Root's Nightmare!

At noon, Riu stood atop the tallest building in the Hidden Leaf Village, gazing at the Hokage Rock on the mountain wall opposite him.

Konoha had signed a truce with the Hidden Rock Village, bringing the Third Shinobi World War to an end. The Third Hokage had resigned to take responsibility, and Minato Namikaze had assumed office as the Fourth Hokage. His face on the Hokage Rock had only recently been completed.

Because Riu had taken over Obito's body, he felt a faint sense of belonging toward the Hidden Leaf Village.

If he had not come with an agenda, he would have taken the opportunity to properly explore the village.

But things rarely went as one wished...

Beneath the Hidden Leaf Village lay Root's headquarters.

Unlike the sunlit world above, this place was shrouded in dim, oppressive hues day and night. Just like the nature of the organization itself, it was hidden from the light.

Before Riu stood two Root guards, clad in ANBU armor and wearing masks.

"Who goes there?" Though wary of the stranger before them, they were not afraid.

This was Konoha, the headquarters of Root itself. Who would be suicidal enough to cause trouble here? Seeing that the man wore a mask, he was probably one of the Fourth Hokage's direct ANBU, here to deliver the Fourth's orders.

But Danzo was deeply hostile toward Minato, so Root would never show the ANBU a friendly face.

Riu had not come to chat with them. He raised his head, and the Three-Tomoe Sharingan beneath his mask gleamed.

It was Sharingan genjutsu.

The two guards' eyes widened, then lost focus as they fell under hypnotic genjutsu.

"Tell me, where is Kinoe?" Riu asked indifferently.

"Second underground level... training room..." one guard answered woodenly.

Oh, he isn't out on a mission. I came at just the right time.

"Where is Danzo?" he asked again.

"Lord Danzo... has gone out..." the guard replied.

At this time, Danzo was secretly in close contact with Orochimaru. This trip was to visit a new hideout Orochimaru had revealed in a secret letter.

But that had nothing to do with Riu. He had come only to take Yamato away.

Thud! The two guards collapsed to the floor, and Riu passed through their bodies.

This scene was also seen by the ninja in Root's surveillance room.

"This is... Quick, we have an intruder!!"

Clatter!!

Before the massive cross-shaped trestle bridge, Root's stationed members gathered. Some stood on the walls, while others hung upside down from the ceiling, glaring at Riu with unfriendly eyes.

Riu walked on as though no one else was there and stepped onto the bridge.

"Anyone who trespasses into Root's domain will be executed!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Kunai and shuriken flew at him from every direction, but without exception, they passed through Riu's body and embedded themselves in the bridge. This inconceivable sight stunned the Root members.

"Impossible, they passed through him! What is going on?!"

"Is that some unique technique of his?!"

"Physical attacks pass through his body, yet I can clearly sense his Chakra. Then how about this..." A brown-haired ninja on the ceiling calmly analyzed the situation, formed a strange hand seal, and aimed at Riu's back.

Buzz!!

Riu's steps slowed as he advanced. Within his consciousness appeared another figure.

The Yamanaka Clan's Mind Body Switch Technique...

"Fu's technique worked. Get him now!"

The Root members attacked as one, but unfortunately, every attack passed through him again.

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!" Riu formed hand seals with both hands and spat out four fire dragons that swept in every direction...

"Ah!!"

"Ah!!"

No one could escape this all-encompassing Fire Release. Had Root's Water Release users not intervened in time, more than half of them would have been killed or injured!

"Fu, what happened?!"

"His spiritual power is abnormally strong. My Mind Body Switch Technique was broken in only a few seconds!!" Fu Yamanaka said with lingering fear.

"He's that troublesome? He struck while Lord Danzo was away, but what exactly is he after?!"

"Fu, use the Mind Body Switch Technique again..." said the black-clad youth beside Fu Yamanaka.

"But..."

"A few seconds are enough. With my technique, I can kill him instantly!" The black-clad youth removed his shirt, revealing a body covered in a layer of black.

"Torune..."

Torune Aburame, the son of Shikuro Aburame, who possessed a special physique even within the Aburame Clan.

He and Fu Yamanaka would later become Danzo's guards. However... they were still young at this point.

Fu Yamanaka gathered Chakra and formed the hand seals for Mind Body Switch Technique, aiming at Riu from afar as Torune Aburame charged toward him.

But would the same trick work on Riu twice?

Sizzle! Riu's left eye transformed into a Mangekyo Sharingan and focused on Fu's head—Kamui!!

Crack!! In a single instant, Fu's head was separated from his body and vanished into the Kamui Vortex. Blood spurted several meters into the air from his neck, and his headless corpse thudded to the floor...

As for Torune Aburame, because the Mind Body Switch Technique had failed, he passed straight through Riu's body!

As they crossed paths, Riu pressed his right hand onto Torune's shoulder. His right eye released a Kamui Vortex and absorbed Torune Aburame.

"Ow, ow, ow..." Tobi, wrapped around Riu's body, felt a burst of pain in his right hand. Yes, even Tobi had a hard time dealing with those nanoscale poisonous insects.

"Kamui can ignore all physical attacks and ninjutsu, but it seems to have weaknesses. Since Mind Body Switch Technique can affect it, genjutsu should work as well. It seems I'll need to be extra cautious around ninja with exceptional abilities. Oh, right, perhaps I should use that guy's eyes to create the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan..." Riu muttered to himself.

"Just who is that man?!" Seeing two of their elite members instantly killed, the other Root members were too terrified to move. Even the hands gripping their ninja tools trembled.

"He can kill Fu in an instant, and he can kill us in an instant too."

"How are we supposed to deal with an enemy like this...?"

Riu remained indifferent. He had come only for Yamato and did not wish to slaughter them all. But the rules of the ninja world were cruel, especially for Root. A suitable amount of killing and intimidation was necessary!

"Hm?" Suddenly, Riu fixed his gaze on a short ninja at the back of the crowd. "Found you..."

That person was the one Riu had been seeking. His codename in Root was "Kinoe." After transferring to Konoha's ANBU, he would be codenamed "Tenzō," and after becoming Team 7's supervising Jōnin, he would be known as "Yamato."

In the original story, although Yamato had been exploited, he had ultimately met a good end.

But what Riu wanted required him as a stepping stone...

"Your story ends here. Kinoe will be your dead end..." Riu walked toward Kinoe.

"We can't let him do whatever he wants on Root's territory!!" The Root members rose up in resistance.

But with Fu and Torune gone, none of their attacks meant anything to Riu. He advanced through blades, wind, and fire, everything passing through his body... until he reached Kinoe.

"Come with me obediently. Maybe you'll suffer a little less..."

"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!!" Kinoe formed the Wood Release hand seals and thrust his arms forward. Four wooden pillars grew from his sleeves, extending toward Riu to entangle him.

"His target is Kinoe. Though he has no physical body while defending, he must have a real body when attacking!!"

Behind him, the Root members unleashed a powerful combined ninjutsu attack!

"Hmph." Beneath his mask, Riu curled his lips as both eyes became Mangekyo Sharingan.

Susanoo!

Azure Chakra flames blazed from his body and formed a skeleton, blocking all attacks from behind...

The skeletal hand seized the wooden pillars before him and tore them apart in one pull!

"What?!" Everyone was utterly stunned.

Crack! The Susanoo dispersed. Riu extended his right hand, and tree trunks coiled out, binding Yamato tightly...

"This, this is the same Wood Release as mine, but it's far more powerful..." In agony, he was squeezed unconscious by Riu's Wood Release.

The tree trunks withdrew. Riu slung the unconscious Yamato over his shoulder, then looked back at Root's devastated headquarters and its helpless members.

"Farewell."

Whoosh! As his low voice fell, Riu vanished into the Kamui Vortex...

That day, Riu left Konoha's Root with an unprecedented nightmare.