Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Back at home,Uchiha Haruki sat silently for a moment before beginning to organize his gear.

Although they were departing the next day, it made sense to prepare early. That way, there would be no last-minute scrambling, and he could double-check everything in advance.

Grabbing his ninja tool pouch, Haruki began to pack:

Six kunai

Fifteen shuriken

One spool of steel wire

Five explosive tags

A jar of ointment for treating external wounds

Two rolls of bandages

Three detoxification pills

One ration pill pack

As for things like maps, Furukawa would bring them. Haruki didn't need to worry about those.

Once he finished preparing his equipment, Haruki used the remaining time for training.

Since there were no missions today, he could complete his training early and reserve his chakra for the upcoming assignment.

Even though it was "just" a simple bandit extermination mission, it was still one that required them to leave the village. Haruki wasn't about to take it lightly.

After all, this was war time. There was no telling how many enemy ninja had already infiltrated the Land of Fire.

While their main objectives were to destabilize the region, sabotage logistics, assassinate key individuals, and gather intelligence—if they ran into a team like Haruki's, there was no guarantee they wouldn't simply kill them on sight.

Furukawa was strong, yes, but he was still just one jonin. If surrounded, he might not be able to protect everyone.

Of course, the more likely scenario was that their paths wouldn't cross.

In that case, they could complete their mission without issue.

But what if they did?

Haruki never placed his hopes in luck. He believed in preparation.

Learning a new jutsu last minute was unrealistic, and leveling up existing ones in such a short time was also impossible.

His trump card—the Sharingan—wasn't something he could awaken on demand either.

So aside from gear, the most important thing was to ensure that his chakra reserves were full before departure.

That meant finishing his training as soon as possible, allowing his body time to recover and store chakra for tomorrow.

With that thought, Haruki closed his eyes and began refining chakra.

Time ticked by silently.The room became still, filled only with the soft sound of his breathing.

The next morning.

A quarter to ten, Haruki arrived at the gates of Konoha.

From a distance, he could already see Ryosuke and Shizuko Mizutani.

Both of them were fully geared up, but they looked even more tired than yesterday.

As Haruki walked over, Ryosuke forced a smile and yawned as he said, "You're early today, huh?"

Haruki didn't answer the question directly. Instead, he asked, "You two didn't sleep well last night?"

Hearing that, Shizuko—with dark circles under her eyes—lowered her head awkwardly. Ryosuke rubbed the back of his neck and muttered, "It's nothing, really…"

Clearly, they didn't want Haruki to see their unease.

After all, Haruki looked completely normal—if anything, he seemed even more alert than usual.

That made them feel a bit ashamed in comparison.

As the three stood there, each lost in thought, Furukawa appeared in front of them.

"Sensei!" ×3

The trio greeted in unison.

Furukawa nodded. His eyes swept over them, taking note of their mental and physical states, but he didn't comment. Instead, he simply asked:

"Is all your equipment ready?"

"Yes," all three answered together.

"Good. Then let's head out."

With that, he took the lead and dashed out of the village.

Haruki and the others immediately followed.

No one spoke along the way.

As they traveled, the anxiety Ryosuke and Shizuko had been feeling began to fade amidst the monotony of their journey.

Several hours later…

Dusk had begun to fall.

A few hundred meters from Mount Kurokuro, the team finally stopped.

They had traveled non-stop without resting. Though the pace wasn't particularly fast, the sustained movement had thoroughly exhausted them.

Well… to be more accurate, Ryosuke and Shizuko were completely drained—especially Shizuko, who looked like she was about to collapse.

Of the four, she had the weakest physical constitution. If not for sheer willpower, she might've fallen by now.

As for Furukawa, such exertion was nothing to a jonin.

Haruki, whose physical attributes had recently improved, held up surprisingly well. With his strong chakra reserves, he was only breathing a bit heavier—otherwise, he was fine.

Ryosuke was in slightly better shape than Shizuko, but still far from combat-ready.

Thankfully, Furukawa wasn't heartless enough to send them into the mission immediately. Otherwise, Haruki would've had to take on the whole mission alone.

After they stopped, Furukawa gave them a quick glance and said, "Rest up. We begin in two hours."

Hearing that, Ryosuke and Shizuko immediately flopped to the ground.

They opened their tool pouches, pulled out ration pills, popped them into their mouths, and crunched them down before closing their eyes to rest.

Haruki also swallowed a ration pill—but instead of resting, he climbed to the treetops.

With daylight fading fast, he took out a monocular and started scouting the direction of Mount Kurokuro.

He had specially bought the monocular that morning. Lacking any detection-style ninjutsu for now, this was his best alternative.

Why be so cautious when Furukawa was right there?

Simple.

Furukawa had already told them during the journey that once they arrived, he would not offer any further advice, nor would he intervene in the mission. Everything would be up to them.

That was why Haruki was being so meticulous.

Fortunately, the bandits hadn't received any intel about their arrival and had made no preemptive moves. During his surveillance, they remained safely nestled on the mountain.

What's that? You think there's no way the bandits could've gotten that intel?

That's not necessarily true.

What if Furukawa leaked the information himself to make the mission harder?

For a jonin, keeping something like that from genin would be all too easy.

Luckily, Furukawa hadn't gone that far.

…Though in reality, Haruki had overthought it.

Furukawa did care deeply about his students' combat abilities and was determined to shape them into capable shinobi as quickly as possible—especially with the war looming.

But he was also considerate of what they could endure.

It was obvious that aside from Haruki, Ryosuke and Shizuko were already near their physical and mental limits.

There was no need to make the mission even harder.

When Furukawa noticed Haruki's overly cautious behavior—even his normally stern expression twitched a little at the corners of his mouth.

Clearly, he had guessed what Haruki was thinking.

"Do I really seem that cruel?" Furukawa thought to himself.

He mentally reviewed his actions.

"...I don't think I've gone that far."

Still, he found himself admiring Haruki even more.

Diligent training was one thing—but being calm, cautious, and thorough was what truly impressed him.

Caution is a shinobi's best friend—no matter the time or place.

If he had to pick one of the three who had the best chance of surviving the battlefield, Furukawa would pick Haruki without hesitation.

Because his mindset gave him the highest odds of survival.

As for raw strength?

Sorry, but in a meat grinder like the battlefield, even jonin couldn't guarantee survival—let alone genin.

Sigh… I just hope they all make it back alive.

Letting out a quiet breath, Furukawa withdrew his gaze from Haruki.

In a flash, he disappeared and reappeared atop another tall tree, gazing into the distance.

His eyes seemed to pierce through the forests and mountains—toward the brutal clash of shinobi from every village on the war-torn frontlines.