Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

"He's finally here!"

Unlike Uchiha Haruki, who was startled by the figure riding atop the massive wave in the distance, Yukikaze let out a long breath of relief.

Back when he had first received this mission, his superiors had warned him: If you can't defeat Uchiha Haruki, make sure to lead the battle as far away as possible.

He hadn't understood the meaning of those words back then—but now he did.

There had been a contingency plan all along. The only concern was whether Haruki would interfere before it could be activated.

But now…

Even if Haruki rushed in immediately, there was no way to stop an attack of this magnitude.

The two Konoha transport ships were doomed.

And once they were destroyed, the Mist's forces pushing north against Konoha's border wouldn't have to worry about being flanked.

As Yukikaze processed all this, he saw Haruki turn back to him, his gaze icy and piercing.

Yukikaze stiffened slightly, but forced himself to endure the pain in his chest and arm. Then—

Boom!

He slammed his right foot against the ice.

Crack!

The ice shattered, opening a large hole. Without hesitation, Yukikaze dove in, his chakra signature quickly vanishing into the sea below.

Shing—

Haruki appeared beside the hole in a flash, gazing into the water, but Yukikaze was already gone.

He knew instantly: I'm not killing him today.

He could wait nearby, maybe catch him when he resurfaces.

But the real problem was…

Could he afford to stay here and wait?

He turned back toward the battlefield—toward the massive tsunami about to swallow everything.

The answer was obvious.

Flash!

A burst of blue light—the Flash Blade Technique. Haruki became a blur and darted straight toward the main battlefield.

More specifically—toward the Mist ANBU ninja at the center of the incoming wave.

He dashed through the scattering shinobi, feet skimming across the rising sea. In seconds, he closed in on the masked figure.

Yet… the Mist ANBU didn't stop casting the jutsu.

And then—the tsunami crashed over the entire battlefield.

Thanks to the early warning, all the ninjas had evacuated. But the ships left behind—both of Konoha's passenger ships and even the Mist's own warship—were completely engulfed.

Had that been the end of it, it might have been salvageable.

They could've just recovered the ships, drained the water, and continued using them.

But the wave didn't merely engulf—it spun with violent rotational force.

Once submerged, the ships were caught in a massive current and ripped apart, their hulls shredded to pieces.

Clearly, the real purpose of this grandiose jutsu wasn't to kill Konoha shinobi—it was to destroy their transport vessels.

In fact, the Mist ANBU had even destroyed his own side's warship, just to make sure no one could retreat.

And that, without question, cut off the Mist shinobi's escape route.

With no way out, and with Haruki and his team likely to return soon, the only option left for the Mist forces on the field was to stand their ground and fight.

Which, given Haruki's strength… would likely end in a massacre.

In other words, the Mist ANBU had already accepted sacrificing his own comrades just to complete the mission.

Such ruthless execution and the scale of this jutsu reminded Haruki of one particular man.

"The tailless Tailed Beast… is it you?"

Haruki stared coldly at the Mist ANBU, his mind churning.

Yes—the person he was thinking of was none other than Kisame Hoshigaki, the elite jonin of Kirigakure known as the Tailless Tailed Beast.

A man infamous for doing whatever it took to complete a mission.

Given his monstrous chakra reserves, his jutsu were often incredibly extravagant—just like what Haruki had witnessed here.

Still, whether or not this man was Kisame, Haruki wasn't going to hesitate.

Swish—!

A flash of steel.

Haruki slashed his blade toward the Mist ANBU's neck.

Only now did the man react—dropping low at the last second to narrowly dodge the strike.

Without pause, before Haruki could follow up with another swing, the ANBU lashed out with a kick aimed at Haruki's abdomen.

Haruki swiftly leapt back, dodging it cleanly.

Then—

Flash!

Another burst of light—Flash Blade Technique again. Haruki vanished and reappeared at the ANBU's flank, his blade sweeping toward him once more.

Clang—!

A crisp metal-on-metal sound rang out.

The ANBU had somehow already unsheathed a longsword from his back, intercepting Haruki's slash just in time.

Through the eyeholes of the mask, Haruki caught sight of golden pupils—but they were utterly devoid of emotion, like a machine incapable of reacting to anything around him.

This hollow demeanor reminded Haruki of Root shinobi—those conditioned tools of the Hidden Leaf's black-ops division.

But if this truly was Kisame… well, it wasn't far off.

Kisame was the type to suppress his emotions purely through willpower, turning himself into a weapon for the mission's sake.

Unlike Root operatives, who required curse seals, brainwashing, and ego-destruction training, Kisame had become a tool by choice.

Which was more admirable? The answer was obvious.

Screeeeech!

Steel grated against steel. Sparks flew.

Haruki and the Mist ANBU pressed against each other—katana vs. longsword—locked in a dead heat.

Then—

Haruki's pupils contracted slightly.

Genjutsu: Sharingan!

In an instant, the Mist ANBU—who had just been meeting Haruki's gaze—shut his eyes, withdrew his strength, and kicked off the water, retreating rapidly.

Losing his opponent's resistance, Haruki's blade lunged forward, slashing upward.

Slice!

The ANBU's mask split cleanly in half and fell away.

And revealed—a shark-like face.

Who else could it be?

"Kisame Hoshigaki?"

Haruki suddenly spoke aloud.

The moment Kisame stabilized his footing, he visibly flinched. That moment of hesitation—someone calling your real name mid-fight—was a natural reflex.

But in combat… a fatal one.

Haruki didn't waste it.

He stepped forward, blade glinting, and thrust toward Kisame's heart.

The sharp edge tore through the air with lethal precision.

Kisame was worthy of his reputation as an elite jonin. The instant Haruki moved, he realized he'd been tricked.

But it was already too late to parry.

With no other option, Kisame took a half-step back and raised his arm to block.

Thunk!

The tip of Haruki's sword pierced into Kisame's forearm, catching on bone.

Kisame's face twisted in pain for a split second before he suppressed it. Then—with a powerful leap—he broke away, putting several meters of distance between them.

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