An invisible fear spread through the air.
The Root ninja who had attempted to assassinate Raiden stared at the seemingly harmless face before him—
Yet an indescribable terror surged within his heart.
Run!
That was his only thought.
His mind screamed at him to flee, to get as far away from this person as possible—
But his body refused to move.
Under Raiden's gaze—
Every fiber of his being trembled.
There was no killing intent in those eyes.
No coldness.
Just a calm, ordinary expression.
And yet—
For some reason, he couldn't move at all.
The fear came from deep within—
From his very soul.
"Run!"
Yamanaka Fū shouted the moment he saw Raiden appear in front of his subordinate.
But it was too late.
Run?
Of course he wanted to.
But he couldn't.
"A fly… better to crush it."
Raiden raised a hand, his fingers curling slightly as if preparing to flick a marble.
Buzz—
With a light flick—
His fingertip touched the assassin.
In the next instant—
A horrifying scene unfolded.
Blood splattered.
But the assassin's head didn't explode—
It disintegrated into fine powder.
"Damn it! He actually attacked ANBU!"
"This person is definitely not ordinary! If he's hiding in Konoha, he must have ulterior motives—kill him!"
Almost simultaneously, two Root operatives leapt into action.
Shuriken flew through the air—
Seven, eight of them—
Each one carrying explosive tags.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The barrage rushed toward Raiden.
He didn't move.
"Good! We attacked while he was distracted—he won't react in time!"
Fū's eyes lit up with excitement.
Even if Raiden was strong—
This should be enough to kill him.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The shuriken closed in—
Just as they were about to touch him—
"Detonate!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions roared one after another.
Flames engulfed Raiden entirely.
"Success!"
"He's definitely dead this time!"
The two Root operatives felt a surge of relief.
At least—
Their fallen comrade's death wouldn't be meaningless.
But just as that thought formed—
A cold voice echoed in their ears.
"There are things I don't bother with… because it's too troublesome."
"But I'm not stupid."
"I can feel your intent to kill me."
"To me, you're just annoying flies… but I don't mind…"
"…crushing you."
Crushing you.
Just four words—
Yet they carried a bone-chilling coldness.
Even though Raiden spoke calmly—
The two men felt their souls shake.
Their entire bodies stiffened.
Every hair stood on end.
"When… did he move? Didn't we hit him just now?!"
"Was it a substitution technique?!"
Their minds raced desperately.
But before they could understand—
Their thoughts… stopped.
Because—
A cold hand touched their heads.
Raiden had already appeared behind them.
One hand resting on each of their heads.
"You won't feel pain… this is my mercy."
His voice was indifferent.
With a slight downward press—
Boom! Boom!
The ground cracked in a fan-shaped pattern.
Their bodies slammed into the earth—
Dead instantly.
Just as Raiden said—
They felt nothing.
"This… how is this possible?!"
Yamanaka Fū's pupils shrank violently.
As one of Danzo's most trusted subordinates, he had experienced countless missions—
But never something like this.
"The explosive tags clearly hit him… I could feel he was within the blast radius…"
"Then why is he completely unharmed?!"
"Are explosive tags useless against him? Are shuriken useless against him?!"
His mind was in chaos.
"And his speed… is that a space-time ninjutsu? Instant teleportation? The Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"But I didn't see any hand seals… no signs of activation…"
"Could it be… pure physical movement?!"
"No… I have to run!"
"This person is too strong—far too strong! I can't defeat him!"
Watching his subordinates die—
By all logic, he should have attacked.
Should have avenged them.
Should have completed the mission.
But now—
Only one thought remained.
Run.
Run as far away as possible.
Everything about Raiden—
Had surpassed his understanding.
"I don't know what his abilities are… I have to escape and report to Lord Danzo!"
The moment the thought took hold—
It could no longer be suppressed.
Yamanaka Fū turned and fled.
Even as an elite Jonin—
He no longer had the courage to fight.
But—
The instant he tried to escape—
A figure appeared before him like a ghost.
Raiden.
"So fast! He was just a hundred meters away—there's no Flying Thunder God mark here—how did he get here?!"
Fū's mind spiraled into madness.
"What… have we provoked…?"
"…A nightmare?"