For a shinobi, mastering key intelligence often decides the outcome of a decisive battle.
Take, for example, Asuma's death.
Or the what-if scenario many have imagined during the Pain Invasion — what if Might Guy had been in the village?
Even if Guy could open all Eight Gates, without knowing that the Six Paths of Pain were corpses, recklessly charging in would only mean a pointless sacrifice.
But right now, Senju Haruto possessed every piece of intel there was on Uchiha Itachi.
Tsukuyomi. Amaterasu. Susanoo. Izanami...
As long as he avoided eye contact, he wouldn't fall into genjutsu.
As for Amaterasu and Susanoo, Itachi would never reveal them here — that would only make the village fear the Uchiha clan's power even more, and further harden their resolve to stage a coup.
Izanami was the least of Haruto's concerns.
As long as one could acknowledge and truly understand themselves, Izanami wouldn't trap them in its endless cycle.
Besides, Haruto hadn't come here today to determine who was stronger.
His real goal was to make Itachi witness his power — to prove that he could truly accomplish what he claimed.
"Standing in an invincible position, huh."
Itachi shook his head helplessly. He couldn't understand where this man's overwhelming confidence came from.
Still, if Haruto didn't recognize his own weakness, he would only stray further down the wrong path.
"See yourself clearly, Senju Haruto."
With a low voice, Itachi swiftly drew his blade, moving at a speed no ordinary person could follow — and in an instant, he appeared behind Haruto.
Gripping the sword with both hands, he drove it forward in a clean, precise thrust.
Squelch!
Haruto neither dodged nor flinched, simply standing in place as Itachi's weapon pierced through his body.
"…?"
Itachi froze. When he'd flashed behind Haruto, he'd even slowed his own movements on purpose and let his killing intent flare — yet Haruto still hadn't moved.
This was… too weak.
Itachi's expression darkened. From Haruto's earlier words, he'd assumed the man had some real skill.
But this? This was it?
Still, as fellow shinobi of the Leaf, he hadn't aimed for a fatal spot.
"This is bad…"
Hidden in the shadows, Kakashi's heart sank.
He knew Haruto's capabilities — even against a Root assassination squad, the man had been calm and in control. There was no way he wouldn't be able to avoid Itachi's slowed-down strike.
Could the gap between them really be this overwhelming?
Even Haruto wasn't a match for Itachi?
"Itachi… just how strong are you—"
But before Kakashi could move to save him, Haruto's reaction stunned both him and Itachi.
Clack! Clack!
Haruto's hands shot up to grab the blade protruding from his chest. His body began changing before their eyes — his flesh rapidly losing color, replaced by solid wood.
Itachi and Kakashi's eyes widened simultaneously.
"A substitution jutsu? No…"
Kakashi shook his head. The classic substitution replaced one's body with a log to create an opening for counterattack.
But this wasn't a mere log — it was a wooden clone carved in Haruto's likeness!
"The same technique as Yamato!"
Kakashi quickly lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan to search for Haruto's real body in the darkness.
After all, his mission was to protect Haruto from another Root assassination attempt.
And from the Senju compound all the way here, he hadn't seen Haruto weave a single hand seal — let alone use ninjutsu.
"When did he…?"
"A Wood Release clone, huh," Itachi murmured. "Just like Yamato's… no—"
He shook his head. This wasn't Haruto having Yamato's ability.
It was Yamato who possessed the same ability as him.
Haruto was the true inheritor of Wood Release.
And at that moment, Itachi understood why Haruto had dared to claim an invincible position — even comparing himself to the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.
He wasn't ignorant.
He had awakened an ability that no member of the Senju clan had inherited for over a century.
Thud!
Just as Itachi was about to use his Sharingan to locate Haruto, a hand suddenly shot up from beneath his feet, gripping his ankle tightly.
His weapon remained stuck inside the wooden clone, immovable.
"From below, huh."
Itachi raised his hand — no seals — and unleashed the Uchiha clan's specialty:
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Flames lit up the entire forest, giving Kakashi and the Root operatives hidden in the dark a clearer view of the battle.
Kakashi was astonished. Even with his Sharingan's superior dynamic vision, he hadn't been able to catch a single seal from Itachi.
Just what kind of fight was this?
It defied logic.
And then, what happened next shocked him even more.
The one gripping Itachi's ankle didn't retreat from the flames. Instead, it surged upward from underground, lifting Itachi high into the air.
"This is—"
Itachi's Sharingan focused on the figure at his feet.
It wasn't Haruto.
It was a towering wooden giant, easily over five meters tall, with a snake-like dragon coiled around its body.
Its eyes were mere carvings — immune to genjutsu.
"The Wooden Golem Technique…"
From afar, Kakashi rubbed his Sharingan in disbelief.
The Wood Clone alone had been enough to shock him — now Haruto had even mastered this level of jutsu.
Itachi's heart tightened.
Eight shuriken appeared in his hands, which he hurled toward the golem's vital points, following up with Fire Release to destroy it.
But the massive construct wasn't just sturdy — it was fast.
It kept a crushing grip on Itachi's leg, then slammed him into the ground.
Thud!
It lifted him and smashed him down again.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
After several brutal slams, the golem seemed to tire of its toy, dangling a battered Itachi for a moment before tossing him aside.
Only then did Haruto reveal his true body — standing atop the wooden golem's shoulder, looking down at Itachi from above.