"Congratulations, Host. Sign-in successful!"
Reward: Three-Tomoe Sharingan!
As the sign-in reward took effect, Senju Haruto instantly felt a shift in his eyes. A powerful surge of stimulation shot through his optic nerves, flooding straight into his brain.
Not just any Sharingan—he had awakened the fully matured, highest form of the three-tomoe Sharingan.
He wondered what the Uchiha would think when they saw someone like him awaken such eyes.
At the same time, Uchiha Itachi's words were placing a heavy burden on the clan members gathered here.
Although Itachi had shifted the blame to Danzō at a critical moment, that also meant their coup d'état plans had been exposed.
"The village has already caught wind of our plans. We must abandon this coup."
Itachi's voice was low and steady, making it clear this was Fugaku's directive.
"Tell me—where is Uzumaki Naruto?"
Itachi was prepared to fight them if it came to that.
No matter what, he would never support this rebellion. If they chose to believe him, that would be ideal.
If not, he would subdue them here and now to prevent an even greater disaster from striking the village.
But his stance caused the Uchiha questioning him to take a step back.
"You're on the village's side."
The ripple effect was immediate.
Many already harbored resentment toward Itachi. Now, with Fugaku absent and Itachi demanding the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, suspicion mounted rapidly.
They began to suspect that Fugaku had been captured by Danzō—with Itachi's assistance.
Some even turned their gaze toward Senju Haruto.
Every Uchiha lived within the clan compound. Even the most obscure members were at least vaguely familiar to the rest.
But Haruto? They had never seen him before.
"Damn Fugaku…"
Curses erupted from the crowd.
Before this, they had trusted Fugaku implicitly—many sincerely wanted to see him become the Fifth Hokage.
Yet in the end, he had failed to bring Itachi to their side.
"We can't miss this chance."
"That's right—this is our one opportunity to restore the Uchiha's honor."
"We were the ones who founded this village."
"The glory rightfully belongs to us."
"Those other shinobi only fear our power!"
One declaration after another rang out, hardening the clan's resolve.
Even without Fugaku, they would proceed with the coup and purge Konoha's leadership in blood.
"With me!"
One Uchiha abruptly activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, hand-picking several of the clan's top fighters to move against Konoha's upper ranks.
Meanwhile, another group swiftly surrounded Itachi and Haruto, clearly intending to "cleanse" them first.
"No answers, then."
Itachi muttered under his breath. These clansmen were under immense pressure, their nerves frayed, their willingness to trust anyone almost gone.
And Haruto wasn't even Uchiha—he couldn't prove any legitimate connection to them.
That only confirmed, in their minds, that he stood on the village's side.
What Itachi didn't know was that Haruto now possessed the ability to awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan himself.
The Sharingan—the ultimate emblem of Uchiha bloodline power—could allow him to help Itachi bluff his way through and calm the clan.
But…
There was no need.
The only reason Haruto had aligned with Itachi earlier was so he could walk into the Naka Shrine without resistance and complete his sign-in mission.
As for these Uchiha?
He had never once considered them a real threat.
"Where is Uzumaki Naruto?"
Haruto's voice was low and unyielding.
For him, the Nine-Tails was far more valuable than the combined worth of every Uchiha here.
"I knew it…"
Those words confirmed their suspicions—he and Itachi were aligned with the village.
"Looks like we have to fight, Haruto."
Itachi drew in a deep breath, bracing himself for combat.
Clap!
But Haruto acted faster, slamming his palms together and unleashing Mokuton without restraint.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The moment those words left his lips, the world erupted into chaos.
Even if they didn't recognize Haruto, every Uchiha here knew about the strange incident that had occurred near their compound recently. They had all wondered—who in the village could wield Mokuton?
Now they had their answer.
Countless shuriken flashed toward Haruto, the Uchiha trying desperately to stop him before his jutsu could fully take shape.
But they had underestimated his power.
The Naka Shrine shuddered violently, as if struck by the most powerful earthquake in its history.
The floor beneath their feet split apart, thick vines erupting from the soil. In seconds, they swelled, hardened, and grew into towering trees.
Within mere breaths, the Naka Shrine—centuries-old and built by the Uchiha themselves—was torn apart by overwhelming force.
Many clan members didn't even have time to resist or escape before they were swept up, bound tight within the trunks, their mouths and noses barely free to breathe.
"Use genjutsu!"
The few still free roared in unison, launching their illusions in an attempt to force Haruto to release them.
"You call that genjutsu?"
Haruto stood unmoved, utterly immune to their combined illusions.
"Itachi, show them what real genjutsu is."
Itachi immediately understood—Haruto meant Tsukuyomi.
The Mangekyō's ultimate illusion. No ordinary three-tomoe could hope to withstand it.
Yet what shocked Itachi most wasn't Haruto's knowledge of Tsukuyomi—it was his Deep Forest Emergence.
In an instant, Haruto had immobilized nearly the entire clan.
Even the few still standing were trapped within the sea of trees, unable to escape.
"I can't believe I actually asked Haruto if we should kill them… I'm such an idiot."
Itachi almost laughed at himself.
With Haruto's strength, the Uchiha here were nothing—if he wanted them dead, it would take only a few breaths.
The only reason they still lived was because they might still serve some use to him.
The Uchiha themselves were even more shaken.
These weren't ordinary clan members—these were the elite, every one of them possessing the Sharingan, many already at the three-tomoe stage.
They had believed, without question, that their combined strength could match any of the village's top shinobi.
Yet against Haruto, they hadn't even had the chance to attack before being completely overwhelmed.
And worst of all—he had ignored their genjutsu entirely.
"You're… from the Senju clan…"
"The God of Shinobi—Senju Hashirama…"
"The First Hokage…"
"Stronger than Uchiha Madara himself…"
In that moment, every Uchiha present found themselves involuntarily linking Haruto's name with the legendary Senju Hashirama.