As evening approached, the sun in early autumn set late, casting bright light. Logan thought for a moment, then grabbed his wallet and headed out to buy some things.
He was now officially a NEET Ninja. Hiruzen would probably send someone to keep an eye on him, but as long as he didn't cause trouble, it didn't matter.
There were many ordinary Ninjas in Konoha forming families, and with the peace becoming more prolonged, their routines resembled those of modern-day office workers, with solo or small team missions during the day and returning home at night.
Logan could do the same now. As long as he is willing, he can take on D-Rank missions like weeding or searching for lost cats. However, considering his status as a Jonin, the administration would probably offer him B-Rank or higher missions as choices.
The usual calm days in the village would continue for some time. There was still a long time before the one-month deadline Pain had mentioned, so Logan wouldn't rush to start working to avoid revealing his flaws.
After buying a large amount of fresh and high-quality ingredients and even some decorations to elevate the atmosphere at home, Logan returned home. Since he wasn't buying a house or a car with his savings, he figured it was time to treat himself a little.
The green leaves gradually took on yellowish hues. Logan's days of idleness passed quickly.
When he has nothing to do, he would flip through the scrolls, preview some theoretical knowledge, go out for a walk after meals, and even go to nightclubs a few times in the early morning.
Unfortunately, his overly pale complexion deterred people, but Logan still cooperated by maintaining his 'tired and wanting to be alone' image.
'After leaving the village, I'll have to travel for a long time. A balanced lifestyle of work and rest is the most effective way…' Logan firmly believed in the correctness of this path.
After another two days, Logan finally got bored. Although leisurely, there were too few entertainment options in this world. Because of that, he began to consider taking on a B-Rank mission to warm up.
At noon, Logan was gesturing a certain technique, and before he knew it, it was already past lunchtime. When his stomach growled, he put down the scroll, stretched lazily, and leisurely went to start a fire, wash vegetables, and started cooking. As the aroma filled the house, there was an unexpected knock on the courtyard's door.
Logan leaned out of the kitchen window in doubts. The person who came was very polite and knocked twice, but didn't enter even if the door was unlocked. Inconveniently stuck in the kitchen, Logan had to shout, "Who is it? Please come in!"
The door was cautiously pushed open, and Sasuke, dressed in blue and white, poked his head in, looking inside.
"Sorry to disturb…"
"Hey, Sasuke!" Logan, who was still holding a bright and sharp kitchen knife in his hand, was quite happy to see Sasuke. He knew that the other party had probably recovered from the injury he had sustained while training the tree climbing and came back to train again, so he didn't bother with formalities and interrupted him directly, warmly saying, "What a coincidence! I was just cooking. Have you eaten yet?"
"..." Sasuke suppressed the polite words he was used to say. He stared blankly at the kitchen knife in Logan's hand and subconsciously said, "I have eaten."
"Oh." Logan waved his hand, "No worries, have another meal. Come on in...."
Sasuke was instantly embarrassed. He didn't come here for a meal, he came here to learn. He hesitated to speak, standing at the door and neither advancing or retreating. When Logan leaned out of the kitchen again, complaining about why Sasuke hadn't come in yet, Sasuke sighed helplessly and walked into the house.
Sasuke sat in the living room without saying a word. He hadn't been this obedient even when attending classes at the Ninja Academy. Hearing the sound of clinking utensils in the kitchen, his eyelashes fluttered and he looked around curiously.
'Weird, it feels different somehow...' Sasuke thought to himself. He had been to Logan's house before, but the decoration and furniture were quite simple and plain. But this time when he came in, Sasuke felt a refreshing sensation, 'Does Hattori-sensei find leisure and elegance in tidying up the house?'
The thought was inconsequential, and after Logan brought out the meal a while later, Sasuke forgot about it.
Logan proudly showcased his culinary skills honed over many years of being single. With thorough preparation this time, the results were excellent. Several home-cooked dishes, complete with soup, were enough to make Sasuke, who had already eaten before coming, unable to resist having another bowl of rice.
"Didn't you say you've already eaten? Then you still eat so much?" Logan teased.
Sasuke's little face turned red with embarrassment. He forcefully put down his chopsticks, pushed his bowl decisively aside, and said, "The lunch at home... I ate lunch in a hurry. I'm full now."
"Are you really full?" Logan asked sincerely.
Sasuke's face reddened even more, and his voice deepened, "I'm really full!"
"Okay, okay..."
It's shameful to waste food, and Ninjas never have small appetite, so after Sasuke was pretending to be full, Logan finished all the meals by himself.
After cleaning up, Logan looked at Sasuke, who was sitting quietly with a cup of tea in hand. His gaze fell on the exposed arms and legs, where the bruises from before had indeed disappeared.
"Cough… Not going to school today?" Logan poured himself a cup of tea, uttering some meaningless words.
There was no helping it, as conversations always started with nonsense.
Hearing this, Sasuke nodded.
"Is the injury healed?"
"It's almost healed, sensei." Sasuke replied, maintaining the usual awkward rhythm of small talk.
Logan gave up on the idea of creating a friendly and enthusiastic teacher-disciple conversation, and instead, he rubbed his nose and went straight to the point, "There is nothing else I can teach you for now. Whenever you have time, continue climbing trees."
This wasn't the script he had imagined, so Sasuke immediately expressed dissatisfaction, "Why? I've already reached the top."
Waving his hand, Logan said in a more serious tone, "That achievement was still partly due to luck. Your Chakra Control is still unstable."
Sasuke immediately became quiet after hearing this.
"I believe that in the past few days, you have also felt a completely different feeling after the improvement of your Chakra Control. This is the basic and needs..."
Changing back to a serious and solemn demeanor in front of the second protagonist, Logan's reasonable and convincing words made Sasuke obediently accept them. After digesting the information, Logan gave Sasuke some hands-on guidance, correcting some of Sasuke's mistakes.
As the practice session came to an end, Logan watched as the nearly nine-year-old Sasuke became more and more proficient in walking on the tree trunk. The child under the green shade was striving for the future, and Logan hesitated in the corridor, pondering for a long time.
"Take a break for now." Logan clapped his hands, "And Sasuke, I have something to tell you."
"What is it, sensei?" Sasuke took a few breaths, wiped away the sweat, and sat down beside Logan.
"I'll be leaving the village for a while." Logan scratched his head and said.
Sasuke's expression didn't show much surprise, "Is it another mission?"
"No, I've already resigned from ANBU." Seeing Sasuke was surprised, Logan chuckled and reached out to pat his head, but recoiled at the dampness. His expression changed, and he wiped his hands in disgust. Finally, he patted Sasuke's shoulders a few times, and said, "Sensei has something to do and may not come back for a long time. At that time, you need to rely on yourself for the training. Remember not to overexert yourself."
"…"