Chapter 26: The Next Move
Through the dark forest,
Aburame Torune and the other Root operatives continued down their path.
They maintained a tight formation despite the darkness in the forest.
Due to the continuous bombardment of hidden traps, they had to remain constantly alert.
Though there were no injuries, the constant mental strain was very taxing.
At the front, Torune suddenly stopped.
Everyone else also stopped.
By now, everyone had gotten used to the sudden stops.
And they were simply waiting for Torune to speak.
Torune spoke straightforwardly, not willing to waste time.
"The trails here are too clean. I think Kenzo used shadow clones to deliberately leave them behind to deceive us."
Fū looked toward him calmly.
"So… have you found another trail of him?"
Torune nodded immediately.
"Yes."
"Alright then."
Another ANBU squad was sent after the trail that had been deliberately left behind, just in case Kenzo decided to circle back.
They were the ones with the numerical advantage here, and they would make use of it to thwart whatever Kenzo was planning.
The other two squads were also not called back and were still chasing the other two trails.
Torune and the others immediately started moving deeper into the forest.
The terrain slowly began to change.
As they continued moving forward, the trees became less dense.
The ground became uneven.
Large stones and exposed roots appeared more frequently beneath their feet.
Soon the forest opened slightly.
And a large cliff appeared.
Torune and the others slowed their steps as they reached the edge of the cliff.
From there, the land dropped sharply.
Far below, a narrow river cut through a deep ravine, reflecting faint moonlight as it flowed between the rocks.
Fū stepped beside him and looked down.
"So this is where he came."
Torune crouched slightly, examining the ground near the edge.
The insects moved across the soil and between the rocks.
After a moment, they returned.
"He stopped here briefly."
Fū looked toward the cliffside.
A narrow path ran along the side of the rock wall before descending deeper toward the ravine.
It was not wide.
But it was the only practical route forward.
"Looks like he went down."
Torune remained quiet for a moment.
The path looked natural.
Loose stones.
Cracked rock.
Dry soil.
Nothing unusual.
But Kenzo had already shown that he did not act without thinking.
So what was he trying to do now?
Torune stood up.
"He expects us to follow."
Fū gave a short nod.
"Most likely."
But neither of them turned back.
Stopping here would only give Kenzo more time to escape.
Time which they couldn't afford to give.
Torune stepped onto the narrow path first.
The rest of the Root shinobi followed carefully behind.
The wind blowing up from the ravine made the descent colder.
Small stones occasionally slid down the slope as they moved.
The path curved along the cliff for several meters.
Then one of the operatives landed on a flat rock.
The moment his weight settled down—
The stone shifted.
A faint snapping sound echoed beneath it.
Torune's eyes moved instantly.
"Move now!"
But the ground had already begun to give way.
Several explosive tags hidden beneath the soil ignited at the same time.
A violent rumble tore through the cliff.
A loud boom shattered the silence of the quiet forest.
The narrow path also shattered.
Large sections of rock broke free and fell into the ravine below.
Dust and debris exploded outward.
Torune reacted immediately.
A swarm of Rinkaichū insects burst outward from beneath his cloak, spreading into a dense cloud around him.
The insects devoured fragments of falling rock as he pushed himself toward a stable ledge further along the cliff.
Behind him, the Root shinobi scattered across the rock face.
Some jumped upward toward nearby branches.
Others stuck to the cliff using chakra.
Within seconds, the collapse ended.
The path they had been standing on was gone.
Only broken stone remained where it once existed.
Fū landed beside Torune again, looking down at the destroyed route.
"So this was the trap."
Torune watched the falling dust slowly settle into the ravine below.
"Most likely."
Kenzo had chosen this location carefully.
The collapse was controlled.
Strong enough to destroy the path.
But not strong enough to bring down the entire cliff.
Which meant something else.
This trap was not meant to kill everyone.
It was meant to separate them.
Torune looked toward the forest beyond the cliff.
"He's preparing the next move."
Several kilometers away—
Kenzo finally stopped running.
He stood on a tree branch overlooking a small clearing hidden deep within the forest.
Thin wires stretched between several trees, almost invisible in the darkness.
Explosive tags were hidden beneath fallen leaves.
And in the center of the clearing—
A final mechanism waited quietly.
Kenzo looked back toward the distant ravine.
The faint echo of the collapse had already reached him.
That meant Torune had arrived.
Just as expected.
Kenzo exhaled slowly.
"The first step worked."
The collapse had forced Torune and the others to react.
But the real purpose of the trap had not been the explosion.
It was the time it created.
Time for Kenzo to finish preparing what came next.
His eyes moved across the clearing one last time, checking every detail.
Nothing was out of place.
Everything was ready.
Kenzo stepped back into the shadows of the forest.
Now the chase would finally end.
(A.N – skippable)
Writing a smart character is really not easy.
Sometimes it feels like my brain cells would rather stop working 😭