The first time Haruto had crossed paths with A, it just so happened he had completed one of his system's check-ins and received a Zanpakutō.
He'd wanted to see just how a Zanpakutō's power would measure up in the Naruto world.
In other words, back then, Haruto had never intended to kill the Raikage.
He'd simply treated him as a whetstone — a test subject for his new weapon.
After all, if he had killed the Raikage at that time, the Hidden Cloud Village, stripped of its strongest force, might never have made a move against Konoha at all.
But this time… this time was completely different.
He had already eliminated the Uchiha clan — an unstable element — and collected a considerable number of Sharingan.
There was no longer any reason to keep the Fourth Raikage alive.
Perhaps A really was a man of iron.
No… it was because he was such a man that Haruto believed he would never accept the idea of Haruto unifying the shinobi world.
Even if he was weaker, A would lead the entire Hidden Cloud in resisting him to the bitter end.
As Haruto weighed these thoughts, A stopped holding back.
Lightning exploded around his frame as he entered the second stage of his Lightning Release Chakra Mode — his full-power state.
"Die!"
In this form, A executed the Body Flicker Technique with ease, appearing before Haruto in an instant.
He concentrated all his Lightning Release chakra into his elbow and drove a crushing Lariat-like strike directly toward Haruto's chest.
When it came to speed, A had absolute confidence he was second to none.
In his heart, he was certain — even Haruto couldn't evade this blow.
What A didn't know was that Haruto had no intention of dodging in the first place.
The instant A moved, Haruto activated his newly obtained Mangekyō Sharingan, effortlessly reading his opponent's movements.
For the Uchiha, taijutsu was the most troublesome type of opponent.
Facing experts like A — or someone like Might Guy — even if they could read the movements, the body often couldn't keep up.
Even Sasuke had once been utterly overpowered by Rock Lee.
But Haruto was different.
The Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't even his trump card — to him, it was merely another bloodline limit in his arsenal.
Beyond that, he had mastered Wood Release, Magnet Release, all five basic elemental styles, kenjutsu, and even possessed tailed beast chakra.
A's Heavy Flow Violent Strike — the same blow that could casually send Jūgo flying — met only with Haruto's calm gaze.
Once again, Haruto decided to treat his opponent as nothing more than a test dummy for a new ability.
Visible steam burst from Haruto's body, coalescing into an enormous skeletal frame that enclosed him entirely.
Susanoo.
The ultimate ocular technique of the Uchiha clan.
And now, Haruto could wield this power with ease.
Through the Mangekyō's dynamic vision, Haruto even caught the brief flicker of surprise in A's eyes.
Boom!
A's elbow smashed directly into the Susanoo.
A torrent of force exploded outward, instantly rippling into a shockwave that blasted through the battlefield.
Every shinobi present instinctively staggered back.
Since the moment they'd first drawn breath, none of them had ever witnessed such a display of raw power.
Kakashi, Hiashi, Yamato — all of them were stunned.
Ever since they had met Haruto, he had made a habit of shocking them.
But now… they had expected him to unleash some massive, unreasonable ninjutsu powered by overwhelming chakra, or to smother the Fourth Raikage with Wood Release.
Never in their wildest imaginations did they expect Haruto to pull out yet another new technique.
Just how far did his ability to develop new powers go?
"This is… monstrous…"
Aburame Torune's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, for he was the only one here who had actually seen this jutsu before.
"That's… Susanoo," Torune breathed, drawing in a sharp hiss of air.
"Susanoo?"
Kakashi, Hiashi, and Yamato all turned toward him with astonishment.
"That's right," Torune said with a nod.
He had been part of Root, one of Danzō's most trusted operatives, and possessed far more classified intelligence than most.
And when Haruto and Uchiha Itachi had killed Danzō, Torune had been right there.
At that time, Itachi had used this very technique — Susanoo.
Afterwards, Torune had been unable to avenge Danzō, but he had studied this power carefully.
"This is a secret technique only the Uchiha can use. You must awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan first," Torune explained.
"Mangekyō Sharingan?" Kakashi blurted, his hand reflexively touching his left eye — the eye that had belonged to his dearest friend.
"That's right. It's a level beyond the three-tomoe Sharingan. I don't know exactly how the Uchiha evolve their eyes, but without question, Susanoo can only be unlocked by the Mangekyō.
"From my analysis, it's a jutsu that materializes chakra into a massive warrior — a guardian deity for the user.
"Its strength and defense are both extraordinary. However…"
Torune trailed off.
"However, what?" Kakashi asked immediately.
"However… this should be a power only the Uchiha can wield. Why does Haruto have a Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Torune's voice was thick with disbelief.
He was certain about one thing — the Mangekyō was unmistakable.
But Haruto was clearly a Senju.
How could he possibly possess the Mangekyō?
"Maybe… he's like me — transplanted one," Kakashi said after a pause, voicing his theory.
Haruto had led the Uchiha into battle against the Hidden Mist.
War was always cruel.
Back in the Third Great Ninja War, Kakashi had watched Obito die before his very eyes.
If he could transplant Obito's eye, then Haruto could have done the same — perhaps gaining a Mangekyō and Susanoo that way.
But Torune fell silent.
He couldn't tell Kakashi the truth about Danzō.
Root had studied the Sharingan to its limits.
With a transplanted eye, the Sharingan could never be deactivated — Kakashi and Danzō himself were living proof.
Yet Haruto's eyes were not like that.
"What the hell is going on?" Torune thought, his brow furrowed.
The more he saw of Haruto, the less he understood.
But his words had already reached the ears of the Fourth Raikage.
"No wonder you didn't use your Lightning Armor Body — you've gained an even greater power," A said in a deep, rumbling voice.
Realizing this, he didn't retreat.
Instead, his tone turned sharp, provocative.
"But you're not the only one who's grown stronger lately!"