Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

After taking down the two Iwagakure Chunin, Uchiha Haruki briefly caught his breath. He was just about to repeat the same strategy—assist Ryosuke and Shizuko Mizutani to eliminate the remaining Iwa-nin.

But suddenly, a faint sound of air being sliced came from his side. Instinctively, Haruki leaped backward, just in time to see a kunai flash past his face.

Haruki's head whipped around to trace the direction the kunai had come from.

A figure emerged—an Iwagakure Jonin had broken away from his battle with a Konoha Jonin and was now striding straight toward him.

Haruki's expression stiffened as he cursed under his breath.

"Seriously?! No shame at all—first they send small fries, now they're sending the boss?!"

It had been acceptable when a few Genin were followed by Chunin—after all, the gap between Genin and Chunin wasn't that huge.

But now a Jonin was coming specifically for him? That was a bit much.

Haruki turned his gaze toward Furukawa for support.

But Furukawa only gave him a quick glance, then made a subtle hand gesture signaling delay him—and left it at that.

Seeing that, Haruki immediately gave up any hope of rescue.

"Relying on others? Might as well rely on yourself!"

Haruki took a deep breath, forcing his nerves to settle, and began analyzing the situation.

First of all—he still had enough chakra.

He hadn't used many jutsu in the previous fights, so his chakra consumption had been minimal. He still had about 1,500 points left.

That was as much as a fully-rested Chunin's chakra reserves—more than enough to support a full-scale battle.

Second, his Sharingan was still hidden.

If used properly, it could turn the tide at a crucial moment.

That was his trump card—it gave him confidence even against a stronger opponent.

And most importantly—this enemy wasn't a true Jonin. Otherwise, Furukawa wouldn't have expected him to delay him.

Considering both his usual combat ability and his current combat record, there was no way he could handle a real Jonin.

But if Furukawa told him to buy time, that meant he could manage this fight.

With his current revealed strength, the strongest enemy he could reasonably hold off was a Tokubetsu Jonin—a Special Jonin.

In other words, this enemy was most likely a Special Jonin.

This realization gave Haruki a boost in morale. That initial panic about facing a Jonin faded significantly.

Fighting an elite, battle-hardened Jonin? He wouldn't stand a chance. But a Special Jonin—who only excelled in one area? Haruki could handle that.

Still, before anything else, he needed to get away from the battlefield.

That way, if he was forced to use his Sharingan, the exposure would be minimized.

Having made up his mind, Haruki instantly cast Body Flicker Technique, darting rapidly toward the outer edge of the battlefield.

Seeing this, his pursuer—Shirashikurato—let out a cold sneer and leapt after him.

One chased. The other fled. In no time, the two had left the battlefield behind.

Several minutes later—

Deep in the forest.

Haruki was sprinting through the trees.

Suddenly, several kunai whistled toward him from behind. Haruki shifted sideways, dodging just in time. The kunai thudded into a nearby tree, one of them making a sizzling sound.

Haruki looked closely—one of the kunai had a paper bomb attached. Flames flickered at its edge—it was about to explode.

"Damn it—!" Haruki cursed and instantly leapt backward.

BOOM—

The explosion was deafening.

Crimson flames engulfed several meters around him. The shockwave rippled out, violently shaking the surrounding trees.

Moments later, a faint coughing came from within the smoke.

Through the haze, a figure could be seen struggling to stand.

Then—thud! A kunai shot through the smoke and pinned the figure to the ground.

"AH!"

A scream echoed—the figure had taken a direct hit.

Up in the trees, Shirashikurato retracted his arm, watching coldly and silently.

Suddenly, several shuriken burst out from the smoke, aiming straight for his face.

"Hmph. Child's play."

Shirashikurato snorted and swiftly drew the short blade at his waist. A series of clang-clang-clang sounds rang out as he deflected all the incoming shuriken with ease.

As the smoke cleared, Haruki emerged from behind a tree. Beside him, a vanishing clone dispersed into mist.

The clone had been created using the Clone Jutsu, and while it wasn't useful in direct combat, it could buy some time in poor visibility.

Direct confrontation? Yeah, no thanks.

Shirashikurato's eyes moved from the fading clone to Haruki. He raised a brow and said with a smirk, "So, kid—you finally decided to show yourself?"

Haruki said nothing.

Shirashikurato's smile faded. He lifted his short blade and said coolly, "Ready to die, brat?"

As he spoke, a chilling killing intent surged from his body.

To anyone with a weak mind, just facing this killing intent would be enough to break their will.

But Haruki?

He had long set his sights beyond any single village or nation. His ambition was far greater—he would never be swayed by such threats. Maybe if Orochimaru showed up—but Shirashikurato? Not a chance.

Seeing Haruki remain calm and collected, Shirashikurato's disdain vanished. Now, he regarded Haruki as a worthy opponent.

The wind rustled the leaves.

One stood on a tree branch. The other by the trunk. They were close—but neither moved, nor spoke. They simply stared at each other, as if locked in a silent duel of wills.

Then, a leaf fell.

At just the right moment, it blocked Haruki's view for an instant.

In the next instant, a sharp gust of wind came slicing from the side—Shirashikurato had moved!

Without thinking, Haruki ducked low.

The short blade slashed through the air where his head had just been. Shirashikurato missed—but immediately reversed the strike, swinging diagonally toward Haruki's neck.

The blade hummed with such sharpness it burned the air itself, stinging Haruki's cheek as it passed.

In that split second, Haruki raised his right arm and blocked the strike with his kunai.

But then—Shirashikurato smiled.

It was a cold, victorious smile that sent a chill down Haruki's spine.

Something wasn't right.

Haruki tried to retreat immediately—but it was too late.

Zzzzzzt—!

Electricity crackled.

A streak of lightning exploded from Shirashikurato's palm, coursing through the blade—and into the kunai.

Haruki's arm went numb. The kunai clattered to the ground.

Shirashikurato didn't waste the chance. He slashed down hard.

Even though Haruki leaned back desperately, the blade still sliced across his chest.

A burst of pain made him grunt—and then came the smell of burned flesh.

He didn't need to look—he knew. The wound on his chest had been cauterized by the Lightning Release chakra laced on the short blade.

The only silver lining?

He wouldn't bleed to death any time soon.

Was this some act of mercy?

Of course not.

The Lightning chakra had sealed the wound, yes—but it also left him partially paralyzed.

At this point, Haruki had no reason to hold back.

He activated his Sharingan.

In an instant, his eyes turned crimson, a pitch-black tomoe spinning wildly within.

There was no time for hand signs—he immediately used the hypnotic power of the Sharingan.

As their eyes met, Shirashikurato's expression changed—from confident, to stunned, to vacant.

Haruki knew: the genjutsu wouldn't last long.

Without hesitation, he kicked off the ground, retreating rapidly. With a quick flick of his wrist, he pulled several shuriken from his pouch—and hurled them with all his strength.