Logan and his group crossed mountains and rivers, sailed across the sea, and finally left the territory of the Water Country. On the way, they passed through the Land of Waves, but didn't encounter any more dealings of "D-products."
Still, Logan didn't believe that the drug trade had suddenly stopped. It was unlikely the traffickers had turned over a new leaf after their previous encounter. The Land of Waves was rotten to the core. Overturning a few ships and killing a few guards wouldn't change that. The real trade happened underground—covert routes, hidden transactions, layers of corruption that couldn't be fixed so easily.
After safely passing through the Land of Waves, Logan and Sasuke returned to the territory of the Fire Country—something that felt almost nostalgic after so long.
Their destination was the survivors' village, tucked away in the northern reaches of the Fire Country, deep inside an untouched forest. The journey ahead wasn't easy. There were no proper roads—only a natural path through the thick forest. It was wild, overgrown, and dangerous.
Thankfully, everyone in the group was capable. Even Mayuri and Shiro, who hadn't undergone traditional training, had powerful physiques due to their unique bloodlines. Traveling through the forest wasn't too difficult for them.
Logan found himself much more relaxed than during their journey out. More accurately, he was enjoying Mayuri's meticulous care. From preparing meals to setting up camp at night, Mayuri took care of everything like a gentle older sister. Logan had tried to help multiple times, but he quickly realized he couldn't keep up with her rhythm. In fact, his attempts often slowed things down. So in the end, he thickened his skin and just enjoyed being looked after.
More than two months passed in a flash.
They weren't in a rush, so the group often took breaks, sometimes even staying overnight in small towns to restock supplies.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Logan quickly formed hand seals and aimed his ninjutsu at an open clearing.
Since there were no enemies around, Logan had taken the opportunity to learn ninjutsu from Sasuke. He had no intention of becoming a ninja, but having an extra skill never hurt—especially if it helped him understand both himself and the enemies better.
Unfortunately—
What came out was a tiny flame, no bigger than a balloon.
"It's still not working," Logan muttered and slapped the fireball away in frustration.
His technique was fine, and his seals were correct. The problem lay in his Chakra.
He couldn't condense Chakra properly.
Chakra was a mysterious energy formed by the fusion of physical stamina and spiritual power. While Logan's body was strong, the issue seemed to lie in his "spirit."
Sasuke, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, offered a theory.
"Brother Logan, maybe it's because you're a Stand user. All your mental energy goes into maintaining your Stand. That might be why you can't use Chakra."
It sounded plausible.
But there was another possibility…
Logan's soul didn't originate from this world.
Unlike the native inhabitants, his soul was missing something crucial—something needed to create Chakra. Maybe if he could analyze the makeup of his soul, he could figure out what that missing component was and find a workaround.
But Logan quickly shook off that idea.
He didn't have the knowledge or resources to explore something so abstract.
Instead of wasting time chasing something so uncertain, he decided to focus on something more practical—practicing the Ripple Technique.
"Buzz—buzz—"
Aerosmith hovered in the air above.
Logan had reached their destination. The survivors' village had to be nearby.
After about an hour of scanning the forest—
Ding di—
Within Aerosmith's detection range, even the faint breathing of small animals started to disappear. That meant they were approaching an area with frequent human activity—about one kilometer ahead.
"We're almost there," Logan said quietly.
Their long journey was finally nearing its end.
Mayuri gently hugged Shiro in anticipation. The little girl's eyes were filled with both nervousness and excitement.
Momo and Sasuke smiled, clearly eager to reunite with the friends they'd met on the cruise ship—people who had helped lay the foundations for this village. It had been months since they last saw them.
Seeing everyone's joyful expressions, Logan couldn't help but smile too.
But that smile soon faded.
"Brother Logan?" Sasuke asked, sensing the shift in his mood.
"Something's not right," Logan replied, his voice tense.
While the signs of animal life had vanished ahead, there was still no sign of human activity. Not even a single breath signature picked up by Aerosmith.
Even if the villagers had gone out to hunt or farm, it was impossible for an entire population to be gone at the same time.
Logan quickened his pace, the Destruction Sword strapped to his back. Sasuke and the others followed close behind.
They darted through the trees and soon reached a broken wooden sign lying on the forest floor. The worn characters carved into it read: Hope Village.
That was the name the survivors had chosen.
After enduring the worst despair, this was their rebirth—their new beginning.
Logan gently picked up the sign and placed it upright against a tree. Gripping the Destruction Sword with one hand, he stepped forward—and instantly caught a familiar stench in the air.
It was overwhelming.
That smell...
Logan froze. The last time he'd smelled it was on the very first day he arrived in the Naruto world.
The Uchiha compound.
When he had opened the gate to his family's courtyard and stepped out into the street, this was the scent that filled the air.
The stink of blood, ruptured organs, and the waste released from corpses.
Except now—it was even worse. More rotten. More decayed.
The houses were collapsed, the fields overrun with weeds, and scattered throughout the village were rotting corpses.
Logan closed his eyes.
Even without seeing the massacre, the images were clear in his mind—men, women, children, all working toward a new life, only to be slaughtered by invaders.
Killed for no reason.
They weren't ninjas. They had no wealth. No secrets to steal. No value to traffickers.
It was just pure, senseless murder.
The others turned to Logan, their faces pale and horrified.
Chi—
Logan drove his sword into the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and said calmly, "Let's take care of the bodies first."
They collected the corpses and carried them to the center of the village. There were 103 bodies in total. Some had been hacked apart and strewn across the area—they had to collect what limbs they could.
Logan inspected each one, silently counting, before nodding to Sasuke.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Sasuke exhaled a massive Great Fireball, tens of meters wide.
Thanks to his Ripple training, his body and Chakra reserves had grown tremendously. The fire burned hot and high.
The flames consumed the corpses, popping and crackling as the bodies turned to ash.
Logan, Sasuke, Mayuri, Shiro, and Momo stood quietly before the fire, not saying a word until the last of the flames died out.
Star Platinum stepped forward, slammed both fists into the ground, and raised a large patch of earth to bury the ashes. A simple grave was formed.
Mayuri held out her hands and shaped an icy flower, offering it to Logan.
"Brother Logan... what do we do next?" Sasuke asked.
"There were 160 survivors who left the cruise ship to build Hope Village. Only 103 are here... More than 50 people might still be alive."
These were the people who didn't return to their old homes, who didn't seek refuge in Konoha. They were the ones with courage—people who trusted Logan and dared to hope again.
They had believed in him, followed his lead, and worked to build a future here.
Logan placed the ice flower at the center of the grave.
He didn't owe these people anything.
He barely knew them.
But still—he felt they didn't deserve to die this way. Not like this.
"At the very least," Logan said, voice low, "they shouldn't have died in vain."
"I want to find the survivors. I need to know what happened."
"But... how?" Momo asked quietly.
Judging by the state of the corpses, the massacre had happened at least half a month ago. If anyone had escaped, their tracks would have long since been covered by forest growth.
Logan knew that.
Still, he wasn't giving up.
"To the nearest city," Logan said.
"I'm going to buy a camera."
pàtreøn (Gk31)