From beginning to end, Senju Haruto hadn't used genjutsu even once. He had only just now awakened the Sharingan.
The reason he told Kakuzu otherwise was nothing but a deliberate lie—an empty bluff meant to shake his opponent's mind.
And it worked.
The moment those words reached Kakuzu's ears, he froze where he stood, doubt gnawing at him, second-guessing his own reality.
Then, before everyone's stunned eyes, the Susanoo enveloping Haruto grew sinew and muscle, and in its massive hand, a great chakra blade materialized out of thin air.
Without a shred of hesitation, Haruto guided his Susanoo, raising that colossal blade overhead and bringing it down in a cleaving strike.
The slash tore forward with unstoppable force, chakra energy crackling violently as it surged ahead. In an instant, Kakuzu's body was split cleanly in two, yet the blade's energy didn't stop—it barreled forward, tearing into the mob of mercenaries gathered behind Gato.
BOOM!
A deafening roar erupted. Dozens of samurai were hurled screaming into the sky before their bodies came crashing down in broken heaps. Many more didn't even manage a cry; they were reduced to unrecognizable piles of flesh beneath the destructive wave.
Even Gato, who had been standing at the edge of the formation, wasn't spared. Something slammed into his back, sending him tumbling helplessly across the ground. And that wasn't even the blade itself—just the shockwave left in its wake.
In the blink of an eye, Gato's forces were shattered. The crime lord himself lay sprawled in the dirt like a crippled dog, his spine screaming with pain, his legs numb and unresponsive.
Terror. Regret. Utter despair.
A flood of emotions crashed over him.
"N-no… don't kill me! Please… whatever you want, I can give you…!"
Gato's breath grew ragged, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst. He wanted to raise his head, but fear chained his gaze to the dirt—he dared not meet Haruto's cold eyes.
The once arrogant, ruthless Gato was now nothing more than a groveling worm, begging for scraps of mercy. But Haruto gave him no answer. The silence only deepened his despair.
As for the mercenaries still alive—after witnessing the sheer gap between themselves and a true shinobi—they broke. Screaming, they scattered in all directions, dropping weapons and abandoning all pretense of loyalty.
To them, Senju Haruto wasn't even human anymore.
He was something far greater.
A god.
"Lord Haruto…"
Momochi Zabuza drew in a sharp breath. After a long moment of hesitation and struggle, he finally strode forward with resolve, standing at Haruto's side.
Everything that had happened until now had crushed the last of his defiance. Zabuza's tone, his manner, even the way he addressed Haruto—all carried a newfound reverence.
"Hm?" Haruto gave him a sidelong glance, signaling for him to speak freely.
"Let me deal with Gato. A man like him isn't even worthy of dying at your hand."
Zabuza's voice was firm, resolute.
Part of it was his genuine belief that Gato was beneath Haruto.
Part of it was vengeance—for Haku's grievous wounds, for the pain Gato had caused.
And above all, it was the fulfillment of their wager from before.
"…Very well."
Haruto nodded once, withdrawing Susanoo and granting Zabuza free rein.
"Good."
Zabuza's response was curt. He drew a kunai and strode quickly toward Gato. Seizing the wretched man by the hair as though he were nothing more than a melon, he yanked him upright.
"Gato… how poetic. To see you like this now."
Zabuza's grin twisted into something monstrous, his voice dripping with malice like a demon risen from the depths of hell.
Gato's eyes locked on the kunai in Zabuza's hand. Terror consumed him. He thrashed, desperate to escape, but the iron grip in his hair refused to yield.
"Don't kill me… please… I'll give you everything—anything—Lord Zabuza, please—"
His words were cut short as Zabuza's kunai sliced clean across his throat.
Blood erupted in a crimson geyser.
Gato's face contorted in agony, but no sound escaped him. His severed windpipe left him choking on his own life, his hands clawing uselessly at the air.
Zabuza knew the human body well. His cut had been deliberate—the perfect angle, the perfect depth, the perfect force. Not fatal in an instant, but designed to drag out Gato's final moments into unspeakable torment.
"This… is the price you pay for hurting Haku."
Zabuza's voice rumbled low, but his words carried a terrible weight.
For the first time, he faced the truth of his bond with Haku. No longer a tool. No longer a weapon. Haku was his comrade—someone he treasured above all else.
With a dull thud, Gato's body collapsed lifelessly to the ground, blood soaking the dirt beneath him.
Zabuza dropped the kunai without a second thought, straightening slowly before turning his gaze to Kakuzu.
Though Susanoo's strike had cleaved him in two, Kakuzu wasn't dead. His bizarre body had resisted blood loss, the black threads of Earth Grudge Fear writhing desperately, attempting to stitch his ruined form back together.
"Truly worthy of the title 'Immortal Duo,'" Haruto remarked, watching him coldly.
Despite being split apart, Kakuzu remained conscious. Only one mask had been destroyed—just one life extinguished. Thanks to Earth Grudge Fear, he still had four hearts left.
If given the chance to replace what was lost, he could have returned to full strength.
But Haruto had no intention of granting that chance.
A glance was all it took. Zabuza understood immediately. He strode to Kakuzu's side, his knowledge of the human body guiding his hand as he located each beating heart—and pierced them one by one.
Kakuzu tried to resist, but Haruto's Sharingan held him frozen. His struggles were futile.
Within moments, it was over.
The so-called immortal duo of the Akatsuki lay defeated, their legend ended here.
"With this, Dazuna can build his bridge without fear," Haruto said at last, casting a cold look over the bodies of Kakuzu and Gato. "No one will stand in his way again."
But not everyone shared his calm.
Naruto and Sasuke both felt a bitter twist in their hearts. They had thought this mission would be their chance—to prove themselves, to earn Haruto's acknowledgment. Yet once again, his power had utterly eclipsed them.
"Zabuza. Take Haku back with you. His life is no longer in danger, but his injuries still need tending." Haruto paused, then added, "And there is one more thing I need to discuss with you."
Without waiting for a reply, Haruto turned, striding toward Dazuna's home without looking back.
Zabuza swallowed hard, then carefully lifted Haku's frail body from the grass and followed silently. His chest tightened with unease.
Whatever Haruto had to say next—he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it.
After all… he was still a rogue ninja, a man who had once raised his blade against Konoha.