Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Northwest Sector – Main Headquarters

Training Ground

Uchiha Haruki gripped his short blade tightly, engaged in a sparring match with Shizuko Mizutani.

The crisp clang of metal rang out again and again. Shizuko launched a full-force offensive, but every strike was neatly deflected by Haruki. The entire exchange felt almost effortless for him, smooth and unhurried.

After a long while, Shizuko finally stopped attacking.

Her clothes were drenched in sweat, strands of hair stuck messily to her flushed face, and her fatigue was plain to see. Still, her eyes burned with unyielding determination.

Watching her, Haruki couldn't help but sigh inwardly. So she's channeling all her regret into a hunger for strength.

If left unchecked, that kind of mindset could become dangerous.

But Haruki didn't plan to lecture her.

If you don't go mad, you don't survive.

In a world this chaotic, there was no room for hesitation. If you didn't push yourself to the edge, how could you hope to live?

And truthfully, focusing on getting stronger was a much better outlet than wallowing in grief.

After a short break, Shizuko raised her kunai again and called out, "One more round!"

Haruki didn't speak—he dashed forward like an arrow, and instantly appeared in front of her, launching into a smooth combo from Konoha-ryū Kenjutsu.

This time, he was the one attacking—and the pressure on Shizuko increased tenfold.

Within moments, she was overwhelmed. Her kunai was knocked from her hand, and the tip of Haruki's short sword pressed against her throat.

A bead of cold sweat rolled down her forehead. She swallowed nervously, instinctively shivering despite knowing Haruki would never actually strike.

Haruki withdrew his blade, glanced at the sky, and waited for Shizuko to catch her breath before saying, "That's enough for today."

"…Okay," Shizuko nodded, bowing slightly. "Thank you for your time, Haruki-kun."

He waved it off wordlessly.

Training with her had taken some effort, sure—but it was time he'd already set aside for working on Konoha-ryū Kenjutsu anyway.

The results weren't as effective as when he sparred with Furukawa-sensei, but with Furukawa gone, having Shizuko as a partner was still better than training alone.

So, it was mutually beneficial. He didn't think she needed to thank him for that.

But she always insisted, and Haruki had long since stopped trying to argue.

A few minutes later.

They returned to the main base.

As they walked, a large group of shinobi passed by in the opposite direction. Haruki suddenly paused, turning his head to look at them.

Noticing, Shizuko asked, "What is it?"

"Don't they look… familiar to you?" Haruki asked, narrowing his eyes.

Shizuko glanced at the figures retreating into the distance. "Well, this place isn't exactly big. Familiar faces aren't uncommon."

Haruki shook his head, his tone serious. "No, that's not it. Didn't you recognize them? Some of those were part of the team that relieved us at the town outpost."

"What?" Shizuko's expression changed, eyes widening. She quickly turned back to look, but the group was already gone.

Confused, she looked at Haruki. "But… rotations happen once a month. It's only been ten days since we returned. Why would they be back already? Did something happen?"

As she spoke, a shadow of fear passed through her eyes. Pain and horror that hadn't yet faded.

Haruki shook his head again. "Their condition looked normal. If something major had happened at the outpost, they wouldn't be this calm. I doubt it was an emergency."

"Then why would they come back early?" she asked again, unsettled.

Haruki was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "No idea."

But his tone shifted as he added firmly, "Still… something doesn't feel right. Be cautious the next few days. My instincts are telling me—we're on the edge of something big."

Shizuko's expression turned serious. She nodded. "Got it."

They went their separate ways, each heading back to their tents.

Back in his own tent, Haruki swallowed a few soldier pills and began recovering his stamina. As his body rested, his thoughts turned over the events of the past few days.

First, that all-out assault that defied logic.

Then, some of the replacement team returning early without explanation.

All of it pointed to the same conclusion in his mind—a storm was coming.

What he told Shizuko earlier wasn't just paranoia. He genuinely felt it.

Unfortunately, his position was too low to see the bigger picture.

All he could do… was train harder and prepare.

"System panel."

With that thought, the familiar blue screen blinked into view:

Name: Uchiha Haruki

Age: 11

Constitution: 8

Spirit: 9

Chakra: 2250 (6100 → 6102)

Bloodline: Sharingan · Single Tomoe (271/1000 → 317/1000)

Skills:

Chakra Refinement Technique: Lv4 (1/2000 → 50/2000)

Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu: Lv2 (35/500)

Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu: Lv3 (12/1000 → 226/1000)

Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu: Lv2 (17/500)

Body Flicker Technique: Lv3 (225/1000 → 305/1000)

Shadow Clone Technique: Lv0 (5/100)

Healing Technique: Lv1 (15/200)

Genjutsu: Shackles of Illusion: Lv2 (5/500)

Reflection Technique: Lv4 (716/2000 → 946/2000)

Konoha-ryū Kenjutsu: Lv3 (430/1000 → 615/1000)

Ninja Tool Throwing: Lv4 (50/2000)

Chakra Control: Lv3 (190/1000)

Three Basic Techniques: Lv3 (0/0)

These past few days, Haruki had focused primarily on Reflection Technique, Konoha Sword Style, and Phoenix Fire Jutsu.

The upgrade to Chakra Refinement Technique Level 4 had started to pay off. In just a few days, all three of those skills had advanced significantly.

Especially Reflection Technique, which gained 230 proficiency points.

Thanks to that, his Sharingan's evolution jumped by 46 points, going from (271/1000) to (317/1000)—nearly one-third of the way to the next stage.

At this rate, he estimated it would take about four more months for his Sharingan to evolve into the Double Tomoe form.

And that was assuming the Reflection Technique didn't level up.

But realistically, it would probably hit the next level in about a month and a half. Once that happened, the evolution would speed up even more.

Which meant four months might not even be necessary.

Haruki let out a long breath.

His efforts were paying off. Everything was progressing just as he had planned.

His eyes shifted toward a newly listed skill on the panel—Healing Technique.

It was a medical ninjutsu he had recently started learning.

And through it, he'd come to understand why medical-nin were so rare in the shinobi world.

First, the theory alone was overwhelming—requiring extensive memorization and study.

Second, medical ninjutsu itself was extremely difficult to master.

Take this Healing Technique, for example. It was one of the most basic medical jutsu available, yet its difficulty was already classified as C-rank.

On top of that, practicing it demanded incredibly precise chakra control. Without it, you could only scratch the surface.

All of these factors limited the number of shinobi capable of becoming true medical-nin.

Fortunately for Haruki, his Chakra Control had already reached Level 3, and he had the system's training panel to assist him.

Thanks to that, he'd managed to grasp the basics in just a few days.

Anyone else? They'd need weeks—maybe even months.

With this, Haruki had finally fulfilled a goal he'd set when he first arrived at the front lines: inching one step closer to becoming a true all-rounder ninja—a hexagon warrior.