Under a vast sky with scattered clouds, Logan stood outside the main gate of Konoha Village with his bag on his back.
The clouds drifted away quickly as time flew by, the sky transitioning from blue to hues of red and yellow. He had been standing there for a long time, knowing that when he returned, it would still be the same village, but his feelings might be different then.
The tall travel pack on his back weighed down his Ninja vest. It was stuffed full with items, but Logan carried it effortlessly. He had been standing there for so long that one of the Chunin guards stepped out and waved to him.
Logan took a closer look, and recognized that it wasn't the same one who had been guarding the gate when he originally snuck out of the village with Transformation Technique, 'Well, having a guard of that caliber was certainly not ideal for the village's security.'
"Hattori-sama, is there something you need?" The guard called out, drawing the attention of some civilians with carriage.
"No, it's nothing" Logan replied, waving his hand and exhaling deeply before turning away to leave.
In the coming days, he would begin a new chapter in his life.
…
In the Hokage's Office, an ANBU quietly walked in, bowed his head and said to the person behind the desk: "He's gone."
"Hmm." Hiruzen looked at the figure on the crystal ball getting further away, the surrounding scenery blurred, and pondered quietly.
"Hokage-sama..." The ANBU seemed to want to say something, but hesitated for a few seconds, "Is it really not necessary to send someone to monitor him regularly?"
"No need." Hiruzen slowly put away the crystal ball and said firmly.
…
Root's Headquarters.
"My lord, Raiden Hattori has left the village." A Ninja, who was also wearing a mask, half-knelt in front of Danzo and said.
Danzo nodded, and waved his hand dismissively, " Such a person, privy to so many of Konoha's secrets, can't be left completely unchecked. Proceed as planned."
"Yes!"
…
Three days later.
Logan was traversing through the forests and fields, heading northwest. Because he was traveling alone, he has already crossed the borders of the Land of Fire. Ahead were mountains, and the sky had a visible grayness, indicating the persistent rain in the strange land he was approaching.
Logan turned his head and looked behind him. He had deliberately taken small paths and took a lot of detours to ensure he wasn't followed when heading towards the Land of Rain. At this time, the autumn leaves and grass showed no signs of human presence.
'I wonder if anyone has followed me...' Logan was not sure. Konoha might let him, the former ANBU's Captain, to roam freely. It was hard to say for the Third Hokage, but Danzo's surveillance was a certainty.
'I'll just deal with whatever comes.' Logan thought to himself, and leaped forward into the mountains.
After he left the village, the first thing he had to do was to report to Amegakure. It was necessary to have a face-to-face meeting with Pain, the leader of the organization. Then, there was the specific task of making money, who would partner with him, and securing his Akatsuki cloak. There's no way he didn't get one for himself, right?
As evening approached, Logan arrived at the outskirts of Amegakure.
Returning to this place brought mixed emotions. The dim skies of the Rain Village and the fine drizzle that soaked into his skin felt both familiar and melancholic. Without much concealment, Logan walked up to the gate's guards.
"I'm looking for your leader." Logan said directly before Amegakure's Ninja, who was on duty, could speak.
The Amegakure's Ninja was stunned, and was a little unresponsive to Logan's straightforwardness. He looked at Logan, but because he had already taken off the forehead protector in advance, there was nothing else to be seen except Logan's young face. His Ninja attire was not worn out, which indicated he wasn't a wandering Ninja.
"You..." Of course, the Amegakure's Ninja wasn't about to back down from a single sentence, otherwise, it would be too embarrassing.
"Don't say anything. I'm really here to see your leader. Is the Jonin in charge around?" Logan shook the rain off his hair. It had become wet from standing in the drizzle for so long.
The Amegakure's Ninja held back his words again, and was really angry. Amegakure wasn't known for being friendly, so the Amegakure's Ninja stretched out his hand for his kunai.
Logan narrowed his eyes at the other party's movements. Before he came, he had already communicated with Pain through the Magic Lantern Body Technique. Someone was supposed to be here to meet him. Seeing no one outside, he decided to directly approach the gate. He wasn't worried since he was now an internal member of the organization.
"Wait a minute, look at this." Logan revealed the hand wearing the 'Void' ring. (T/N: Changing it to Void, as it sounded better.)
"Look at what?" The Amegakure's Ninja glanced at the ring but didn't react. He even felt further insulted by Logan's arrogant demeanor, and his hand moved even quicker towards his kunai.
'It seemed this Amegakure's Ninja was too low-ranked.' Logan awkwardly withdrew his hand. Just as Amegakure's Ninja was about to draw his kunai, a loud voice interrupted.
"Ryunosuke, what are you doing?!"
The commotion attracted the attention of passersby. As the Amegakure's Ninja prepared to strike, a steady-looking man emerged from a nearby building.
"Captain..." The Amegakure's Ninja turned around and wanted to say something, but the man pulled him aside forcefully, "Stay put!" he ordered before turning to Logan with an apologetic expression: "My apologies, sir."
Logan looked at the person, who suddenly appeared and seemed to be in charge, and coughed slightly, then deliberately stretched out the hand with the ring more clearly, and glanced at the Amegakure's Ninja, who didn't know what was going on, behind him, 'Pay attention and learn.'
The Amegakure's Ninja, seemingly about the same age as Logan, was left in confusion.
The man bowed slightly and said, "We were told you would arrive in the evening. We didn't expect you to arrive a bit earlier."
Logan looked up at the sky speechlessly. On such a rainy day, it was full of dark clouds, and it was also dark now, 'How can I tell if it's evening or afternoon with such weather?'
"Alright, lead the way." Logan didn't want to stay any longer and noticed that there were more and more people from all walks of life here.
"Yes, this way, please." The man smiled and gestured for Logan to follow him along a hidden path.
Before leaving, the steady man glared at the young Amegakure's Ninja.
As Logan passed by, he patted the young Ninja's shoulder, "See? I wasn't lying to you."
Only the Amegakure's Ninja named Ryunosuke was left in disappear, watching the two disappear.
Every Ninja Village had its distinct character, shaped by geography and political climate. Beneath the imposing collective image of these villages lay the everyday lives of real people, each with their own stories.
The inadvertent episode made Logan feel more relaxed. Although he said he had joined Akatsuki before, he was still a little stressed when he walked into the depth of Amegakure. But now, he felt more at ease.
Accepting the raincoat handed to him by the steady man, Logan donned it and followed him through various paths. From wet soil to stone slabs, he soon saw the familiar desolate and dilapidated area with skeletal steel buildings.