Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

The shuriken sliced through the air with a faint whistling sound, heading straight for Shirashikurato. Just as they were about to hit, he suddenly snapped out of the genjutsu.

It had to be said—Shirashikurato, a Special Jonin skilled in close combat, had exceptional battle instincts.

The very moment he came to, he made the most correct decision—dodging and deflecting in rapid succession, managing to block the majority of the incoming shuriken.

Only his left arm received a few shallow cuts.

But this minor injury was nothing Shirashikurato cared about.

His sharp eyes locked onto Uchiha Haruki, barely able to conceal the shock in them.

Staring at those blood-red pupils, Shirashikurato felt a complex mix of excitement and fear.

Excitement—because both on the black market and within villages, there were high bounties placed on the Sharingan.

If he could kill Haruki and hand over the body, he'd instantly walk away with a massive payout.

Ninjas weren't saints without desires—few could resist the temptation of such a fortune.

Not to mention—the thrill of eliminating a rising genius like Haruki filled Shirashikurato with a twisted sense of accomplishment.

As for the fear…

That naturally stemmed from the Uchiha Clan's fearsome reputation.

The saying "One-on-one, run away. Two-on-one, attack from behind" was no joke.

Unfortunately for Shirashikurato, this was exactly a one-on-one situation.

So, a deep-rooted instinct to be cautious stirred in his heart.

Still, when he saw Haruki's young and immature face, his fear waned slightly.

Especially when…

Shirashikurato's eyes dropped to Haruki's chest, where a deep, charred wound was visible.

Although the wound had been cauterized by lightning and was no longer bleeding, the damage was undeniably severe.

This sight boosted Shirashikurato's confidence even further.

Meanwhile, as Shirashikurato was sizing up Haruki—Haruki was observing him in return.

He had to admit—he'd made a mistake.

He hadn't expected Shirashikurato to possess a second chakra nature.

Earlier, when fighting the Iwagakure Genin, Haruki had taken time to observe the battles among the higher-level shinobi. He hadn't paid much attention to Shirashikurato, but he did recall him using Earth Release techniques.

Naturally, he had assumed the man's chakra nature was Earth, and it hadn't occurred to him that Shirashikurato might also use another type of ninjutsu.

Sure, Haruki knew that most Jonin began developing a second chakra nature.

But subconsciously, he didn't really consider a Special Jonin to be a "real" Jonin—just a more buffed-up Chunin.

That mindset made him overlook a critical factor—and it cost him dearly.

Still, it was just bad luck. Shirashikurato had likely hidden his lightning-style chakra to ambush their higher-ranked Jonin.

But by cutting down the enemy's lower- and mid-ranked shinobi too quickly, Haruki had drawn unwanted attention to himself—and took the hit meant for someone else.

This taught Haruki a crucial lesson: Until your strength reaches a certain level, never get cocky.

One small mistake could cost your life.

Now that the paralysis in his body had mostly worn off, Haruki didn't waste another moment. He raised both hands and began forming hand seals.

Seeing this, Shirashikurato immediately looked away.

He knew full well how dangerous the Sharingan could be. He didn't dare make eye contact while Haruki was weaving seals, fearing he'd be caught in another genjutsu.

Unfortunately for Haruki, his genjutsu skills were still relatively low-level, and his Sharingan hadn't evolved enough. He couldn't cast illusions as effortlessly as someone like Uchiha Itachi, who could ensnare someone with a mere glance.

If Haruki had that level of power, then Shirashikurato's earlier casual gazing would've been suicidal.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Just as Shirashikurato looked away, a massive fireball came roaring toward him.

He dared not take it head-on and immediately dodged to the side.

But before he could land, a kunai shot toward him from the front.

He was about to deflect it with his sword—until he noticed the exploding tag affixed to it. His face changed instantly, and he leapt backward.

BOOM—

The tag exploded violently, but Shirashikurato avoided any direct damage.

Haruki, refusing to give his opponent a break, used Body Flicker Technique to appear atop another tree. With lightning-fast hand signs, he unleashed another jutsu—

"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"

The tomoe in his blood-red eyes spun wildly as he pushed the Sharingan's insight ability to its limit.

Dozens of tiny, flame-like projectiles, resembling phoenix blossoms, erupted from his mouth. Like guided missiles, they locked on to Shirashikurato's landing points, forcing him to stumble and dodge awkwardly.

Even so, Shirashikurato lived up to his reputation. Despite being targeted so fiercely, he managed to avoid critical injuries.

If it had been one of the earlier Iwagakure Chunin, they'd be either dead or crippled by now.

But Shirashikurato? He only ended up with a few more burn marks.

"Cough, cough—"

Shirashikurato coughed lightly, suppressing the burning sensation across his body. He glanced toward Haruki and muttered, "Is it over…?"

"Over? Heh—"

Haruki sneered and reappeared atop another tree. Once again, he began forming hand seals.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"

Another wave of dozens, nearly a hundred fireballs shot out from Haruki's mouth. Like homing missiles, they descended upon Shirashikurato.

In that moment, Haruki fought like a madman—completely ignoring chakra consumption, determined to blast his opponent into ash with sheer firepower.

After multiple barrages, Shirashikurato could take no more.

It wasn't that he lacked patience. But over time, Haruki had begun to read his dodging patterns.

And that meant Shirashikurato was under increasing pressure.

He feared that if he kept running, he'd lose his chance to fight back.

So after dodging another wave of flames, Shirashikurato didn't wait. He emerged from behind a tree and activated Body Flicker Technique, rushing toward Haruki at blinding speed.

Had this been before Haruki activated his Sharingan, it might've worked.

But now—

Before Shirashikurato could even close the distance, Haruki had already used Body Flicker to widen the gap again.

Shirashikurato tried to chase—but three kunai suddenly flew toward him, timed perfectly to disrupt his movement. His momentum was broken instantly.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"

With Shirashikurato slowed down, Haruki unleashed another volley of fireballs.

Seeing the now-familiar attack, Shirashikurato halted immediately, bracing himself to dodge.

But then—several red-hot shuriken shot out from within the flames, targeting his vital spots before the fireballs even reached him.

He was caught completely off guard. His expression changed dramatically as he hastily used his blade to deflect the shuriken.

The metal stars were blocked—but the fireballs?

BOOM—

One of them struck him head-on, blasting him backward through the air.

"Cough! Cough! Cough—!"

Shirashikurato clutched his scorched chest, coughing violently.

He struggled to rise, but after several attempts—he still couldn't get back on his feet.