Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

BOOM—

A thunderous explosion echoed across the battlefield.

Even before he arrived, Uchiha Haruki could already hear the sounds of fierce combat.

The next instant, a figure wrapped in a cloak of dark red chakra burst out of the dense forest and charged straight in his direction.

Who else could it be but Han?

Haruki didn't hesitate. He immediately formed hand seals and unleashed a Wind Style jutsu he had learned from Kohara Shuji—Wind Style: Blade of Wind.

A transparent blade of wind, more than a meter long, condensed in front of his chest. With a push of his palm, the blade shot out toward the oncoming Han.

Han didn't even try to dodge. He simply barreled forward.

The blade struck his body, triggering ripples in the layer of crimson chakra surrounding him. Han's speed slowed slightly, but he wasn't harmed at all.

"Just as I thought…" Haruki muttered.

Maybe Wind Blade had the potential to damage him, but at Level 1 proficiency, it was far too weak to break through Han's defense.

If that's the case...

Haruki's expression sharpened. His Sharingan spun to full power.

In that instant, an overwhelming surge of mental pressure blanketed the battlefield.

Feeling the spiritual force, Han subconsciously slowed his pace, his eyes narrowing in caution as he stared at Haruki.

But Haruki wasn't fazed. The moment their eyes met—he triggered a hypnosis technique.

Whether it was due to the influence of the tailed beast or something else, Han didn't look away fast enough.

And just like that—he was caught.

His mind went blank.

But then—

ROAR—

With a thunderous howl from the Five-Tails, Han snapped back to awareness.

While only perfect jinchūriki can completely resist genjutsu through their tailed beasts, Han was half-transformed, his will already being corroded by the Five-Tails. In this state, the tailed beast's influence was strong enough to help him resist to a degree.

Besides, what Haruki used was not a full-fledged genjutsu, but rather the hypnosis ability inherent to the Sharingan.

So it was quickly broken.

Still, Haruki wasn't disappointed.

He never expected to take Han down so easily. All he needed was that brief opening.

The moment Han snapped out of hypnosis and met Haruki's gaze again—his entire body suddenly froze.

It felt as if giant iron spikes had nailed him in place. He couldn't move at all.

Haruki had taken advantage of Han's momentary daze to cast a genjutsu—Demonic Illusion: Shackles of Binding.

Unlike most genjutsu, victims of this technique are fully aware they've been caught in an illusion—yet still can't move.

Even with the Five-Tails' assistance, Han couldn't immediately break free.

Which was exactly what Haruki wanted.

His goal had never been to stop Han alone.

Even if he could manage it—doing so would be far too conspicuous.

No, the safest plan was to buy time until the other Konoha jonin arrived and stop Han together.

As for their location? They weren't far.

This whole encounter had lasted just a few seconds.

And sure enough, several figures burst from the forest, arriving on the scene.

They saw Han rooted in place, and Haruki standing before him with his Sharingan glowing—and immediately understood what was happening.

Without hesitation, they attacked.

Each person had their role—two launched binding techniques to prevent Han from slipping away and attacking the main force again.

Three others formed hand seals simultaneously, preparing offensive ninjutsu to blast through Han's chakra cloak and inflict actual damage.

The last one threw ninja tools and steel wires, trying to trap Han physically.

Haruki saw the wires and kunai were covered in countless explosive tags. Clearly, they were going all in.

Han also realized something was wrong.

Even with his chakra cloak, he couldn't afford to just stand there and get hit. No matter how tough his defense was, it wouldn't hold forever.

Sensing danger, Han finally let go of his mental resistance and allowed the tailed beast's will to flood in.

Immediately, a thicker wave of chakra exploded from his body—his two tails quickly turned into three.

His aura became even more violent.

With a roar, Han struggled furiously, and Haruki felt a sharp pain in his eyes—the genjutsu was shattered.

A line of blood tears trickled down Haruki's face.

"Haruki, are you okay?!" one of the jonin shouted.

Haruki staggered back a few steps, covering one eye.

"I'm fine. Watch yourselves!"

But even without Haruki's warning, the Konoha jonin remained on full alert.

They'd already fought Han before—and it hadn't gone well.

Now he was stronger and even less rational. There was no room for carelessness.

Yet something unexpected happened.

Although Han had become more powerful—he'd also lost more of his reasoning.

Which actually made their job easier.

After all, fighting a wild beast is easier than fighting a cunning shinobi.

Sure, tailed beasts possess human-level intelligence—but after being imprisoned for so long, their first instinct is to destroy everything in sight.

So, the jonin simply took turns drawing his attention, keeping him focused and contained.

Time ticked by, minute after minute.

Then finally—Iwagakure seemed to realize something was wrong.

They sent scouts to check on the situation.

But Han was long gone.

Now lost in a rampage, he attacked the incoming Iwa-nin without hesitation, treating them the same as the Konoha ninja—all enemies.

The scene quickly descended into chaos.

Konoha, Iwa, and a half-transformed Han—all clashing at once in total confusion.

More minutes passed.

At last, Haruki and the others received a new order: the main force had regrouped and successfully put distance between themselves and the enemy.

They were now to retreat when the opportunity presented itself.

Haruki exchanged glances with the others.

Without a word, they began pulling back, covering one another as they withdrew from the battlefield, heading in the direction the main force had gone.

Some Iwa-nin attempted to pursue them.

But Haruki caught one in a Sharingan genjutsu, forcing him to freeze in place—right in the path of Han's next attack.

That unlucky shinobi was struck down violently.

After that, no one dared chase them again.

Just like that, Haruki and his team escaped safely from the battlefield.