"Why are they here?"
The newly appeared black robes with red clouds pattern indicated the arrival of another Akatsuki's members. Logan felt a surge of excitement at the sight, but not everyone shared his enthusiasm.
Deidara, standing nearby, muttered under his breath with clear displeasure, "What is this group doing here?"
Deidara seemed to hold a grudge. He turned to Sasori and asked, "Sasori-danna, did you get any news about this?"
"No, but they were probably sent here by the leader."
As the two groups closed the distance, they quickly recognized each other's faces. Sasori and Deidara's side came to a stop, and Logan finally caught sight of the person he had been longing to see… raven hair, a face hardened by the trials of life, and that perpetually cold expression.
If this were a manga panel, Logan and Itachi's eyes would have met in a moment of unspoken understanding, with their gazes locking instantly across the space between them.
Itachi's mind raced at full speed.
"Oh, I didn't expect it to actually appear." Kisame came closer with a big sword on his shoulder and looked at Logan with the curiosity of someone examining a rare specimen.
After staring for a while and finding nothing particularly extraordinary, Kisame grinned, revealing his sharp teeth, "Hmph, not that impressive, Hattori. Just how did you disappear like that? I've seen it happen twice now."
Inside Hiruko, Sasori's expression shifted slightly. The fact that Kisame showed immediate interest in Logan and didn't seem all that surprised suggested that the organization had already received information about him.
Logan only had time to exchange a fleeting glance with Itachi before he had to maintain his composure. He met Kisame's gaze with equal defiance, "Hey there, Sharkface."
"Of course, I'm still as young as ever. Though you don't seem to have aged much either, still as… well, you know..." When Logan said this, he deliberately trailed off to let the implication hang.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kisame knew exactly what Logan was getting at, 'Hadn't I lived my whole life like this? Was there a problem?'
With a loud thud, he slammed Samehada into the ground.
The lush, green plains stretched out under the vast sky, but the atmosphere was quickly ruined by the bickering of the infamous Missing-nin group.
"I didn't mean anything."
"You definitely meant something."
"Mean what?"
"I…"
Deidara couldn't stand it anymore, 'What was going on here? Shouldn't this be my moment to confront that bastard Itachi? I was supposed to be the one picking fights in situations like this.'
In order to assert his presence, Deidara took a step forward and stood in front of Kisame, "Oi oi, aren't you getting the priorities wrong? What are you guys doing here, barging into me and Sasori-danna's turf?"
After hesitating for a moment, Deidara mustered his courage and shot a fierce glare at Itachi, who stood behind Kisame.
It was this man who had once thoroughly crushed his pride, forcing him to join Akatsuki. That defeat had become a lingering thorn in Deidara's pursuit of artistic perfection.
The grudge was old and deep, rooted from the moment Deidara had joined the organization, though it might have been one-sided.
Every time Deidara thought about it, he still gritted his teeth.
But Itachi didn't even notice.
"Sharkface, state your business first and don't be too arrogant, okay?"
"Who are you calling Sharkface, you brat!"
"What do you mean 'who'? You want to taste my explosions or..."
"Heh, some rebellious kid obsessed with playing with clay. Don't push your luck..."
Logan gradually stopped moving, his eyelids drooping as he watched the two escalate, 'I had only added a little fuel to the fire, but these two were way too into it.'
From Deidara's perspective, well, he had successfully reclaimed the spotlight...
But fighting over who got to be the loudest in an argument? That was just ridiculous.
Even Itachi's expression had shifted from indifferent to utterly blank.
"Enough!"
Seeing both sides rolling up their sleeves and getting ready to fight, Sasori couldn't stand it anymore and bellowed, "Deidara, step back. I'll handle this."
Suppressing his anger, Sasori felt a headache coming on, 'Couldn't the Akatsuki's members ever have a peaceful meeting for once?'
A gentle breeze swept across the grassy plains, sending waves through the lush greenery. The refreshing wind lifted spirits, and Logan, having extricated himself from the squabble, gazed at the scenery, enjoying the tranquility.
'It's none of my business, right?'
The Akatsuki was undeniably powerful, and any core member could single-handedly wipe out a small country. But this also meant each had their own strong personalities, and few truly respected one another.
That said, meetings rarely went this badly. was just that these two teams, combined with a certain someone, had created a perfect storm of chaos.
"Kisame, enough," Itachi interjected as well.
"Hmph." x2.
With their seniors stepping in to take charge, the two troublemakers had no choice but to back down.
The farce was over, but the exhaustion lingered.
'Having such a hot-tempered partner was really taxing.' Sasori glanced at Itachi and found a flicker of mutual understanding in the other's eyes.
"We're here on the leader's orders." Itachi said calmly with a cold aura. He glanced at Gaara, who was curled up in the tail of the giant clay bird, "Is that the Ichibi's Jinchuriki?"
Sasori nodded. With the two composed personalities now steering the conversation, the atmosphere quickly returned to normal.
"Correct. We were just heading to the hideout."
"The sealing ritual will take considerable time, so Kisame and my Shapeshifting Technique's clones are sent here to delay any pursuers."
The words were concise and reasonable. Sasori's expression softened as he grasped their purpose.
"Shapeshifting Technique... I understand."
From start to finish, Itachi had been direct, without any unnecessary actions. However, after relaying Pain's orders, he paused, almost imperceptibly, before turning his attention to Logan.
…
'And then there was him.'
"Long time no see." Logan had been waiting for this moment. Now that he had the opportunity, he smiled and took the initiative to greet Itachi.
They hadn't exchanged a single word since reuniting.
Years had passed, and now, under the open sky of the wilderness, their reunion felt both abrupt and surreal, surrounded by others.
But perhaps it wasn't entirely unexpected. The ties of memory and recognition could bridge the gap carved by time, pulling them back to familiarity.
Itachi felt it too. The man before him looked almost unchanged, still wearing that same carefree smile, as if nothing had happened.
The distance between them seemed to dissolve without explanation. There should have been strangeness, confusion, but when their eyes met, the windows to their souls revealed what words couldn't. Hidden worries, unspoken joy.
Before coming here, Itachi had carried doubts and concerns. The person he once trusted had vanished without a trace, leaving no explanation. It's an act that had haunted him over the years.
But now, under the melting sunlight, he found his answer. A strange confidence welled up inside him, one that even amused him, yet he couldn't help but believe it. This man hadn't changed. He was still Hattori, still the same person he once knew.
Itachi was relieved.
"Long time no see." Itachi said without smiling.