Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

After gathering the three captured Sand ninja in one spot, Uchiha Haruki didn't waste any time. He raised his hand, preparing to use Shadow Clone Jutsu to create a clone and have it bring them back.

But just then, a wave of memories surged into his mind—specifically, the memory of Sazekaze being successfully delivered to the underground cavern.

Clearly, it was from the clone that had completed the earlier mission.

Through that memory, Haruki now knew that the task had gone off without a hitch.

He let out a subtle breath of relief.

He had been worried that the shadow clone might run into trouble en route, and that he might lose such a valuable chakra battery.

Now it seemed he'd been overthinking it—the clone had carried out the task flawlessly.

"Since that's taken care of, let's move on."

With that thought, Haruki cast Shadow Clone Jutsu once again.

Fortunately, even at Level 1, the technique allowed him to maintain up to three clones. Otherwise, it would've been tricky to send all three captives back at once.

Poof—poof—

Two clouds of chakra smoke burst out. Two clones identical to Haruki appeared in the clearing.

He didn't summon three because one of his clones was still stationed at the underground cavern, so he could only create two more here.

Luckily, two were more than enough.

Without needing instructions, the two clones stepped forward, lifted the three unconscious Sand ninja, nodded at Haruki, and silently disappeared into the forest.

Watching them go, Haruki checked his chakra reserves—less than 2,000 points remained.

That left him with a distinct lack of security.

Originally, he had intended to head straight for Sector E12, hoping to take advantage of the chaos and capture a few more Sand ninja.

But now…

Yeah, that plan was probably off the table.

Still, he couldn't do nothing.

He had already told Kamijo Yoichi that he was heading to E12 to assist. If he failed to show up, it could easily lead to unwanted suspicion.

And right now, Haruki had too many secrets. The less suspicion he attracted, the better.

After some thought, Haruki made a decision: he would still head to E12, but at a slower pace.

That way, if his shadow clones finished their tasks and dispelled themselves, his chakra would partially recover by the time he arrived. Then, he could resume his plan.

And if not?

Well, then he'd just lay low and stay out of the way. Haruki wasn't about to risk his life over ambition.

Decision made, he didn't delay and quietly set off toward Sector E12.

Thirty minutes later.

Haruki arrived at E12.

By now, the two shadow clones he'd dispatched earlier had already completed their missions, and his chakra had recovered to over 5,000 points.

According to the original plan, he was supposed to exploit the confusion here and capture more Sand ninja to expand his "chakra battery collection."

However, that plan ended before it even began.

Not because there were no Sand ninja.

On the contrary, there were far more Sand shinobi here than he had expected.

And that was exactly why he didn't dare make a move.

The scale of Sunagakure's attack clearly surpassed what Haruki had anticipated.

Even though reinforcements had arrived from nearby Konoha units, the Sand ninja showed no intention of retreating. In fact, the battle was becoming increasingly intense.

In such a situation, how could Haruki risk trying to capture someone?

Worse still, as soon as he appeared, someone locked onto him.

With no other choice, he was forced to join the battle.

Thanks to his sharp swordsmanship and dual tomoe Sharingan, Haruki managed to kill nine Sand ninja in an hour, significantly reducing the pressure on Konoha's forces in the surrounding area.

But this, too, came at a cost.

A Sand jōnin set his sights on him—one even stronger than Sazekaze.

Given Haruki's less-than-optimal condition, he didn't want to fight head-on. So, he switched to pure defense, dodging and parrying rather than attacking.

The opposing jōnin, though powerful, couldn't overwhelm Haruki immediately and had to settle for probing him bit by bit.

Time passed.

Another half hour slipped by.

The sky began to darken—shift change was approaching.

Haruki had a hunch: if this dragged on any longer, these Sand ninja might not leave at all.

Because shift change meant fresh troops were on the way.

And based on Haruki's experience, half the squads were usually rotated out during each shift change.

That many new fighters? He doubted the Sand forces could hold up under pressure. Odds were, they'd retreat before reinforcements arrived.

As for whether the enemy knew about the shift schedule? Haruki was certain they did.

Launching such an intense offensive without thoroughly investigating Konoha's routines was unthinkable.

Besides, shift times weren't even a secret. With so many people moving in and out every day, figuring it out wasn't hard.

Sure enough, sharp whistles suddenly rang out from multiple directions across the battlefield.

At the sound, the Sand ninja immediately disengaged from their fights and regrouped around nearby jōnin with lightning speed.

Then, under the leadership of those jōnin, they burst through the Konoha lines, forcing a retreat and escaping the encirclement.

Konoha's commanders weren't about to let them flee so easily. Orders for pursuit were issued quickly.

Any Leaf ninja still able to move joined the chase.

In the ensuing chaos, some Sand ninja inevitably fell behind.

Haruki took this opportunity to capture two more Sand chūnin. He carefully had a shadow clone escort them away—discreetly and without leaving any clues.

Another hour passed.

The pursuit was called off for now, and the Konoha ninja all returned to their camps.

The reinforcements for the shift change had arrived an hour early, and without delay, continued west.

That was where the front lines against Sunagakure were located.

Once they had moved out, Haruki received new orders: all leave—current and upcoming—was officially canceled.

For the next half month, everyone would continue last week's assignments, strengthening patrols, blocking enemy infiltration, and ensuring the safety of Konoha's main camp.

As for short-handed squads, Headquarters would replenish their numbers as needed.

Haruki also learned about the current situation at the front from sub-unit leader Tashiro Ukyo.

Just as he had guessed, two Konoha strongholds had fallen to Sunagakure, and other outposts were sending in extra forces to try to reclaim them.

The troops who had just passed through were headed to those front lines.

But Haruki doubted they'd be enough.

Sunagakure wouldn't easily give up the territory they had just captured.

So in the coming days, Headquarters would likely deploy even more personnel.

"No wonder the new orders mention reinforcing squads as needed," Haruki mused.

"Turns out Konoha's reserves are already running low…"

Which meant Konoha would likely have to contract their front lines.

He couldn't be sure how long the front could hold, but this recent loss was probably just the beginning.

More setbacks would likely follow.

Which also meant the so-called "rear" areas would no longer be safe. Even they could face full-scale enemy assaults at any moment.

After a long moment of thought, Haruki shook his head.

"What's the point of overthinking all this?" he muttered.

"As long as my power keeps growing fast, I'll be able to handle whatever danger comes my way."

With that thought in mind, Haruki stopped worrying.

After a quick word with the squad on night duty, he returned to his quarters and began another round of private training.