Chapter 23:Reading the Human Heart
Aburame Torune and the others continued searching for traces of Kenzo.
Methodically.
The river behind them still rushed through the forest, its constant sound echoing between the trees as water struck against stone and driftwood. The night air had grown colder, and the damp scent of the riverbank lingered around them as Root operatives moved quietly across the terrain.
Their movements were controlled and disciplined.
Every pair of eyes scanned the ground.
Every detail of the surrounding forest was examined carefully.
Torune's insects continued spreading through the area.
The Rinkaichū.
Tiny and almost impossible to notice with the naked eye, they drifted through the air and across the soil, searching for anything that could reveal Kenzo's path.
For several minutes, nothing changed.
Then finally—
They found something.
Faint traces of skin cells.
Disturbed microorganisms along a narrow stretch of damp soil.
When the information returned to Torune through the insects, the meaning became clear immediately.
It confirmed that they had indeed been misled earlier.
Torune stopped walking.
The movement was subtle, but the entire group reacted instantly.
Fū noticed immediately, just as he had earlier.
"You found something."
Torune nodded his head slightly.
His expression remained calm behind his glasses.
"Yes."
"I found faint traces of him."
Fū immediately understood the implication behind those words.
If the insects had found such traces here, it meant something important.
Their earlier assumption had been wrong.
They had followed the river downstream because Kenzo had intentionally led them to believe that direction was correct.
But now the evidence suggested otherwise.
The forest around them remained silent except for the distant sound of flowing water.
Fū crossed his arms slowly as he began thinking through their situation.
Now they only had a few choices left.
The first option was to continue following the traces faithfully and move upstream as they had previously considered.
But that would consume valuable time.
Time Kenzo could use to increase the distance between them.
If they spent too long confirming the trail, they could lose him completely.
The second option was riskier.
Instead of continuing to track every trace carefully, they could attempt to predict where Kenzo would go by analyzing the terrain and the information they had already gathered.
Fū lifted his head and looked directly at Torune through his glasses.
The implication was clear.
Torune understood it immediately.
After years of companionship in Root as Danzo's right and left hand men, the two had developed an almost instinctual understanding of each other.
Words were often unnecessary.
Torune knew exactly what Fū was suggesting.
The decision now rested with him.
Torune remained still for several seconds.
During that time his mind worked quickly, calculating the risks.
The forest wind moved quietly through the branches above them.
Somewhere nearby an owl called once before the forest returned to silence.
Finally, Torune spoke.
"We will take the risk."
His voice remained calm but firm.
Fū nodded decisively.
He had reached the same conclusion.
The other Root operatives did not question the decision.
With silent nods of understanding, they regrouped and stepped away from the river.
Their legs were already numb from spending so long moving through the cold water.
Their clothing remained soaked from the thigh down.
But none of them paid it any attention.
Torune stood quietly for a moment as he studied the terrain around them.
Then he began placing himself in Kenzo's position.
If he were Kenzo—
What would he do?
Kenzo had already demonstrated that he was not simple-minded.
A person capable of deceiving an entire Root pursuit unit was clearly someone who planned several steps ahead.
Which meant his next move would also be deliberate.
Torune slowly examined the surrounding forest.
The river curved through the trees behind them.
The land beside it varied.
Some areas were steep and difficult to climb.
Others were flatter.
Then something caught his attention.
A small spark of realization appeared in his mind.
If someone wanted to escape quickly after leaving the river—
They would choose terrain that allowed them to gain speed.
Terrain where the ground sloped gently upward away from the riverbank.
Torune immediately commanded his Rinkaichū to search the surrounding area for such terrain.
The insects spread outward again.
Moments later, information returned.
One area matched that description perfectly.
A gentle slope leading away from the river.
And more importantly—
There were faint traces there.
Disturbed soil.
Broken grass.
Tracks that had nearly faded but were still visible.
Torune's eyes shifted slightly.
"There."
Without wasting another moment, he moved.
Fū and the others followed immediately.
None of them questioned their leader's judgment.
The group advanced through the forest quickly but silently.
The hunt had resumed.
Meanwhile…
Far ahead of them.
Kenzo continued escaping at high speed.
His movements remained steady and controlled as he moved through the forest.
Branch to branch.
Tree to tree.
Not slowing down even slightly.
Right now this sprint could determine whether he lived or died.
How could he afford to slow down?
He had already been running for almost half a day straight since escaping from the village.
His muscles were beginning to feel the strain, but he ignored it.
As he moved through the forest, a sudden feeling appeared in his chest.
A bad feeling.
Immediately his muscles tightened slightly and his perception sharpened.
A bad feeling at this moment was not something to ignore.
Kenzo's soul was far stronger than that of an ordinary person.
Because of that, his instincts were unusually sharp.
He trusted them completely.
Without slowing down, he began reviewing his previous actions in his mind.
Every movement.
Every decision.
Every step he had taken since escaping.
He analyzed everything methodically while still maintaining his speed through the forest.
Had he made a mistake?
Kenzo continued thinking.
But at first, nothing appeared wrong.
He had prepared carefully.
Each action had been calculated.
Each step had been deliberate.
There should not have been any obvious flaw in his plan.
Then—
A sudden realization struck him.
It wasn't a specific mistake.
It was something more subtle.
His meticulousness itself.
By constantly demonstrating how methodical and careful he was, he had unknowingly allowed the enemy to understand how he thought.
In both pursuit and war, the most effective way to understand an enemy's plan is often by understanding the human heart.
And Kenzo had revealed too much of his thinking through his actions.
Kenzo exhaled slowly as he continued moving through the forest.
He already understood the consequence.
Torune was not a foolish opponent.
Once he realized Kenzo's patterns, he could begin predicting his decisions.
Which meant the distance between them might already be shrinking.
But Kenzo did not allow regret to slow him down.
He accepted the situation calmly.
Regret served no purpose now.
In his previous life he had already endured countless hardships.
Compared to those experiences, this situation was nothing.
Kenzo suddenly stopped on a tree branch.
The branch swayed slightly under the force of his landing.
Leaves rustled quietly around him as the night wind passed through the forest.
Kenzo ignored it.
His eyes looked into the darkness ahead.
In his mind, the decision had already been made.
If the enemy had begun to understand his patterns—
Then he simply needed to change them.
He would adapt.
Just as he always had.