When it came to Uchiha Fugaku's true strength, the original Naruto series never gave us a direct depiction.
Even the fact that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan was only briefly mentioned in Itachi Shinden.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Fugaku personally witnessed his closest friend die on the battlefield — and in that moment, his Mangekyō awakened.
For the years that followed, Fugaku kept this ability hidden.
Even on the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, he never revealed the power of his Mangekyō.
The reason given was that Fugaku could not bring himself to fight his own son, Itachi, to the death — and so, he chose not to resist.
But after that night, it was as if Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan had simply vanished.
Neither Danzō nor Obito ever showed any sign of possessing Fugaku's eyes.
"Susanoo, is it?"
Senju Haruto looked ahead at Uchiha Fugaku. Facing him, the Uchiha clan head was unleashing his full power without holding back.
Before Haruto's eyes, visible skeletal structures rapidly formed around Fugaku, followed by nerves, muscle, skin, and finally, armored plating.
Boom!
Within just a few breaths, Fugaku had manifested a fully formed Susanoo, shattering the small wooden cabin around them into splinters.
"Father…"
Uchiha Itachi stood frozen in shock.
He had never imagined his father would immediately unleash a complete-body Susanoo…
No — what shocked him more was that his father even possessed this level of power.
No wonder Fugaku believed the Uchiha clan could pull off a coup and control the Nine-Tails.
Mangekyō-level genjutsu combined with a full-body Susanoo…
Fugaku truly was worthy of being called the strongest of the Uchiha.
And with such a hidden trump card, if the Third Hokage had been caught unprepared, it could indeed have dealt him a devastating blow.
"This is not a power you can confront head-on," Itachi quickly called out to Haruto.
"Susanoo in its complete form has impenetrable defense. With your Wood Release, you won't be able to break it."
In Itachi's mind, Haruto's best chance was to target a weak point in the Susanoo, force open an opening, and pull Fugaku out.
Byakugan could do that — it could locate the point where Susanoo's chakra was at its thinnest.
Though Itachi could not fight directly, he still tried to analyze Fugaku's Susanoo and offer tactical advice to Haruto.
But Haruto ignored him entirely.
This chakra was powerful enough that it would soon draw the attention of both the Uchiha clan and the Third Hokage.
If it was the latter, that would be manageable.
But if the Uchiha clan believed their leader had launched a coup ahead of schedule, they might unleash the Nine-Tails inside the village.
Haruto might have been a transmigrator, but he had lived in this village for five years now.
And more importantly — he intended to become Hokage and unite the shinobi world, starting from Konoha.
"Senju Haruto, use your Wood Release!"
Fugaku stood atop his Susanoo with arms folded, looking down at Haruto from above.
At Konoha's founding, Senju Hashirama had once fought Uchiha Madara in a battle that shook history.
And now, the last child of the Senju with Wood Release stood against the Uchiha clan leader himself.
The irony of it was undeniable.
"It really is… so similar…" Fugaku murmured, his mind drawing a strong comparison.
Back then, Uchiha Madara had sought to claim leadership, urging the Uchiha clan to support him and reclaim what he believed rightfully belonged to them.
How similar that was to Fugaku's own position now…
The only difference was that Madara had wanted to betray the village but failed to gain his clan's support — whereas Fugaku, who didn't want to betray the village and wished to protect its fragile peace, had been pushed to the brink by his own people.
At that thought, Fugaku gave a bitter smile.
Perhaps… this was simply the fate of the Uchiha clan.
No matter the era, the clan leader's true intentions were never understood by his people.
"You really are a lot like the First Hokage," Fugaku said at last.
In the same moment, he could not help but think — and I am a lot like Uchiha Madara.
Both Haruto and Hashirama stood unwaveringly for the village, determined to eliminate any threat to its peace.
Senju Hashirama had even killed his closest friend, Uchiha Madara, for the village's sake.
Yes…
Suddenly, Fugaku's gaze shifted slightly, falling on Uchiha Itachi nearby.
Perhaps… he should do the same as Madara's friend.
BOOM!
A deafening roar erupted as Susanoo's hand grasped a weapon — three enormous magatama linked together, forming a strange blade.
Looking closely, the magatama matched the shape of Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Whoosh!
As Susanoo gripped the hilt, black flames instantly consumed the blade's edge.
"This is… Amaterasu?" Itachi drew a sharp breath. Even as Fugaku's son, this was his first time witnessing his father's Susanoo.
"Amaterasu, huh?" Haruto also noticed the jet-black fire.
Itachi and Sasuke both possessed the ability to cast Amaterasu with their Mangekyō — and as their father, a master of both Fire Release and genjutsu, it wasn't surprising Fugaku could do the same.
But unlike when he had fought the Fourth Raikage — where Haruto's mind had been more on testing his Zanpakutō's power — this battle would decide the fate of a coup in Konoha.
Clap!
As Fugaku's towering Susanoo swung the massive blade toward him, Haruto neither dodged nor flinched. He pressed his palms together, forming the Snake seal.
"Move! The flames of Amaterasu will never fade until they've consumed their target!" Itachi shouted, startled by Haruto's intent to meet the strike head-on.
In Itachi's view, not even Wood Release could keep Haruto safe from that attack.
But Haruto ignored him completely.
"Wood Release: Wooden Golem Technique!"
He had already tested the power of this technique within his Zanpakutō's inner world.
As Susanoo's blade was about to descend, the earth shook violently.
From the lush grass, massive tree roots erupted upward, swelling and hardening into two colossal arms that clamped together in front of Haruto.
Boom!
With a thunderous impact, the wooden hands ignored the flames of Amaterasu entirely, locking tightly around Susanoo's weapon.
Then Haruto's vantage point began to rise rapidly — in just a few breaths, he stood eye-to-eye with Fugaku.
Beneath his feet towered a gigantic wooden warrior.
"This… this is the power of Wood Release…" Fugaku swallowed hard, eyes wide with shock.
The Uchiha's Susanoo, the Senju's Wooden Golem…
After decades, these two legendary powers…
…were facing each other once more.
"Your defeat is inevitable," Haruto said, locking eyes with Fugaku's Mangekyō, his voice low and steady.