Chapter 61: Race towards Amegakure
In the rain-soaked forest, cold droplets continued to fall steadily from above, striking the ground and leaves in a constant rhythm, and within that faint haze of mist Kenzo's eyes, which had been burning brightly just moments ago, gradually settled back into their usual calm state, the sharp edge fading as calculation replaced everything else.
Approximately 180–200 km remained between his current position and Amegakure, Kenzo calculated silently, this was not a short distance by any means, even at his current speed it would take around 1.5 to 2 hours if he pushed himself continuously without interruption, and that was under the assumption that nothing interfered, which was unlikely, meaning he would have to time everything perfectly down to the smallest detail.
Immediately Kenzo's hands moved again, forming seals with practiced precision and with a soft puff three shadow clones appeared beside him and without hesitation each one moved in a different direction, their roles already defined the moment they were created.
The first clone was tasked with checking on Enkedu's current state and placing the entire organisation into a dormant phase, this was not something that could be done carelessly but because the structure was still relatively small and tightly controlled it remained possible, the system itself had been built exactly for situations like this, each unit functioning as an isolated cell with no direct awareness of others, information fragmented, routes separated, identities layered and constantly shifting, meaning once a dormancy signal was initiated through the correct chains it would cascade down through intermediaries without revealing the origin, commands were never passed directly but encoded through symbols, altered routes and timed actions, making it almost impossible to trace back, even so Kenzo did not believe all of them would remain hidden completely, the five great villages were not fools and once something reached this scale they would begin connecting fragments, patterns, movements, and while they might not uncover everything they would uncover enough, and that alone was dangerous.
The second clone moved to confirm the information again through an external channel, a third party unrelated to the current chain, because even though Kenzo trusted that Rei would not betray him, not out of emotion but because their interests were too deeply tied together, he still would not rely on a single source, trust without verification was nothing more than a flaw, and Kenzo had long since removed such flaws from himself.
The last clone moved purely for misdirection, scattering traces, leaving behind overlapping trails, false indicators and broken signatures that would distort any attempt at tracking him directly.
Now it was time.
Kenzo's body lowered slightly, bending forward at nearly a ninety degree angle, muscles tightening as he prepared to launch.
Boom!!
A sharp sonic burst tore through the still raining forest as his figure shot forward, vanishing past dozens of trees in an instant, his current speed far surpassing what it had been months ago, his normal travel speed now reaching around 110–140 km/h, while in combat it could push up to 170–200 km/h, and his maximum burst speed using the Body Flicker had risen to nearly 300–380+ km/h, a terrifying increase compared to before, the result of constant refinement and the sheer number of killings he has done.
If he had to compare, his speed was now somewhat approaching the level of the Raikage's Lightning Release enhanced movement, though still not equal, and without witnessing it directly he would not make a definitive conclusion.
Kenzo continued to dash through the forest at full pace, rain splitting around him as his movement cut through the air, because slowing down even slightly was not an option, if he delayed then the chances of others narrowing down his location would increase, and if Obito appeared ahead of time then everything would end before it even began, there would be no escape, no room to maneuver, which meant the only viable option was to reach Amegakure before that happened.
Meanwhile, another shadow clone had already moved toward a different direction, navigating through the land with complete familiarity, Kenzo had long since memorised the terrain of the Land of Rain, its hidden routes, its blind zones, its scattered settlements and underground paths, otherwise there would have been no point in establishing a network here in the first place, and so within just half an hour the clone arrived at a black market, because after all in a place like this finding one was as easy as finding rain itself.
In front of him stood a dilapidated structure, worn and almost abandoned in appearance, but Kenzo paid it no mind as he moved directly toward the concealed entrance, locating the hidden compartment with ease and slipping inside without hesitation.
The air inside was familiar, damp and heavy, but this time something was different, there was a subtle tension mixed within it, movement was faster, conversations more urgent, the usually quiet hall was now filled with low whispers, voices layered over each other, some speaking in hushed tones, some more agitated, some almost cautious, but all of them were discussing the same thing.
Him.
Kenzo ignored the noise, his gaze calm behind the mask as it moved toward the bounty board, and there, placed at the very center, was his own image, not a rough sketch this time but a clear and detailed depiction, every feature captured without distortion.
{ W A N T E D
DEAD OR ALIVE
Kenzo Uchiha
Bounty: 85,000,000 Ryō
Description: Last seen escaping the Land of Fire after killing two elite shinobi. Suspected locations include the Land of Rain and surrounding regions. Subject possesses a three tomoe Sharingan. Extreme caution advised. }
But it did not end there, the details extended further, descriptions of his movement patterns, fragments of his fighting style, even minor behavioral observations that should not have held any value were listed out in full.
Kenzo stared at it for a moment, his thoughts turning sharp, to push his bounty to this level this quickly there were multiple forces involved, not just one, the Yamanaka clan for intelligence extraction, the Aburame clan for tracking, the Hokage's direct influence, and likely other hidden factions contributing pieces, each one adding fragments until the full picture began forming.
Just then, noticing Kenzo standing there for longer than usual, a man in a black cloak approached him quietly and without speaking placed a scroll beside him, his actions casual yet deliberate.
Kenzo glanced at him briefly before picking up the scroll, opening it without hesitation, and as his eyes moved across the contents it became clear that what was written inside went even deeper than what was displayed publicly.