The entrance of the Uchiha Clan's settlement was deserted. As Logan was about to turn away, a white cloth floated into his hands.
Instinctively catching it, Logan knew it was something tied around the arm to show respect during mourning. After such a big event, the village showed respect to the Uchiha Clan, which had always been a restless firework that eventually reached its end. The visit and ceremony were quite grand, but what was somewhat ridiculous was the lack of cleanup after the fervor had passed.
Near the settlement, you could step on wreaths and offerings, but there were no kind souls to help clean them up.
Thinking of this, Logan frowned, 'With Sasuke's current small stature at eight years old, it couldn't have been him organizing all this. So what about those people in the village? Couldn't they handle this properly?'
"May they rest in peace."
"Thank you."
A couple came out of the mansion with the door open, followed by a child with a youthful face.
The couple seemed to have come to pay homage to an old friend from the Uchiha Clan. With white cloth tied around their arms, they came out and spoke kindly to the boy who followed them.
Logan tilted his head slightly. The boy's clothes bore the Uchiha Clan's emblem on the back, making him unique in the village from now on.
The couple looked at the large settlement and then at the small boy in front of them. They sighed, said a few words, and left.
The boy stood motionless, watching the couple walk away down the street, then returned to the gate and closed it with effort.
"..."
Logan watched as Sasuke saw off the last group of mourners.
Sasuke was halfway through closing the gate when he suddenly saw Logan, who is still standing there. His eyes fell on the white cloth in Logan's hand, and his expression changed slightly. He reopened the gate and stood on the side.
"Please come in."
Sasuke, who was already familiar with this, kept his gaze down and spoke in a somewhat numb tone.
"Um…"
Logan felt a bit embarrassed, scratching his head. After a few seconds, when Sasuke looked up in confusion, Logan sighed and stepped inside.
"Sorry for the disturbance."
Sasuke didn't say anything. He just glanced at the scattered white cloth wreaths outside the door, and followed Logan inside.
"This way."
"Okay." Logan responded with a forced smile as Sasuke, who barely reached his chest, led the way. He hadn't expected his first meeting with the younger Uchiha to be like this. After turning a few corners, he saw the grand mourning hall.
Entering the hall, Logan was shocked by the solemn atmosphere in front of him. Rows of memorial tablets, names unfamiliar to him, were displayed prominently. At the forefront was Uchiha Fugaku, Itachi and Sasuke's father, and also the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan.
After entering the mourning hall, Sasuke knelt on the side without saying a word, his eyes empty as he stared at the ground, as if waiting for Logan to finish.
Logan had no one he knew well in the Uchiha Clan, and the only one he knew, Itachi, was the culprit... So he felt that it was really inappropriate for him to come in.
Stuck in place, he could only pretend to walk a few steps forward, then clasped his hands together and bowed respectfully to the deceased.
Logan secretly observed the environment of the Uchiha Clan's settlement. There were many independent houses inside, which were probably where the Uchiha Clan's people lived. But now, with each family gone, it looked truly desolate as far as the eye could see.
Logan looked at Sasuke, who was kneeling aside and bowing his head in a daze, 'From now on, he would have to live alone.' Logan hoped that facing the shadow left by his brother every night, Sasuke could still sleep well.
"Itachi, you are too ruthless..." Logan sighed. Even as an outsider, he found it heartbreaking to witness.
"Your name is Sasuke, right?" Logan walked up to Sasuke and said softly.
Sasuke didn't respond immediately. He hadn't planned on entertaining any guests. After all the visitors in the past few days, he no longer felt anything, whether he knew them or not.
"Yes, my name is Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke looked up, his spirit somewhat restored. Then he stood up, well, he still needed to look up at Logan. He glanced at the forehead protector Logan was wearing.
'He's a Ninja.'
"Excuse me, do you need something?" Sasuke regarded Logan as a stranger, so he spoke politely but with a hint of formality.
"Ah, it's nothing." Logan glanced again at the deserted settlement outside, "Are you attending the Ninja Academy?"
"Yes, I am." Sasuke replied obediently, but his tone already carried a shadow of aloofness typical of his older self.
"Well, good luck with that." Logan demonstrated his proficiency in small talk once again, leading with an opening line, then clearing his throat and getting to the point.
"Here's my address." Logan handed Sasuke a piece of paper, "Since you'll be living alone from now on... uh, if you ever encounter any difficulties in life, you can come find me."
Sasuke took the paper with a strange expression, glanced at the words on it, and then looked at Logan with a wary look, as if seeing him as some kind of shady uncle. He said stiffly: "Thank you for your offer."
"..."
Logan felt like he had just shot himself in the foot, 'Was I being too sudden and unreserved?' But the words were already out, so there's nothing he could do.
Logan did this for his own peace of mind, whether it was for Itachi's sake or his own.
Sasuke casually put the note in his pocket, not thinking much of it. In fact, he even frowned slightly. He never intended to seek help from others. There was enough money left in the clan for him to spend until graduation, and he never had the thought of relying on others.
Sasuke gritted his teeth inwardly.
His brother, on the Night of the Crimson Moon, had wielded his blade in front of him, grabbed him by the neck, and uttered those cold and cruel words that he would never forget. From that moment on, he would no longer be the foolish little brother.
He must take revenge.
Seeing that Sasuke didn't speak, Logan felt even more embarrassed, "Well, I'll be going then."
Sasuke nodded faintly.
Stepping out of the mourning hall in quick strides, Logan looked at the forked path ahead of him, 'Huh? Which way did we take when we came here...'
At that time, he was too preoccupied with lamenting over Sasuke, completely forgetting to remember the way, 'Why did the Uchiha Clan's settlement need to be so big anyway?'
Scratching his head, Logan decided not to bother with finding the way. He formed a hand seal, and his Chakra surged as he used the Body Flicker Technique—
Sasuke walked out with his head down, intending to see off this guest, but he was taken aback.
As the smoke cleared, there was no one outside.
"Ninjutsu?" Since Uchiha Clan is one of the strongest clan in Konoha, Sasuke is considered a well-educated and has some experience, so he could tell that Logan was a Jonin...
Sasuke muttered, the strange guest's forehead protector flashing through his mind, "How rude."
He had intended to discard the note given by Logan, but for some reason, he decided to keep it.
With the sun shining brightly, Sasuke returned to the mourning hall and stayed there for a while before fetching a broom.
Looking at the mess outside, he pursed his lips, ignored the stares of outsiders, and started cleaning up.
Not far away, Logan leaned against the wall, watching the small figure with the Uchiha Clan's emblem busily working in the dappled sunlight, shaking his head.