The suffocating sensation momentarily made Logan tighten his grip on the tea cup. The clock on the wall was still ticking. The colors returned, and the tea under the rim of the cup also rippled slightly. Time and space weren't being squeezed, the black-and-white storyboard was just his unfounded imagination.
Immediately Logan's complexion turned slightly ugly. Although he knew he might be drawn into the manga, the sudden feeling of being manipulated like a puppet was very uncomfortable. Are the small and absurd things he was doing created bit by bit on the manuscript paper or on the digital tablet? Logan couldn't accept it.
Moreover, he was originally outside of this manga.
"Raiden...san?" Sasuke said cautiously. Seeing the face of the Ninja in front of him turned ugly for some reason, it made him a little uneasy. However, he still maintained a calm expression. He wasn't afraid of intimidating adults.
"Oh, yeah." Sasuke's reminder made Logan realize that he was talking to someone, and immediately suppressed his uneasiness. Thinking about Sasuke's request, he forced a smile and said, "Well, it's a simple matter."
Hearing this, Sasuke's face lit up with joy, "Really? Thank you so much!" After saying that, he bowed respectfully.
"Hey, there's no need to be so formal."
Logan remained calm and quickly let go of his previous thoughts about being manipulated in the manga... He would naturally deal with it after he 'left'.
Waving his hand, Logan looked at Sasuke somewhat helpless and said, "I'll just give you some guidance in my spare time. You have classes during the day, and I have missions. So I can't give you much time."
Sasuke hoped to let Logan teach him. And since Itachi had asked him to do so before, there was no reason for Logan to refuse e. But Interestingly, Sasuke wanted to become stronger to confront Itachi, and now, as Itachi's senpai, he seemed to be helping Sasuke, which was something Itachi had willingly agreed to...
'It feels weird, but I can't help it. Who told Itachi to become a villain himself and acted cool all the way to the end?'
Feeling conflicted, Logan thought about the tragic showdown between the two brothers in the future, and felt that he should change something about it.
It wasn't a formal master-disciple relationship and he couldn't spend a lot of time teaching, so after Sasuke learned this, his joy faded a bit, but this was already within his expectations.
"In any case, thank you." Sasuke bowed his head again.
Being constantly bowed to and addressed respectfully by a child, Logan, who didn't have a strong sense of eldership, smiled wryly, "You don't need to be so formal in the future, just call me Hattori. After all, I and... that person, um, my Uchiha friend, have a good relationship, so this is what I should do."
'This powerful ANBU Ninja seemed to be easy to get along with.' Sasuke felt more relaxed again and said, "Okay, Hattori-sensei."
Logan paused for a moment when Sasuke started calling him 'sensei'… 'It felt pretty good.'
Pretending to be reserved for a moment, Logan soon accepted Sasuke's address as sensei.
'Sorry, Kakashi, I couldn't refuse either.'
"How were your grades at the Academy?"
Logan then asked. Even though he knew Sasuke's level was the highest among his peers, he needed to appear more professional and convincing, so he felt the need to ask.
After hearing this, Sasuke, who usually acted indifferent in front of teachers and classmates, felt a hint of pride as he said it. He was basically at the top in all subjects, except occasionally being compared to Hinata's cousin, Neji.
"Hmm." Logan pondered for a moment, 'Like in the original plot, Sasuke was a top student until graduation. With his handsome face and ignoring the Uchiha massacre, he was the epitome of cool.'
Logan then thought of Naruto and recalled the day when he met Kakashi at Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto, who had just been bullied by an unknown group of children, cheerfully opened the curtain and sat beside him.
Logan didn't have that kind of feeling of obligation to adhere strictly to the original plot, fearing any deviation from his familiar thoughts.
After all, if he had this kind of mentality, he wouldn't be able to live that long. Two years ago, in Amegakure, when he was pushed into desperation, he really wanted to kill Kisame and Obito. He knew that without that kind of determination, the power wielded by the kunai in his hand wouldn't be formidable.
Of course, it would be better if things follow a well-known track, as having foresight had many advantages. However, Logan wouldn't let this 'advantage' restrict him. If he wanted to do something, he would do it.
Teaching Sasuke chakra control or anything else in advance might trigger unforeseen events, but Logan has lived in this world for so long and has so truly felt the reality here. Itachi regarded him as a senior, with his voice and smile in his memory, so Logan couldn't treat everything as fake, as mere lines on paper.
'Naruto, don't blame me if you are bullied by Sasuke later. After all, you're Kishimoto's own son, and you didn't know how to make balls at that time, so you are still very weak...' Logan comforted himself inwardly, stood up, and led Sasuke to the open space in the yard.
'Someone like Naruto is bound to become powerful and shine brightly.'
"Although you have excellent grades in the Academy, I'm not familiar with those things. So, let's test your skills first." The two stood in the not-so-large courtyard, and Logan said to Sasuke, who stood several meters away.
Logan had never attended a Ninja Academy, and the training he received back then was very rough. It can be said that he was a wild child at the beginning. Of course, with the continuous accumulation of combat experience and the formal establishment of his position in Konoha, his methods had become more refined, and he had matured over time.
Guiding an eight-year-old Sasuke a bit wouldn't be a problem. After all, he didn't become an ANBU Captain through connections alone.
To understand Sasuke better, the most direct way was to spar. Logan casually gestured for Sasuke to start, indicating he was ready. Seeing Logan's relaxed posture, Sasuke snorted in dissatisfaction and rushed forward. The result was that he was easily knocked down after a few moves.
After a few more exchanges, in which Sasuke could not last more than a few seconds before being knocked down without exception, his proud face turned red with embarrassment.
When he thought about the gap between himself and that man being so vast, Sasuke became determined to learn from Logan. With gritted teeth, he stood up, ready for the next round.
"That's enough." Logan stopped Sasuke, who wanted to continue, 'This kid is quite cruel to him...'
There were many geniuses in Naruto World, not only were they talented, but they also worked extremely hard. It's just that outsiders found it hard to pay attention to them.
Logan roughly grasped Sasuke's current level. He had never taught anyone before, so in order not to lose his dignity as a teacher, he needed to think about it a bit.
Although Logan had an idea what to do, he still checked Sasuke's body just in case.
"No injury... Well, you can go back for today. Come to me tomorrow morning." Logan said, "I don't have much free time for teaching... And to be honest, I'm also not that experienced. So I'll give you some homework, and you'll practice it on your own."
"I'll check when you come back, got it?"
While Sasuke was still pondering why Logan had carefully checked whether he was injured just now, Logan's words came, persuading him gently.
Sasuke looked at Logan, a man who was several heads taller, has a serious expression on his face. Despite harboring some resentment for being easily knocked down, Sasuke turned away and said coldly, "Got it."
Their morning's interaction was slightly different from what Sasuke had imagined.
Before leaving the house, Sasuke thought of something and said after hesitation: "Goodbye, Hattori-sensei."
"Oh." Logan had just returned to the house when he quickly came out again, "Be careful on your way."
There was no one at the door anymore.