"Hulk."
Senju Haruto glanced at the raging green giant. With a flick of his neck, the scarf wrapped around him shot outward, coiling around Stark's body to shield him from being accidentally struck.
Both Stark and Hulk froze at the sight, too shocked to speak.
Hulk could see Banner's soul and Stark clearly, but his methods of destruction were purely physical—he couldn't touch their spiritual forms. When he saw Banner's soul floating in midair, his expression went slack for a moment. He couldn't make sense of what was happening.
Then his gaze fell on Senju Haruto, standing right beside him. A surge of unpleasant memories rushed through him.
What caught Hulk completely off guard, however, was that with Banner forced outside, he himself had been dragged into the open in this state. And now, he couldn't retreat.
Haruto instinctively stepped back a few paces. He wasn't here to destroy Hulk.
He was here to teach him.
According to what was shown in The Incredible Hulk, Banner and Hulk had already coexisted for five years by this point. From birth until now, Hulk was only five years old.
Most of the time, the body was controlled by Dr. Banner. Hulk's mind, therefore, was hardly different from that of a child.
Irritable, with no real sense of right or wrong. Constantly seething in anger, acting only on impulse. Whenever something displeased him, he smashed it. Logic meant nothing.
Banner had tried countless ways to restrain Hulk's destruction, working tirelessly at it. But in Haruto's eyes, he had been going about it the wrong way from the very start.
Banner and Hulk didn't have to be enemies. They could coexist. They could face disasters together.
Just like in Thor: Ragnarok. Their balance there was nearly perfect. Banner handled the thinking and strategy; when raw power was needed, Hulk took over.
Even more telling was Hulk's time on Sakaar. He had grown there, learned to value companionship, and wasn't just venting endless rage anymore.
In his calmer state, he could even hold conversations with others.
So changing Hulk's berserk nature wasn't impossible.
It wasn't even particularly difficult.
He just needed to see more of the world. With enough time and patience, his habits could be reshaped.
"Bruce," Haruto suddenly said, "you don't need to fear Hulk. He was born from your body—he is a part of you."
"Your constant fear only makes you weaker. And one day, Hulk's rage will swallow you whole."
Banner clenched his fists. Facing Hulk like this was strange, fascinating even—but also terrifying.
He thought of Hulk's destructive power. Every night, he could hear Hulk roaring deep within his soul, growling to break free.
There were no words to capture that despair.
Countless nights, Banner had considered ending his life. But whether it was jumping from a building, electrocuting himself, or pulling a trigger—Hulk always found a way to reject the damage.
No living, no dying. Trapped in between.
And now Haruto was telling him there was nothing to fear? That was not something he could just accept.
Stark, however, found himself intrigued by the situation. When Hulk had first appeared, he'd reflexively gone on the attack. But since their bodies were spirit forms, the furniture Hulk hurled passed harmlessly through them.
If there was no danger, then there was nothing to worry about.
As an outsider, Stark could see things more clearly than Banner himself.
"ROARRR!"
Hulk bellowed. Realizing his attacks couldn't touch Banner or Stark, he abruptly turned his massive frame away—not toward Haruto, but toward the wall.
Even now, Hulk lacked the courage to go head-to-head with Haruto.
And with Banner, the person he hated most, separated from him—why should he stay here at all?
Lowering his stance, Hulk drew in a breath, then lunged with his shoulder, trying to smash through the wall and escape.
"Kaguya."
Just as Hulk was about to succeed, Haruto spoke softly.
In an instant, the space in front of Hulk tore open, revealing a void of darkness. From within drifted a young woman, her hair flowing down past her ankles.
Stark and Banner were stunned all over again.
Unlike Haruto's portals, Kaguya's power directly cut through space itself, linking one realm to another.
"Haruto."
Her voice was quiet, almost tender. This was the first time Haruto had called on her to act. Her face betrayed no emotion, but inside she felt a deep joy.
She was needed.
"Remember the training we did before?" Haruto said with a smile. "This time, I've found you a sparring partner."
By now, Kaguya was no longer just a chakra-rich novice. Under Haruto's guidance, she had mastered numerous jutsu. What she lacked was real combat practice.
And Hulk was perfect for that.
If his rage built up enough to push him into his Worldbreaker form, even better.
After all, in his current state, Hulk was far too weak—so weak that Haruto couldn't even take him seriously.
"I understand," Kaguya replied with a small nod. Her Byakugan flared open, studying Hulk carefully. Haruto had drilled this into her as a basic principle.
"Hulk's yours, Kaguya. Just don't kill him," Haruto said lightly.
In truth, Kaguya's power far exceeded Hulk's at this stage. The plan was simple: pressure him, defeat him, guide him. Slowly shape him into the Hulk from Thor: Ragnarok.
Once that happened, Banner would be able to control Hulk's strength properly. That was the correct path to growth.
Hulk didn't understand any of it. All he knew was that he had to escape. And as long as it wasn't Haruto standing in his way, no one could stop him.
Seeing Kaguya block his path, he clenched his massive fist and swung.
BOOM!
But she caught it easily.
She was, after all, the legendary Ten-Tails.
"Good strength," she murmured in a low voice. "But strength alone is all you have."
In Hulk's body, she sensed neither chakra nor spiritual power.
He was pitifully weak.
Meanwhile, as Haruto watched Kaguya clash with Hulk, a familiar voice whispered in his ear:
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