"T-This… when did this trench appear?"
"My god… it looks like the ground was torn apart by some immense force…"
"What exactly happened here? Was it really caused by a meteor impact?"
Several ANBU stood there, dumbfounded.
Even Kakashi was momentarily lost in shock—he had never seen something this horrifying before.
"Hey, mister?"
Raiden looked at the stunned group, feeling a bit annoyed. He thought these people were rather rude—and overly dramatic.
It was just him running a little faster than usual and leaving behind some marks. Was that really enough to shock them like this?
Kakashi, after all, was a Jonin. Snapped out of it by Raiden's voice, he quickly regained his composure.
"Kid, are you a survivor of this… natural disaster? Where is your family?"
Natural disaster?
Kakashi's question left Raiden confused.
What natural disaster? Wasn't it just him accidentally punching through space, transmigrating, and leaving behind some aftereffects?
But Raiden quickly caught on, thoughts flashing through his mind.
"So in their eyes, something like this counts as a 'disaster.' I can't act too strong… I need to blend into this world. Otherwise, I'll be treated like a monster again."
With that in mind, he replied:
"I'm alone now."
That was the truth—he genuinely didn't know where his family was.
As for whether he was a survivor… he didn't answer.
His calm expression, however, made the ANBU assume he had been frightened senseless.
And that, to them, was perfectly normal.
"Poor kid… in a situation like this, it's impossible for anyone else to have survived."
"An orphan won't make it alone. Let's bring him back to Konoha."
"Captain? What do you think?"
The ANBU all spoke up.
To them, Raiden's response made perfect sense. After all, he looked very young—and had just experienced such a terrifying disaster. The fact that he could answer at all was already impressive.
What more could they expect?
"What's your name?" Kakashi asked.
"My name is Raiden."
"Would you like to come back to Konoha with me? I'm a shinobi from there."
"Is there good food?" Raiden asked.
The moment he said that, the ANBU felt a wave of sympathy.
They thought the child must have been starving.
In reality—
Raiden just genuinely wanted to try some delicious food.
"There is. Lots of it," Kakashi replied.
"Alright then…"
Seeing Raiden nod, Kakashi and the ANBU all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Kid, we're currently on a mission. Stay with us," Kakashi said.
As he spoke, one of the ANBU directly picked Raiden up onto his back without hesitation.
That sudden action startled Raiden!
Because the moment he was lifted, his instinctive aura almost reacted—
If it had…
The consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Poor child…"
The ANBU felt Raiden's body tense slightly and assumed he was frightened.
In reality—
Raiden was worried his instinctive aura might counterattack… and wipe them all out.
Following the ANBU, Raiden felt rather bored.
Soon, Kakashi and the others arrived at the very center of the collapse.
"This…"
"There's no meteor…"
"My god… I see a human-shaped imprint?"
"What exactly happened here…?"
The ANBU, including Kakashi, were all stunned again.
They had originally assumed that a meteor or something similar caused the devastation.
But now—
All they could see was a human-shaped imprint on the ground.
It looked as if someone had fallen from the sky and slammed into the earth.
And the massive trench—
Seemed to originate from that very spot, as if someone had left while dragging the land apart behind them.
But…
Was that even possible?
Almost instantly, everyone concluded—
Impossible.
"Captain… maybe someone came here and took the meteor. It might not have been very large. After all, meteors lose mass after burning through the atmosphere…"
An ANBU offered an explanation that even he didn't believe.
"This is far too bizarre. We'll return immediately and report to the Hokage," Kakashi said seriously.
"This… may become another unsolved mystery."
Lying on an ANBU's back, listening to their conversation, Raiden felt speechless.
He had only accidentally transmigrated… and run a few steps.
How did it turn into an unsolved mystery?
"Let's go, Captain. This level of destruction is impossible for human power. It must be a natural disaster."
"That human-shaped imprint… maybe we're overthinking it. It could've formed naturally during the disaster."
The ANBU spoke one after another.
"Perhaps… The truth may never be uncovered," Kakashi said absentmindedly, lost in thought.
Just as everyone accepted it as an unsolved mystery—
Raiden couldn't help but speak up.
"Actually… maybe all of this was caused by someone… accidentally."
He spoke cautiously, afraid they might realize it was him.
If they did—
His plan to stay low-key would be over.
The moment he said that, the ANBU and Kakashi burst into laughter.
"That's impossible, Raiden. Human strength has limits. No one could achieve something like this," Kakashi said.
"Exactly. If someone really could… that person would have to be a god," another ANBU added.
"Uh…"
Raiden felt speechless—and relieved.
Luckily, he had hidden the truth.
If he had told them he caused all of this—
They would've definitely treated him like a monster again.
"Let's go. Back to Konoha!"
The ANBU squad, along with Raiden, set off toward the village.
"In this world… no one treats me like a monster."
"That actually feels… pretty nice."
Raiden felt a warm satisfaction in his heart, thinking of his master.
"Master… can you see this?"
"Someone's finally willing to talk to me."