In the simulation two days ago, Uchiha Haru had followed the exact route he'd carefully planned in advance.
That path was chosen for its concealment and safety. He had run through simulations twenty or thirty times without encountering any problems.
But in today's simulation, he had encountered Uchiha Itachi twice in a row.
If it had only happened once, he could chalk it up to coincidence.
But twice in a row?
That was no coincidence. That was something else.
Something was off.
Uchiha Haru began to seriously reflect on the two recent encounters with Itachi.
The first time, he had opened the window directly.
Uchiha Itachi had been standing silently outside, looking in at him. Haru had met his eyes—and was instantly caught in Tsukuyomi.
The second time, he had barely stepped out the door before " Itachi"—as Haru cursed him—materialized in front of him without warning.
Again, surprised and unprepared, he instinctively looked up—and once again fell into the Mangekyō Sharingan's trap.
Despite the differing scenarios, both times he had made the same mistake: directly meeting Itachi's gaze. That was when Tsukuyomi took hold.
If he had known it was Uchiha Itachi standing before him, he would have immediately gone on guard. He still might have lost, but at least he wouldn't have been caught off-guard, helpless.
Haru narrowed his eyes, brows knitting in concentration.
This wasn't just bad luck… this was something planned.
Uchiha Itachi was waiting for him.
"But… why would Itachi be waiting for me?" Haru muttered, his voice low.
"There shouldn't be any reason for him to target me specifically."
From the moment he had arrived in this world, Haru had known the massacre of the Uchiha Clan was inevitable. So he had spent every moment since then training and preparing himself to survive the slaughter.
After being reborn, he was just a baby. But unlike other newborns, he retained all his memories, reasoning, and maturity from his past life.
That meant while he was physically small, mentally he was still a grown man.
There was no way he could genuinely connect with other children, and so, from the beginning, he had been a loner. No friends. No attachments.
He had never crossed paths with Itachi.
So why would Itachi make the effort to come after him?
Unless…
A thought flashed through Haru's mind, sharp and sudden.
There was one difference between the recent simulations and the ones before.
In the two-day cooldown period between simulations, he had accepted a mission. During it, he had killed Kurosuki Raiga—one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
That had drawn attention. A lot of it.
Many who knew of him didn't believe Haru was strong enough to pull that off.
But he had.
Maybe that feat caught Uchiha Itachi's attention. Maybe Itachi, calculating and ruthless as always, decided to remove any threats in advance.
The more Haru thought about it, the more sense it made.
That was the only plausible explanation for why Itachi had actively waited for him in the simulation—not once, but twice.
Things change. Circumstances evolve.
The simulation was more realistic than he'd imagined.
But… running into someone like Uchiha Itachi every time meant he had to constantly face an opponent who wielded Mangekyō-level illusions like Tsukuyomi.
He looked up at the clock.
12:01 AM.
He had already completed two simulations, and only a single minute had passed in the real world.
Being trapped in Tsukuyomi wasn't entirely without benefits, he realized.
Could he use these repeated battles to grow stronger?
Even if he didn't gain new abilities right away, at least he had more chances to refresh the golden ones. Maybe he'd get something that could help him stand against Itachi.
"System, start simulation."
…
In the next simulations—
Every time Haru encountered Uchiha Itachi.
Every time, he fought.
And every time… he lost.
At first, without any preparation, he was immediately caught in Tsukuyomi and the simulation failed.
Later, even with preparation—desperate and determined—he still ended up dragged into that same blood-red world, nailed to the cross.
The process changed slightly each time, but the result never did.
Failure.
Still, the constant fights weren't meaningless.
Each life-or-death clash pushed his body to adapt. His Otsutsuki-enhanced physique showed noticeable improvement, and even his Sharingan's pupil power evolved significantly.
That gave Haru a small sense of satisfaction.
He hadn't been able to obtain any truly game-changing new abilities yet, but it hadn't been a complete waste of time either.
The clock ticked steadily on the wall.
8:24 PM.
Darkness had fallen.
Another simulation had passed, another piece of the night lost.
Time was running out.
After briefly gathering his thoughts, Haru called out again.
"System, start simulation."
[Uchiha Clan Extermination Night Simulation Begins!]
[Current Solidified Ability: Otsutsuki Physique (Golden Ability)]
[Current Optional Abilities: Illusion +100 (Blue), Shurikenjutsu Mastery (White), Taijutsu Master (Blue)… Wood Release (Gold)]
As the abilities unfolded before him, one golden icon suddenly stood out.
His breath caught.
[Wood Release (Golden Ability): The legendary kekkei genkai of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. A nature transformation combining earth and water chakra to create living wood constructs from the user's own chakra. Known for its power to subdue Tailed Beasts and reshape landscapes.]
The second golden ability!
Wood Release!
Uchiha Haru's eyes lit up with genuine joy.
The system's description was brief, but it didn't need to be long. He already knew how terrifyingly powerful Wood Release could be.
This was the signature kekkei genkai of the "God of Shinobi," Senju Hashirama.
It could control, defend, crush, and even suppress Tailed Beasts with ease.
Hell, it could summon wooden constructs the size of mountains and tear through Madara Uchiha's Susanoo.
In Haru's hands, this would be an incredible boost in power.
But he was also realistic.
Just because he now had Wood Release didn't mean he had become the Second Coming of Hashirama.
Not even close.
After all, Yamato had Wood Release too.
And while Yamato was a capable ninja, no one would mistake him for a Kage-level powerhouse.
Compared to the God of Shinobi, Yamato's Wood Release was… landscaping.
It was a powerful ability, but it depended on the user's potential and chakra reserves to unlock its true might.
And in Haru's case, he had the Otsutsuki physique—almost infinite chakra and terrifying regeneration.
That changed everything.
Where Yamato faltered due to weak chakra foundations, Haru could soar.
The stronger the user, the more terrifying Wood Release could become.
Hashirama's trees crushed mountains.
Yamato's trees built schools.
Now Haru had the same ability, but with the chakra of an Otsutsuki and the bloodline of an Uchiha.
"I wonder how far I can push it…"
A low smile crept onto his face as he clenched his fists.
This wasn't just a power-up.
This was a game-changer.
He could already feel the tides turning.