Chapter 21: Downstream
Kenzo didn't stop running until the forest began to thin.
Only then did he finally slow down.
The ground sloped gently downward, and through the trees he could hear it—the steady sound of water moving over stone.
A river.
Perfect.
This wasn't a coincidence.
The terrain here naturally sloped downward, and with Kenzo actively searching and keeping his eyes open for a river, it wasn't difficult to find one.
He stepped out from the thicker part of the forest and looked down at it.
The river wasn't large, but it moved quickly. Clear water rushed over smooth rocks, carrying fallen leaves and broken twigs with it. The current curved around a bend further ahead, disappearing behind a wall of trees.
Kenzo walked closer to the river.
His boots crunched lightly against the gravel near the riverbank.
He crouched and dipped his hand into the water. The cold bit into his fingers immediately, sharp enough to sting slightly.
Good.
Cold water meant it came from the mountains somewhere upstream.
It also meant the current was strong.
Which meant his trail could be erased.
Kenzo watched the current carefully, measuring it.
If anyone came looking for him, they would follow tracks first. Footprints in the forest soil. Broken branches. Signs of movement.
But water would erase everything.
Kenzo stood up and looked upstream.
"This should work," he thought quietly.
He walked a little further along the bank until he found a shallow stretch where several rocks broke the current.
Without hesitation, he stepped in.
The cold bit immediately through his clothes.
Kenzo ignored it and moved slowly through the water until he reached the middle, where the current pushed harder against his legs.
Then he turned upstream.
Walking against the current wasn't easy, but that was the point.
His footprints were gone now.
Carried away by the river.
The water reached his knees, then his thighs as he moved through the shallower channel.
Kenzo kept his breathing steady.
Step by step.
He kept moving forward.
After a few minutes, he stopped and climbed onto a flat rock that stuck out from the side of the river.
He sat down there for a moment.
Long enough to take a short rest.
The forest here felt different from the place he had escaped earlier. Less dense. More open. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and reflected off the water in shifting patterns.
Kenzo picked up a small stone and tossed it into the current.
It disappeared instantly.
"…Root will surely notice," he thought silently.
The battlefield had been burned. Bodies destroyed. Evidence erased.
But Root wasn't stupid.
Someone like Aburame Torune would look at the scene and immediately know something was wrong.
As for how Kenzo knew it would likely be Aburame Torune chasing him—
It was quite simple.
Root wouldn't send ordinary shinobi after someone who had just eliminated an ANBU squad.
They would send an elite.
And currently, one of the most suitable people for that task was Aburame Torune.
Besides, Kenzo preferred assuming the worst rather than foolishly hoping for a miracle.
Kenzo took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
He couldn't stay near the battlefield.
And he definitely couldn't go back toward the main roads.
His eyes drifted upstream again.
If he followed the river long enough, he would eventually reach smaller roads, maybe even farming areas.
Places where travelers didn't stand out.
Places where his escape would become far more certain.
For now though—
The river was enough.
Kenzo slid down from the rock and stepped back into the water.
The current pushed against him as he started walking upstream once more.
Behind him, the river carried leaves, dirt, and every trace of where he had been.
Ahead, the forest stretched quietly along the riverbanks.
And Kenzo kept moving with the water at his side.
Meanwhile…
The forest grew quieter the farther Root moved from the burned area.
Behind them, the faint glow of the fire still lit the sky like a distant scar. Smoke drifted slowly above the treetops, carried away by the night wind.
But the Root shinobi did not look back.
They moved quickly through the forest, their bodies flickering from branch to branch in practiced silence.
At the front of the group, Aburame Torune maintained a steady pace.
His movements were calm and efficient, wasting no energy.
The insects beneath his cloak stirred faintly.
Rinkaichū.
They drifted through the air in microscopic clusters, spreading out ahead of the group as they searched the forest at incredible speed.
Beside him, Fū Yamanaka moved just as quietly.
The forest around them was dark, but neither man needed light to navigate.
Several Root operatives followed behind them in perfect formation.
No one spoke.
They continued moving with practiced discipline.
Only the sound of wind accompanied them through the dark forest.
After several minutes, the sound of flowing water slowly reached their ears.
A river.
Torune slowed slightly as they approached.
Moments later, the trees began to thin.
The river appeared through the darkness, cutting through the forest like a black ribbon beneath the moonlight.
Water rushed over scattered rocks, creating a constant low roar.
Torune landed on the riverbank first.
The others followed behind him.
For a few seconds, the group remained still.
Studying their surroundings.
Fū observed the river quietly.
"He crossed here."
Torune didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he crouched near the water's edge.
His sleeve shifted slightly.
A faint stream of microscopic insects slipped out and drifted into the air.
They spread across the riverbank like an invisible mist.
Searching.
Torune watched the ground in silence.
Most of the tracks near the bank had already been washed away by the damp soil and shifting waterline.
Still, faint disturbances remained.
Broken grass.
Slight impressions in the mud.
Someone had entered the river here.
One of the Root operatives stepped closer.
"Should we split up?"
Torune stood again.
"No."
His voice remained calm and steady.
"If he used the river, he already expected pursuit."
Fū folded his arms slightly, studying the flowing water.
"The current is strong."
Moonlight reflected faintly on the surface as the water rushed past.
Torune nodded slightly.
"Understood."
"Which means he likely moved with it."
Another Root shinobi asked,
"For how long?"
Torune's insects slowly returned to him.
"The exact distance is unclear."
"But he could not remain in the water indefinitely."
Fū nodded faintly.
Eventually, Kenzo would have to leave the river.
And when he did, he would leave signs behind.
Torune stepped into the water without hesitation.
The cold current moved quickly around his legs.
He looked downstream.
"Follow the river."
The Root operatives immediately moved.
Several shinobi jumped across the rocks to the opposite bank, spreading out to search both sides.
Fū stepped onto the water's surface, balancing effortlessly as chakra stabilized his footing.
The group moved downstream.
Methodically.
Patiently.
Minutes passed as they continued.
Torune's insects repeatedly spread out along the riverbanks, searching the surrounding trees and ground.
The forest here was dense.
Dark shadows stretched between the trunks.
After some distance, Torune suddenly stopped.
Fū noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Torune's head tilted slightly.
His insects had returned with something unusual.
He stepped toward the edge of the riverbank.
The soil there was soft.
And faintly disturbed.
A shallow footprint.
Barely visible.
Torune crouched.
"Here."
The other Root operatives gathered nearby.
Fū stepped closer and examined the ground.
The mark was subtle.
Someone had stepped out of the river briefly.
Then returned.
Fū's eyes narrowed slightly.
"A diversion."
Torune nodded.
"Yes."
The footprint led a few steps toward the forest.
Then disappeared.
But the insects had already searched that direction.
There was nothing there.
Fū looked back toward the river.
"He wanted us to think he left the water here."
Torune stood again.
His expression remained unchanged behind his glasses.
"Correct."
One of the Root shinobi asked,
"Then he continued downstream?"
Torune looked farther along the river.
The current continued cutting through the forest.
Calm.
Unbothered.
"Most likely."
Fū exhaled quietly.
"He's cautious."
Torune began walking again, stepping across the flowing water.
"Yes."
"A shinobi who defeated an ANBU squad would not rely on a single escape method."
The Root group resumed moving downstream.
Their pace quickened slightly.
The hunt had not slowed.
If anything—
It had only just begun.
Far ahead of them, the river continued winding through the dark forest.
And somewhere beyond the flowing water…
Kenzo was still moving.