The movement behind him was unmistakable, but Sasori remained composed, walking as if nothing had changed. However, unseen by anyone, the corner of his lips twitched slightly.
Whoosh.
Dust scattered as a sudden presence cut through the air, arcs of electricity flickering briefly in Sasori's senses.
In the next moment, the crackling blue lightning effortlessly dissipated, withdrawing into a controlled calm. Logan appeared in front of him.
'Hmph. Just as I expected.'
Sasori stopped in his tracksand put on an expression that said, 'You're so annoying. Didn't I tell you not to follow me?' and said, "Didn't I specifically tell you not to come?"
Logan grinned shamelessly, dispersing his Lightning Release and clearing his throat: "Ah, you can't say it like that. We still have unfinished business to discuss."
'Discuss my ass.' Sasori raised a hand, ready to shut him down with a rebuttal, but after considering how pointless it would be, he simply flicked his sleeve and scoffed, "You're bringing this upon yourself."
Logan understood what Sasori was implying. But he wasn't someone who belonged entirely to this world, and his way of thinking was something few could relate to.
Seeing that Logan had no intention of leaving, Sasori turned his head away and resumed walking toward his destination.
'One of the good things about dealing with cold and detached people was that they weren't prone to impulsive fights over a disagreement. Though… we have fought before.' Logan mused, keeping pace with Sasori, grinning as he moved to walk alongside him.
Sasori didn't stop him. Didn't acknowledge him either.
And so, their solitary path became one of two travelers.
The monotonous barrenness of the landscape faded into the distance. The dusty road at their feet stretched toward the horizon, leading into sprawling fields of untamed greenery.
Above, white clouds drifted lazily, following the slow transition of the sky. As time passed, the sun's golden light shifted, rising and dimming in its steady journey across the heavens.
Sasori's destination was Sunagakure. He had never mentioned it to Logan. From the remote corners of the Land of Earth, they passed through the Land of Birds, traveling south at an intermittent pace. Sasori said nothing, while Logan followed naturally.
For an uninvited companion who hadn't even been told their destination, Logan's lack of questions was something Sasori found mildly surprising. Still, he chose to interpret it as a sign that Logan knew his place.
Both of them were highly capable Ninja. Even without actively rushing, it didn't take them long to approach the borders of the small Land of Birds.
Of course, this journey was far from being the peaceful, harmonious trek it might have seemed.
Traveling outside the villages meant inevitable disputes, especially when long stretches of quiet wilderness made for dull company.
From an aerial perspective, they were just two tiny figures moving across the vast landscape. And in such silence, conversations were bound to happen.
For instance, when they first left the Land of Earth, the yellow dirt gradually gave way to patches of green. At that point, they still hadn't properly settled the matter of their departure. Thus, every single day, Logan would bring up his special kunai.
And every single day, Sasori would grow more exasperated. Unable to take it anymore, he finally resorted to invoking Pain's authority.
"Raiden Hattori, can you shut up? Do you realize that if you keep bringing this up, the leader might personally deal with you?"
"I'm not worried."
"I'll be meeting up with my teammate soon. You've heard of Deidara, right? He's not as easygoing as I am… he really loves blowing things up."
"Still not worried."
"Haha, and what are you going to do when the organization questions me about this?"
"No problem."
"…"
Sasori, 'What the hell?'
At that moment, Sasori truly gave up. There was no point in dwelling on Logan's presence anymore. He wasn't about to waste energy getting worked up over it… especially since there was no benefit in doing so. At this rate, his only hope for some peace and quiet lay in Deidara arriving quickly and blasting some sense into Logan.
Logan, of course, wasn't blind to Akatsuki's stance on him. He wasn't so carefree that he ignored the looming presence of such a powerful group.
On the contrary, he was always keeping it in mind.
For now, traveling with Sasori wasn't an issue. But once they left the secluded corners of the Land of Earth, crossing through towns and villages, they would inevitably find themselves under the open sky… exposed for all to see.
Akatsuki operated in secrecy, keeping the Ichibi's retrieval a classified mission. Even Sunagakure only realized the attack when it was already underway.
However, Logan's concerns weren't about the Ninja Villages noticing him… it was about the fact that he was openly traveling with Sasori. The higher-ups in Akatsuki had likely already caught wind of this.
It was almost certain that White Zetsu had dispatched clones to track them. In close proximity, Logan could indeed detect them, but if those clones remained concealed and suppressed their presence while tailing from a distance, there wasn't much he could do.
After a year of being absent from duty, Logan remained strategically optimistic.
He hadn't done anything to directly harm the organization's interests, but he also had to prepare for the worst.
That's why he was taking a gamble by heading to Sunagakure.
To put it bluntly, the result would be the same either way. Itachi's Shapeshifting Technique would eventually be involved, so the only difference was whether he moved in secrecy or not.
Power was the foundation of everything. With White Zetsu lurking around, Logan felt the urgency of his situation.
Despite maintaining a laid-back demeanor, he began subtly started his training along the journey south.
In reality, he was just sharpening old skills. He had long reached a point where conventional training yielded little progress, but there were still abilities he had once researched, reached the threshold of mastering, but left incomplete due to various reasons.
Now, he was revisiting one of them, which is the Sage Mode of the Divine Bird Clan.
It is a completely new realm of power, one that warranted the highest level of respect. The progress was slow, but there was no rush.
Meanwhile, Logan also hadn't given up on his daily routine of pestering Sasori.
He was determined to get Sasori to create his special kunai. The Flying Thunder God Technique required a marked seal to function, and a specially made kunai that could retain the seal indefinitely was the most practical option in combat.
Manually applying the seal with direct contact worked too, but in high-speed battle, especially against equal or stronger opponents, it was too limiting.
Sasori was once again reaching his breaking point. Even as a modified human puppet, he still had emotions. One day, he finally snapped and lashed out at Logan, who had been incessantly bringing up the kunai issue, "You're so annoying! What's so special about this damn weapon that you won't shut up about it?"
Logan's eyes lit up, and he leaned in. "So, you do want to know?"
Sasori choked, rolled his eyes, and glared at him, "I..."
"Have you ever heard of the Yellow Flash?"
"Yellow Flash..." Sasori's gaze flickered. He fell silent for a moment, his thoughts racing as old memories of the legend from the Ninja World War resurfaced. It was a name associated with devastating power.
Then, as if deciding it wasn't worth discussing, Sasori pretended not to have heard anything. From that point on, he ignored the topic entirely.
Logan was speechless, but there was nothing he could do.
And so, the days continued to pass until they finally stepped into that vast, timeworn land at the map's edge.
It was nighttime. The world lay in complete darkness. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, leaving the land shrouded in shadow.
Sasori moved ahead with steady, quiet steps, while Logan followed just a little behind.
Then, suddenly, he felt something.
The wind stirred. Logan extended a hand, letting the fine grains slip between his fingers. A faint but rising storm of sand brushed against his palm.
The wind picked up, carrying with it swirling particles. The thick black clouds shifted under the force, revealing the boundless glow of the moon.
Standing in place, Logan watched as the terrain beneath them transformed under the dim light. Before them, stretching as far as the eye could see, was an endless sea of rolling golden dust.
The vast desert of the Land of Wind.