The deep night flowed across the sky like a river passing through mountains, with earth and time racing forward together.
Within Konoha's endless stretch of buildings, someone was lost in their thoughts.
Meanwhile, far away on the other side of the world, another person looked up at the silent night sky in the midst of solitude.
In the Land of Grass, Logan had just exited the black market.
The streets were shrouded in darkness, with barely any lights to be seen. This small country's poor infrastructure meant that past midnight, the town was swallowed by a heavy black curtain, mercilessly blotting out its vision.
Even the moonlight was faint. Walking through the deep night, Logan silently navigated the alleys, his brows furrowed. At one point, two sharp gusts of wind sliced through the silence… only to be swiftly extinguished.
'So, someone decided to target me, huh?'
With two dull thuds, two figures collapsed to the ground. Logan adjusted his slightly ruffled clothing and shook his head.
He hadn't even needed to draw Shimizu. The two assailants, dressed in ordinary clothes, had attempted to stalk and ambush him, but their technique was crude, with their skill no better than your average Rogue Ninja.
'They shouldn't be from ANBU or other forces. It seems like they are really unlucky.' After checking them over, Logan confirmed they were merely some unlucky small-time thieves. He hadn't held back in their brief skirmish, so whatever was broken was broken, and when they woke up, they'd just have to fend for themselves.
They didn't look like good people, anyway.
Having verified their irrelevance, Logan confiscated their meager belongings, took what little money they had, and walked away with a look of disgust.
Being tailed after leaving the black market was nothing unusual, but what really made Logan frown was the intelligence he had obtained inside.
Most of the information had little significance… scraps of outdated or mundane news. However, for someone like Logan, who had been away and wanted a broad understanding of what had happened in the Ninja World during his absence, it was enough.
Sighing, Logan leaped onto a high wall and disappeared from the dark alley in a few swift movements.
That afternoon, he had resupplied in Yukino Town before slipping past Konoha's watchful eyes, both in the open and in the shadows, and crossed the border undetected.
By the time he had arrived here, it was already this late, so he had decided to check out the black market first. Now, trying to find an inn or lodging was pointless, as places like these didn't have round-the-clock service, and dawn wasn't far off anyway.
Wandering aimlessly, Logan eventually stumbled upon an abandoned temple in a remote corner of the town.
He gathered some straw into a makeshift bedding and sat down, stretching his limbs. His deep Chakra Reserves meant he rarely felt exhaustion, nor did he truly need sleep.
But the habits of modern life still clung to him… just like how, even when homework wasn't that much, or a word count goal hadn't been reached, fatigue still washed over you like a tidal wave.
Leaning against the wall, Logan blankly gazed toward the horizon. The deep pre-dawn sky was layered with a still, oppressive mix of violet and blue clouds.
Only two days had passed since his return to the Ninja World, yet it felt like a blur. He had already been in multiple fights, not that any of his opponents had been particularly troublesome.
But each battle served as a quiet reminder that peace was long gone.
Alone, in the dead of night, with no one to rely on, Logan thought about the days ahead. Tomorrow, the day after that, the one after that.
At that moment, he truly felt the weight of solitude.
However, the feeling didn't last. Logan missed the beautiful Sumika for a while. Then, his mind wandered to a different concern: the girl who had accompanied him for a day.
'Mai should be back in the village by now, right?' Adjusting to a more comfortable position, Logan exhaled slowly.
Once she returned, there would undoubtedly be many questions and suspicions. He was certain that no one had witnessed the two of them together, and now, all he could do was trust that the grown-up Mai would handle things properly.
A long time ago, an innocent girl had found a crescent-shaped pendant, hoping to commission a Ninja for help... And in the end, a Ninja really did take the job.
Logan smiled faintly as he looked at the thin stream of moonlight on the ground.
That ordinary, dime-a-dozen crescent-shaped pendant had long been left in his room back home as a keepsake.
Now that Mai had learned the truth about her own identity… he wondered if she still remembered that little detail.
Of course, she hadn't forgotten. Some memories were too deeply carved to ever fade, playing on repeat night after night until they resurfaced once more.
What Logan didn't know was that, during that day by the fire and river, Mai had secretly glanced at his neck, his wrists, and even his pockets… searching for the pendant.
She had wanted to ask. But too much time had passed. So, in the end, she buried it in her heart once more.
'I wonder what that older brother of hers, Kazuya, is like now.' Logan relaxed, thinking absentmindedly.
The boy he remembered had been simple and honest, the type to just smile when bullied. And with such a talented younger sister, he probably hadn't turned out bad.
…
The first light of dawn flickered at the edge of his vision. Outside the ruined temple, the air seemed to brighten slightly… or maybe it just felt darker. Logan squinted up at the receding night, already thinking ahead to the coming day.
Now that he had a rough grasp of what had happened in the Ninja World, he could start planning his next steps… comparing things to the original timeline and deciding what to do.
Of everything that had transpired in these three years, what Logan regretted the most was that Sasuke had still defected, choosing to follow Orochimaru in pursuit of greater power.
Nothing Logan had done had changed that. Then again, maybe that was only natural.
After all, when it came to defection… well, Sasuke already had a prime example to follow.
Piecing together various bits of information, Logan found it somewhat surprising that the events during this period had not deviated much from the original work.
The original work here of course refers to the Manga after Kishimoto had obtained his drawing tablet again.
Logan could only chalk it up to coincidence. Given the established plot logic, it wasn't far-fetched for the story to unfold in a similar manner… even though, truthfully, there hadn't been any significant deviations to begin with.
Not that it mattered. Even if the digital tablet retained some residual influence, as long as Kishimoto continued drawing along those lines, Logan had no issue with it. The power of his transmigration was firmly in his own hands.
'But from now on, 'I' probably won't have much screen time anymore.' Logan smirked. Back then, he had cast a low-level hypnosis, and his character had left a lasting psychological scar on Kishimoto.
The sun rose higher, accompanied by the crisp chirping of birds nestled in the tree branches. Stepping into the morning light, Logan ruffled his hair as he made his way into town.
Skipping brushing his teeth and washing his face in the morning felt like torture, so with both money and means, he checked into an inn, freshened up, and had breakfast. Feeling refreshed, he then stepped back onto the streets.
There was no reason to linger in the Land of Grass. Since Logan's goal upon returning was crystal clear… preventing the Uchiha brothers from succumbing to their tragic fate, so his next steps naturally fell into place.
After careful consideration, Logan decided on his approach, "Let's look for Itachi first. He seems easier to talk to..."
After all, he was technically a senior in this world, right? And besides the matter of his transmigration, he and Itachi shared a mutual understanding regarding the hidden truths behind the Uchiha massacre.
The next question was… where to find him?
Logan had a few options in mind, but before he could finalize his choice, as he stepped out of town and entered the dense forest, a presence locked onto him without the slightest attempt at concealment.