The moment Kakashi revealed his Sharingan, the entire training field fell silent.
No one had expected Kakashi to take Senju Haruto so seriously right from the start.
Especially Yako — she had been absolutely certain Haruto would lose, already drawing the longsword at her side.
It was the standard weapon of an ANBU operative.
Tenzo exchanged a brief look with Kakashi.
Among everyone here, they were the ones who knew Haruto's strength best.
Even Danzo himself hadn't been Haruto's match — so they certainly didn't underestimate him.
But…
Haruto had no real interest in these few ANBU.
When Yako swept her blade toward him, Haruto simply sidestepped and, in the same motion, caught the edge of the sword with his bare hand.
"What?!"
Yako's eyes widened. From the angle of attack to the speed of her swing, she had been certain it was flawless.
Yet Haruto had not only avoided it with ease, he had also seized her weapon.
"Tenzo! Itachi!"
Kakashi barked sharply, rushing in from one side while Tenzo came from the other, both launching their assault on Haruto.
To them, this was their one chance to strike.
Haruto didn't even glance at Kakashi.
He stepped forward, clamping his left hand around Yako's throat while snatching her weapon with his right.
"Looks like you're not much of a swordswoman."
Haruto smirked — then hurled Yako like a projectile toward another charging ANBU.
That ANBU, agile as well, dropped low as Yako flew past like a cut kite, then suddenly surged forward, leaping into the air with both hands on his sword.
"Crescent Moon Dance!"
Haruto's eyes flicked up to him.
"An attack using clones to strike from multiple angles while the real body cuts from the blind spot… meant to finish in one blow."
But here, the ANBU didn't bother creating clones — he used Yako and his remaining allies to coordinate the strike.
Tenzo pressed his palms together, unleashing Wood Release to restrain Haruto's movements.
"Kakashi-taichō!"
"Got it!"
Kakashi's hands flashed through seals. If Haruto managed to unleash Deep Forest Emergence, its overwhelming force could push them all back in an instant.
So Kakashi planned to use the Decapitation Technique to drag Haruto underground.
At the same time, Itachi moved like a shadow, entering the fray at high speed, ready to support the others.
"Every jutsu has a weakness… even Wood Release," Itachi murmured. If his genjutsu could seize on one opening, this sparring match would be over.
Yet despite all their combined techniques, Haruto remained utterly composed.
He looked up at the ANBU descending toward him.
"Do you know who first created the Crescent Moon Dance?"
Thwack!
The sword came down on Haruto's left shoulder.
Kakashi, Tenzo, and Itachi all froze for an instant.
Haruto shouldn't have been unable to dodge this. Even if he couldn't, he could have used Wood Release to block.
A streak of blood splashed across the ANBU's blade.
Though surprised, Kakashi and the others didn't hesitate —
"Wood Release: Silent Binding Technique!"
Vines shot from Tenzo's arms, wrapping around Haruto and locking his hands to prevent any seals.
Kakashi appeared at Haruto's feet, grabbed his leg, and pulled him underground with the Decapitation Technique until only his head remained above the surface.
Now unable to weave seals, Haruto faced Itachi's Sharingan head-on.
"That's it?"
Yako climbed to her feet, glaring down at the restrained Haruto with thinly veiled disdain.
From the start, she'd believed he was bluffing, lacking the power to face Kakashi's team.
Around them, the watching ANBU murmured at the scene — but Kakashi and Tenzo exchanged a glance, unsettled.
Was it really over?
Could Haruto's strength truly be this limited?
"Relying on overwhelming chakra and Wood Release alone…?" Tenzo frowned, guessing Haruto simply lacked combat experience and had been crushed by their teamwork.
Either way, the outcome seemed decided — Haruto had lost.
"In that case, from today onward, Kakashi-taichō will still—"
But as Yako stepped forward to speak in the victor's tone, Itachi — standing just behind Kakashi — suddenly drew his sword.
Both hands gripped the hilt as he slashed sideways with full force.
Shhhk!
Blood sprayed. Kakashi's head flew high into the air.
Even Kakashi himself stared in disbelief, eyes wide, unable to react.
"Itachi! What are you doing?!"
Tenzo and the other ANBU stood frozen, unable to comprehend why Itachi had just slain their captain.
But that was only the beginning.
In one fluid motion after cutting down Kakashi, Itachi darted toward the others.
Seeing him out of control, Tenzo hastily formed seals, raising a Wood Release: Tree Wall to shield his comrades.
But crimson energy erupted from Itachi, visible even to the naked eye.
Bone armor grew over his frame, and a massive blood-red blade formed in his hand.
He brought it down in a brutal arc.
BOOM!
The Tree Wall shattered instantly, the force annihilating those Tenzo had tried to protect.
"You're next, Tenzo."
Cold and merciless, Itachi thrust his sword straight through Tenzo's body.
"And you."
In the same breath, he turned toward Yako, the towering Asura-like form wrapping around him advancing step by step.
"No… no… no…"
Yako could only tremble in terror, collapsing to the ground, eyes brimming with tears.
"Why, Itachi? We're comrades… why…?"
"There is no why. This is simply the price for defying Senju Haruto."
The massive blade came down, cleaving her in two.
But that was only the start of the nightmare.
Even torn apart, Yako's consciousness remained painfully clear as she watched Itachi slaughter every last ANBU, before finally turning the huge weapon on his own chest and driving it in.
In moments, the ANBU training field was a sea of corpses and rivers of blood, the sky itself stained crimson.
Only then did Haruto rise leisurely from the ground — uninjured, not a speck of dirt on him.
In the real world, Haruto looked over the group lying unconscious on the ground and shook his head.
From the very start… they had never attacked at all.
They had been trapped in genjutsu.