Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Elsewhere—

As Uchiha Haruki sped through the forest, the voice of Yamanaka Kaze came echoing in his mind.

After listening for a few seconds, Haruki quickly understood what Nara Shisui was planning.

Without changing his expression, he began subtly leading Han and the six Iwa-nin in another direction.

A few minutes later—

Haruki entered a dense woodland, with Han still hot on his trail.

But just as they arrived, multiple attacks erupted from the shadows—some ninjutsu, some ninja tools, and even a few explosive tags.

In an instant, a powerful sense of danger surged in Han's heart.

His instincts screamed at him, and without the slightest hesitation, he tore open a portion of the Five-Tails' seal within his body.

A second later, a torrent of dark red chakra surged outward, forming a sinister cloak around his body—an ominous, pulsing layer of tailed beast chakra.

With just one glance, Haruki recognized it—the Tailed Beast Cloak.

All the attacks that followed landed squarely on Han—but the cloak absorbed them all.

Still, Han didn't come out completely unscathed.

The impact of the ambush triggered the phantom tail behind him to begin solidifying—forming a near-physical tail that swayed behind him, revealing its chakra manifestation.

At the same time, his bloodlust and violent aura surged.

That said, unlike Naruto, who would later lose all control under similar conditions, Han's eyes may have turned dark red and beastly—but his mind remained intact. He was still capable of reason and tactical thought.

For instance, as soon as the ambush ended, Han turned toward the treetops on either side and quickly located the hiding place of a Konoha Jōnin from the combat unit. He immediately charged toward them.

That's right—those who launched the ambush were none other than members of Konoha's combat unit.

Just a few minutes ago, they'd told Yamanaka Kaze to alert Haruki and lure the enemy here.

Haruki had been hoping for something dramatic.

But… this? That was it?

He couldn't help but feel disappointed.

However, Haruki was being a little too harsh.

These combat unit Jōnin were strong, no doubt—but they had never fought a Jinchūriki before and had no clear understanding of their strength or abilities.

Moreover, Han's reaction had been swift and decisive. He immediately released part of his seal and manifested the Tailed Beast Cloak.

Under those circumstances, the ambush looked completely ineffective.

If the target had been anyone else from that group of six Iwa-nin instead of Han, the ambush might have outright killed them.

It was just bad luck—plain and simple.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion rang out.

The targeted Konoha Jōnin dodged away just in time, leaving behind an explosive tag in his place. When Han charged in, it exploded right in his face.

But with the Tailed Beast Cloak shielding him, the explosion barely scratched him.

Moments later, Han burst through the flames, charging out like a runaway train, slamming toward the Konoha Jōnin one after another in a wild, relentless assault.

A horn began to appear on his forehead—clearly a manifestation of the Five-Tails' chakra.

Haruki immediately recognized it as the horn of the Five-Tails, Kokuō, materializing through chakra condensation.

Though Han's combat style looked reckless and brutish, it was anything but.

In fact, this kind of direct, bull-rush assault was perfect for the Five-Tails—and ideal for its Jinchūriki host.

With mastery over Boil Release, Han could accelerate with high-pressure steam. Combined with his indestructible horn and the high defense of the Tailed Beast Cloak, he could easily bulldoze through almost any resistance.

With such overwhelming power, there was no need for finesse—sheer force was enough.

And most ninja weren't built to withstand that.

Even brushing against him meant serious injury, let alone getting hit head-on.

So Han's choice of tactics was entirely justified.

The Jōnin who had initiated the ambush were now fully on the defensive—forced into dodging and fleeing under Han's relentless pursuit. Their situation was quickly becoming dire.

Seeing that they were at least safe for the moment, Haruki shifted his gaze to the six Iwa-nin who had arrived late to the battle.

At the same time, the rest of the Konoha Jōnin—those who hadn't been targeted by Han—stepped out into the clearing. Following Haruki's lead, their eyes locked on the six incoming Iwa-nin.

Neither side wasted any words.

They attacked immediately.

Haruki and his team's goal was simple—stall the enemy, and keep them from interfering with the main force's breakout.

The Iwa-nin, on the other hand, had a similar goal—delay Haruki's team, buying time for their outer forces to close the encirclement.

Since both sides had matching objectives, there was no need for talk—just combat.

But from the way the Iwa-nin reacted, it was obvious—they still believed that Konoha was unaware of their outer encirclement.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be entangled here—they would've broken off immediately to intercept the main force.

Still, Haruki knew that information couldn't be kept hidden for long—not with that shadowy spy lurking nearby.

Once the enemy figured out that the main force had already begun retreating, they'd definitely try to disengage and chase them down.

Which meant Haruki needed to eliminate as many of them as possible before that happened.

The more he killed now, the less pressure the Konoha main force would face later.

With that thought, Haruki signaled to his teammates using hand gestures—telling them to engage five of the Iwa-nin and leave one of the Special Jōnin for him.

They understood instantly and left him the youngest-looking Special Jōnin of the group.

Haruki didn't say a word—he simply charged straight in.

Combat erupted in an instant.

Relying on his fierce swordsmanship and the precision of his three-tomoe Sharingan, Haruki quickly overwhelmed his opponent.

He had assumed that anyone assigned to a mission alongside someone as strong as Han would also be formidable—even if only a Special Jōnin.

But he was wrong.

This one was even weaker than the average Special Jōnin. After barely a dozen exchanges, Haruki had already gained the upper hand.

The reason for this was simple.

That young Special Jōnin—and three others in the squad—weren't primarily fighters.

Their real job was to assist in resealing the Five-Tails in case Han lost control. They were essentially a seal-support team.

Haruki didn't know that, which is why he'd assumed anyone working with Han must be battle-hardened.

But clearly, that wasn't the case.

Not that it mattered.

Now that he knew the enemy wasn't strong, he didn't hold back.

Haruki unleashed everything—genjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu—his attacks flowed endlessly.

Soon, he caught a perfect opportunity.

With near-instant speed, he activated Genjutsu: Sharingan, momentarily locking his opponent in illusion.

The other Iwa-nin tried to assist—but Konoha's Jōnin held them off, preventing any intervention.

In that split-second opening, Haruki thrust his blade straight through the enemy's chest, piercing the heart.

Splurt—!

A spray of blood erupted.

The young Special Jōnin stared blankly at Haruki, meeting the crimson glow of his Sharingan at point-blank range.

He opened his mouth to say something—but no words ever came out.