If Itachi hadn't chosen to side with the village, Fugaku was certain he would never have lost.
According to the original plan, the only shinobi who could truly threaten the coup were the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the leader of the Root Division, Shimura Danzō.
Fugaku would personally deal with the Hokage, while Danzō would be left to Itachi.
With the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Uchiha Clan could undoubtedly rise again.
But what he hadn't anticipated was that Danzō wasn't just dead — someone else had appeared within the village: a Senju powerhouse like Senju Haruto.
The colossal wooden warrior Haruto summoned with Wood Release had not only effortlessly blocked his slashes…
Even the flames of Amaterasu had been completely withstood.
"Senju Haruto…"
Down below, Uchiha Itachi was also shaken by the sight before him.
Haruto's wooden warrior technique was actually able to contend with his father's Complete Body Susanoo.
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage building…
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen was meeting with the Konoha Council, recounting what had happened in the Land of Iron.
But just as he was about to announce his decision, he suddenly felt an unprecedented surge of chakra.
Its location — directly from the Uchiha compound.
A wave of dread swept through him. He shot to his feet without a second thought for the council members' reactions and strode quickly toward his office.
"This chakra… it carries traces of Haruto's energy."
"What in the world is happening at the Uchiha compound?"
Once back in his office, Hiruzen swiftly shut the door and ordered the guards not to let anyone in.
Then, he pulled out his crystal ball and performed the Telescope Technique.
His greatest fear was the Uchiha coup.
Even back when Shisui was alive, the clan had been harboring such thoughts.
Soon, the crystal ball revealed the scene.
Haruto wasn't just using the wooden warrior technique — its size and power far exceeded what Hiruzen had seen in the Land of Iron.
"Could this be Haruto's full power? But… the one he's fighting…"
Hiruzen drew in a sharp breath, his gaze shifting to Haruto's opponent.
And in the very next instant, he froze.
The massive armored giant wielding a strange blade was…
"Wait… is that Fugaku?"
Through the semi-transparent body of Susanoo, Hiruzen recognized a familiar face — Uchiha Fugaku, head of the clan.
The one who would stand to gain the most from a coup.
And those eyes… clearly more advanced than the standard three-tomoe Sharingan.
Thump!
Hiruzen slumped into his chair, beads of sweat forming on his brow.
"Uchiha Fugaku… has he been hiding his true strength all this time?"
He was much older than Fugaku, and even during the Third Great Ninja War, he had taken note of the father-and-son pair, Fugaku and Itachi.
But never — not even in his wildest dreams — had he imagined Fugaku possessing such terrifying power.
"The night of the Nine-Tails' attack… If Fugaku had stepped forward then, perhaps Minato…"
But Hiruzen quickly shook his head. The past was done; nothing could change it now.
What mattered was the scene before him.
Fugaku's Susanoo swung its twin blades in relentless arcs at the wooden warrior, each strike leaving trails of black flames that refused to be extinguished.
After several exchanges, the massive wooden warrior was nearly engulfed in fire.
"Why isn't he fighting back…"
Hiruzen's brows furrowed. This didn't look like sparring — it looked like a real, deadly battle.
He began to suspect that Fugaku had tried to launch the coup, only to be confronted by Haruto.
With that thought, Hiruzen rose sharply from his chair.
"Fugaku… you've hidden yourself well."
His voice was low as he muttered the words, then hurried from the office.
He had always wanted to resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and the village without bloodshed or loss of life.
But even if Fugaku had made his choice, and possessed such overwhelming power…
Hiruzen could only remove him.
"All of this… is for the village."
Meanwhile, Haruto was unaware of what was happening in the Hokage building.
"Why aren't you fighting back?!"
Fugaku's voice rang out in frustration. Since Haruto had summoned the wooden warrior, he had done nothing but defend.
Fugaku had even left an intentional opening to lure him into an attack.
But Haruto remained unmoved, simply maneuvering the wooden giant to evade Susanoo's slashes.
"Haruto… what are you thinking?"
Even Itachi was growing restless. In order to help Haruto defeat Fugaku, he had gathered detailed intelligence and offered his own advice.
Every jutsu had its weaknesses — even Susanoo was no exception.
But Haruto had ignored every suggestion, every word.
"Are you trying to stall for time until the Third Hokage notices?"
Suddenly, mid-strike, Fugaku thought of the possibility, his expression tightening.
"No."
Haruto shook his head at the accusation.
Boom!
As Susanoo once again swung its weapon in a sweeping arc, Haruto's wooden warrior suddenly reached out and grabbed the blade.
The other massive wooden hand shot forward, clamping down hard on Susanoo's shoulder.
"Your defeat is inevitable, Fugaku."
Haruto locked eyes with Fugaku, no longer intent on dragging things out. The earlier exchanges had been nothing more than a test.
Though Fugaku's presence was imposing and his attacks overwhelming, there had been no killing intent behind them.
In other words — Fugaku didn't want to kill him.
He simply wanted to gauge his strength… and entrust Itachi and Sasuke to him.
If Fugaku had truly harbored the intent to kill, then regardless of their relationship, Haruto would have cut him down here and now.
Without a clan head, the rest of the Uchiha would be nothing more than scattered rabble.
"This is the power you will witness."
With those words, Haruto drew his Zanpakutō and began a partial release.
Crackle!
Violet lightning arced and clashed around him, generating bursts of explosive thunder that grew in strength and tempo.
When the ninth thunderclap rang out, it spread from Haruto's feet, racing up to envelop the wooden warrior's entire form like a suit of lightning armor.
Even the black flames of Amaterasu on its body were forced back.
Then, the Thunderclad Wooden Warrior moved in perfect sync with Haruto, channeling that immense lightning power directly into Susanoo's body.
Rumble!
With peals of thunder, the once-indestructible Susanoo began to crumble apart.
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes widened in disbelief as his Susanoo dissolved before him.
"Senju Hashirama… the God of Shinobi…"