Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

As it turned out, the three Iwagakure jonin didn't have as much patience as they thought—or rather, Uchiha Haruki's two shadow clones never gave them the chance to show it.

Their combined strength was formidable, even enough to put some pressure on Haruki himself. But when they were separated, they were much easier to deal with.

And as for the shadow clones? In terms of close-combat capability alone, they were no weaker than an average jonin.

So after a prolonged clash, the three Iwa jonin started feeling the strain.

They began to subconsciously look for an opening—any chance to take down one of the shadow clones quickly and with minimal effort.

But the clones had inherited all of Haruki's memories, and naturally, they understood his plan.

So the moment they sensed what the enemy was trying to do, they adjusted their tactics accordingly—intentionally exposing a few subtle, almost imperceptible flaws in their defense.

Nothing too obvious.

Because people tend to trust their own judgment. If something seems too easy, they'll start to get suspicious.

Sure enough, one of the Iwa jonin—who had been a primary attacker earlier—spotted a fleeting opportunity and didn't hesitate. He lunged forward to strike.

The shadow clone fighting him immediately changed expression and retracted the short sword it had just thrust forward, barely managing to block the incoming attack in time.

But that also meant its own blade, which could've seriously injured the enemy, only managed to graze his skin.

The Iwa jonin glanced at his shallow wound, more convinced than ever that he was attacking the real body.

Without any more hesitation, he went all in, launching a full offensive. The shadow clone was forced into a purely defensive position.

Seeing this, the other two Iwa jonin assumed the real Haruki had been found. They doubled down on their own attacks, determined to take out the clones and help their teammate corner and kill the original.

But that slight shift in focus was exactly the opportunity Haruki had been waiting for.

Whoosh—

A short sword shot forward.

The jonin named Sugimoto Dairo's pupils shrank. Haruki's strike was far faster than anything he'd shown before. Dairo couldn't block it in time—he had to dodge.

Shlick—

The blade tore through flesh. A shallow cut appeared on Dairo's arm.

He didn't even have time to check the wound. Haruki was already launching his second attack.

With a twist of his wrist, the short sword's thrust turned into a slicing arc, aimed straight for Dairo's carotid artery.

Sensing the danger, Dairo ducked low, trying to dodge.

A few strands of hair drifted through the air—Haruki's blade had missed by a fraction.

But Haruki wasn't frustrated. Not at all.

He had already seized the initiative. The rest would follow.

Strike after strike came down on Dairo like a relentless storm. He couldn't keep up—one misstep had led to another, and now he was completely on the back foot, suffocating under Haruki's pressure.

The other two Iwa jonin finally realized something was wrong. They'd been tricked.

Furious, they launched even more aggressive attacks at the remaining clone.

But the clone's tactics had changed too. No longer trying to counterattack, it focused entirely on dodging, weaving and entangling them, refusing to let them break away.

Second by second, time ticked on.

Finally, as Haruki drove his blade forward again, Dairo couldn't react in time. The sword pierced clean through his shoulder.

In that moment, their eyes met.

In a split second, Haruki activated Genjutsu: Hypnosis.

Dairo was overwhelmed by a sudden wave of sleepiness. His eyelids grew heavy—he could barely keep them open. All he wanted to do was lie down and sleep.

No! I can't fall asleep!

Clenching his teeth, Dairo bit down hard on the tip of his tongue.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The pain jolted him back to awareness. He was beginning to shake off the hypnosis.

But just as his mind cleared, the last thing he saw was a small palm right in front of his face.

"…What?"

He didn't even have time to process it before Haruki's hand slapped down on his face.

The next instant, a powerful suction force burst from Haruki's palm.

Dairo felt his chakra surging uncontrollably through his meridians, flooding toward his face—then out through Haruki's chakra point, being siphoned directly into Haruki's body and transformed into his own chakra.

It was clearly Chakra Absorption Technique.

Dairo felt like a dam had broken inside him. His chakra poured out like a flood. A deep, wrenching sense of weakness flooded his limbs. He couldn't muster an ounce of strength.

He tried to resist. For a few seconds, he did. But then he lost all strength to fight back.

Haruki, now filled with fresh chakra, moved his hand down and clamped it around Dairo's neck.

Crack—

A crisp, chilling snap echoed through the air.

Dairo's head lolled to one side. His breath stopped. He was dead.

Haruki looked down at the body and finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He hadn't managed a one-hit kill like he'd hoped, but it hadn't taken him very long either.

And all that extra time? It earned him over 10,000 points worth of chakra.

All in all, a worthwhile trade.

But just because he could accept it didn't mean the other two Iwa jonin could.

They may not have been blood-related to Dairo, but after working together for so long, there was definitely a bond there.

Seeing him die like that—so suddenly—it was hard to swallow.

Of course, some of their reaction came from fear too. Fear for their own fate.

And they were right to be afraid.

Because right after killing Dairo, Haruki went straight for the second Iwa jonin without missing a beat.

That jonin was already having a hard time dealing with just one shadow clone. Now that Haruki had joined the fight, the outcome was inevitable.

Within just a few minutes, it was over.

Even though the jonin fought back with everything he had, all he managed to do was destroy the clone. He couldn't land a single scratch on Haruki.

As for the third jonin…

He had managed to defeat the shadow clone that was holding him back. Just as he was about to rush in and help his teammate, two Konoha chunin jumped in to stop him.

Yes—two Konoha chunin.

They had sharp eyes and quick judgment. The moment they saw Haruki focus on the second jonin, they made their move and blocked the third, keeping him pinned down.

From there, things moved fast. Haruki finished off the second jonin, joined the fight, and took care of the last one with ease.

Just like that, all three Iwa jonin were killed, all because of a single misjudgment.

It proved that old saying true—details determine success or failure.

It also highlighted the brutal reality of ninja combat. Sometimes, a single small mistake was enough to determine the entire outcome.

Of course, that only applied when both sides were still human.

When you're talking about monsters like Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, or even late-game Naruto and Sasuke, normal logic no longer applies.

For them, chakra reserves and the scale of their jutsu are what determine the victor. Minor errors in the fight? Irrelevant.

Just look at when Madara fought Might Guy. At first, he underestimated him, got caught off guard, and took a brutal beating—half-dead by the end.

And yet? He recovered almost immediately.

So for those titans, a tiny slip-up is no big deal.