The desolate, remote landscape remained monotonous… no travelers on the dirt road, only a few faint silhouettes of buildings at the horizon, too distant to grasp.
A breeze, slightly cooling from the summer heat, swept through, as if leaving only this patch of sky and earth before one's eyes.
In front of a wooden house, two figures stood about ten meters apart, unknowingly forming a confrontation.
Scattered puppet fragments mixed with wild grass in the soil. When Logan shifted his foot, the ground creaked under him. He looked at the situation with some awkwardness, wanting to say something but hesitating out of embarrassment.
Yes, Logan did know what it meant to feel embarrassed.
Across from him, Sasori barely moved, only stepping from inside the house onto the porch. He glanced at the broken pieces on the ground, his face hidden under Hiruko revealing no particular emotion.
"Raiden Hattori, I won't bother commenting on your unreasonable behavior these past few days, but I advise you not to go too far." The deep voice, resonating through Hiruko's vocal cords, carried an innate pressure.
Being met with two fully armed puppets was proof enough of Sasori's seriousness, but it wasn't enough to scare Logan. He played dumb, his expression naturally harmless, and said: "Ah, I admit that showing up every day is a bit intrusive, but I deliberately delayed my visit today... Hmm, was it still too early?"
The sun was nearly at its zenith, its light glaringly bright. Morning had long passed, and people had left their beds, working diligently. But none of that was the point.
Sasori closed his eyes briefly and rubbed his fingers, "You were squeezed out of the organization's core circle. Now that you've suddenly reappeared, the leader will never just let you be. You should understand that..."
"It's already eleven, right? How is dropping by to say hello considered unreasonable? Sasori, you clearly stay up late often. For a healthy work-life balance, you should take a more relaxed approach."
By now, Sasori was no longer as frustrated by Logan's peculiar personality as he had been at first. Moments like these, he knew, were when he had to avoid being pulled into Logan's familiar rhythm, only to be thrown off and defeated.
Indeed, when he had met Logan before, this guy had displayed the same thick-skinned attitude.
After he finished rubbing his hands, Sasori activated his Chakra Threads, letting them flex around his fingertips in preparation, "Regardless of what the leader will do..."
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Logan glanced up warily, only to see Sasori silently pull out a scroll from his cloak.
'Something about it looked familiar...'
"Hey, don't be so serious… wait, Sasori, what are you holding? Calm down!"
The scroll bore the kanji for 'Wind'. Given Logan's current level of strength, his danger instincts instantly flared… he knew exactly what that meant.
That was Sasori's infamous masterpiece, the human puppet crafted from the Third Kazekage's corpse.
Human puppets would retain their original Chakra and innate abilities, so the puppet master could fully utilize the deceased's techniques and Kekkei Genkai.
The stronger the person in life, the more terrifying the puppet made from them.
"Hey, that's your trump card, right? Isn't this a bit much? I just knocked on your door for a few days…" Logan squinted, no longer feigning ignorance.
Sasori clapped his hands together, preparing to unravel the scroll. The metallic scent of iron sand seemed ready to burst forth.
"Wait! It's my fault, I admit it!"
The Chakra disturbance in the air suddenly halted, and Sasori shot him a scrutinizing look.
As the world's only puppet master capable of making human puppets, Logan knew he couldn't afford to mess with this guy.
Logan raised his hands in surrender, taking a step back with self-awareness, "Sasori, I've reflected on my actions. How could I disturb someone's sleep? Making such a severe mistake… sigh, I was truly unreasonable."
"..."
Sasori's gaze flickered. "You think joking about this is amusing?"
His tone was filled with disdain, clearly not believing Logan.
Logan took a deep breath and spoke seriously: "Yesterday, I didn't get the answer I was looking for. But regardless of my current situation within Akatsuki, I still appreciate your time. Today, I came because I remembered something else."
Sasori looked over and relaxed slightly, 'At least he wasn't completely pretending anymore.'
With the warning of White Zetsu tracking him, Logan knew that any interaction with an Akatsuki's member was unwise for both parties. One misstep, and Pain, hiding in Amegakure, would start overanalyzing things.
Sasori, who is emotionally detached by nature, had no interest in dealing with a former colleague with a mysterious agenda. This puppet master, who had walked a solitary path, hiding his youthful face beneath a human puppet, never sought unnecessary trouble… he only wanted to focus on his craft.
Fights were a hassle, effort rarely rewarded, and that was the only reason he kept tolerating Logan. From the very beginning, Sasori's mindset was to get this nuisance over with as soon as possible.
But Logan, aware of the complications surrounding his presence, hadn't approached formally with requests or negotiations.
Instead, he used this seemingly half-hearted approach.
The coarse scent of iron sand still seemed to drift from the unassuming scroll.
"…What is it?" Sasori finally asked after a brief silence.
Logan kept a wary eye on the scroll containing the Third Kazekage puppet.
Seeing this, Sasori let out a cold snort before slowly putting it away.
Logan cleared his throat and said: "It's just… I wanted to ask you for a favor."
Sasori's hand twitched, and the Third Kazekage's puppet, which was half-unsheathed, looked ready to charge again.
"A small favor! A small one!" Logan quickly added. "I'd like to ask you to forge some kunai for me."
Almost without thinking, Sasori rejected him instantly, "No!"
After saying this, he turned on his heel and walked back inside.
Upon seeing this, Logan flickered ten meters forward and slipped into the house just before the door shut.
"I won't make it difficult for you. Just like when I asked you to forge Shimizu before, I'll provide both the payment and materials."
Sasori turned, exasperated to find Logan had once again barged into his home uninvited, 'Why did this guy always act like it was nothing?'
Logan flashed a grin, sensing the atmosphere finally calming, "It's nothing complicated. With your skills, you'll finish in no time. Besides, haven't we worked well together before?"
"I don't recall forging you a short blade four years ago being a 'pleasant experience'." Sasori interrupted Logan abruptly.
"..." Logan was briefly at a loss for words, but his quick wit kicked in, "Oh wow, you even remember how many years it's been. Sasori, you're surprisingly warm-hearted beneath that cold exterior..."
Hiruko's expression remained as cold and rigid as ever, but the real Sasori inside was likely fuming. He lifted a hand, pointing at Logan, struggling for a sharp retort… but came up empty.
'Maybe I should just activate the weapon mechanism in my fingers.'
While Sasori wavered between irritation and resignation, Logan pulled him down to sit, casually setting up cups and pouring water. "It's just a few kunai. I don't trust other people's craftsmanship. And listen, money isn't an issue..."
Sasori listened coolly, then suddenly paused, 'Wait… Did he hear that right?'
"Kunai?"
Of all weapons, kunai were the most standard and commonplace, an entry-level tool for Ninja. While Elite Ninja also used them, they were hardly special.
Logan slid a cup toward him, and chuckled softly, "Yes, a special kind of kunai."