Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Ding—

The clash between a kunai and a short sword rang out with a crisp metallic sound.

Facing Shinsuke Ishida just a few steps away, Uchiha Haruki gave a slight smile. His Sharingan activated its hypnotic ability.

But Shinsuke Ishida was prepared. He immediately avoided eye contact.

Seeing this, the smile on Haruki's face vanished abruptly. His entire demeanor changed, losing all the arrogance from moments before.

At the same time, his fighting style underwent a drastic transformation. No longer relying on brute force like when he cut down the Iwagakure chunin earlier, his movements became strange and unpredictable.

The moment Ishida averted his gaze, Haruki flickered out of sight, reappearing in Ishida's blind spot.

Without hesitation, the short sword in his hand stabbed forward, aiming for Ishida's heart from an angle he couldn't see.

A surge of danger welled up inside Ishida. His instincts kicked in, and he quickly stepped back, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike.

Haruki responded immediately. The moment his attack missed, he adjusted his stance and once again vanished into Ishida's blind spot.

No pause. Another stab.

Sensing the danger again, Ishida dodged once more. Haruki's strike missed again.

Yet, there wasn't the slightest trace of disappointment on Haruki's face. His expression remained calm, cold even, as his blood-red Sharingan locked onto Ishida's every move.

He analyzed each action and predicted Ishida's responses, moving preemptively to strike from unseen angles again and again.

Even though Ishida wasn't weak by any means, in such a situation, he could only defend passively. He couldn't even bring out 60 or 70 percent of his full strength.

This was exactly why a saying had circulated throughout the ninja world:

"If you encounter an Uchiha one-on-one—run."

Because the Sharingan was just too strong a counter against ordinary shinobi.

Even just its hypnotic ability was enough to give many ninja nightmares.

After all, the genjutsu of the Sharingan didn't require hand seals and was activated silently. Even if the effects weren't extremely powerful, a single moment of distraction in battle could be fatal.

That's why most ninja didn't dare to maintain eye contact with an Uchiha during combat.

Naturally, this reduced their combat effectiveness drastically.

In contrast, Uchiha ninja could use their Sharingan's insight to anticipate enemy movements and seize the initiative.

With this constant shift of power balance, ordinary shinobi were no match for the Uchiha.

Of course, all of this only applied when the power gap wasn't too wide and the Uchiha could skillfully use their Sharingan.

If a jonin bullied a genin who just awakened his Sharingan—well, that's a different story.

Likewise, if an Uchiha couldn't use his eye well, the enemy wouldn't fear looking at him either.

But clearly, Haruki was neither of those cases.

In fact, compared to other Uchiha who used the Sharingan alongside other tactics, Haruki's self-developed swordsmanship—created by fusing "Leaf-style Kenjutsu" and "Uchiha-style Swordsmanship"—was even more suited to battle.

As a result, the pressure on his enemies was even more overwhelming.

Just like now, in Ishida's eyes, there was only that short sword stabbing from bizarre angles—and fleeting glimpses of Haruki's robes as he moved.

Nothing else.

And yet, Ishida didn't dare search for Haruki's position.

Just moments ago, when he had tried to confront Haruki head-on, he was immediately caught in a genjutsu and almost had his throat pierced by Haruki's blade.

Since then, he no longer dared to engage directly.

Of course, he had considered running. But Haruki never gave him the chance. With his superior swordsmanship, Haruki stuck to close-quarters combat.

Combined with the Sharingan's predictive ability, Haruki anticipated Ishida's every move before he made it, never allowing Ishida to put distance between them.

As for forming hand seals and using ninjutsu?

Out of the question.

Haruki wouldn't even give him the chance to begin weaving signs.

With his current level of swordsmanship and reflexes, if Ishida dared to waste time forming seals, Haruki would end him in an instant.

Cold sweat trickled down Ishida's cheeks. He had his full sensory perception active, alert to even the faintest movements in his surroundings, ready to intercept Haruki's next strike.

At this moment, he felt like a fish caught in a net—the more he struggled, the tighter it wrapped around him. Even breathing became difficult.

Whoosh—

The sound of air being pierced jolted Ishida back to reality.

He instinctively identified the direction of the incoming attack, turned, and slashed with his kunai—perfectly deflecting Haruki's strike.

How many times has it been now?

Ishida pondered. He's probably going to disappear into my blind spot again and launch another attack.

That had been the pattern for the last several minutes. He was starting to get used to it.

In fact, after taking several hits, he was slowly beginning to understand Haruki's rhythm.

Maybe… if he held out a bit longer, he could find an opening and break free from Haruki's grasp. Maybe even escape the battlefield entirely.

"Hm?"

While still deep in thought, Ishida suddenly noticed a figure in front of him. The moment he saw the face, his heart jumped and he instinctively tried to close his eyes.

But it was too late.

"Demonic Illusion: Shackles of Binding!"

In a flash, Haruki completed the hand seals and unleashed this advanced Sharingan genjutsu, one he had trained to perfection.

Immediately, a sharp, stabbing pain surged through Ishida.

It felt as if his body had been nailed down by giant iron spikes—his mind still conscious, but completely unable to move.

As the saying goes, "the longer you defend, the more likely you are to slip up."

Ishida had been forced to defend this entire time, always reacting to Haruki's tempo.

Though he'd slowly adapted to Haruki's rhythm, the intense pressure had caused him to rely on conditioned reflexes, dulling his actual reactions.

So when Haruki suddenly switched tactics, Ishida was caught completely off guard.

The result?

He was instantly trapped by Haruki's genjutsu.

But Ishida still refused to give up.

He stared at Haruki with bloodshot eyes, his body trembling, desperately trying to break free of the illusion's hold.

Haruki had considered keeping Ishida alive as a "chakra battery." But seeing Ishida's state—and weighing the current battlefield conditions—he ultimately gave up on the idea.

Shlunk—

The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed in the silence.

Ishida's body suddenly relaxed. He could move again.

But then, an overwhelming sense of weakness washed over him.

Looking down, he saw the familiar short sword plunged deep into his chest.

Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as he looked at Haruki one last time and forced out two words:

"Ghost Blade…"

"Ghost Blade?"

Haruki repeated the words softly.

Strangely, it suited him.

With his unique swordsmanship paired with the Sharingan, he truly fought like a specter—appearing from nowhere, striking from nowhere, never seen until it was too late.

So yes, the name "Ghost Blade" wasn't far off.

What Haruki didn't yet know was that in the coming months, the name "Ghost Blade Haruki" would become a legend across the entire Rain Country battlefield.

A feared name, a taboo spoken in hushed voices—known by all, challenged by none.