As soon as he saw Senju Haruto, Kakashi quickly explained everything that had just happened.
A strange, violent shockwave had spread out from where they stood, reaching all the way to Konoha. Half the village's buildings were damaged, and countless civilians had suffered injuries of varying degrees.
Not only the medical corps, but even the major clans had been mobilized to carry out rescue efforts. To understand what had caused all this, Kakashi and the others had gathered here—yet they were still completely at a loss.
"I see…" Haruto nodded slightly, realization dawning on him.
This was precisely where he had buried the vibranium vein.
Vibranium was not only incredibly durable—it absorbed kinetic energy. But in truth, its properties weren't limited to mere absorption. The moment it absorbed energy, it could also multiply it, then release it back at the enemy!
For example, in the story of Avengers: Assemble, Thor and Captain Rogers had clashed. Confident in his divine strength, Thor swung his hammer down upon Rogers. Pressed by the urgency of the moment, Rogers had no choice but to block with his vibranium shield.
The result: not only was Captain Rogers unharmed, Thor himself was sent flying backward by his own strength. Thanks to his shield, Rogers had managed to fight Thor to a standstill.
Haruto remembered the phrase fifty-fifty fight. His eyes drifted unconsciously toward Kakashi at his side.
What kind of sparks would fly between Kakashi and Rogers, he wondered? A Naruto-world fifty-fifty versus a Marvel-world fifty-fifty? That might be interesting.
"Uh… why are you looking at me like that?" Kakashi asked uneasily. It was the first time he'd seen Haruto give him such a strange look.
"It's nothing." Haruto shook his head, then went on to explain.
In truth, this had been his oversight. He had focused only on bringing the vibranium back to the Land of Fire so Orochimaru could research it, but he had neglected the metal's absorb-and-release properties.
When the vibranium vein was buried deep within the earth, the energy it absorbed spread outward uncontrollably. That was what had destroyed the forest—and even damaged Konoha.
Of course, Haruto had no intention of admitting this mistake aloud.
"Vibranium?" Kakashi and the others repeated, frowning at the unfamiliar word. From the sound of it, it seemed to be a kind of metal, a resource. But how could mere metal cause an earthquake? None of them could make sense of it.
To help them understand the metal's unique nature and overwhelming power, Haruto used his Magnet Release to open the ground, revealing the vein of vibranium below.
The group gathered around the opening and looked down.
The luster of the vibranium was unlike that of ordinary metals. In nature, pure elemental gold was rare—most metals oxidized easily. Yet vibranium defied this principle. Not only was it impervious to oxidation, it even influenced materials it came into contact with, gradually converting them into vibranium.
Its sheen was truly one of a kind.
And due to its unique properties, forging vibranium into usable metal was anything but simple.
Still…
That sort of challenge wasn't going to stop Senju Haruto.
"Orochimaru, you can come out now."
Before showing the metal's abilities, Haruto lowered his voice and looked east.
The other shinobi turned in that direction as well. There, hidden in the shadows, was none other than one of the Legendary Sannin himself—Orochimaru—silently observing.
"As expected, nothing escapes Lord Haruto's eyes." Orochimaru spread his hands with a faint smile. "Everyone, I mean no harm. I'm merely… curious about the events that have unfolded."
Although none of the shinobi present liked Orochimaru, they said nothing out of respect for Haruto. Especially the senior leaders like Kakashi—they were already well aware of the strange connection between Haruto and Orochimaru.
And they had to admit: though Orochimaru was reckless and carried out inhumane experiments, his scientific knowledge was unmatched among shinobi.
After a few pleasantries, Orochimaru fell silent. He was here only to see whether this vibranium truly possessed the power Haruto claimed. As for the other shinobi gathered around, he paid them little mind—including Uchiha Itachi.
"Mm." Haruto acknowledged him with a brief sound, then called upon his magic.
In the eyes of the others, magic and ninjutsu were practically the same—just different names. Fire magic, Fire Release—it all looked alike. Haruto couldn't be bothered to explain.
He focused instead on the vibranium, cutting out a small fragment from the vein. With a surge of heat, he melted it down.
Magic was far more convenient than technology. Simply standing there, Haruto used his power to forge the small piece of vibranium into a shield.
"Itachi."
But merely showing the shield wasn't enough to convince them of vibranium's true strength. Haruto turned to Uchiha Itachi, the famed prodigy of the ninja world.
At this time, both Itachi and Sasuke had transplanted each other's Sharingan—they both now wielded the Eternal Mangekyō.
Holding the vibranium shield aloft, Haruto ordered Itachi to strike with Susanoo. With the Eternal Mangekyō, Itachi no longer had to worry about the toll on his body; he could summon Susanoo freely.
Though unsure of Haruto's intentions, Itachi obeyed.
Chakra surged from his body, forming into substance. White skeletal bones encased him, shrouded in crimson chakra that burned like fire. Muscles, nerves, armor—layer after layer appeared as Susanoo took form.
Since this was Haruto's command, there was no point holding back.
In mere breaths, Itachi had manifested his Complete Body Susanoo.
Towering above, he looked down at Haruto. Susanoo reached for the Ten Fist Sword at its waist and drew it with a ringing note.
"Haruto, I'm coming." Itachi's voice rang firm as he swung the colossal blade downward.
Boom!
The impact resounded like thunder splitting the heavens.
Yet instead of spreading outward in devastation, the force was absorbed into the vibranium shield, condensed to a single point—then hurled back at Susanoo with multiplied power.
Itachi had no idea what had just happened. In an instant, half of his Susanoo was obliterated by an inexplicable force.
He stared in stunned disbelief at the ruined half of his guardian avatar.
What… what just happened?
Was it Haruto's power? No.
He now wielded the Eternal Mangekyō—there was no detail too small for his eyes to miss. Haruto hadn't molded chakra or cast magic.
That destructive backlash… had come from the shield itself.
No—more precisely, from the vibranium.
Everyone present drew in sharp, cold breaths.