Facing Raiden, although the fear in Danzo's heart had reached its peak, he still forced himself to take a deep breath, suppressing the violent turmoil within him.
Perhaps it was the effect of Hashirama's cells, or perhaps the Sharingan played a role—
But somehow, he managed to recover from that overwhelming fear.
"I knew it… you were never ordinary. Now it seems you truly are a major threat to Konoha."
Shimura Danzo's voice was cold and sinister, his eyes filled with darkness.
"Oh? Interesting."
Raiden showed a hint of curiosity, clearly intrigued that Danzo could break free from his aura's suppression.
"So even a slightly bigger fly has some ability. Unfortunately… a fly is still just a fly."
The moment his words fell, Raiden vanished.
Danzo's pupils shrank violently.
"So fast… I've been on full guard, yet I couldn't even see his movement?"
"No… it's not that I couldn't see it—I couldn't even perceive that he moved at all!"
"It's as if he simply disappeared… This is definitely not something a Body Flicker Technique can achieve."
Danzo's mind was in turmoil.
"Could it be Flying Thunder God? A pre-set technique? Then where is he?!"
He turned his head frantically, trying to locate Raiden—
But the moment he looked around—
He froze.
The entire underground base of Root had become a sea of blood.
What once stood as a symbol of order and authority now resembled a living hell.
Bodies lay scattered everywhere.
All of Root's elite shinobi—
Dead.
"My god…"
Danzo's heart trembled.
"So when he said he walked in openly… he meant he slaughtered his way in?"
"He moved so fast… none of my subordinates could even delay him for a moment!"
"This is… a complete massacre of Root!"
His thoughts surged like a storm.
Yet before he could process it further—
A cold voice sounded beside his ear.
"What are you looking around for?"
"In a fight, is it really wise to lose focus like that?"
Fear.
The moment that voice reached him, an instinctive terror rose from the depths of his being.
When he slowly turned his head—
He saw it.
A calm, emotionless face—
Right in front of him.
Raiden had appeared before him without the slightest warning.
If not for that voice, Danzo wouldn't have even known he was there.
For someone of his level—
This was unthinkable.
But before he could think further, Raiden spoke again, his tone filled with indifference and disdain.
"Calling this a fight is already giving you too much credit."
"I thought someone who could recover from my aura might be worth testing, so I held back a bit… perhaps stretch my muscles."
"But now it seems… that won't be necessary."
"After all, you're just a fly."
Raiden looked at the terrified Danzo, finding the situation increasingly dull.
"If you're a fly… then it's better to just crush you."
With that, he flicked a finger toward Danzo's forehead.
Boom!
Blood burst outward.
Raiden's fingertip hadn't even touched him—
Yet Danzo's head had already shattered.
Even this was only a fraction of Raiden's power, deliberately restrained.
"Hm?"
After killing him, Raiden showed a faintly amused expression.
"Interesting."
At that moment—
Another figure appeared not far away.
Danzo.
Alive again.
"You're strong. I've never seen anyone as strong as you."
"But what exactly is your purpose for infiltrating Konoha?"
Danzo stared at him coldly.
Raiden tilted his head slightly.
"If I said… I just came here to taste the food of this world, would you believe me?"
Danzo was stunned, clearly not expecting such an answer.
And in that brief moment of distraction—
Raiden was already standing before him again.
"As a fly that managed to amuse me a little, I've answered your question."
"So now… you can die."
This time, his finger actually tapped Danzo's head.
An overwhelming force surged through his body.
Danzo was sent crashing down from the upper level, smashing violently into the ground below—
And died instantly.
"Useless… it's all useless."
"You think being strong means you can do whatever you want?"
"I am immortal."
Danzo appeared again in the distance, his voice cold and steady.
"No matter how strange you are… I will uncover your ability!"
Without hesitation, he formed hand seals.
Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!
Several compressed air bullets burst from his mouth, tearing through the air as they slammed into Raiden.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The attacks landed directly.
Yet Raiden remained completely unharmed.
"What…?!"
"He took my Vacuum Great Sphere head-on and wasn't injured at all?"
"Wait… did he take it… or simply not bother to dodge?"
A terrifying thought surfaced in Danzo's mind.
Before he could process it—
A hand descended from above.
Boom!
Raiden struck down with a single palm.
The ground beneath Root cracked violently as the impact spread outward.
Danzo's body was flattened instantly into a mangled mass.
"Useless… it's all useless!"
Danzo appeared once more in the distance.
Though shaken by Raiden's power—
He was not afraid.
Because he had already activated the forbidden technique of the Uchiha—
Izanagi.
Watching him reappear again, Raiden's expression turned increasingly bored.
"I thought your ability might allow you to revive indefinitely…"
"But it turns out it's just half-baked."
"I've already lost interest in playing with you any longer."
Half-baked?
Danzo froze for a moment.
This was a forbidden technique—
A power capable of rewriting reality itself.
It could turn damage and even death into illusion, while making favorable outcomes real.
A technique that blurred the boundary between illusion and reality—
A supreme genjutsu.
And yet—
Raiden looked at it with complete disdain.
Not even pretending.
He truly… did not care.