Cuckoo—
A pure white dove glided through the sky and landed gracefully.
Logan caught the bird, untied the tiny scroll bound to its leg, and handed the dove to Sasuke.
Sasuke, treating it with great care, held out a handful of rice and a small cup of water.
The dove blinked its jet-black eyes, clearly unimpressed. With an air of disdain, it flapped its wings and hopped onto the table nearby. There, it pecked open a rice ball and picked out the meat inside before sipping the tea that Logan had left behind. Satisfied, it lay down with one leg crossed over the other, as if it owned the place.
Logan unfolded the letter and read silently:
---
Dear Logan,
Regarding swordsmiths, I know a truly skilled one. He resides in a village far to the north in the Land of Water, where snow falls year-round. You can find him by mentioning my name—Hayato Kanbara. He'll help you.
Also, be cautious. Several organizations have been targeting you recently. For safety, I'm leaving the Land of Water.
By the time you read this, I should be heading to Konoha with a young girl. If anything urgent comes up, write a reply and give it to Junko-chan (yes, the silly white pigeon). She'll find me.
Best of luck.
—Hayato Kanbara
P.S. A map is drawn on the back.
P.P.S. Don't get caught.
---
Logan flipped the letter over. As expected, a hand-drawn map covered the backside. Maps in the ninja world were always a little rough—no satellites meant no GPS. But Logan had Aerosmith, his airborne Stand. With a patrol radius of one kilometer and a bird's-eye view, it could easily scout ahead and guide them.
Leaving the cruise ship docked at the shoreline, Logan took Sasuke and Momo with him. They purchased two sturdy horses from a nearby town and began their journey inland toward the snow-covered village.
—Along the Road—
In the days that followed, more than a dozen groups came after them.
These weren't open confrontations. No, these enemies came disguised—as travelers, peddlers, and commoners. Their methods were underhanded: poison, fire, traps, ambushes.
This was the dark underbelly of the shinobi world. With minimal chakra, they aimed for maximum destruction.
It wasn't Logan's specialty. He was more used to direct battles. Still, he adapted. He took note of the enemy's strategies and even learned a few tricks of his own.
During this time, Logan also instructed Sasuke to teach Momo the breathing technique—something vital for energy control and survival. If Momo insisted on staying with them, she needed some way to protect herself. Even if she couldn't fight, at the very least, she had to be able to run.
Logan hoped giving her something to work on would help her heal from the trauma she carried.
Days turned into weeks.
Eventually, the trio left the bustling cities behind and entered the quiet woods. The number of bounty hunters thinned significantly.
---
Click—click—
Frost-covered grass crunched under the horses' hooves. It sounded like soda crackers breaking beneath their weight.
Logan exhaled deeply, releasing a cloud of white mist.
"Look, Momo!" Sasuke pointed upward.
Snowflakes floated gently from the sky.
"It's snowing!" he said, his voice full of wonder.
Logan smiled. "Good news. According to Hayato, the swordsmith's village is covered in snow year-round. We're close."
"Keep practicing your breathing techniques," he added. "They'll help keep you warm."
"Yes!" Momo and Sasuke responded in unison.
Sasuke had already mastered the technique, but Momo was still learning. She stumbled through it clumsily. Fortunately, the warmth radiating from Sasuke's body helped her stabilize her breathing. They shared a horse, and his presence gave her comfort.
"Hope we reach the village today," Sasuke murmured.
Their food supply had run out the night before. The forest offered little in terms of game during this frigid season.
Seeing Sasuke shiver, Momo pulled an orange from her coat and handed it to him—her last treasured snack.
Sasuke shook his head. He didn't want an orange.
He wanted rice balls. Fried eggs. Tempura…
His stomach growled just thinking about it.
But luck was not on their side. By dusk, even Aerosmith hadn't spotted any signs of human habitation.
As darkness fell, Logan decided to give up on reaching the village today. He found a small clearing and ordered a stop for the night.
Sasuke gathered firewood and lit a campfire with a simple Fire Style jutsu. Soon, warm flames crackled in the center of the clearing.
"You two rest. I'll look around for food," Logan said, vanishing into the woods.
---
Logan moved silently through the trees, guided by the faint blue light of Aerosmith's scanner. The sun had fully set, and the woods were cloaked in silence.
Suddenly, a bright red dot appeared on the Stand's radar.
Something large was nearby.
A wolf? A deer?
Whatever it was, if caught, it would feed them for days.
Logan took a deep breath and sprinted toward the signal.
---
Back at the fire, Momo stared into the flickering flames.
"Sasuke-nii… why do we live? What's the point?"
Sasuke tossed a stick into the fire, silent for a moment.
"I asked Logan the same thing once," he finally said.
It was right after the Uchiha massacre. At the time, the overwhelming shock had numbed him. He hadn't even cried. But a few days later, he woke up alone in the bushes and the realization hit—he would never go home again.
"If I had to answer now, I'd say… you're just overthinking. Throw kunai a hundred times, and you won't have time for these questions."
Momo let out a small laugh.
Sparks danced in the wind.
"But Logan told me something else," Sasuke continued. "He said if life feels meaningless, then we should live meaninglessly."
"In the void left behind by pain and loss," Sasuke said quietly, "you can build something new. That's what he called nihilism."
"Nihilism?" Momo tilted her head. "What's that?"
Sasuke scratched the back of his head. "Don't worry about it. I didn't understand either, not at first. But after traveling with Logan, I think I get it now."
The firelight reflected off his face, making him seem older than his years.
"Pain doesn't have to be the end. It can be the start. In this wide, empty world… I'll find my own meaning."
Momo nodded slowly.
She was about to speak when a rustling noise came from the trees.
Sasuke stood, kunai drawn.
But it was only Logan, returning from the hunt—with someone else in tow.
A small girl walked beside him. She wore a thick cotton coat and carried a bamboo basket filled with herbs. She bowed politely and smiled sweetly.
"Hello, my name is Haku."
After a quick introduction, they learned her story.
Haku lived in the nearby swordsmith village. Her mother was ill, so she had ventured out alone to gather herbs. That's when Aerosmith picked her up.
Logan introduced himself as a doctor and offered to treat her mother if she would guide them to her village.
It wasn't a lie. Logan, with his Ripple energy, could cure many illnesses. He truly did have the skills of a healer.
"So the village is just beyond Aerosmith's range…" Logan muttered.
Haku pointed northwest. "It's forty miles from here."
Forty miles? Logan was stunned. Haku couldn't have been older than ten, and she'd traveled that far alone?
Children in poverty really did grow up fast.
Thankfully, the return trip was easier. Logan placed Haku on the horse and transferred Ripple energy into the animal. It neighed with renewed vigor and dashed forward with newfound speed.
Before the sun had fully vanished behind the trees, they arrived.
---
Luoxue Village.
It was a humble village, home to barely thirty or forty households. Snow covered the rooftops like soft white blankets.
"That one's my house," Haku said, pointing excitedly.
She hopped off the horse and ran to the door.
"Mom! We have guests—he's a doctor!"
Logan followed her inside.
The house was simple and warm. A frail woman sat quietly on a chair while a man—her husband, no doubt—carefully poured her medicine.
"Excuse me," Logan said, beginning to take off his shoes.
Before he could step inside fully, the kitchen door swung open.
A familiar figure emerged, wearing an apron and holding two steaming dishes.
Terumi Mei blinked.
"The food's ready," she said.
Her gaze settled on Logan. She tilted her head slightly and offered a knowing smile.
"We have guests?"
pàtreøn (Gk31)