Chapter 236 Returning to The Modern World

Logan thanked him and quickly grabbed the food to eat. Everyone was quite exhausted, and it was completely normal to feel thirsty and hungry. As Ninjas who exert more power, they naturally need more energy than ordinary people.

'To be honest, the air was now filled with the aroma of food...' Logan glanced subtly at Kisame, who was blocking the view of the roasting food, 'Geez, still shielding it, huh? Talk about being stingy.'

Even if they didn't get along well, Logan still really wanted to eat the meat. He was planning to ask Itachi to help him get some later.

"What a long night." Logan said as the sun gradually rose in the east, bathing everything in sunlight. It was hard to believe how twisted things had gotten last night. After finishing some fruit, Logan leaned against the slope at the foot of the mountain.

Itachi sat nearby, also looking eastward. His complex yet calm eyes quietly absorbed the dazzling light, "I think it wasn't that bad."

Logan glanced at the mature-looking Itachi and smiled, "You did meet a brother you hadn't seen in years."

Itachi couldn't help but be reminded of his concerns. When they were retreating under pursuit earlier, Logan had deliberately mentioned Sasuke, suggesting that he knew something. This made Itachi less inclined to maintain his usual cold demeanor, "It's been a long time indeed, but that doesn't really have anything to do with it. A night's time is the same regardless."

"I was just testing your reaction."

"..."

Itachi helplessly found that conversations with this senior of his always ended up in strange places that differed from those with others. Taking things seriously would mean losing, so Itachi chose to selectively ignore some things.

Logan looked at Itachi's expressionless face and shook his head, 'Forget it, it wasn't the right time to bring up the topic of the Uchiha massacre.'

He was willing to help solve the issues between the Uchiha brothers, and Itachi had also mentioned finding a good time to talk about it, but with Kisame present, it wasn't convenient.

Besides, Logan was indeed quite exhausted, more mentally than physically. First, he had made a decision to follow his heart at the Chunin Exams' venue, then he had fought fiercely against Orochimaru.

Later, in the dead of night, he had to deal with a student brawl that dragged on for quite a while. Now that everything had temporarily come to an end, the relaxation was making him feel even more worn out.

Itachi suddenly remembered something and asked Logan about the situation where the sky was burning red in the night.

Logan paused for a moment before realizing it was likely the effect caused by Akiyama using his Senjutsu, where a waterfall of flames descended from the sky, a spectacle that was truly grand. Even recalling it, Logan thought it was quite impressive,

'It wasn't surprising that people in other places might have seen it.' Logan thought for a moment and, without hiding anything, candidly explained to Itachi the reason behind it: a legitimate summoning of his contract beast, no boasting required.

Skipping the discovery of the summoning entrance at the shrine, Logan guided Itachi to recognize the concept of a powerful hidden Summoned Beast. After Logan finished speaking, even Itachi couldn't help but praise the Divine Bird Clan.

"Senpai, your summoning beast is really strong."

"Haha, not at all."

Meanwhile, Kisame perked up his ears, and after listening, turned around to look at Logan with a suspicious expression, 'Lightning Release was already troublesome enough, and now there was a Summoned Beast proficient in Fire Release? Was this for real?'

Logan didn't mind Kisame eavesdropping. Even if the information reached Pain or Obito, his standing in the organization would only increase, with negligible downsides. After all, his trump cards were not limited to this.

"Hey, Raiden Hattori, stop lying. What kind of Summoned Beast can burn the sky red?" Kisame's voice, which always sounded unpleasant, chimed in, "Even if you have that bird..."

The campfire crackled with the sound of roasting meat, and the sizzling of juices made the aroma even more enticing. Kisame spoke dismissively, but it was obvious he wanted to know the specifics of the fight.

Fascinating battles hold great allure for the strong, but Logan wasn't about to spill everything out of kindness. Faced with Kisame's skeptical gaze, Logan glared right back.

"Believe it or not, Shark Face. Just eat your meat!"

Logan deliberately emphasized the word "meat," as if hinting that Kisame should be considerate enough to share half of the meat he had been roasting for so long. The questions he had just asked could be considered if Kisame cooperated...

However, Kisame paid no attention to such nuances. Realizing there was no hope for getting the answer, he turned back to tend to the golden-brown food, his wariness of Logan's strength renewing.

After all, Kisame had once openly declared that he would take Logan on in a fight.

"I'm so tired..." Seeing that Kisame had no sense of tact, Logan tried not to think about the aroma in the air. In the quiet, with only the small campfire burning, weariness washed over him. He rubbed his temples and asked Itachi: "Itachi, how long are we resting here?"

"Do you have something in mind?" Itachi asked, "The hasn't set a strict deadline for our return, which means we have quite a bit of freedom."

"It's always been pretty free, hasn't it?" Logan quipped. Akatsuki, as a group, didn't care about anything except the outcome of your mission. It was like a university without roll calls or leave requests.

Itachi didn't quite catch Logan's point and simply nodded along to the previous statement, offering a generic response, "If you want to rest, Senpai, that works out. Kisame and I also..."

"Great! Then I'll go take a nap first."

"..." Itachi paused, his face momentarily stiffening before returning to his usual impassive expression, acknowledging Logan's intention. Originally, he thought that after such strenuous activities, resting a bit longer was only natural. He hadn't expected Logan to be talking about sleeping.

'This place is only a few steps away from the Land of Fire, you know...' Itachi considered whether he should remind Logan of this but ultimately decided against it.

Kisame, meanwhile, was devouring his food with the gusto of a storm. The noise was grating to Logan, who exchanged a quick word with Itachi before angrily ducking into the makeshift tent.

As he lay down, the feeling of exhaustion deepened, and the weight of drowsiness pressed heavily on Logan's mind. The not-so-spacious tent loomed overhead, creating a small but comforting space. Logan's thoughts wandered intermittently.

'I had already left the Land of Fire, Konoha knew of my affiliation with Akatsuki, and I had said my farewells to my acquaintances, well, although the process hadn't been particularly friendly. Future encounters were sure to be rough... Regardless, this chapter had truly come to an end.'

His eyelids grew heavy, and even thinking took effort, 'I wonder if Naruto and Sasuke were waking up by now. Konoha, thrown into chaos, was facing a brand-new day.'

'But, with the Third Hokage still alive, bolstered by his inspiring words of the Will of Fire, the villagers would rise anew. The various talented individuals who had gathered would return to their own paths. Plots would lurk in the shadows, and the main characters would continue their journey, growing stronger.'

'I really look forward to the next plot twist.'

This transition was so deliberate it couldn't have been more obvious. Logically, those words shouldn't take long to appear, but it felt like it had been ages since they last showed up.

As Logan closed his eyes, sure enough, he saw the fitting three words emerge from the corner, perfectly in sync with the moment.

[To be continued…]