In Senju Haruto's eyes, there was only Rogers.
The armed soldiers who had barged in barely registered.
Ordinary men with guns? They weren't worth his attention.
Even if it had been Black Widow, Hawkeye, Blade, or the Punisher—those so-called peak human warriors—Haruto wouldn't have cared.
Nick Fury silently took it all in. At first, he wanted to step in and command the soldiers, using his "director" authority to order them to subdue Rogers.
But when he saw Haruto's expressionless reaction, he dropped the idea at once.
With Haruto's power, what need was there for him to act?
These people could never harm Haruto.
"Stop!"
Coulson finally realized something was very wrong. He tried to shout, but the pain and shock of his earlier injury had left him rolling on the ground. By the time he managed to force the words out—
The soldiers had already pulled their triggers, unleashing a storm of bullets at Haruto.
Rogers, too, was stunned by the sudden chaos.
These men—weren't they Hydra agents working under the Red Skull?
Why would they suddenly turn on each other like this?
As the hail of bullets screamed toward him, Haruto could only sigh inwardly.
It wasn't the confusion that bothered him.
It was the sheer crudeness of their methods.
Perhaps such an attack could trouble Rogers, or even slow down fighters like Black Widow.
But against him?
These men were little more than insects with a power level of five.
"Shinra…"
Haruto's eyes shifted, ripple after ripple spreading across his irises.
Chakra burst outward from his body.
"…Tensei!"
A flood of repulsive force exploded from him, expanding in all directions.
If not for Fury's sensory abilities and the intelligence he had gathered on the Rinnegan, he would have been gravely injured on the spot.
At the last second, Fury snatched Coulson up like a chick by the scruff of his neck and leapt, carrying him back into the chamber where Rogers had first been thawed.
The steel blast door crumpled under the pressure, warping into a bent C-shape.
The incoming bullets were flung aside in an instant.
The soldiers themselves never even understood what had happened. Their bodies were hurled like rag dolls, slamming into the corridor walls before collapsing to the floor in heaps.
Rogers, at the brink of disaster, braced behind his vibranium shield.
Though the Rinnegan's repulsive force wasn't a conventional attack, it was still physical in nature. And since Haruto had held back—unwilling to destroy the entire facility—the shield managed to withstand the impact.
A few breaths later, silence fell.
Haruto had not slaughtered them as one might crush ants.
But the power he had displayed left no one in the room with the courage to resist.
The soldiers groaned on the floor—some unconscious, some too injured or terrified to rise. None dared fire again. They knew now that any bullet they loosed would only bounce back on them.
To the scientists watching, the scene was nothing short of sorcery.
Their minds buzzed with awe.
Once again, their conviction deepened.
Science had reached its end. What lay beyond was theology—divinity.
No matter what it took, they had to learn magic.
Science? Trash.
Magic was supreme.
"…This…"
Coulson slowly dragged himself upright, his throat tight as he swallowed hard.
With the flick of a wrist, Haruto had annihilated S.H.I.E.L.D.'s entire security team.
This wasn't just power. It was domination from another dimension.
Even Fury, disguised though he was, felt the shock ripple through him.
He had known of Haruto's abilities. He had read the intel, collected the data.
But to witness the Shinra Tensei firsthand—the sheer control, the effortless execution, the casual dismissal afterward—
This wasn't like Nagato at all.
This was a true Sage of Six Paths.
If Haruto went all out… would he shatter an entire continental plate?
The thought made Fury's breath hitch.
But the one who felt the greatest pressure wasn't Fury, or Coulson, or even the battered soldiers.
They were shocked, yes—but they weren't locked in a life-or-death struggle with Haruto.
Steve Rogers was.
Lowering his vibranium shield, he stared across at Haruto with grim resolve.
"You are strong," Rogers admitted, voice steady even as his chest heaved.
"But you will fail."
"Only by standing with the people does one stand for justice."
"I may not be your match. But one day—someone will rise to resist you, to defeat you."
"Because…"
"…evil can never triumph over good!"
His low growl carried the weight of unshakable conviction.
This time, he abandoned any thought of retreat.
Even if it cost his life, he would fight on.
"Go!"
His muscles surged, exploding with power. Rogers hurled the shield with all his might, sending it rocketing straight at Haruto's throat.
"Vibranium shield…"
A faint smile curved Haruto's lips, his eyes glinting with scorn.
Rogers' words had been stirring. Inspiring, even.
But in the face of absolute power, such speeches were nothing but noise.
Haruto raised his arm slowly, extended a single finger, and set it in the shield's path.
BOOM!
The impact shook the entire chamber.
The vibranium shield rebounded violently, flying back faster than Rogers could react.
Instinctively, he reached to catch it—but by the time his hand rose, the shield was already embedded in the ceiling.
Too high for him to retrieve.
And then…
Fate handed him an opening.
As Haruto's hand lowered, his eyes shifted back from the Rinnegan to their normal state.
For a fraction of a second, there was a gap.
A weakness.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Rogers bellowed, teeth clenched, pouring every ounce of strength into one final desperate charge.
He launched himself into the air like a rocket, head aimed straight at Haruto's face.
A rocket headbutt.
But Haruto didn't dodge.
He didn't even summon Susanoo.
There was no need.
For his skeleton was forged from adamantium—the first, most indestructible generation of the metal.
THUD!
Rogers' skull smashed full-force into Haruto's brow.
The recoil struck like a hammer.
The Captain crumpled to the floor in an instant, knocked cold without so much as a groan.
The legend of America lay unconscious at Haruto's feet.