Beneath Konoha—
Within Root's headquarters, a bloody storm had begun.
With Raiden's arrival, everything in his path turned to dust.
On the first level after the entrance, eleven shinobi were wiped out without exception.
On the second level, twenty-three shinobi met the same fate.
By the third level, sixteen more had fallen.
At this moment, Raiden was like a god of death walking through the underworld, silently and mercilessly harvesting lives wherever he passed.
—
Fourth level.
Before Raiden had even arrived, the shinobi stationed there were already fleeing in panic.
At that very moment, a man rushed out from a nearby room, clearly unaware of what had just happened.
"Why are you running? Is there an intruder?"
"Lord Jing Si, run! A demon has come to Root!"
Seven or eight shinobi fled in terror, completely forgetting that Root had only one exit—
And that escaping would mean passing right by Raiden.
"What exactly happened…?"
Jing Si was shaken. He had never seen Root's shinobi show such fear before.
These were all highly trained elites—
So what could possibly frighten them like this?
Just as confusion filled his mind, he saw a figure descending from above.
The person looked young, ordinary even—
And more importantly, he couldn't sense any chakra at all.
"Are they really afraid of… him?"
"Then I'll deal with him myself!"
As one of Root's stronger members, Jing Si was confident. Without hesitation, he stepped forward to confront Raiden.
However—
The moment he reached him—
He heard Raiden speak.
"I don't like people blocking my path."
As the words fell, Raiden's figure vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared beside Jing Si.
As he passed by, his expression remained completely indifferent, as though Jing Si wasn't even worth noticing.
"So fast… I need to be caref—"
Before the thought could finish—
Jing Si's consciousness shattered.
Raiden had simply tapped him lightly while passing.
In the next moment, Jing Si's body slammed into the wall—
And disintegrated completely.
—
"My god… this is terrifying!"
"Lord Jing Si was that strong, and he didn't even have time to react before dying?!"
Fear spread through every Root shinobi present.
"This isn't a battle… it's a massacre."
That same thought appeared in all of their minds.
At that moment, Raiden lifted his gaze.
Eighteen of them stood before him.
"There are quite a lot of flies blocking the way."
His voice was calm.
Then he slowly raised his right hand.
The motion looked simple—
Yet to Root's shinobi, it felt like a reaper raising his scythe.
"One."
Raiden pointed at one of them.
The instant he was targeted, that shinobi felt a terrifying force strike him. His body was flung backward and smashed into the wall, dying instantly.
"Two."
Another fell.
"Three."
"Four."
"Five."
"Six."
"Seven."
"Eight."
Each time Raiden pointed, a violent, compressed gust erupted from his fingertip, sending its target flying.
In truth, they weren't killed by the impact—
They were already torn apart by the force the moment they were struck.
…
"Fifteen."
"Sixteen."
"Seventeen."
One after another, they fell.
Soon—
Only one remained.
"Is this… Wind Release?"
"Why doesn't he need hand seals? And why is it so powerful…?"
The last shinobi trembled violently, his pupils shaking with fear.
Everything before him had completely surpassed his understanding.
"Eighteen."
Raiden pointed without hesitation.
In that instant, the final shinobi was engulfed by an overwhelming force.
And at the moment of death—
He suddenly understood.
This wasn't Wind Release.
Raiden hadn't used any ninjutsu at all.
It was merely the natural wind pressure generated by a simple motion of his finger—
Amplified to a terrifying degree.
"Eighteen flies in total."
Raiden lowered his hand and continued forward.
—
Deep within Root's headquarters.
Inside a sealed chamber—
A figure knelt before Danzo, reporting.
"Aburame Torune, you've done well. Continue monitoring Uchiha Sasuke's movements."
Danzo's cold expression carried a faint trace of satisfaction.
His surveillance of Sasuke—
Was tied to his dealings with Orochimaru.
"Yes, Lord Danzo. However, there was some disturbance outside earlier. It seems there may be an intruder. Should I deal with it?"
"No need."
Danzo waved dismissively.
"Occasionally, a few rats sneak in. It's nothing worth worrying about. Jing Si is outside—he'll handle it."
He had full confidence in Jing Si.
However—
In the very next moment—
The chamber door exploded inward.
Boom!
Dust filled the air.
As it settled—
A figure stood at the entrance.
Raiden.
Danzo, who had been seated, immediately stood up.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.