Chapter 17: Breaking the Net
The forest rushed past in a blur.
Branches bent and snapped softly under the force of rapid movement as Uchiha Kenzo moved through the canopy at full speed.
Behind him—
Seven ANBU followed closely.
Their movements were sharp and disciplined as they leapt from branch to branch, keeping the distance between them tight like the teeth of a closing trap.
They did not shout after him to stop.
Nor did they bother to waste breath on empty warnings.
Only the sound of shifting leaves and snapping bark accompanied the chase.
Above the forest, the red flare still burned faintly in the sky.
Its crimson glow spread across the canopy like a wound carved into the night.
Kenzo's eyes darkened slightly as his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
But his movements did not falter even for a fraction of a second.
His gaze slowly hardened—
Firm and steady.
Like iron wrapped in silk.
Behind him, two ANBU began spreading outward.
One moved higher through the canopy.
Another dropped lower, attempting to cut off his escape path.
Kenzo observed their actions in what felt like slow motion through his Sharingan.
And immediately understood their intention.
They were trying to herd him.
To push him toward the interception line ahead.
Like hunters steering prey toward a waiting spear.
If he continued running straight—
He would eventually collide with the net they were tightening.
Kenzo's expression remained eerily calm.
Cold as a block of ice that refused to melt even under relentless fire.
Then suddenly—
His speed began to drop.
Just for a brief moment.
The change was incredibly subtle.
Almost impossible for a normal observer to detect.
But the pursuing ANBU noticed it instantly.
Their training had carved vigilance into their instincts.
One of them narrowed his eyes.
He's slowing down.
The thought had barely formed—
When Kenzo moved with terrifying suddenness.
But not forward.
His body twisted sharply as he stepped off the branch beneath him.
Dropping toward the lower canopy.
The sudden shift shattered the rhythm of the chase.
Two ANBU overshot his previous position.
Their bodies shooting past the branch he had abandoned.
Kenzo landed softly on a lower branch.
The wood bent under his weight like a bow being drawn.
Then he pushed off again instantly.
Propelling his body forward—
But this time toward them.
The nearest ANBU barely had time to react.
Kenzo's hand flashed forward.
Like an arrow released from a drawn bow.
With a quiet, wet sound—
The kunai in his grip slid cleanly across the man's throat.
A thin arc of blood followed the motion like a ribbon in the air.
The ANBU's body froze mid-movement.
As if his mind was still trying to understand what had happened.
Then the body dropped.
Falling through the branches below like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Kenzo did not pause.
In one fluid motion—
He stepped off the falling body and launched himself upward.
Using it as nothing more than a temporary platform.
Another ANBU appeared directly in front of him.
The shinobi swung his blade instantly.
The sword cut through the air toward Kenzo's chest with brutal precision.
The strike carried no hesitation.
No mercy.
Kenzo tilted his body slightly.
The blade passed inches from his ribs.
In that same moment—
His hand moved.
The kunai stabbed into the man's side between the armor plates.
The ANBU gasped as the blade sank deep.
Kenzo pulled the weapon free in a smooth motion and shoved the body aside like a piece of discarded debris.
Below him—
Two more shinobi jumped upward from the lower branches.
Attempting to trap him between them.
Kenzo's pupils shifted again.
Scanning.
Every angle.
Every distance.
Every movement.
Under the Sharingan, their attacks unfolded like a slow and predictable dance.
A wind blade shot toward his back.
Kenzo twisted mid-air.
The compressed wind sliced past him by a narrow margin before vanishing into the trees beyond.
He landed lightly on a higher branch.
For a brief moment—
The forest became still again.
Five ANBU remained now.
They spread out across the branches in front of him.
Forming a loose semicircle.
Blocking his path forward like a wall of steel.
One of them stepped slightly ahead of the others.
His sword lowered into a ready stance.
"Your escape ends here," the ANBU said quietly.
Kenzo looked at them.
His face remained calm.
Almost bored.
The faint red glow of his Sharingan reflected in the darkness like two silent embers burning in the night.
The forest fell quiet again.
As if even the trees were listening.
Then Kenzo finally spoke.
"You all have misunderstood something."
His voice was quiet.
Almost casual.
But every ANBU heard him clearly.
"I wasn't running."
Their bodies stiffened slightly.
Instinct whispered something terrible to them.
Then Kenzo's killing intent surged again—
Like a dam collapsing under immense pressure.
It flooded through the forest like an invisible tide.
Cold.
Primitive.
Pure.
Leaves trembled along the branches.
Several birds hidden in distant trees suddenly burst into the air in frantic flight.
As if escaping an approaching disaster.
Kenzo shifted his footing.
Lowering his center of gravity.
His muscles relaxed.
But the tension in the air only grew heavier.
His cold almond-shaped eyes slowly moved across the five shinobi.
Assessing them.
Not as enemies.
Not even as people.
But as livestock waiting beneath a butcher's blade.
Then—
His body vanished.
The branch beneath his feet cracked violently as he launched forward.
The sound echoed through the forest like thunder.
And the fragile formation in front of him shattered instantly.
The encirclement—
Had just been broken.