Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

One more day later.

After passing through several checkpoints, Uchiha Haruki finally returned to the main base.

However, upon returning, he didn't rush to write his mission report. Instead, he decided to take a proper bath and clean himself up first.

Given the limited conditions in the camp, Haruki headed straight for a nearby waterfall not far from the training grounds.

There, he took a long, refreshing bath. Once clean and dressed in a fresh set of clothes, he finally sat down to write a detailed account of his mission.

Thanks to his shadow clone having experienced everything firsthand, it didn't take long for him to finish the report.

After submitting it, Haruki didn't care how the higher-ups would evaluate it. He returned straight to his quarters and collapsed into bed.

After nearly ten days of sleepless tension, he was finally back. Naturally, he wanted to sleep soundly for once.

In the blink of an eye, it was noon the next day.

After sleeping for more than twenty hours straight, Haruki finally woke up.

The moment he opened his eyes, he suddenly sat bolt upright. His Sharingan activated instinctively, scanning the surroundings with a sharp, alert gaze.

Only after recognizing the layout of the tent did he remember that he was back at base.

"Whew—"

He let out a long sigh of relief.

Thump—he flopped back down and closed his eyes again.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes…

Even after ten full minutes, Haruki still couldn't fall back asleep.

His body was tired, but his mind was wide awake.

So he gave up trying to force it. Pushing himself upright with both hands, he sat back up.

"Status Panel."

With that silent thought, his proficiency panel appeared in front of him, glowing in a familiar pale blue light.

[Name: Uchiha Haruki]

[Age: 11]

[Physique: 11]

[Mental: 15]

[Chakra: 21,350 (20980 → 22132)]

[Bloodline: Sharingan - Three Tomoe (5806/10000) → (8724/10000)]

Skills:

Chakra Refinement: lv4 (1674/2000) → lv4 (1738/2000)

Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu: lv4 (65/2000)

Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu: lv4 (23/2000)

Wind Style: Great Breakthrough: lv3 (419/1000)

Shadow Clone Jutsu: lv2 (16/500) → lv2 (88/500)

Chakra Absorption: lv5 (810/5000) → lv5 (1050/5000)

Healing Technique: lv4 (490/2000) → lv4 (650/2000)

Rasengan: lv1 (5/200) → lv3 (650/1000)

Genjutsu - Sharingan: lv6 (13/10000) → lv6 (2310/10000)

Heart-Reading Technique: lv7 (692/20000) → lv7 (3610/20000)

Swordsmanship: lv5 (1025/5000) → lv5 (1120/5000)

Chakra Control: lv4 (410/2000) → lv4 (820/2000)

Clone Technique: lv3 (0/0)

Body Flicker Technique: lv4 (0/0)

Ninja Tool Throwing: lv5 (0/0)

Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu: lv5 (0/0)

Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Jutsu: lv5 (0/0)

Haruki's gaze paused on the Sharingan, now at 8724/10000.

After a quick calculation, he estimated he would need about 200,000 chakra points to grind it all the way to the edge of evolution.

Currently, his chakra regeneration was 21,000 per day.

So, in roughly ten days, he could stockpile enough chakra to reach the target.

Haruki fell silent for a moment, then made a decision.

Over the next few days, he would do nothing but focus on training the Heart-Reading Technique, pushing his Sharingan's evolution to just under 10,000.

This last encounter with Iwagakure's ANBU had ended safely, but the danger was very real.

Haruki now urgently needed a trump card—something strong enough to flip the battlefield in his favor when needed.

Without question, the Mangekyō Sharingan had that kind of power.

That's why he wanted to push his Sharingan as close to evolution as possible in the shortest time. When the moment came, he could forcefully awaken the Mangekyō to gain overwhelming power.

But doing that would cause an even greater imbalance between his mental and physical stats, drastically increasing his risk of genetic backlash.

So, once his Sharingan reached the threshold, he'd need to immediately begin enhancing his physique.

The method?

Just as he'd previously concluded:

Use high-level medical ninjutsu to generate Yang Release chakra and let it nurture the body over time. This was the most practical and least harmful method currently available.

Of course, once he reached that phase, he couldn't rely solely on medical ninjutsu anymore.

He would also need to continue leveling skills like Wind Style: Great Breakthrough, Rasengan, Sharingan-based Genjutsu, Swordsmanship, and more.

In fact, he might even have to go back to his old ways—capturing prisoners to serve as "chakra batteries."

Just thinking about it gave Haruki a headache.

"Sigh… if only I had a tailed beast."

But for now, that was only a fantasy.

Before awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, there was no way he'd dare to target a tailed beast.

Even after awakening it, unless he was absolutely certain of success, he still wouldn't make a move.

There were just too many people eyeing the tailed beasts—the Five Great Ninja Villages, for starters.

But those didn't concern Haruki too much. He knew their methods and could prepare accordingly.

The real problem was Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu—both had their sights on all nine beasts.

Madara was manageable; his lifespan was nearly at its end. Once he died, Haruki wouldn't have to worry about him.

But Black Zetsu was another story.

He wasn't bound by mortal lifespan. As the will of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, Black Zetsu had spent a thousand years plotting to resurrect his mother—and this time was likely the closest he'd ever been to success.

That meant he absolutely wouldn't allow anyone else to claim the tailed beasts.

If Haruki ever tried to take one, it would guarantee a direct clash with Zetsu.

And given Black Zetsu's perfect stealth and unmatched infiltration skills, Haruki knew he needed a powerful detection technique before making any moves.

Otherwise, he might capture a tailed beast, only to have his base ransacked immediately afterward.

He had no interest in paving the way for someone else's victory, so proper preparation was essential.

Then there was Nagato.

Under his leadership, the Akatsuki's ultimate mission was also to capture the tailed beasts.

Another reason to remain cautious.

The more Haruki thought about it, the more he realized—he still wasn't prepared enough.

If possible, he really wanted to learn Flying Thunder God Jutsu.

That way, his mobility and survivability would both skyrocket.

"Flying Thunder God…"

He murmured, beginning to ponder how he might obtain the technique.

People often thought that if average Konoha ninja like Genma Shiranui, Iwashi Tatami, and Raido Namiashi could learn it, then anyone could.

But that wasn't the case.

Those three were Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze's personal guards—it was natural for him to give them private tutoring.

In truth, Flying Thunder God was a high-level S-rank forbidden technique recorded in the Scroll of Seals. Not just anyone could access it.

As long as Hiruzen Sarutobi was in charge of Konoha, Haruki knew that even with great merit, he still might not be granted permission to learn it.

After all, Hiruzen had always feared the Uchiha clan.

If he didn't, he wouldn't have turned a blind eye to all the things Danzo Shimura did.

Given that, there was no way Hiruzen would allow Haruki to learn such a high-mobility assassination jutsu. Wouldn't that be handing him a tool for murdering top brass?

"Hiruzen Sarutobi… Danzo Shimura…"

Just thinking about those two obstacles made Haruki want to cut them down on the spot.

But he quickly calmed himself.

First of all, he wasn't strong enough to take them down yet.

Even if he were, he couldn't afford to cause internal chaos before the war was over.

Right now, he still needed a place to shelter himself.

Besides, Haruki had no desire to see Konoha lose the war.

That wouldn't benefit him in any way.

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