"Searching, searching, looking for a friend, found a good friend..."
How hard is it to find someone without any clues? From the ends of the earth, it would be an almost impossible task.
Logan walked along a narrow dirt path leading to an unknown destination, shaking his head helplessly.
Finding Itachi without any leads was incredibly difficult, especially since Logan had no faction or influence to rely on.
So, as he set out to search for Itachi, Logan changed his approach, deciding to take a slightly indirect route. Since he couldn't go straight to the Akatsuki's Headquarters to get information, he would start by inquiring from an Akatsuki's member instead.
The sky was clear, and for the moment, Logan set aside the trouble of being watched by White Zetsu. Humming a tune, he walked along as wildflowers and weeds were trampled pitifully underfoot… probably from being stepped on too often. Stretching outward on both sides was an endless field.
This was the countryside of the Land of Earth, where Logan had been navigating based on memory for three days now.
Choosing the right 'intermediary' was crucial, but fortunately, Logan had always been good at socializing. His target is the puppet master hidden under the guise of a creepy old man but actually a youthful-looking boy, Sasori of the Red Sand.
The Akatsuki's members were all popular, but the good-looking ones were especially well-received, as Logan himself was proof of that.
As he walked along the dirt path, Logan clapped his hands as if he'd just realized something, "That's right, Sasori and I both have youthful appearances! They say successful communication requires a common language, and this is exactly that!"
Information of Sasori flashed through Logan's mind, his childhood, the contrast between his outer shell and his human puppet core, and the battle that would ultimately lead to his end... he's a popular yet tragic character.
Logan shook his head, pushing those distant thoughts away and focusing on the present, "I've interacted with him before."
With this in mind, Logan gained a little more confidence in this visit.
"I once crossed mountains and seas..."
Just as Logan hummed a new song, he spotted his destination.
A small mound of a hill, looking desolate under the cover of a few crooked, aged trees, stood in the distance. Beside it was an equally old-looking wooden house.
"This is the place. Looks exactly the same." Logan narrowed his eyes, standing on tiptoe to peek past the hill. Further down the dirt path, he could faintly see a settlement, something like a rundown town on the outskirts of civilization.
"What a casual choice for a private hideout."
Akatsuki's members had a fair amount of personal freedom when not on missions. Many of them had temporary resting spots, and for a top-tier puppet master like Sasori, having a personal workshop was only natural.
Back when Logan was working on forging Shimizu, he had been able to communicate with Sasori and reach a mutual understanding based on their shared expertise, and it definitely wasn't about pestering him shamelessly.
Because of that, Logan was familiar with this place, and the small village a few miles away served as the workshop's regular supply hub.
If nothing unexpected happened, Sasori should be here, after all, tech enthusiasts rarely strayed far from their workspaces.
…
A short while later, Logan stood in front of the two-story wooden house.
He wasn't sure what to expect from this meeting. After hesitating for a moment, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock. A layer of dust shook loose from the wooden boards, making him cough slightly.
Logan frowned and waved his hand in front of his face, 'What happened to cleaning? Oh, speaking of which, the steps creaked under my feet earlier… how had years passed and no one bothered to fix this place?'
This hideout was both remote and worn down. Honestly, he'd always wanted to complain about that. He wasn't expecting Orochimaru-level secret lairs with expertly crafted underground tunnels, but at least give the term 'hidden base' some respect, right?
Though, to be fair, it was pretty hidden.
"Anyone home?"
Logan relaxed his stance and called out. After waiting for a few seconds without any response, he thought for a moment and knocked again.
"Hello? Your custom kunai and senbon package has arrived."
Logan kept a straight face as the silence of the open countryside remained undisturbed, only a few stray gusts of wind brushing past.
Lightly coughing, he touched his face, then took a few steps back to get a full view of the wooden house. Folding his arms, he concentrated.
'Is he really not here?'
Logan couldn't help but think this, but after traveling all this way, he wasn't about to leave empty-handed, 'Besides, what if Sasori was just sleeping inside that long, ugly shell of his? With all that metal in the way, maybe he simply couldn't hear the knocking.'
Aside from Sasori, who had at least some overlap with him, Logan had no other way of obtaining information about Itachi. Coming here was a last resort, but he had no choice.
As he seriously examined the area, his gaze gradually turned mischievous. His eyes landed on the small hill nearby.
He knew the truth.
Sasori had completely remodeled the inside, making it a spacious workshop filled with tools. This was essentially the core of Sasori's personal workspace.
'Maybe I should fire off a Railgun here? That would definitely make him come out. Then I could just claim it was a shooting star or an accident...'
Just as that dangerous thought started to take root, the wooden door suddenly creaked open.
A figure, one that felt distant yet instantly familiar, appeared in the doorway. Before Logan could even react, the person had already noticed him.
A cold, emotionless gaze swept over Logan, pausing briefly before moving on, as if assessing an unremarkable piece of meat.
Logan, however, was overjoyed and raised a hand in greeting, "Jade Maiden!"
"..." Sasori silently stared at him, offering no response.
Logan stepped back onto the creaky wooden steps, his gaze lowering slightly to meet Sasori's, whose stature wasn't quite so imposing due to the hunched Hiruko. Sasori's indifferent stare reminded him to dial it back, so he naturally corrected himself: "Jade... Sasori, long time no see."
Their eyes met, and Sasori remained silent, lost in thought.
"Who are you?"
'Huh…? Was he really pretending not to know him?'
Logan maintained an awkward yet polite smile, "Come on, we know each other well, Sasori. I'm Raiden Hattori."
Logan had come here with a request, so given the circumstances, it was only right to be enthusiastic.
"Raiden… Hattori." Sasori muttered, and finally took a closer look at Logan, "You're not dead yet?"
'What a unique way to say hello.'
Logan forced himself to keep up the awkward but polite smile, "Nope, still alive."
'Had this puppet maniac really forgotten about him? Three years had passed, and in his mind, had he already written me off as dead?'
"Umm..." Seeing that Sasori had gone quiet again after hearing he was still alive, Logan carefully chose his words, "I actually came to ask for a favor..."
Rubbing his hands together, Logan gestured toward the house and said, "So… is it okay if we talk inside?"
'Phew. All things considered, this reunion with Sasori wasn't exactly pleasant. It also wasn't the kind of emotional scene where old friends meet again after years apart. But at least Sasori didn't show any hostility, which meant he wasn't about to attack me just for having essentially cut ties with the organization. That meant there was room for discussion.'
'And since there was room for discussion, all I had to do was rely on their common ground.'
Since they're both youthful, both good-looking, and Logan was sure Sasori was just cold on the outside but warm inside. With that, they could move on to the next step of their conversation...
Bang!
The door closed.