Chapter 20: Chapter 20 : Escape into Darkness
Without looking back even once, Kaede ventured deeper into the forest. The branches and leaves of the trees concealed the moonlight, and amidst the hooting of a few owls, Kaede propelled herself from tree to tree, continuing her path without stopping.
After several weeks of mental preparation, she had finally seized the opportunity to embark on an adventure. Without a map or landmarks, she had set out with only her will to live life to the fullest as her guide.
Deep down, she knew there was a high chance she would be pursued and punished by her clan, but what did it matter now? With only the sight of the trees and the sensation of the wind on her skin, Kaede felt free, and that was all that mattered.
While she continued to venture further away from Senju territory, with no clear idea of her destination, panic had reached its peak in the Senju village.
"What are you saying!?" exclaimed an elder Senju with fury.
Lowering his head, the Senju in front of him felt the pressure of the elder's chakra pouring down like a torrent. "According to the trail we found, the young Uzumaki princess appears to have headed east..." Repeating what he had discovered during the search for Kaede, the Senju ninja was sweating profusely, sensing the elder's growing anger.
In the gathered crowd, some whispers arose to answer the most ignorant ones, connecting the dots regarding the reason for the elder's fury. "To the East, it's Uchiha territory..."
"If she continues in that direction, she's certain to meet her end..."
Among the Senju, some might have seen this as an opportunity to further involve the Uzumaki clan in the ongoing war between their two clans. But for the higher-ups, they would feel more humiliated than anything if they couldn't even protect a Uzumaki princess who was originally on their own territory.
Regaining control of his chakra, the elder Senju raised his voice and, looking at the various Senju on the scene, ordered, "Gather Takeshi's team and retrieve the young Uzumaki!"
"But Takeshi is still in recovery..."
"No need for Takeshi, only his team will go in search of the young princess! If she crosses the outpost to the east, then the team will merge with those already in place and continue the search. Bring her back alive, whatever the cost!"
As a group of a hundred Senju departed for their outpost in the east to pursue Kaede, Koji and the Uzumaki who had followed her were also on her trail. Without a clear trail to follow, Koji's group relied on instinct, luckily heading in Kaede's direction.
The young Uzumaki didn't take the time to stop for a break and continued straight ahead, being cautious not to leave any obvious traces of her presence. Trained with the best education the Uzumaki clan could offer, she had practiced every day, allowing her to maintain distance between her and the pursuing teams.
On a night that should have been filled with celebration, panic had eclipsed all joy and happiness. Starting with Koji, who was sweating from the stress of the thought of Kaede in danger. She had always been shielded from real threats, and although her teachers had explained the dangers outside the clan, she had always seen them as challenges waiting for her. Faced with this almost childlike behavior, Koji imagined all the possible scenarios that could befall her. Would she encounter bandits? A formidable chakra beast? Or worse, an enemy ninja...
Running as fast as he could while searching for any sign of Kaede, Koji's eyes were bloodshot due to his intense concentration.
...
While the Senju village was in a state of panic, miles away, outside Senju territory to the east, over three hundred ninja armed to the teeth were running through the darkness toward the Senju outpost.
Looking into their eyes, the Sharingan, the hallmark of the Uchiha clan, was visible, radiating in the night.
As if this night would spare no one, the Uchiha clan, caught off guard by the Hije clan alongside the Senju, had decided to seek revenge with the blood of their enemies that night. Hatred emanated from their eyes. The aura surrounding the Uchiha made the various forest animals fall silent.
In the midst of this small army, a young girl with black hair and a Sharingan with three tomoe ran in silence. If one looked closely at her face, two tear streaks could be seen running down her cheeks. This young girl was none other than Ino Uchiha, Chikara's friend.
In the days following her awakening of the Sharingan, she had trained relentlessly in silence to master this new power. The awakening of the Sharingan wasn't just an improvement in eye abilities. It was a general enhancement of the body's capabilities. It was as if a lock had been released within the user's body, resulting in rapid improvement in abilities after Sharingan awakening.
For Ino, who had directly awakened to the three-tomoe Sharingan, the improvement was even more significant. She had gone from being a child who couldn't compete with an adult shinobi to a true kunoichi who could fight on an equal footing. And that was just a few days after her awakening. Who knew what it would be like after several battles.
Although the clan would have preferred her to remain training quietly within the clan, Ino couldn't stand by and avoid fighting the Senju. Her hatred, her arrogance, everything pushed her to refuse to remain passive. She wanted to fight, she wanted blood, she wanted vengeance.
And thus, more than three hundred Uchiha headed towards the Senju outpost.
At the Senju outpost, a messenger eagle had just landed in front of the captain who had been leading the war against the Uchiha for a month. Masato Senju retrieved the letter from the eagle and, while giving it a treat, opened and read the letter.
As he laid his eyes on the first words, shock washed over his face. What? The Uzumaki princess has run away!? And she's heading in this direction!?
Taking the time to read the entire letter to ensure he didn't miss any critical information, Masato looked at his right-hand man and ordered, "Wake up the teams that are sleeping, have everyone gather within five minutes! It's an emergency!"
"Right away."
In the minutes that followed, the once-quiet outpost transformed into a bustling hub of activity. The hurried footsteps of Senju clan members echoed in the air, while fires were lit to illuminate the area. Patrol teams were hastily awakened, while others prepared equipment to set out in search of the Uzumaki princess.
Masato Senju, the captain, stood at the center of the commotion, his face expressing both concern and determination. It was clear that the escape of the Uzumaki princess had caused great concern among the Senju, and they were preparing to act swiftly to find her and bring her back safely.
In front of the crowd, Masato, clad in his Senju armor, sternly addressed his men. "We've just received a letter from the village! The young Uzumaki princess, who came to strengthen the bonds between our two clans, is missing!" Holding up the letter in his hand, he continued, "According to the latest information, she's heading in our direction. You can imagine the consequences if we fail to intercept her, and she crosses the border. She'll be directly confronted by the Uchiha clan! Therefore, I order that all teams depart immediately to locate the young princess! Now!"
Like a thunderclap, all the Senju teams departed in various directions around the outpost. No direction was left unattended, and over a hundred teams of three were sent out into the field.
Masato, having given the orders, did not leave with the various teams. His place was to protect the border, and one more man wouldn't serve much purpose for this kind of search.
Waiting for the team that was to be sent to assist in the search, Masato stood patiently outside the outpost gate, concealing his stress.
...
Kaede, who had been running for hours, had long torn her traditional attire to run faster. Her adrenaline had somewhat subsided, unlike her breath. Her eyes remained focused ahead, constantly scanning for chakra signatures in the vicinity.
During her escape, she had been fortunate not to encounter any wild animals or family members coming to find her. In a way, she thought she might have succeeded in leaving no trace. But that thought disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
Who was her family, after all?
The Uzumaki clan!
And who had she just run away from? None other than one of the strongest clans in this era. The Senju clan! Talents were not lacking in such a clan, and finding her trail was an inevitable event.
Pushing such unnecessary thoughts out of her mind, Kaede continued to run relentlessly toward what she believed was her freedom, at least until her clan caught up with her... But as the sight of trees continued to pass by, several sources of chakra appeared in front of her. Sensing these different chakra signatures, Kaede was able to clearly identify them: they were Senju.
In this situation, Kaede regained the adrenaline she had lost earlier and minimized her chakra to avoid being detected. Numerous questions flooded her mind. If they were in front of her when she was convinced that no one had overtaken her, then in which direction had she been heading all this time?
As far as she knew, it could only mean one thing: she had inevitably taken a path leading to an outpost... In other words, she was now surrounded by those who were waiting for her and those who were about to catch up with her...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone