.
September arrived as scheduled. The lingering summer heat showed no signs of relenting. After a rainy day, Logan went downstairs to check out.
With the Flying Thunder God Technique now well-practiced, he felt it was time to do something new with his free time.
"Front desk, checking out."
"Okay."
While this high-end hotel has no name due to the unimportant appearance, the receptionist is a male. Also due to unimportant or other reasons that are too lazy to be disclosed, he is only called receptionist. The receptionist glanced at Logan.
'Ah, it was him. The legendary guest from Room 503.'
"Wait a moment." The receptionist processed the checkout while subtly observing Logan.
It can be easily found from the records that this guest went out early and came back late. He didn't know what this guest was doing during the day. When he came back at night, he stayed behind closed doors. This continued for half a month, and his behavior was very mysterious.
Working the front desk exposed the receptionist to all sorts of people… men, women, all ages, sometimes even beyond conventional categories, so the receptionist prided himself on his professionalism.
But after half a month of walking alone and not seeing a single woman, the receptionist felt awe-struck. He looked at the other party's handsome face, and tensed his backside.
'Whether you are black-market dealings or other pursuits, I won't...'
Logan gave the obviously expendable receptionist a strange look, then paid, and left.
…
Turning into a secluded alley, and waiting until no one could keep his eyes on him, Logan activated Flying Thunder God and instantly appeared at his usual training grounds outside town.
"Hah."
Long-distance teleportation placed a heavier burden on both the body and Chakra Control. After steadying his breathing and circulating his Chakra, Logan surveyed his surroundings before leaping onto the branches of a towering tree.
The chirping of insects filled the air, and occasionally, small animals darted through the underbrush.
If not for his daily routine of blasting the area with Flying Thunder God-enhanced Rasengans and Chidoris, this place would have remained perfectly tranquil.
Sitting down cross-legged, Logan began to meditate quietly.
His mind settled, his breathing gradually evened out, until he reached a state of vague harmony with the tree beneath him, the leaves, the grass, and the rocks… as if his very presence had dwindled to the faintest whisper of existence. Only then did he attempt to draw in the ancient energy lingering in the air.
As mentioned before, his battle against Deva Path's thought projection, witnessing the power of the Rinnegan firsthand, had left Logan with a sense of urgency. The escalating scale of future conflicts weighed on him.
While Logan had no intention of diving headfirst into the Ninja World's conflicts, the future was unpredictable. He wanted to resolve the Uchiha siblings' grievances in a better way, but with so many eyes watching, he needed stronger power as insurance.
At the very least, for his own survival in this world, Logan couldn't afford to stagnate.
Now that he had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, Logan turned his attention to Sage Mode of Paulownia Forest.
Years ago, shortly after signing his Summoning Contract during the Chunin Exams, Logan had dabbled in it.
But back-to-back crises had left him no time to train properly.
And during his travels with Sasori, he had revisited the basics, and over the past half-month in his inn room, he had tried again… only to be constantly disrupted by noise, making it impossible to enter the right state.
Absorbing Natural Energy required 'absolute stillness'. As a half-baked beginner, Logan struggled to find the right balance, which is why he had checked out today, deciding to practice in the relative solitude of the wilderness.
"..."
After a long while, Logan frowned and opened his eyes.
'This is kind of scary...'
He couldn't shake his unease. It was very dangerous to practice the Sage Mode. After all, one misstep and he'd turn to stone, becoming one with nature. It's worse than a qi deviation in Cultivation Novel.
Sighting in his heart, Logan stood up, "Looks like I'll have to make a trip to the Paulownia Forest after all."
There was no shame in asking for help. He can just ask the elder, or one of his summoning partners to guide him… after all, that's how most summoning contract holders learned Sage Mode in other Holy Lands.
Forming the hand seals, Logan activated the Reverse Summoning Technique, and intricate patterns appeared on the tree trunk beneath him.