Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Above the second sea route.

Uchiha Haruki's shadow clone glided silently through the night sky like a ghost, positioning itself above four Mist Village warships.

Although the ships had no lights on, his Sharingan's keen insight still allowed him to make out figures moving along the deck and railings.

But that was the extent of it. He couldn't see anything inside the cabins.

Even the figures on the deck and by the railings—he couldn't accurately gauge their strength. After all, in order to stay hidden, he was flying too high to get a detailed look.

If he had a Byakugan right now, he could've easily completed this reconnaissance—identifying both the number and strength of these Mist shinobi.

Unfortunately, he didn't.

Maybe I should find an opportunity to get my hands on a Byakugan, the thought suddenly emerged in Haruki's mind.

There was no denying that the Sharingan outperformed the Byakugan in many aspects. But when it came to reconnaissance, the Byakugan was far superior.

If he could obtain one and master it, it would help offset this particular weakness in his capabilities.

And conveniently enough—there was a Byakugan currently unaccounted for in the world.

Ao might be a good target, the idea flashed through his mind.

But Haruki quickly suppressed the thought. His wings fluttered slightly behind him, and he silently followed the Mist warships as they moved farther away.

Time passed, minute by minute.

Roughly twenty minutes later, Haruki's real body arrived at the scene.

Finding the shadow clone, he immediately asked, "What's the situation?"

"See for yourself," the clone replied.

With that, it dispelled itself without hesitation.

The next moment, a stream of memories flooded into Haruki's mind.

He closed his eyes briefly to review them.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes with a slight "Huh," and murmured, "So there might be a chance to take Ao's Byakugan… if the opportunity arises, I could give it a shot."

He closed his eyes again.

After another moment, he had a basic grasp of the Mist ninjas below.

But that was about it. The clone hadn't been able to observe from close range, so the intel gathered wasn't much.

Looks like it's up to me now, Haruki thought.

He activated the Telepathy Jutsu, causing the shadow clone lingering near the first sea route to dispel itself as well.

A moment later, another stream of chakra returned to his body, along with another batch of memories.

Haruki closed his eyes again—but this time, when he opened them, his face lit up with unrestrained joy.

Initially, he'd recalled that clone purely to recover some strength.

But unexpectedly, it brought him a pleasant surprise: his Wind Release: Wings of Wind had just leveled up!

That's right—once he fully absorbed the clone's memories, his technique had directly advanced to Level 4.

In that instant, Haruki felt his comprehension of the jutsu deepen significantly.

Which immediately made him dissatisfied with the chakra wings currently on his back.

As a perfectionist, he couldn't stand going into action with this kind of flaw.

Looking down at the Mist warships below, Haruki made a decision. With a thought, he controlled his chakra wings and silently flew several kilometers away.

Once he was sure the Mist shinobi couldn't possibly detect any movements from this far out, he landed lightly on the ocean surface and deactivated Wings of Wind.

Without wasting time, he formed a new set of hand seals based on his fresh insights, gathered chakra, and activated the technique again.

The next moment, a new pair of light blue chakra wings materialized behind him.

Compared to Level 3, his Level 4 wings were clearly more compact and refined.

Each wing now measured only about a meter long. While still slightly large compared to his body, they looked far more proportionate.

Haruki gave his wings a few test flaps. They felt noticeably more agile and responsive.

But he needed to test their limits.

With that, he soared into the sky and began pushing Wings of Wind (Lv. 4) to its max.

A series of sharp sounds split through the air as Haruki cut across the sky, flying at high speed.

After a while, the testing was complete.

And the results?

Not bad at all.

First, flexibility: Compared to Level 3, the new wings were significantly more nimble, allowing him better control in the air.

Now, even in tight spaces, he could maneuver with ease—making him a far more difficult target to hit in combat.

Second, flight speed: At Level 3, he had topped out at 30 meters per second—roughly 108 km/h.

Now? 40 meters per second, or 144 km/h.

Still not quite commercial-airliner levels, but already faster than most vehicles.

Which meant he could now cover the same distance in less time.

Third, chakra consumption: It had increased, yes—but only slightly. Nowhere near enough to compromise the technique's practicality.

Haruki was very satisfied with that.

The only downside? Even at Level 4, he still couldn't create a shadow clone that retained the chakra wings.

He estimated that he'd have to reach Level 5 before that became possible.

"A shame," Haruki muttered with a light sigh. He shook his head, then flapped his wings and turned back toward the Mist warships.

He'd handled his personal business—now it was time to focus on the mission assigned by the village.

A few minutes later.

On one of the Mist warships, a chunin stood watch on the deck.

Suddenly, everything went dark—like the moonlight above him had been blocked by something.

He looked up—and under the moonlight, saw a black silhouette fly by at high speed, with wings on its back like a giant bird.

But his ninja instincts told him—it wasn't a bird.

He focused his gaze.

And then, under that shadow's form, he saw a pair of crimson-red eyes.

In those eyes shimmered three jet-black tomoe.

"Th-That's... a Sharingan?!"

The Mist ninja's heart seized in panic, and he instinctively tried to shout a warning.

But it was already too late.

The moment he looked into those eyes, he was trapped in a genjutsu.

Trying to make a sound now was nothing but a fantasy.

With Genjutsu: Sharingan, Haruki had paralyzed his target's senses.

Without hesitation, he immediately dove down at full speed.

"Who's there?!" another nearby Mist shinobi shouted as he noticed something was off, throwing a kunai toward the source of danger.

But Haruki simply tilted his head and dodged it.

Then, in a flash, he skimmed across the deck like a dragonfly touching water—and as he ascended again, a person was already in his grasp.

It was the same Mist chunin who had been caught in the Sharingan genjutsu.

Simple. Direct.

This was how Haruki completed his mission.

With a Mist ninja captured, the intel he needed was practically in his hands.

Now, he just had to get away safely.