Relying on the overwhelming might of Wood Release, Senju Haruto quickly suppressed Killer Bee in his fully transformed tailed-beast state.
"Koku'an Jo no Jō…"
Haruto extended his right hand, and within his palm appeared the character for "seat."
It was the very same technique once used by Senju Hashirama to subdue the Nine-Tails, a jutsu that carried both sealing and controlling abilities. Now that Haruto had inherited the Wood Release, it was only natural that he could wield it as well.
The massive wooden giant raised its right hand and pressed down on Gyūki's head, pouring an endless stream of Wood Release chakra directly into him.
As the flood of Wood chakra surged into the Eight-Tails, Gyūki's consciousness began to blur. No matter how desperately he fought against the pull of slumber, he could not withstand Haruto's power.
Within less than half a minute, Gyūki's world went black, and his awareness collapsed into unconsciousness. The Eight-Tails' chakra, which had been flowing through Killer Bee, receded back into his body.
No matter how Killer Bee tried, he couldn't rouse Gyūki, nor could he call upon its chakra anymore.
Haruto seized the moment. With a swift leap, he landed before Bee, and in the instant of Bee's distraction, his fingers pressed together and struck precisely at Bee's tenketsu.
This was a technique rooted in the power of the Byakugan—Chakra Point Striking.
The move sealed Bee's chakra and, in the same breath, knocked him unconscious. His body tilted backward, splashing heavily into the lake.
At that moment, Haruto turned his gaze toward Uchiha Itachi.
The sight of Haruto defeating Killer Bee so effortlessly shocked everyone present. Yet, as Bee fell into the water, Kakashi and the others felt the tension drain from their bodies. Their relief lasted only a moment, for all eyes quickly shifted to Itachi.
Especially Sasuke. His emotions, long suppressed, finally erupted. Channeling his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he strode forward with decisive fury.
"Itachi… I'll bring you back to the village—no matter the cost!"
Sasuke blurred forward, his fist clenched tight, and drove an uppercut straight toward Itachi's chin.
But if anyone understood Sasuke's strength and habits, it was none other than Itachi himself.
Though he had spent years secretly monitoring Akatsuki, Itachi had also been collecting intelligence on Konoha—particularly Sasuke's growth.
"Not enough."
Itachi's voice was calm and low as his Mangekyō Sharingan snapped open, his feet shifting back.
Sasuke's eyes, still only at the level of three tomoe, had never trained against genjutsu of this level.
In a single instant, Itachi cast Tsukuyomi, dragging Sasuke into a world of illusion.
Within that fabricated world, Itachi spun a new story to deepen his younger brother's hatred.
In this tale, it was not Itachi who had betrayed the village or led a coup—it was their father.
Itachi, in this fabricated past, had no interest in siding with the Uchiha clan. His true plan was to massacre them all, Sasuke included.
But when he set his plan in motion, he was thwarted—by Senju Haruto. Forced into retreat, Itachi fled the village.
And in the aftermath, Konoha's leadership rewrote the story, branding him as the traitor behind the coup.
The lightning chakra around Sasuke flickered and vanished.
Seizing the moment, Itachi drove a kick into him, sending Sasuke tumbling through the air.
Kakashi and Sakura immediately moved. One caught Sasuke, the other worked quickly to break him free from the illusion.
Of course, Itachi had held back. Without that restraint, neither Kakashi nor Sakura could have undone his genjutsu.
"Why…?"
Sasuke came to, his mind reeling from the "truth" Itachi had fed him. Even now, he couldn't understand his brother's motives.
"You want to know why?" Itachi's face was composed.
"Because the Uchiha clan was weak. I had no use for such a pitiful family. Whether clan head or Hokage, those are hollow titles. What I seek is to become the strongest existence in this world."
"You could say… I was measuring the breadth of my own capacity."
At that, his eyes flicked toward Haruto.
"It's a shame Haruto was slightly stronger than me back then. Otherwise, I would have succeeded. But failure won't visit me a second time."
"Haruto, that battle with the Eight-Tails must have drained a great deal of your chakra, hasn't it?"
"…???"
Haruto blinked. He had barely used any chakra at all.
Suppressing the urge to retort, he quickly understood the message behind Itachi's words. This was a signal—a request for Haruto to play along.
So he wore a strained expression, neither confirming nor denying.
"Itachi, what are you saying?" Uchiha Izumi—her eyes fixed on the man she had long admired and loved—struggled to accept his words.
Was clan… and village… truly so disposable to him?
"Have I not made myself clear?"
"Only by severing all bonds of the past can one gain true power."
Itachi paused, then continued coldly:
"So, let me measure my capacity once again."
At those words, his Mangekyō flared, and the black flames of Amaterasu burst forth—aimed straight at Sasuke.
But just before unleashing it, Itachi hesitated.
Haruto seized that instant, weaving the Wood Release: Tree Wall Barrier before Sasuke and the others.
The black fire consumed Haruto's wooden defense, reducing it to ash.
"Amaterasu—flames that never cease until their target is destroyed. Only those of the Uchiha with the Mangekyō can control such power."
Haruto leapt, shielding Sasuke behind him.
"Itachi… don't tell me you truly mean to kill Sasuke?" His voice boomed with authority.
In truth, both Haruto and Itachi had activated their Mangekyō Sharingan simultaneously, ensnaring each other in a genjutsu that carried them into a shared mental world.
"Is this really necessary?" Haruto muttered.
"It's the only way I can think of to push Sasuke toward awakening the Mangekyō," Itachi answered without hesitation.
Drawing from Shisui's intelligence and his own experience, Itachi had come to believe that only through the pain of losing a loved one could the three-tomoe evolve into the Mangekyō.
And so, he acted out this cruel theater before Sasuke's eyes.
Because Itachi knew—even now, Sasuke still deeply cared for his elder brother.
"…Fine," Haruto exhaled. "If you think this will work, then let's keep going."
After all, Itachi had only a few years left to live. And if Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō—and later transplanted Itachi's eyes, evolving them into the Eternal Mangekyō—then the Land of Fire would gain yet another pillar of strength.
Returning to the real world, Haruto gave the faintest nod, signaling Itachi that he was free to reveal Susanoo.
"Will you stand in my way again, Haruto?"
Itachi's gaze hardened. His Mangekyō blazed, and with it came his ultimate weapon—
Susanoo.