Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

"Kurota—damn it!"

Watching his companion be slain by Uchiha Haruki, Kotani Hikaru let out a furious curse. Whether it was guilt or rage, he didn't stop to think—he simply charged straight at Haruki in a reckless rush.

But if the two of them together had already been no match for Haruki, what hope did he have alone?

Sure enough, within just a few dozen exchanges, Haruki had completely seized the upper hand, his short sword leaving multiple wounds on Kotani's body.

Despite the mounting injuries, Kotani refused to retreat.

Haruki, of course, showed no mercy.

After another flurry of strikes, just as Haruki was about to deal a critical blow, the ground beneath his feet suddenly began to shift and soften.

Sensing something wrong, Haruki reacted instantly. He aborted his attack, pushed off lightly with his toes, and leapt away from the spot.

The very next moment, the patch of earth he'd been standing on transformed into a swamp, viscous and sucking.

Had he been a moment slower, he would've been dragged under by the jutsu.

"Who's there?!"

Haruki narrowed his eyes, scanning the area. But before he could spot the hidden attacker, a razor-sharp stone spike shot up from beneath him, aiming straight for his heart the instant he landed.

This sneak attack was fast, precise, and seamlessly followed up on the earlier swamp technique.

Any average shinobi would have been either killed or gravely wounded by such a sudden combination.

But Haruki had the Sharingan—his reaction speed was several times faster than most.

He performed a double jump mid-air, narrowly avoiding the strike. The spike only pierced his afterimage.

And that was just the appetizer.

Before he could even steady his footing, another stone spike erupted from the ground.

Then a third. A fourth…

Haruki darted through the air like a gymnast on a battlefield, flipping, sliding, and weaving between dozens of sharpened earth lances that burst forth within a radius of ten meters.

In just a few breaths, he had dodged over thirty attacks.

Eventually, the unseen enemy must have realized this tactic was ineffective and stopped wasting chakra—the barrage ceased.

With the danger fading, Haruki quietly exhaled.

While those attacks couldn't truly harm him, the feeling of losing the initiative was deeply unpleasant. And he couldn't shake the sense that another enemy was still lurking.

That's right—there were two people attacking him from the shadows.

The jutsu that transformed the ground into a swamp and the one that summoned the rock spears were clearly performed by different users. The seamless combo wouldn't have worked otherwise—sequential seals take time to perform.

Just as Haruki pieced that together, a water arrow shot toward him from the distance, blazing fast.

But Haruki's reflexes were faster. The moment he sensed it, he vanished from his spot in a blur.

The arrow sliced across his arm and punched a hole through a massive tree, demonstrating its terrifying power.

This was clearly a high-level Water Release technique.

Haruki followed the trajectory and spotted an Iwa shinobi standing in the distance, hands in front of his chest, lips still parted.

There was no doubt he was the one who had fired the water arrow.

But Haruki didn't focus on him for long.

Just nearby, another Iwa ninja was crouching, lifting his hands from the ground—likely the one who had cast the Earth Release rock spear technique.

Putting all this together, Haruki easily deduced their identities.

"Two Jonin, huh?"

His gaze swept over the two of them, immediately confirming from their chakra levels far exceeding typical Chunin that both were true Jonin.

Then, glancing back at Kotani Hikaru, who had just been nearly defeated, Haruki muttered to himself:

"Two Jonin and a Special Jonin… they're really not holding back."

Without waiting for the three enemies to regroup and surround him, Haruki moved first, charging straight at Kotani Hikaru.

"Rather than injuring all ten fingers, it's better to cut one off."

Among the three, Kotani was the weakest link—injured, already pushed to the edge by Haruki earlier. He was the perfect target to eliminate quickly.

As for the other two?

Now that Haruki was aware of their presence, he wasn't overly concerned. Given the close-quarters chaos of the ongoing battle around them, they wouldn't be able to cast any large-scale destructive jutsu. And as for smaller techniques—he was confident he could avoid them.

So, he ignored them for now.

At that moment, Kotani noticed Haruki coming straight for him—but instead of dodging, he rushed forward to meet him.

A glint of surprise flickered in Haruki's eyes. He'd expected Kotani to play it safe, now that his comrades had arrived.

He hadn't expected this kind of fiery resolve.

'Looks like Kurota's death really affected him…'

Haruki focused, raising his sword high.

"Still… no matter how fired up you are, it's meaningless without strength."

Clang! Clang clang clang!

A storm of metal rang out as kunai clashed with Haruki's short sword in a relentless flurry.

This time, Haruki held nothing back. His near-level 6 swordsmanship was on full display, paired with his fully evolved three-tomoe Sharingan.

Within moments, he had Kotani completely overwhelmed.

Another strike landed—a clean cut across Kotani's arm.

"Ugh…"

Kotani let out a low grunt, throwing up his kunai in desperation to deflect Haruki's next blow, and pushed back, putting some space between them.

He glanced down at the fresh wound on his left arm, his face dark with frustration.

But not because of the pain.

He had known from the beginning that he wasn't Haruki's match—getting injured was expected.

What truly weighed on him was the gap in their true strength.

It was now painfully obvious that Haruki hadn't even been fighting seriously during their earlier duel.

And Kurota had died because of that—because he, Kotani Hikaru, had made a mistake.

That guilt was crushing.

But Haruki didn't care about his internal turmoil. The moment Kotani pulled back, Haruki pressed forward again, keeping the pressure relentless.

Short sword against kunai—the clash of steel continued.

But this time, Haruki didn't get far.

The two Jonin from before had finally stopped probing and fully joined the battle.

Their earlier tests had confirmed that their lesser jutsu wouldn't work on him. Now they were ready to commit fully.

It was clear—they planned to trap and kill him using all three of their strengths combined.

At this moment, Haruki could've used a jutsu to disrupt their rhythm and prevent the encirclement.

But he didn't.

Why?

Because… his swordsmanship was on the verge of a breakthrough.

Haruki had been stuck just below level 6, and now, this was the perfect chance to break through.

Yes, the situation was dangerous. But he had weighed the risks and was confident he could handle it.

He wasn't reckless. He was calculating.

And most importantly, he believed in his own strength.

Even if something unexpected happened, he trusted that his raw ability would turn the tide.

That's why—right here, right now—he chose to hone his swordsmanship using the blades of his enemies.

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