Kenji moved along the line between light and shadow, a skill he had honed to near instinct. He was no longer the fleeing prey. He was a hunter. His goal wasn't to kill, but to gather information. Information was the sharpest weapon in this war.
He spent an entire day observing the Stone Village's patrol teams from a distance. He didn't seek engagement. He watched. He memorized their routes, the timing of their guard changes, the way they communicated with hand signals. He was drawing a map in his mind, a map of the enemy's activities in this region. Gradually, a picture emerged. Most of the teams reported to a small relay station situated on a rocky hill, a location that overlooked a vast area.
That was his target. A communications relay station. That place would surely hold reports, maps, and perhaps, even information about the Leaf Village's shinobi activities in the area—information provided by the traitor.
As night fell, Kenji was at the base of the hill. The relay station was just a large tent reinforced with Earth Style jutsu, surrounded by four guards patrolling a fixed route. It wasn't an overly difficult target, but in Kenji's current state, any mistake would be fatal.
He lay motionless in the darkness, waiting. He needed an opening, no matter how small. And he also needed to test something.
He took a deep breath, focusing the meager amount of chakra he had recovered. He formed the seals.
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.
A strain ran through his body, but this time, he succeeded. A single, perfect clone appeared beside him. Just one left him feeling slightly dizzy, but the feeling of having his signature jutsu back, even a fraction of it, boosted his confidence.
"Northeast," the real Kenji ordered in his mind. "Make a small noise in ten minutes. Just a single noise. Then disperse."
The clone nodded and silently vanished into the night.
The real Kenji began to move, calculating every second. Ten minutes. That was all the time he had. He pressed himself against the earthen wall of the tent, searching for a weak point.
CRASH.
A rock from the northeast suddenly tumbled down, making a loud noise in the still night.
"What was that?" one of the guards yelled.
"Go check it out!" another ordered.
Two of the four guards immediately ran toward the sound. The other two were also distracted, their attention drawn in that direction.
This was Kenji's chance.
As swift as a cat, he climbed onto the tent's roof and slipped in through a ventilation slit. Inside, a single Stone ninja sat by a radio device, engrossed in his notes. He had no idea death was hovering right above him.
Kenji landed without a sound. Before the ninja could even realize what was happening, a swift strike from the edge of Kenji's hand hit the back of his neck. The ninja slumped onto the table, unconscious.
Kenji acted immediately. He had no time to read everything carefully. He searched for documents marked "Confidential" or "Urgent." He found a file on recent activities. Patrol reports, supply requests... and a thin folder titled: "Konoha Subjects of Interest."
His heart pounded. He opened it.
The first page was information on Morita Ryo, with a red stamp over it: "TERMINATED." The second page was information on himself, Kageyama Kenji, expert in Shadow Clones, with a note: "Missing, presumed dead."
And then, the third page.
It had no photo, only lines of text.
Name: Unknown. Codename: Karasu (Crow). Profile: Anbu from the Hidden Leaf Village. Expert in Genjutsu and infiltration. Often uses crows for diversion and communication. Threat Level: S. Note: Our source of information. Extremely reliable. Assisted in the termination of the subject Morita Ryo.
Karasu. The Crow.
Kenji gripped the file. This was it. Irrefutable proof. The traitor not only existed but was also a high-ranking Anbu operative, rated as an S-class threat by the Stone Village. And he had been directly involved in Ryo's death.
Kenji snatched the profile page on "Karasu," stuffing it into his tunic. He couldn't stay any longer. He glanced at the unconscious ninja. Killing him would be the safest option. But Kenji chose not to. He was not a cold-blooded killer. He only took a life when absolutely necessary.
He slipped out of the tent as silently as he had entered, just before the two guards returned to their posts.
Deep in the forest, Kenji opened the page again under the moonlight. "Karasu." A codename. But in the Anbu, a codename was sometimes more real than a given name.
He now had a name to hunt. The aimless chase was over. Now, it was a confrontation with a clear target. He had to find out who Karasu was and stop him before he could cause any more damage to the Leaf Village.
The road ahead was still fraught with danger, but now, Kenji had a compass. And the needle of that compass was pointing straight at the heart of the betrayal.