Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

At the same time—

Elsewhere on the battlefield, the other Konoha jonin had begun executing their missions.

A number of them suddenly pulled back from the fight, quickly scattering and organizing the chunin and genin on the field for a retreat.

That's right—a retreat.

Their objective had always been to stall Iwagakure's reinforcements, not to throw their lives away. A fighting withdrawal was undoubtedly the smartest choice.

Staying here would only result in being surrounded like dumplings in a steamer. There was no point.

All of this had been pre-planned.

As a result, Konoha's regrouping was fast. Not long after receiving the order, more than a dozen small squads had already formed, each built around a jonin as the core.

During this, Iwagakure's mid- and low-level ninja did attempt to interfere.

But because all of their jonin were already engaged in combat and they lacked any real top-tier strength or effective unified command, they couldn't cause much disruption to Konoha's reorganization.

Just a few minutes later, a large number of Konoha shinobi had successfully withdrawn from the battle.

Only then did the Konoha jonin who were still locked in combat with the Iwa jonin begin to retreat as well.

Most of them rejoined the main group and moved together, but a few—Uchiha Haruki among them—broke off and surged ahead to the front lines.

They were the forward assault group, responsible for clearing the path for the rest.

As for why they were taking what seemed like a "backtrack" route?

It was simple: this way, if teammates from other strongholds managed to break through Iwagakure's defenses, they could rendezvous more quickly. That would make everyone's position more secure.

Watching the Konoha forces disappear into the distance, an Iwa chunin turned to his squad leader and asked, "Captain, should we pursue them?"

The Iwa jonin's eyes widened as he snapped, "What do you think? Of course we're chasing them!"

Without wasting another second, he began organizing the surviving Iwa shinobi to launch a pursuit.

And so began a high-speed chase—one side fleeing, the other pursuing. Half an hour passed in a flash.

At the very front of the Konoha formation, Uchiha Haruki suddenly came to a halt. In the same moment, he blurred into motion, retreating rapidly.

Just then, several kunai came whistling through the air from up ahead, embedding themselves in the tree branch where he'd just stood.

A moment later, the sharp sizzle of igniting paper bombs rang out. The explosive tags tied to the kunai flared to life.

BOOM!

A powerful explosion shook the forest. Several fireballs erupted instantly, setting the surrounding trees ablaze.

Haruki had dodged in time and wasn't injured.

Now standing on a branch, he stared at the sudden appearance of dense enemy figures ahead. He instantly realized—their escape path had been cut off.

"I just don't know whether the flanks are also blocked…"

Thinking this, Haruki pulled a special whistle from his pocket and quickly blew it in a distinct, rhythmic pattern.

This was no ordinary whistle. It was designed to carry sound over long distances. As long as signals were prearranged, it could relay simple intel even mid-battle.

But the sound was very recognizable. It could easily expose one's location, which was why it was only usable in a situation like this—where their movements were already being openly tracked.

After sending the signal, Haruki stowed the whistle away.

The Iwa shinobi ahead didn't seem to care about what he'd done. Their posture said it all—they believed they already had their prey cornered.

That gave Haruki an ominous feeling in his gut.

Still, he shook off the distraction and focused on the situation in front of him.

His eyes swept over the enemy: twenty in total. Two jonin, eight chunin, and ten genin.

If it were just these twenty… he still had a chance.

But—

Looking through the gaps between trees and enemy bodies, Haruki could faintly see more Iwa reinforcements moving toward them.

Clearly, the group ahead was just the vanguard. The real force was still coming from behind.

"In that case, I'll have to fall back."

Without any hesitation, Haruki spun around and prepared to retreat.

But right at that moment, a chilling sense of danger slammed into him. Every hair on his body stood on end.

Acting on instinct, Haruki leaned back sharply.

A gleaming kunai sliced through the air just inches from his face, the edge so sharp it nearly tore open his skin.

'Wind Release?!'

The thought flashed through his mind, and his peripheral vision caught the attacker's figure.

Just one glance—and his expression froze.

He recognized the man instantly.

It was none other than the one who had killed Shizuko Mizutani—a young jonin from Iwagakure—Kohara Shuji.

Months ago, Iwagakure had joined forces with Sunagakure in a surprise assault on Konoha's main base, inflicting heavy losses.

In response, Orochimaru had orchestrated a mission to attack Iwagakure's logistics hub.

It was during that mission that Shizuko Mizutani had been killed while saving Haruki. Kohara Shuji had thrown a kunai straight through her throat. She died on the spot.

Haruki still remembered the look in her eyes as she fell—filled with pain, fear, and the unwillingness to die.

He had sworn then and there—he would kill Kohara Shuji and avenge her.

But back then, his Sharingan only had one tomoe. His signature Konoha Sword Style was only level 3. His other techniques—like Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique and his Fire Release jutsu—were all still at level 2. Practically useless.

Shuji had overwhelmed him in close combat alone.

If the mission hadn't ended right at that critical moment, and if Haruki hadn't risked injury to flee toward a nearby Konoha jonin, he probably wouldn't have made it out alive.

Ever since that day, Haruki had trained with one goal in mind: revenge.

He had planned to investigate Shuji's whereabouts after this mission.

Never did he expect to meet him here—just like that.

Talk about a narrow road for enemies.

As for how Shuji had gotten so close?

Haruki recalled the ambush just now—so similar to their first encounter. He was almost certain Shuji had used the stealth technique, Camouflage Concealment Jutsu, once again.

If Haruki hadn't reacted as quickly as he did, tilting his head back at just the right moment, he probably would've been taken out in one blow.

Countless thoughts flew through his mind in an instant. As Haruki stared at the man in front of him, his eyes grew cold, like he was looking at a corpse.

Being stared at like that, Kohara Shuji showed no fear. In fact, he looked… excited.

From the way Shuji stared back, Haruki knew—he recognized him too.

"Good. If he didn't even remember me, killing him wouldn't be satisfying at all."

Haruki's heart was calm, but his intent was ice-cold.

At that moment, Shuji suddenly twisted his wrist and retracted the kunai he'd thrown, then swung it sideways in a wide slash—aimed straight at Haruki's throat.

Back then, Haruki might not have been able to react in time.

But now—

In a flash, his Sharingan activated. As he triggered his Genjutsu, Haruki pushed off the branch with both feet and launched himself backward.

Shuji caught a glimpse of Haruki's blood-red, three-tomoe Sharingan—and immediately averted his gaze.

Though he didn't stop attacking, the lack of direct eye contact slowed him slightly, just enough for Haruki to dodge.

In the next second, Haruki landed safely on another branch.