Senju Haruto had always thought Uchiha Obito was a genjutsu prodigy.
Yagura wasn't just the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure — he was also the perfect jinchūriki of the Three-Tails. And yet, he had fallen completely under Obito's genjutsu control.
That alone was proof enough of Obito's skill in illusions.
But Haruto wasn't here to debate that. Right now, his sole goal was to head toward Yagura's position and see what was going on.
If he was lucky, the person fighting Yagura might just be Obito himself.
Before Haruto could even get close, he saw an entire swath of forest leveled flat.
Pools of water filled cratered ground everywhere.
"This scale of Water Release…"
Glancing around, Haruto quickly judged that it was probably Yagura's jutsu.
No—this wasn't just Water Release anymore. It had already crossed into the territory of "Sea Release."
"As expected of the Fourth Mizukage… this kind of power could almost rival my own jutsu when I'm not even in Sage Mode."
He let out a sharp breath, giving Yagura due praise in his mind.
Of course, his feet didn't slow. He pressed forward until he reached Yagura's location.
"…Not Obito."
Haruto dropped down from the sky, landing firmly on the ground. To his mild disappointment, the one fighting Yagura wasn't Obito at all — it was Uchiha Kenichi, one of the clan's three-tomoe Sharingan elites, second only to Fugaku in both reputation and strength.
The situation, however, was one-sided.
Eight Uchiha — Kenichi among them — lay scattered across the ground, broken and defeated.
"Another Konoha shinobi…"
Yagura, wielding a strange staff-like weapon, was just about to deal Kenichi a killing blow when he noticed Haruto approaching.
"Haruto…"
Kenichi, pale and barely conscious, also noticed him. His voice came out in a weak, instinctive call.
Kenichi knew very well — whether it was Haruto or Konoha's higher-ups — they all saw the Uchiha here as disposable pawns.
But even knowing that, he couldn't help but place his last hopes on Haruto.
He himself wasn't afraid to die, but the clansmen who had followed him here were still young. Watching them die before his eyes was something he could not accept.
In this moment, Kenichi could only entrust Haruto with one desperate plea: take the seven others and get them out of here.
And he made sure to stress — the one who had defeated them wasn't some random kid, but the Mizukage of Kirigakure!
Someone on the same level of authority as Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.
But in truth, Haruto knew Yagura far better than Kenichi did.
He might look like a child on the surface, but in reality, he was probably older than anyone here.
"What's wrong? Not going to run?"
Yagura looked Haruto up and down. He had thought that after hearing Kenichi shout that information, Haruto would grab the wounded and retreat without hesitation.
After all, judging by his appearance, Haruto looked barely twelve or thirteen — at best a Konoha genin.
But to Yagura's surprise, upon hearing who he was, the boy in front of him didn't show a trace of fear. His expression remained calm, even unhurried.
He wasn't afraid.
Yagura's lips curled into a faint smile, his interest in Haruto immediately piqued.
But Haruto didn't spare him a glance.
Standing motionless, he ignored both the Mizukage and Kenichi entirely.
Because in his ears, that familiar voice had returned again.
Congratulations, Host — you have arrived at the sign-in location. Beginning sign-in!
Midway exit will be considered a failed sign-in!
1%... 23%...
Haruto blinked, slightly surprised that the little sign-in assistant was choosing now to complete a registration.
In fact, ever since entering the Fire Temple Forest, he'd thought it was odd that it hadn't triggered yet.
44%... 87%... 99%... 100%!
Congratulations, Host — sign-in complete!
Reward acquired: Three-Tails' Chakra!
As the voice faded, a surge of overwhelming chakra flooded into Haruto's stomach.
"The Three-Tails' chakra…"
He murmured inwardly.
The real Three-Tails was standing right in front of him, after all.
"I thought the assistant would give me some ability like what Dilu had… but it's actually bijū chakra."
Far from being disappointed, Haruto felt even more pleased.
Sure, he had one-shotted Dilu with his Sharingan genjutsu, but even without that, a real fight would have been over in one or two jutsu at most.
Things like "Sage Clan chakra" didn't impress him — they couldn't compare to his Sage Mode at all.
But bijū chakra… now that was different.
This meant he now possessed the chakra of two tailed beasts. One step closer to becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki.
That thought put him in a good mood.
Taking long strides, he walked straight over to one of the weakened Uchiha lying on the ground.
Kenichi felt a wave of relief seeing this. More than his own life, he had been worried for his clansmen's safety.
Even though he had pleaded with Haruto in a tone bordering on begging, if Haruto had simply chosen to abandon them, Kenichi would have been powerless to stop it.
Now, seeing Haruto take the initiative, he was deeply moved. With Haruto's strength, getting them out wouldn't be difficult at all.
"You want to save your comrades, do you…"
Yagura watched the scene quietly. Despite being enemies, he could respect Haruto's actions from the bottom of his heart.
Even risking death, the boy would save his allies.
"In times like these, though, hot-blooded ideals won't save anyone," muttered Ao from the sidelines.
To him, Haruto was at best chūnin level. Even if Yagura didn't move, the other Kirigakure shinobi could easily kill him.
Dragging along heavily wounded allies would only slow him down.
"It's been a long time since I've seen a shinobi like this…"
Meanwhile, in a hidden spot where no one noticed, Uchiha Obito muttered to himself as he observed.
Memories welled up unbidden, bringing back the words he had once said to a certain someone:
Those who don't value their comrades are worse than trash.
And just as everyone firmly believed Haruto was about to rescue his comrades, admiring his resolve to carry such a burden—
Haruto crouched down… and cleanly gouged the Uchiha's eye out.
The motion was quick, practiced — the work of a skilled hand.
Pop it out, drop it into a jar of nutrient solution, seal the jar into a scroll. All in one smooth sequence.
"…Huh. This scroll's full," Haruto muttered, glancing at it with mild annoyance.
Then he pulled out a fresh scroll and stepped toward the next Uchiha on the ground.
Uchiha Kenichi: "???"
Mizukage Yagura: "???"
Ao: "???"
Uchiha Obito: "???"