"That person is… Senju Haruto?"
Of all people, Sasuke was the most stunned upon seeing Haruto.
Although they had only met once before, the impression that Haruto had left on him was so deep that it had seared itself into his memory. Even now, Sasuke could recall the encounter as vividly as if it had happened yesterday.
"Senju Haruto?" Sakura murmured the name as well, her eyes narrowing as she looked him over carefully—then it struck her.
This was the boy who had once transferred into the Ninja Academy, and with just a single move, had defeated the rising star Sasuke Uchiha.
At the time, everyone had been waiting eagerly to see what he would do next. But before anyone could find out, he had vanished completely—almost as if he'd evaporated from the world. He never returned to the academy, and even Iruka-sensei had no idea what had become of him.
Never in her wildest thoughts did Sakura imagine she would run into him again here, of all places.
"Senju Haruto…"
Sasuke's gaze hardened. He could never forget the sting of his defeat. If there was anyone he had always wanted to surpass, Haruto was unquestionably at the top of that list.
But what shocked both Sasuke and Sakura even more was what happened next.
The moment Haruto stepped into view, it wasn't just Team 7's eyes that locked onto him. The chūnin responsible for handing out missions, as well as the jōnin who were standing nearby waiting for their own assignments, all stopped what they were doing. One by one, they turned toward Haruto and bowed deeply, showing him the utmost respect.
Even Kakashi-sensei himself greeted Haruto with polite courtesy.
"What in the world is going on here?" Sakura's head darted back and forth, her mind filling with question marks.
Could it be that Haruto was some sort of big shot? But… he looked around their age. If anything, he seemed younger than Kakashi-sensei.
"It's normal for you not to know," Kakashi said calmly, noticing the bewilderment on Sakura and Sasuke's faces.
In truth, it wasn't just the two of them—even Naruto looked stunned. He had always known Haruto was strong, but he had never really understood Haruto's position within the Land of Fire.
"Senju Haruto is not only a special advisor to the Hokage," Kakashi explained, "he's also one of the top leaders of the Land of Fire. And more importantly…" Kakashi paused for effect. "He is the sole candidate for the next Hokage."
"What?!"
Sasuke and Sakura blurted out in unison.
The respectful reaction of everyone in the room had already left them shocked beyond belief, but this revelation was on an entirely different level.
He was the candidate to become the next Hokage?!
"Haruto-nii… he's really that incredible?" Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.
Becoming Hokage had always been his greatest dream—the way to prove his worth to the entire village. And yet, Haruto was already standing just one step away from claiming that very title.
It was overwhelming.
"Hokage…" Sasuke muttered under his breath, his chest tightening.
He remembered clearly. Itachi Uchiha—the man Sasuke hated above all others—had betrayed the clan, betrayed the village, all because of his desire to become Hokage. That ambition had led him to plot a coup, only to fail disastrously.
The result had been humiliation and disgrace for the Uchiha, and the slow decline of his father afterward.
The man Sasuke could never forgive—was that man.
And yet, the one who had once defeated him so easily, Senju Haruto, was now the candidate to be Hokage.
Just how wide had the gap between them grown?
"Hokage… is that the old man? Is he really that strong?" Sakura tilted her head in confusion.
Out of the group, she was probably the least knowledgeable about what the Hokage truly represented. As far as she knew, it was just an old, frail man who seemed to hold some political authority.
"Well, let me explain."
Seeing Haruto strolling slowly closer, Kakashi decided to give Sakura a proper lesson.
"For a nation, a shinobi village isn't just a village—it's an indispensable military force. It even helps maintain balance between countries."
"Among all the shinobi villages, five stand at the top: Konoha, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure. These five villages have the greatest number of shinobi and the strongest military power. And so… only the leaders of these five villages have the right to be called Kage."
"The term 'Five Kage' refers to the Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage. They are the strongest shinobi, standing above tens of thousands across the entire world."
Kakashi's tone grew solemn as he spoke.
But there was something that set Konoha apart from the other great villages.
Thanks to Haruto's methods and the strong support of Konoha's leadership, he had already merged the Land of Fire with the village itself.
By eliminating the feudal lord and dismantling his faction, then absorbing the daimyo's army into Konoha's command, Haruto had completed a political revolution.
Some of the other great villages had attempted to imitate his example, but none had the strength to see it through. Their daimyōs had crushed them with ruthless measures.
In other words, aside from the Land of Fire, no other country or village had managed to unify its military, political, and economic power under one system.
This made the Land of Fire the undeniable number one power in the world.
And for those who knew this, their admiration for Haruto bordered on reverence.
"That old Hokage doesn't look anything like what Kakashi-sensei describes… He always seems so frail and harmless. It's hard to believe he's really that powerful…" Sakura couldn't help but complain inwardly. "And Haruto… he looks about the same age as me, yet Kakashi-sensei just said he stands above tens of thousands of shinobi… Isn't that way too exaggerated?"
Naruto, on the other hand, gazed at Haruto with growing awe.
He had always known Haruto was strong, but he hadn't expected this—this level of strength, this level of influence.
"And what about you, Kakashi-sensei? Compared to Haruto?" Sasuke asked, his throat tightening.
He didn't really care about the power of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. But the idea that someone his age—someone who had once humiliated him—was now this powerful was hard for him to accept.
"Me?"
Hearing Sasuke's question, Kakashi chuckled softly. He pointed at himself as though to say, You can't be serious, right?
"The difference between Haruto and me… is about the same as the difference between me and Sakura."
He drew in a deep breath before adding with absolute seriousness: "I am Sakura."
Sakura: "???"
Naruto: "???"
Sasuke: "???"
All of Team 7 froze on the spot.
Especially Naruto and Sasuke—they both knew exactly how terrifying Kakashi's strength was.
With his Sharingan and Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he was already nearly untouchable. He had even defeated Naruto in his Golden Cloak Mode with a single strike.
Kakashi was a man standing at the very peak of the shinobi world.
And yet he had just said… that compared to Haruto, he was the Sakura of the equation.
"Sakura…"
Sasuke's eyes widened. When he faced Kakashi-sensei, he already had no chance whatsoever—it was like the difference between a house cat and a leopard.
In that case, the difference between him and Kakashi was like a leopard against an ancient dinosaur.
But the gap between Kakashi and Senju Haruto…
And the gap between himself and Senju Haruto…
It was unimaginable.
Once again, Sasuke felt a shiver run through his heart.
"I… I can't even picture it… the distance between me and Senju Haruto."