Chapter 42: Night Hunt
In the dark night, Kenzo moved toward his next destination.
The forest stretched endlessly beneath the rain, each branch slick with moisture, each step requiring balance and control.
His figure passed through the trees like a shadow, barely disturbing the air around him.
After wiping out the previous village, his strength had risen again.
The increase wasn't overwhelming, but it was steady and real.
His muscles carried more force, his movements felt more precise, and his stamina had deepened.
The gains came directly from the number of lives he had taken.
Yet the system offered nothing else.
No new techniques.
No special abilities.
Only the same type of reward—physical enhancement.
That alone told him enough.
Ordinary people could only provide so much.
Anything beyond this would require stronger targets, people with real combat value.
If he had to estimate, his current physical strength might not be inferior to Tsunade's raw power.
Even so, it remained a rough guess.
There was still no accurate way to measure himself.
The combat memories he had inherited gave him understanding, but they did not replace real experience.
He knew how to fight, but he had not lived through enough battles to turn that knowledge into instinct.
Timing, pressure, awareness—those things were built through repetition.
And repetition required time.
Something he lacked.
⸻
Kenzo adjusted his direction slightly as he continued forward.
The next village was within reach.
Close enough to maintain momentum.
Far enough to avoid forming a clear pattern.
He had already made certain decisions.
There was no effort wasted on destroying buildings or burning remains.
Those actions took time and offered little return. What mattered was speed, movement, and efficiency.
A slower approach existed.
Hunting rogue shinobi one by one.
Building strength through higher-quality targets.
That path would yield better long-term results.
But it would also consume time.
More than he could afford.
He needed progress before the Uchiha massacre.
Missing that moment would limit his options significantly.
Opportunities were not given.
They were taken.
⸻
The rain continued to fall steadily as Kenzo moved across the trees.
Water slid from leaves, gathered at the edges, then dropped to the ground below.
The air carried a damp chill, and the forest floor had turned soft and uneven.
The environment worked in his favor.
Sound was dampened.
Movement was harder to detect.
Tracking became unreliable.
At the same time, it demanded precision.
One misstep could break rhythm, slow momentum, or leave unnecessary traces.
Kenzo adapted without conscious effort.
His body responded naturally.
⸻
He had already eliminated one of the largest risks.
Every corpse left behind had been handled carefully.
No intact heads.
No usable memories.
The Yamanaka Clan would gain nothing even if they investigated.
That reduced the chance of exposure significantly.
The rest depended on movement.
Unpredictable routes.
Frequent changes in direction.
Minimal contact.
His approach remained simple.
Operate during the night.
Disappear during the day.
Shift locations constantly.
Avoid patterns.
At the same time, maintain efficiency.
The system favored quality.
But quantity still added up.
Under current conditions, quantity offered faster returns.
⸻
He had already made his decision.
He will hunt only those weaker than himself.
The frail.
The broken.
The crippled.
And the defenseless.
Why struggle against tigers—
When lambs fill the fields.
The strong demand
Effort. Risk.
Resistance.
The weak offer none.
The strong are not worth the trouble.
And the weak are not worth sparing.
⸻
The forest began to thin as he moved forward.
Through the rain, shapes slowly formed.
Another village.
Small.
Scattered houses stood unevenly across the ground, their outlines softened by the dim light escaping through thin walls. The glow was weak, barely holding against the darkness around it.
There were no visible defenses.
No guards.
No structured presence of shinobi.
Kenzo slowed slightly, observing from a distance.
His gaze moved steadily.
Layout.
Spacing.
Entrances.
Possible exits.
There was nothing unusual.
No chakra fluctuations.
No hidden figures.
Just ordinary people.
A place like this required no adjustment.
⸻
He moved.
The distance closed quickly.
His figure slipped through the outer edge of the village, blending into shadow and rain. The sound of water masked his presence, covering even the smallest disturbance.
The first house stood slightly apart.
A faint light flickered inside.
A shadow moved along the wall.
Unaware.
Kenzo approached without hesitation.
His pace remained unchanged.
He stepped inside.
⸻
From that point on, everything followed a clear rhythm.
Each movement connected to the next.
No wasted effort.
No unnecessary delay.
One house grew quiet.
Then another.
Then another.
The rain softened what little sound escaped.
Awareness had no time to spread.
The process continued without interruption.
⸻
Kenzo moved through the village steadily.
His actions remained precise.
Each step carried purpose.
There was no need to rush.
The outcome had already been decided the moment he entered.
No resistance emerged.
No complications appeared.
Everything unfolded exactly as expected.
⸻
By the time he reached the final house, the village had already fallen silent.
The faint lights still flickered.
The structures remained intact.
But nothing moved.
Nothing remained.
⸻
Kenzo stepped out and paused briefly at the edge.
Rain continued to fall, sliding across his clothes, washing away the last traces of what had occurred.
His breathing stayed even.
His gaze steady.
There was nothing to reconsider.
Nothing to reflect on.
This was simply progress.
Another step forward.
⸻
He turned and moved on.
The forest swallowed his figure once again as he disappeared into the darkness.
The rain followed, steady and endless, covering his path as he advanced.
Behind him, the village remained still.
A quiet place beneath the rain.
Left behind without a trace.
Author's Note:(skippable)
"Guy's,Excessive gore is restricted, so certain details will remain implied rather than shown."