Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

A few minutes earlier...

While Uchiha Haruki had his eyes closed, absorbing the training experience and memories from his shadow clones, a sudden development occurred on Uchiha Tekka's end—they spotted signs of the Mist-nin.

That's right—suddenly.

And it wasn't just a few small reconnaissance boats; it was four massive warships, each capable of carrying over a hundred men.

Logically, on such a vast sea, even a few small boats should have been spotted from far away. Let alone four large warships.

But reality was stranger than logic—they didn't notice a thing until those ships had approached within 200 meters. Only then did someone with sharp eyes finally catch sight of them.

After careful examination by Haruki's shadow clone, it became clear how they had pulled it off—they used a layer of ice crystals over their hulls to bend light, essentially rendering them optically invisible.

This was the same method used by Yukikaze and his team over a month ago.

Yukikaze's sudden appearance among the enemy forces confirmed Haruki's deduction.

The Mist-nin must've known they'd been discovered, because the four warships promptly deployed dozens of shinobi—one of whom was indeed Yukikaze himself.

Upon seeing this, Haruki didn't hesitate. He immediately instructed Uchiha Tekka and the others to retreat, while he stayed behind to delay the enemy.

Uchiha Tekka and his team knew the real Haruki wasn't physically present—it was just a shadow clone. So they didn't argue and swiftly agreed.

As Haruki's clone jumped from the ship to confront the enemy, the others turned and rowed with all their might toward the direction they came from.

But even though Haruki's clone was strong, it couldn't outmatch dozens of enemies at once. He had to focus on stalling for time and avoiding injury.

That hesitation gave Yukikaze enough clues to suspect the truth.

Acting decisively, Yukikaze commanded several Mist-nin to launch a full-force attack, even at the cost of severe injuries—shattering Haruki's shadow clone.

That's when the real Haruki received the memory transfer.

Back on the reef shore.

Having processed the information, Haruki didn't waste a second. He immediately created a new shadow clone and ordered it to return to base and alert everyone to prepare for battle.

Meanwhile, his real body rushed off toward Uchiha Tekka and the retreating team.

After all, they had helped him many times. If he could assist them now, he wouldn't hesitate.

Haruki's speed was astonishing. In about ten minutes, he saw Uchiha Tekka and the others.

Despite the rear guard distraction, they'd still been intercepted by another squad of Mist-nin.

They had abandoned their boat and were now locked in close combat, retreating while fighting, moving in the direction of the reef shore—clearly hoping to rendezvous with Haruki.

And Haruki didn't disappoint. In just ten minutes, he'd caught up.

The moment the Konoha ninja spotted him, their spirits lifted. Their kunai attacks became noticeably more fierce.

In contrast, the Mist-nin's expressions darkened instantly. They clearly recognized who he was.

But bound by orders from above, they couldn't retreat.

Now, they could only hope reinforcements from the warships arrived soon.

But Haruki glanced out into the distance—the Mist-nin's warships were still far from arriving.

He didn't hesitate.

He joined the battle immediately.

In a flash, he used Instant Blade Technique to close the distance to a Mist-nin.

After days of training, that technique had improved from Lv. 5 to Lv. 6, just one step short of mastery.

Its effectiveness was now on a whole new level.

The Mist-nin barely even registered his presence before a flash of the blade sent his head flying.

Instant decapitation.

The sheer brutality of the scene shocked several nearby Mist-nin.

Haruki seized the moment and activated Genjutsu: Sharingan Illusion, instantly trapping one of them.

Then—with a glow of blue chakra—he activated Instant Blade Technique again and moved in.

Another Mist-nin, whether by luck or instinct, jumped in front of the one under genjutsu control, holding up a kunai to block Haruki's strike.

But the moment Haruki's longblade approached, it twisted into a thrust—aimed directly at the enemy's heart.

In that split-second, the Mist-nin tried to twist his body and pull his arm back to block the thrust.

Too late.

A cold glint flashed—and a sharp pain bloomed in his throat.

He had blocked thin air.

Haruki's blade had drawn blood, and the Mist-nin staggered backward, confusion in his wide eyes.

He opened his mouth, trying to speak—but only meaningless gasps came out.

"Hkkk... hkkk..."

Haruki stood expressionless, withdrawing his blade.

The reason for the Mist-nin's fatal mistake?

Haruki had used Illusionary Sword Technique mid-swing, warping the man's perception just enough to land a killing blow.

Had it not been for the genjutsu, even a standard-level Mist-nin wouldn't have gone down that easily.

It was proof: Illusionary Sword Technique was devastatingly effective against mid-level shinobi.

Feeling his opponent's life force ebbing away, Haruki turned away.

He flashed forward again with Instant Blade Technique, appearing right in front of the genjutsu-trapped Mist-nin.

Whoosh—!

A single slash to the throat ended him.

Three enemies dead in the blink of an eye.

Haruki's ferocity stunned the Mist-nin.

But the next moment, several of them broke away from their opponents and rushed straight at him.

This wasn't bravery—it was desperation.

If they allowed Haruki to continue unchecked, everyone would die.

So the strongest among them charged.

Haruki, without a trace of hesitation, sheathed his blade and formed hand signs.

Wind Release: Blade of Wind!

This was the perfect chance to test the technique he'd just mastered.

Whoosh—!

A massive transparent wind blade shot forward, so fast it was nearly instant.

Thud!

The wind blade cut straight through a Special Jonin.

But then—his body dissolved into a puddle of water.

A moment later, the real Mist-nin emerged from below the surface.

Haruki looked at him—and clearly saw fear on his face.

The man had narrowly escaped death by activating Water Clone Substitution in the nick of time.

That kind of reflex didn't come from thought—it came from sheer battle instinct. Only veteran shinobi who had survived countless battles could pull that off.

Any slower, and even a high-level ninja like him would have been cut down.

But this was the beauty of battle. Victory was never absolute. Even the strong could fall. Even the weak could win with clever tactics.

Still...

Haruki didn't enjoy being in the weaker position.

Nor did he like playing tricks.

He preferred to overwhelm with force—crushing all resistance.

With that thought, Haruki drew his longblade again, infused it with Wind Chakra, making it glow faintly blue, and activated Instant Blade Technique once more.

Flash!

He reappeared right in front of the Special Jonin and slashed directly at the man's neck.

The enemy reacted quickly, raising his kunai to block—