Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Time passed quietly, like a stream flowing through the forest of years.

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had gone by, and it was now early July.

That afternoon…

Somewhere deep in the woods, the sounds of battle echoed.

If one followed the noise, they would see two figures locked in fierce combat.

One was Uchiha Haruki, the other Uchiha Tekka.

Haruki wielded a long blade, his movements like a phantom, appearing and disappearing unpredictably around Tekka—attacking from the front, rear, and both sides.

Tekka's Sharingan spun rapidly at full speed, trying his best to keep up with Haruki's movements. He constantly swung his kunai in defense, struggling to block the flurry of attacks.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The long blade and kunai clashed again and again, producing sharp metallic rings.

But no matter how strong a defense, it would eventually falter.

About five minutes into the fight, Haruki found an opening—he used Flash Sword Technique to suddenly change his angle, and Illusion Sword Technique to disrupt Tekka's senses.

Then, with a swift thrust, his blade stopped right at Tekka's throat.

Feeling the chilling pressure from the blade's tip, Tekka froze instantly and dared not move a muscle.

Seeing this, Haruki flicked his wrist and withdrew his sword.

In front of him, Tekka finally relaxed, lowering his kunai with a sigh.

"Man... Haruki, what kind of training are you doing?" Tekka said with frustration. "I haven't slacked off at all these past few weeks, and yet the gap between us just keeps growing!"

Haruki merely smiled without saying a word.

What could he possibly say?

"Brother, don't push yourself—I've got cheats!"?

That was the truth, but of course, he couldn't say that out loud.

And it wasn't like he got all this power without effort. Every bit of proficiency gained on his panel was paid for with real sweat and discipline.

So, could it really be called cheating?

At most, the Proficiency Panel had only helped him a tiny bit...

Naturally, Haruki didn't bother explaining.

After spending so much time with Tekka, he knew the guy was just venting. He wasn't trying to dig into Haruki's secrets.

Otherwise, Haruki would've long sent him off to the Pure Land.

The Proficiency Panel was second only to his reincarnation itself—anyone who dared to pry into it... would pay the price.

Just as Haruki was thinking this, Tekka suddenly leaned in, looking mysterious.

"Hey, Haruki, have you heard the news?"

"What news?" Haruki asked calmly.

"It's about a while back—Kakashi, one of Minato-sensei's students, had a Sharingan implanted." Tekka replied.

Sure enough, everything was happening just as Haruki had anticipated—just like in his past life.

The Hidden Stone Village had indeed bypassed Konoha's base in the Land of Rain and sent an elite force to attack the Fire Country's border.

Konoha's defense unit stationed there was nearly annihilated.

In the end, it was only thanks to Minato Namikaze arriving in time that the invading Rock nin were stopped.

But even then, that only delayed the Hidden Stone's advance.

It didn't stop them from pushing forward through the breach they had created.

To buy time to mobilize reinforcements, Konoha devised a plan to destroy the enemy's supply route—the Kannabi Bridge.

One week ago, under the cover of several squads, Minato's team successfully infiltrated the Stone's occupied territory and reached the area near the bridge.

Haruki didn't know the details of the battle, but he knew the outcome was the same as in his previous life.

Obito Uchiha had "sacrificed" himself, and Rin Nohara, following his last wish, had transplanted one of Obito's Sharingan into Kakashi Hatake.

Perhaps to boost morale, or to glorify Minato's leadership, the incident quickly spread—

Two heroes with Sharingan were born from the battle at Kannabi Bridge, and even Haruki, far away from the action, had caught wind of it.

But what's so unusual about that? Haruki wondered silently.

He glanced at Tekka and asked, "Yeah, I've heard about it. Why?"

Tekka glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then whispered, "Word is, some people in the clan are unhappy about Kakashi getting a Sharingan. They're thinking about taking it back."

Hearing this, Haruki's thoughts immediately cleared.

Of course.

Think about it—just like how the Hyuga Clan went to extreme lengths to prevent their Byakugan from leaking outside, how could the Uchiha Clan possibly accept their Sharingan falling into the hands of an outsider?

Even if Kakashi claimed it was Obito's last wish—it didn't matter.

It was perfectly natural for the clan to feel this way.

Still, Haruki knew it wouldn't succeed.

Leaving aside the fact that Kakashi still had the eye decades later in his previous life, Minato's presence alone was enough to protect him.

As long as they emphasized that it was Obito's own wish, and combined that with the village's need for wartime heroes, there was no way the Uchiha clan could reclaim the eye—unless they wanted to be branded as bullies trying to rob a hero of his sacrifice.

And obviously, the Uchiha clan wouldn't want that kind of reputation.

What's more, even though Sakumo Hatake had died, he was still the famous White Fang of Konoha, and his personal connections remained.

Out of respect or fear, many people would silently support Kakashi.

With that kind of backing, the Uchiha clan had no chance of taking the eye back.

Tekka didn't know what Haruki was thinking, and continued, "Honestly, I think the clan's overreacting. It's just an eye. If Obito gave it to him willingly, what's the point of taking it back?"

"Besides, without the Uchiha bloodline, that Kakashi guy can't even use the Sharingan to its full potential. Picking a fight over it just seems unnecessary…"

Hearing Tekka's words, Haruki gave him a surprised look.

He had assumed Tekka would side with the more radical faction of the clan on this matter.

He hadn't expected such a calm and reasonable take.

He was right though.

A Sharingan in the hands of someone without Uchiha blood couldn't perform anywhere near its full capability.

So insisting on reclaiming it was indeed a short-sighted move.

Sure, it might help the Uchiha clan maintain their elite image and scare off anyone coveting their kekkei genkai…

But at the same time, it would definitely stir up resentment from others.

After all, Kakashi wasn't some outsider—he was a Konoha war hero.

The Uchiha wouldn't win any support by bullying someone like that.

On the contrary, letting go of the matter could even earn them a rare moment of goodwill.

Comparing both options, the better choice was obvious.

Haruki figured that in his previous life, Fugaku Uchiha must have reached the same conclusion. That's why he suppressed internal complaints and let the matter go.

This life will likely play out the same way, Haruki thought.

In front of him, Tekka noticed Haruki staring at him and nervously asked,

"What? You disagree with me?"

"No," Haruki shook his head. "You're absolutely right."

Tekka nodded. "So... do you think the Clan Head will agree to take the eye back?"

Haruki's answer was firm: "No."

"Why not?" Tekka pressed.

"Because if you can figure it out," Haruki replied, "then so can the Clan Head."

With that, he turned away, raised his hands, and formed the seal for Shadow Clone Technique—