Chapter 38: Beneath the Surface
In the Land of Rain, the rain kept falling without end, covering the village in a constant dull sound that never really went away.
Along one of the narrow, muddy paths near the edge of the village, a lone figure walked without drawing attention.
Kenzo's shadow clone.
His face was hidden, and his steps were natural, blending in like any other passerby who had somewhere to be and no reason to be noticed.
His eyes moved as he walked, taking in the surroundings without lingering too long on anything.
Old wooden houses stood close to each other, their surfaces darkened by years of rain. Lanterns hung outside a few of them, giving off weak light that barely pushed back the darkness. A handful of people were still awake, moving quickly before disappearing indoors, as if staying outside too long would bring trouble.
Nothing about the place stood out.
And that was exactly what made it right.
Places like this never showed what they really were on the surface.
Black markets didn't announce themselves.
They hid.
Right in front of everyone, yet just out of reach.
The clone slowed slightly as he approached a worn-out storage building at the far end of the path.
It looked abandoned, like it had been left behind years ago.
The wood was half-rotten, the structure leaning just enough to look unstable. The door hung crooked on its hinges, and there was no light inside.
Anyone passing by would ignore it.
But Kenzo's attention wasn't on the building itself.
His focus shifted to the flow of chakra in the air.
And there it was.
A faint disturbance.
Small.
Almost unnoticeable.
A simple concealment genjutsu placed over the entrance.
Nothing complicated, but enough to keep ordinary people from stepping in.
The clone didn't stop to think about it.
He stepped forward and walked through it.
For a brief moment, the space around him shifted, like passing through a thin layer that separated two different worlds.
Then the empty building disappeared.
In its place, a dim underground space revealed itself.
Lanterns hung from wooden beams above, their light uneven and weak. The air felt heavier, carrying the smell of damp wood and something metallic underneath it.
Voices filled the space, but no one spoke loudly. Conversations stayed low, almost swallowed by the surroundings. People moved with purpose, quick and quiet, as if everyone understood that drawing attention was the one mistake they couldn't afford.
This was the black market.
It wasn't large, but it was active.
A few tables were placed around the room, and people stood or sat near them in small groups. Most wore cloaks. Some covered their faces. Others simply avoided eye contact altogether.
No one asked questions they didn't need answers to.
And no one gave anything away for free.
Kenzo's clone walked forward without hesitation.
He didn't stop to look around.
Didn't show curiosity.
Didn't slow down.
To everyone else, he was just another person passing through, someone who belonged here as much as anyone else.
His gaze moved naturally across the room until it landed on a wooden board fixed to one side of the wall.
Papers were pinned across it in no clear order.
Some were torn.
Some stained.
Bounties.
Requests.
Names.
His eyes scanned them one by one as he walked past.
Most meant nothing to him.
Just faces and numbers.
Then he saw it.
A rough sketch of his own face.
It wasn't perfect, but it didn't need to be.
The resemblance was enough.
His eyes didn't stop.
Didn't react.
They moved past it like it was no different from anything else on the board.
But he had already taken in everything.
Konoha had moved quickly.
Even without revealing his name, the description gave enough away.
His age.
His appearance.
His strength.
Marked as a high-priority target.
And the reward attached to it was high enough to make people act without thinking too much about the risk.
It wasn't surprising.
Just troublesome.
The clone continued walking and made his way toward a quieter corner of the room.
There, a man sat behind a low wooden table.
He looked old at first glance, but it didn't take much to tell that it was an act. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were alert, watching everything without making it obvious.
An information broker.
The clone stopped in front of him.
"I need information."
The man didn't respond immediately. His fingers tapped lightly against the table as he looked up.
"Everyone does."
His voice carried no interest.
Kenzo's clone placed a small pouch on the table.
The sound was soft but clear.
The amount inside was enough to be taken seriously, but not enough to draw unnecessary attention.
Money taken from the old man's house. Everything else had been lost long ago.
The man glanced at the pouch, then back at the clone.
"What kind?"
"Konoha."
That was enough to shift the atmosphere, even if only slightly.
The man's fingers stopped tapping.
"You're not the only one asking about that," he said, his voice lowering just a bit. "Word is spreading."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"They're keeping it quiet. No name. But they're looking."
"Carefully."
The clone remained still, listening without interrupting.
"Orders are simple. Capture if possible. Kill if necessary. High priority."
Another brief pause followed.
"And they don't want other villages getting involved."
That was all Kenzo needed to hear.
Nothing unexpected, but hearing it confirmed mattered.
The man leaned back slightly.
"That's all you get for that price."
The clone didn't respond.
He turned and walked away without another word.
No one stopped him.
No one paid him any extra attention.
Outside, the rain was still falling, covering everything in the same quiet, steady sound.
Far away, inside a small wooden room, Kenzo opened his eyes.
The moment the clone dispersed, the memories returned.
Konoha had already made its move.
That meant his time here was limited.
Sooner or later, someone would trace him back to this place.
And he had no intention of being the one running again.
He wanted control of what came next.
One month.
That was all he needed.
Enough time to recover.
Enough time to adjust to fighting with one arm.
After that, he would leave.
Kenzo looked out the window.
The rain kept falling.
Same as before.
It didn't stop.
It never did.
Then his eyes changed slightly.
In his deep and abyssal like eyes.
A terrifying chill appeared.
Colder then a winter frost.
The room temperature dropped instantly.
If the world wanted to push him forward, then he would move forward in his own way.
He would kill until the rivers turned red, and only corpses remained behind him.
Not peace.
Just emptiness.
Nothing left.
No sound.
No one.
only death.