Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Crack... crack...

The faint sound of splitting echoed through the clearing.

Without hesitation, Uchiha Haruki pulled a kunai from his tool pouch, attached an explosive tag, and hurled it toward the source of the noise.

But before the kunai even reached its target, something burst from the bee king's abdomen with a loud bang and shot skyward at incredible speed.

Boom—!

The explosive tag went off, but it failed to deal even a scratch.

Thanks to the superior perception granted by his Sharingan, Haruki got a clear look at what had emerged—it was none other than Red Bee.

Except... he no longer looked entirely human.

His body had twisted into something insectoid—more bee than man. His eyes bulged grotesquely. His hunched figure was warped, with crooked limbs and a pair of translucent wings now vibrating faintly from his shoulder blades.

If not for a few lingering traces of his original appearance, Haruki would have mistaken him for a second bee king.

Now it all made sense—why Red Bee's face had always looked strangely bee-like. This final secret technique clearly had side effects, possibly mutating the user's body toward that of a bee.

And now Haruki suspected something else, too—perhaps that irritable, explosive temper of Red Bee's came from this very transformation.

Otherwise, for a special jonin with a deep hatred for the Aburame Clan, Red Bee shouldn't have flown off the handle from just a few taunts.

And Haruki's guess was right.

The Insect Fusion Technique had always carried major flaws.

While it granted the user partial abilities of the bee king, it also subtly reshaped their body—physically and mentally transforming them into something more insect than human.

The longer the fusion, the more severe the change.

Even within the Shinhe Clan, this technique was considered forbidden. It was only to be used in absolute desperation.

Still, Haruki had to admit—its effect was impressive.

With those wings, Red Bee now had full control of the sky, and Haruki had no immediate counter.

Worse, Red Bee's once-fatal wounds had completely healed.

Put together, it was like he'd gained a second life—a real chance to turn the tables.

But Haruki kept his gaze fixed on the transformed man, frowning slightly.

There was something off.

Red Bee seemed... less human.

Haruki's instinct was spot-on.

The Insect Fusion Technique came with another flaw: the weaker the user's mental will, the more control the bee king had over their consciousness.

Red Bee had activated the technique while severely injured, his mind barely hanging on.

Now, control had shifted.

This wasn't Red Bee anymore. Not really.

It was the bee king, piloting his body—his memories, his movements.

Even if it killed Haruki, this new Red Bee wouldn't dissolve the fusion. No, it would only tighten its grip and transform fully into a new bee king, completely erasing the human host.

That's why Red Bee had hesitated before using it.

His appearance alone showed he'd used the technique before. He knew the risks all too well—knew what would happen if he used it again in such a state.

But desperate times had forced his hand.

And now, he'd lost the gamble.

Good news for Haruki.

Fighting a man was one thing—but fighting a mutated bee king, even one with some stolen memories, was easier.

This thing wouldn't have Red Bee's full battle instincts.

Which meant if Haruki picked the right moment... he wouldn't need to exert himself too much.

With that in mind, he glanced around at the restless swarm of bees—and made the first move.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!

Several shuriken flew toward the transformed Red Bee.

With Level 4 Ninja Tool Throwing and the precision of the Sharingan, Haruki's throws were deadly accurate.

Fortunately, the transformed creature hadn't yet gained the iron-hard carapace of the bee king. Otherwise, even a rain of shuriken wouldn't leave a scratch.

Red Bee—or what was left of him—sensed the danger and flitted sideways half a meter, easily dodging.

Haruki's lips twitched.

So throwing tools wouldn't work.

Which left him with one option.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A barrage of bee stingers flew at him, snapping Haruki out of his planning. He dove to dodge, barely avoiding the rapid-fire barrage.

Thankfully, the forest trees were dense enough, and his Sharingan helped him maneuver around the onslaught—because a normal ninja would've been skewered.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"

Haruki was not someone who only took hits—he fought back.

After dodging the first wave, he locked onto a gap and launched his counterattack.

His Sharingan boosted the accuracy of his fire jutsu—and the flames rained down like molten petals.

The bees dropped from the sky in droves, burning as they fell.

But the mutated Red Bee wasn't about to lose so easily. He quickly commanded another swarm to attack.

The two sides clashed in a flurry of fire and wings, their exchange drawing attention from nearby battlefields.

Luckily, Haruki's long-range position and the dense bee cover kept his Sharingan from being exposed.

To observers, it just looked like a swarm going berserk in the woods.

Time ticked by.

Finally, once the bee swarm had dwindled to about two-thirds its original size, Haruki saw his chance.

He spotted Red Bee perched on the treetop—his attention focused elsewhere.

Haruki's eyes flashed.

In his next counter-defensive movement, he "accidentally" stepped in a sticky pool of honey.

Red Bee's eyes lit up, and he instantly commanded his bees to fire more stingers and spew additional honey, trying to trap Haruki completely.

But just as it looked like the end—

Poof!

A wooden log appeared in Haruki's place.

Substitution Technique.

A subtle smirk spread on Red Bee's warped face, soon replaced by a flicker of disappointment.

He scanned the area, searching for Haruki—

"Hey! Up here!" a voice called from the treetop nearby.

Red Bee turned instinctively—and stared into a pair of blood-red Sharingan.

"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"

That's right. Haruki had been waiting all this time for a close-range opportunity to land this genjutsu.

Red Bee had been flying too high until now.

So Haruki had baited him—faked a mistake, lured him in with honey, then used Substitution to get close.

Now, with the genjutsu in place, the creature's body went limp—falling like a stone.

Haruki leapt out from the branches.

In one fluid motion, he swung his short blade, slicing across Red Bee's throat midair.

Still not done, he followed up by hurling a kunai into the creature's heart.

Only when he sensed its life force quickly fading did Haruki finally let out a long breath.

Just as he thought—a bee king-driven Red Bee was far less dangerous than the man he once was.

All it took was the right opportunity.