Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

"Alright, this is the end of the line!"

Deep within the forest, the fleeing Chiya suddenly heard this voice. His expression changed drastically as he froze in place and stared ahead at the figure who had just appeared.

It was none other than Uchiha Haruki.

"You! You found me this early?"

Clenching his teeth, Chiya glared at that familiar face, especially those eyes—those eyes that burned like red coals.

Haruki let out a light laugh.

"If I couldn't track you with these eyes… then they'd be wasted."

Hiding motionless and masking one's presence was one thing—but moving without leaving a trace? That was a whole different matter.

Haruki had only followed for a short while before his Sharingan picked up faint clues left behind by Chiya's real body. Still, he didn't immediately pursue—he wanted to draw the battlefield farther from the previous site.

Now… the time was right.

Any more delay, and nearby enemy squads might close in. The fight had to end quickly.

Another reason Haruki had chosen this location for the battle: he had discovered a hidden underground chamber nearby—possibly left behind from the last Great Ninja War, dug out by someone's Earth Style jutsu.

Haruki had stumbled across it during patrol two days ago. He hadn't paid it much mind at the time… but now, it was the perfect prison for a captured puppet master.

But first—he had to catch him.

With that in mind, Haruki suddenly hurled a flurry of shuriken forward.

"Hmph!"

Chiya scoffed and didn't bother dodging. With a small flick of his fingers, two dark shapes leapt from the forest behind him—landing in front to shield him.

They were the two puppets: the spider puppet, now missing three legs, and the humanoid puppet, reduced to just a head, torso, and one remaining leg.

Thunk thunk thunk—

The shuriken struck the puppets with a series of dull impacts—not even scratching them.

Then came Chiya's counterattack.

He rapidly moved his ten fingers, sending the spider puppet forward to unleash a hail of hidden weapons, while the humanoid puppet closed in for melee, trying to distract Haruki's movements.

But Haruki wasn't so easily rattled. As he evaded the barrage of concealed weapons, he also parried the humanoid puppet's blows with his short sword.

Then, just as the spider puppet opened up for its next strike, Haruki surged forward—charging straight for Chiya himself.

Yes, Haruki had been targeting the puppets earlier because Chiya hadn't revealed himself. But now that he was out in the open?

Why waste time on puppets?

Haruki aimed straight for the puppeteer.

Unfortunately, though Chiya lacked real combat experience, his training as a puppeteer was thorough and orthodox. He knew he was the weakest link—and never dropped his guard.

Haruki's attack was blocked—by none other than the spider puppet.

Worse, two tubes suddenly extended from the spider puppet's abdomen, spewing yellow-green poisonous mist toward Haruki.

Thanks to his Sharingan, Haruki had already noticed the mechanism the moment it appeared—and had quickly retreated before the gas could spread.

Relying on memory, Haruki instantly threw three kunai at where Chiya had been standing.

The kunai cut through the poisonous fog—but were once again blocked by the spider puppet.

Just as Chiya began to relax, a crackling sizzle rang out.

He looked more closely—and saw three explosive tags burning at the ends of the deflected kunai.

"Shit!"

Eyes wide with panic, Chiya leapt backward while commanding the spider puppet to block the blast.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!

Blinding flames burst through the woods, thunderous blasts echoed through the trees, and three fireballs engulfed the spider puppet.

But to Haruki's surprise, even after being hit by three explosive tags, the spider puppet was still intact.

"Tch. Looks like it's tougher than it looks."

Muttering to himself, Haruki lunged again toward Chiya.

Chiya quickly sent both puppets to intercept.

Haruki resumed what he did best—disassembling them piece by piece.

Within moments, the already damaged humanoid puppet was completely dismantled—just a pile of scattered parts.

The spider puppet lost yet another leg.

Chiya, of course, tried to resist—but it was pointless.

He hadn't been able to stop Haruki from dismantling his puppets even while hiding.

Now that he'd exposed his body and added another vulnerability?

He was even more helpless.

Watching as the spider puppet struggled to defend him, its body now almost ruined, Chiya finally gritted his teeth and used his final trick.

Suddenly, the spider puppet froze mid-combat.

Then—click click click click—with a series of mechanical clanks, the puppet fell apart… scattering into hundreds of smaller spider puppets of varying sizes.

Chiya's ten fingers twitched rapidly. Chakra threads shot outward—splitting from one into two, two into four, four into eight...

In a flash, he connected to all the puppets.

Even if the chakra threads had been too fine to see before, now there were so many that Haruki could faintly make them out—even without activating his Sharingan.

Still…

"That many chakra threads? For a Chunin?"

He knew that Chiyo—the legendary puppeteer—was considered world-class for being able to control ten puppets with ten fingers.

Haruki roughly estimated the number of spider puppets: at least a hundred.

That level of control? Only someone like Sasori, who had turned himself into a puppet, could manage that.

There was no way a nobody like Chiya had reached that level.

"There has to be a trick."

Suspicious, Haruki took a subconscious half-step back.

That tiny step was like kicking a beehive.

The spider puppets all leapt up—charging him at once.

Haruki's short sword gleamed as he cut down the first spider in front.

But then—danger flared in his senses.

His Sharingan spun violently, slowing the world around him.

And within the split remains of the spider puppet he had just cut down, Haruki saw something horrifying:

A piece of familiar paper—burning softly.

An explosive tag.

"F***!"

Haruki cursed and immediately leapt backward.

If it had been only one, it wouldn't be so bad.

But what if every spider puppet had an explosive tag inside?

If they swarmed and surrounded him—and all detonated at once…

Without Susano'o, how the hell was he supposed to survive that?

Best not to find out.

And his instinct was right.

Just as he moved, two more spider puppets leapt onto the spot where he had been standing.

Along with the split one he'd already destroyed, all three exploded simultaneously.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!

Flames roared, blasting through a radius of several meters.