Chapter 24: The Mind Game Has Begun
Kenzo stopped.
His body came to a halt on a thick tree branch high above the forest floor. The branch bent slightly under his weight before settling again.
For a brief moment he remained still.
The night forest stretched quietly around him. Cold wind moved through the leaves, producing a low rustling sound that blended with the distant murmur of the river far behind him.
Kenzo raised his right hand and placed it lightly against his chin.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he began thinking.
If he were in Aburame Torune's position—
What would he do?
Torune was not a foolish opponent. That much had already been proven.
A man trusted by Danzo to stand at his side would not be simple-minded.
Kenzo knew this.
To defeat such a person he would need to outplay him completely.
Simply running would not be enough.
Torune would eventually close the distance.
Kenzo's eyes moved slowly across the surrounding forest.
Tall trees stretched toward the sky, their branches forming a dark canopy above. Small gaps allowed thin rays of moonlight to fall across the forest floor.
The terrain here was uneven.
Rocks, roots, and fallen branches were scattered across the ground.
Several different paths stretched outward from this position.
Kenzo quietly memorized the layout of the land.
Then his hands moved.
Immediately he formed several hand seals at a rapid speed.
Puff!
Puff!
Puff!
Three shadow clones appeared instantly beside him.
The white clouds of chakra smoke vanished quickly in the night air.
The three clones stood silently, waiting for instructions.
Kenzo pointed toward different directions in the forest.
He sent one clone toward a rocky cliff area in the distance.
The second clone moved toward a region where the forest carried the strong scent of animals.
And the last clone headed toward a swamp-like section deeper within the forest.
Those areas would naturally hide traces.
Rocks left almost no footprints.
Animal scent could confuse trackers.
And swamps destroyed tracks completely.
Each location was chosen carefully.
Kenzo understood Torune's intelligence well enough to know that simple tricks would not work twice.
But these trails would still force them to react.
Even if Torune suspected a trick, he could not ignore them completely.
If the Root squad ignored a real trail by mistake, Kenzo would escape.
Which meant they would be forced to divide their attention.
That alone would slow them down.
Kenzo watched silently as the three shadow clones disappeared into the darkness between the trees.
Soon their presence faded from his immediate perception.
The forest became quiet again.
Kenzo's gaze hardened slightly.
With Aburame Torune's intelligence, he would almost certainly realize that Kenzo had begun adapting.
Which meant Torune would also start thinking more carefully.
This pursuit had already changed.
It was no longer a simple chase.
It had become something else.
A mind game.
Kenzo's eyes darkened slightly.
If Torune could read the human heart—
Then Kenzo would force him to read several at once.
For a brief moment, a cold light flashed through Kenzo's eyes.
Then it disappeared again into the depths of his calm expression.
Without another word, Kenzo vanished from the branch.
His figure blended into the darkness of the forest once more.
Meanwhile…
Far behind him.
Aburame Torune and the Root operatives continued moving through the forest at incredible speed.
Branch to branch.
Tree to tree.
Their bodies moved like shadows between the leaves.
The wind rushed past them as they advanced deeper into the forest.
The sound of their movement remained minimal.
Years of training allowed them to travel quickly without making unnecessary noise.
Fū Yamanaka kept pace beside Torune.
Neither of them spoke.
Their focus remained entirely on the pursuit.
Then suddenly—
A strange feeling appeared inside Torune's chest.
A quiet but unmistakable unease.
Immediately he stopped.
His body came to a halt on a branch.
Fū and the other Root operatives stopped instantly as well.
Their reactions were immediate and disciplined.
"You found something?"
Fū asked.
There was a slight trace of confusion in his voice.
Torune shook his head slightly.
Then he resumed moving forward again.
The others followed.
Though still slightly puzzled, Fū continued beside him.
After a few seconds, Torune spoke calmly.
"I have a bad feeling."
His voice remained steady.
But the meaning of his words was clear.
"Like something terrible is about to happen."
Fū's expression changed slightly after hearing that.
His eyes became more serious.
A bad feeling like this was rare among shinobi.
But when it appeared—
It was often related to life and death.
Experienced shinobi sometimes developed this instinct after surviving many dangerous battles.
Fū immediately turned his head slightly and made several quick hand signals.
The rest of the Root operatives understood instantly.
The meaning was simple.
Enter the highest level of alert.
The atmosphere of the group changed immediately.
Every member became even more focused.
Their senses sharpened.
Their movements became more cautious.
Even the smallest sound in the forest was carefully observed.
They continued moving forward in silence.
Several minutes passed.
Then finally—
Torune stopped again.
This time the entire group landed quietly on the branches nearby.
Torune remained still as his insects spread out once more.
Tiny clusters of Rinkaichū drifted through the air.
They moved across tree bark.
Over leaves.
Along the forest floor.
Searching.
Seconds passed.
Then they returned.
Information flowed back to Torune through the insects.
His expression remained calm.
But his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Did something happen?"
One of the Root shinobi asked this time.
Torune nodded slightly.
"There are three trails ahead."
Silence followed his words.
Fū and Torune both fell into quiet contemplation.
The Root operatives did not speak.
They simply waited for a decision.
The forest wind moved slowly through the branches above them.
Finally, Fū spoke.
"I think we should split up."
Torune nodded slightly.
From a logical perspective, this was the correct choice.
If there were multiple trails, splitting the group increased the chance of finding the real one.
But something still felt off.
Torune could not explain exactly why.
His earlier unease had not disappeared.
It remained quietly in the back of his mind.
Still, without concrete proof, making decisions purely based on instinct could become dangerous.
Torune thought silently.
Yet he was not foolish enough to dismiss the feeling entirely.
Kenzo leaving behind multiple trails likely meant something.
It suggested Kenzo had realized something as well.
Perhaps Kenzo had already begun to understand Torune's thinking patterns.
If that was the case—
These trails might be more than simple diversions.
They could also be traps.
Torune remained silent for several more seconds.
The rest of the Root shinobi waited patiently.
Finally he spoke again.
"We proceed carefully."
His voice remained calm.
The hunt was still ongoing.
But something had clearly changed.
Torune's gaze moved slowly toward the dark forest ahead.
Somewhere beyond those trees—
Kenzo was also thinking.
And the mind game between them had only just begun.