Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

After treating the wounded, Uchiha Haruki and his team rested for about an hour before setting off again.

Under the starlit sky, they pushed forward. Within a few hours, they had taken down two more Iwagakure camps, forcing the front line all the way to the third defensive perimeter of the Hidden Stone Village.

By that time, dawn had already broken.

Although everyone was allowed brief rest periods after each battle, the continuous fighting throughout the night had left them thoroughly exhausted.

Fortunately, their preliminary objectives had already been achieved. Reports from other strongholds confirmed that Iwagakure had secretly redeployed forces from those areas the previous night.

Their diversion was now turning into a full-scale assault.

As for the timing—

It was set for 10 a.m. that very morning!

In light of this, the Nara clan jōnin in charge gave the order to hold position and rest.

From here on, they would no longer be the ones coordinating with the other squads—instead, they would support those units as the main offensive launched.

It was clear: Iwagakure had shifted forces from the front line specifically because of them. Their job now was to tie those troops down.

Haruki glanced at the time—over three hours remained until the main assault. Just enough time for a break.

However, just because they wanted to rest didn't mean Iwagakure would let them.

Barely an hour had passed when the enemy camp at the third line—their next target—suddenly sent out a raiding party to attack them.

Well… calling it an "attack" was a bit of an exaggeration. It was more of a harassment operation.

From the outskirts, the enemy launched constant sneak attacks, frequently using noisy explosive tags and ninjutsu—clearly aiming to disrupt their rest.

Haruki quickly grew irritated by the harassment. Instead of continuing to rest, he informed Nara Shisui, the commander, and volunteered to handle defense personally.

Leaving the group, Haruki moved to the outer perimeter. There, his sharp senses picked up faint presences watching from the woods—faint silhouettes of Iwagakure ninja flitting among the trees.

Haruki carefully scanned for danger but sensed no significant threats—likely just a few chūnin.

Even so, he didn't let his guard down. He called a few Konoha chūnin responsible for patrol duty and led them into the dense forest.

Fifteen minutes later, Haruki had swept through the woods, clearing out the Iwagakure shinobi. He didn't kill many, but it was enough to send a clear warning.

Of course, stopping the harassment entirely was impossible.

These shinobi were clearly following orders from higher up—no matter the risk, they were expected to probe and disrupt.

Haruki, on the other hand, took advantage of the distraction to replenish his chakra and gain a bit of skill proficiency. It wasn't much—but better than nothing.

Time continued to tick by.

Before long, it was mid-morning.

On both sides—the Konoha and Iwagakure camps—the atmosphere began to shift. It was clear that both were gearing up for action.

Konoha was preparing to cooperate with the larger, coordinated assault.

As for Iwagakure, there could only be one reason: reinforcements had either arrived or were close. Fearing the Konoha forces might retreat, the enemy seemed poised to strike first.

Sensing this, Nara Shisui immediately changed the battle plan from offense to tactical withdrawal.

Haruki understood the reasoning right away. They were trying to exploit Iwagakure's eagerness to keep them pinned and lure them out of their fortifications.

And it worked.

Seeing the Konoha forces retreating, the Iwagakure camp quickly mobilized, forming a pursuit squad and charging after them.

This didn't mean Shisui's plan was some brilliant stroke of genius—it was more that the Iwa shinobi had no choice but to respond.

Why?

Simple. Haruki's ruthless slaughter from the night before had infuriated Iwagakure's upper command. They had issued a death order: Haruki and his squad must not be allowed to escape under any circumstances.

So the moment Haruki and company made even a hint of retreat, the enemy leapt at the opportunity to chase them.

Without the defensive advantage of their base camp, the Iwa forces would be slightly easier to deal with.

Slightly.

This time, Iwagakure had dispatched over two hundred shinobi, the majority of whom were chūnin and special jōnin. Only about a third of them were genin.

This was a completely different configuration from the previous camps.

It wasn't because this third-line base was especially important.

Rather, the Iwa shinobi who had escaped from the prior bases had regrouped here. And the ones who had escaped were, of course, stronger than average.

Moreover, Iwagakure had transferred elite forces from two nearby camps—boosting both the quantity and quality of troops at this position far beyond the standard for a third-line defense.

That's why, even after drawing them out of their fortifications, Haruki had said the battle would only be slightly easier.

These Iwa shinobi were formidable—no plan would change the fact that this was going to be a tough fight.

Fortunately, Konoha still held the overall advantage in terms of total strength. They wouldn't be overwhelmed—just challenged.

After pulling back a safe distance, Nara Shisui halted the group and reorganized the formation, preparing for Iwagakure's assault.

And Iwagakure didn't disappoint.

Once they caught up, they wasted no time—launching a direct offensive without a single word.

"Earth Style: Rock Iron Cannon!"

Dozens of Iwa shinobi formed hand seals in unison and unleashed the jutsu.

Tiny stone pellets, no bigger than a thumb, shot out from their mouths.

In the air, they spun rapidly and expanded, growing into fist-sized boulders that rained down on Haruki's unit.

In response, nearly a hundred Konoha ninja hurled kunai toward the incoming enemy.

Despite the exchange of jutsu and weapons, neither side showed any signs of panic.

Why?

Because attacks at this level couldn't seriously harm veteran shinobi on either side. At most, they could mess up formations a little.

The real outcome would be decided in close-quarters combat.

"Kill!!"

A fierce roar erupted from the Iwa ranks.

As if fueled by adrenaline, the Iwa shinobi charged at the Konoha line—and chaos exploded across the battlefield.

In moments, the entire field was filled with noise:

The metallic clash of ninja tools,

The thunder of exploding tags,

And the screams of wounded shinobi.

It was utter chaos.

But Haruki didn't have time to care about any of it—because right now, he was surrounded by three Iwagakure special jōnin.

That's right—three-on-one.

Just moments ago, Haruki had engaged a single Iwa shinobi in combat, only for two more to rush in and join the fight. Together, they formed a tight unit and launched a coordinated assault.

Clearly, his identity had been exposed.

Otherwise, Iwagakure wouldn't have responded so aggressively.

Still—

As Haruki's gaze swept across the three opponents, he calmly dodged their attacks while sneering internally:

"Heh… you really think three special jōnin are enough to take me down?"

He'd already tested their strength and determined they were all only special jōnin. As for their specialties? That wasn't clear yet.

But it didn't matter.

As long as none of them were full-fledged jōnin, Haruki had more than enough confidence to deal with them.