The reason Senju Haruto could perfectly replicate A's Hell Stab – One-Finger Thrust wasn't just because of his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Even with the Sharingan, not every ninjutsu could be copied.
The real reason went back to something Haruto had gained during his time at the Ninja Academy — his mastery over all five chakra natures.
Five Element Mastery didn't just mean he could wield all five chakra types at once. It also meant that learning any ninjutsu ranked B-class or lower was effortless for him.
That was why Haruto could now unleash One-Finger Thrust.
BOOOOOOM!
Thunder exploded between the two combatants, a shockwave ripping outward in all directions — far more violent than any of their previous clashes.
Kakashi's eyes widened. He immediately shoved Hyūga Hizashi to the ground.
Sensing the overwhelming force, Yamato and Aburame Torune also flattened themselves against the earth.
Bolts of lightning crackled visibly through the air like ripples across a pond, and in an instant, every towering tree in sight was sheared clean in half.
Those unlucky Cloud-nin who couldn't dodge in time were likewise sliced in two by the blast.
Yet Haruto's One-Finger Thrust was even stronger than A's.
Because this wasn't just a Five-Element-infused technique — it was also enhanced with Sage Chakra.
And more importantly, Haruto's raw chakra reserves dwarfed A's by dozens of times.
"Haruto!!"
A roared his name like a madman. In his worst nightmares, he'd never imagined that as Raikage, he would fall to this kid.
The Hidden Cloud's ambition to unify the shinobi world had just been shattered by Senju Haruto's hands.
Under that overwhelming force, A's fingers — along with his entire arm — were pulverized instantly.
And the destruction didn't stop there. The damage spread far wider than A could have imagined.
Half his body was annihilated, cleanly erased by the impact.
Blood fountained from his wounds as what remained of his torso was flung backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily to the ground.
Haruto landed lightly, looking down at the dying Raikage and the devastated forest around them.
"Haruto…"
A lay on the ground, left with only one arm and one leg, glaring at Haruto with undiluted hatred. He wanted nothing more than to leap up and tear into him with his teeth.
But the Raikage's injuries were catastrophic — and his chakra reserves were nearly gone.
Kakashi, Hizashi, Yamato, Torune, and the few Cloud-nin who had survived the onslaught all stared, eyes wide in disbelief.
Just moments ago, they had thought Haruto would be the one killed by A.
Now, it was A's breathing that had turned ragged, his life force draining rapidly.
There was no doubt who had won.
"Uh…"
Even Haruto himself was momentarily surprised. He glanced down at his fingers.
Was my destructive power… always this strong?
If he'd known, he wouldn't even have needed Sage Mode — just one well-placed One-Finger Thrust would've been enough from the start.
"Guess I should… stop taking things so seriously."
He couldn't help muttering to himself.
It had been the same with Yagura before… and now with A. The moment he saw an opponent throwing everything into one desperate attack, betting all their chakra on it…
He just couldn't resist matching them in earnest.
"…Whatever." Haruto exhaled slowly. The outcome was the same either way.
A threat like A…
If he wasn't eliminated now, and returned to the Hidden Cloud, there was no way he'd ever let Konoha be.
A dead Raikage was the only good Raikage.
Still, Haruto didn't leave immediately. First, he deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan, then switched to his Byakugan to confirm.
Without the Sharingan, A had no way to use Izanagi to rewrite reality and resurrect himself.
After triple-checking that A was truly, completely dead, Haruto turned and walked back toward Kakashi and the others.
At the same time, he noticed there were still seven or eight Cloud-nin alive.
But only just alive.
The battle's shockwave had left them in terrible shape.
They still clutched their ninja tools, glaring at him like cornered animals — but there was no real fight left in them.
Even if they charged, it would be nothing more than suicide.
Weaklings like these weren't worth Haruto's effort to finish off.
He gave them a cold look and said, voice low and heavy:
"Take A's body and get out of my sight. Then go tell your leaders… never oppose Konoha again."
"Otherwise… this will be their fate."
The surviving Cloud-nin glanced at each other. The hands gripping their weapons trembled violently.
They weren't elite jōnin. The only reason they were still alive was sheer luck — they'd been down when the final shockwave hit.
And if even the Raikage, who was far stronger than any of them, had been so effortlessly killed by Haruto…
Even if they all attacked at once, they wouldn't make it within arm's reach before being slaughtered.
The leader of the group swallowed hard, glancing between Haruto and A's lifeless, hate-filled eyes.
If they gave up now, they could live — and bring the Raikage's body back to the village.
But not everyone agreed.
Even after Haruto had given them a choice, three Cloud-nin still charged at him, legs and arms trembling but courage flaring in their eyes.
They knew it was hopeless. But they refused to back down.
Kakashi and the others didn't think them fools.
This was simply…
The way of the shinobi of the Hidden Cloud.
"So this… is your ninja way."
Haruto met their charge head-on, a rare note of respect in his gaze.
BANG!
He unleashed a burst of chakra that crashed down on them like a tidal wave.
Their hearts burst in their chests before they could even cry out, their bodies collapsing lifelessly mid-stride.
To Haruto, leaving warriors like these alive would be an insult to their resolve.
Better to end them like this — to honor their decision to follow the Raikage in death.
The remaining Cloud-nin gripped their weapons, looking ready to avenge their fallen comrades—
"Enough!"
The leader suddenly barked, stopping them in their tracks.
To him, this was nothing but senseless sacrifice.
He couldn't watch his comrades walk into death for no reason.
"If we all die here, no one will be left to bring the Raikage-sama's body home!"
With another low growl, he stared at the sword in his hand, teeth grinding, before finally throwing it to the ground.
"We… won't fight anymore."
Even so, his gaze stayed locked on Haruto, tense as if awaiting a death sentence.
"A wise choice," Haruto said evenly.