Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Standing silently in place, Uchiha Haruki watched as several Root operatives expertly surrounded him. He didn't move a muscle.

The Root ninjas wasted no time. Once they completed the encirclement, they immediately began forming hand seals to cast a Binding Formation—aiming to trap him right there and then.

Ordinarily, this kind of formation required four pre-placed sealing tags and was best used in ambushes. However, if four people activated it in unison, they could bypass the need for tags and instantly trap anything within the formation.

Clearly, they intended to strike first and take control.

Unfortunately for them—Haruki didn't give them that chance.

Almost at the exact moment they began forming hand seals, Haruki stepped forward. His body blurred into a flash of afterimage, and he appeared instantly in front of one of the Root members.

Swish—

A cold glint of his short sword flashed through the air like a venomous serpent, stabbing directly at the ninja's heart.

Though Root operatives were trained not to fear death, they also didn't throw their lives away meaninglessly. Even if this one tried to continue casting the technique, there was no guarantee he'd live long enough to complete it with the help of his teammates.

Without hesitation, the ninja abandoned the technique and attempted to retreat.

And yet—for some reason, despite having made the decision, his body lagged just a second too long. He hesitated ever so slightly.

And that was all Haruki needed.

Pfft—

The blade pierced flesh.

The ninja's face twisted beneath his mask as he looked down to see Haruki's short sword plunged into his chest.

"What just happened...?"

Confusion filled his mind.

Then he looked up—and saw Haruki's crimson Sharingan.

At once, realization dawned.

He'd been hit with a genjutsu.

Indeed—just as Haruki had struck, he had activated the Illusory Sword Technique using his Sharingan, subtly distorting the ninja's perception. It made his brain see Haruki's actions slightly slower than reality, delaying his reaction by just a heartbeat.

In high-level combat, even the tiniest opening can be fatal. That one heartbeat cost him his life.

Shhk—

Haruki withdrew his blade and instantly flashed away, dodging a barrage of kunai and shuriken from the other Root operatives.

He also dodged the self-destruction of the ninja he just killed.

Yes—self-destruction.

Knowing death was near, the Root ninja triggered explosive tags hidden on his body, trying to take Haruki down with him.

But to Haruki's Sharingan, the act was crystal clear. One quick step—and he was gone.

Boom—!

A loud explosion erupted.

The ninja was engulfed in fire, lighting up the battlefield in a flash and scattering the darkness.

Using the firelight, Haruki looked over the remaining Root operatives.

He found no signs of grief or anger in their eyes—only cold detachment and numb obedience.

"Just tools for the mission, huh…"

Haruki murmured, raising his blade again and batting away a few more kunai.

Although he had caught one of them off guard, the rest were now mentally prepared. They wouldn't go down easily.

Unless...

Haruki raised his left hand and touched his left eye.

Unless I use "Amaterasu's Protection."

But he had already used it too many times tonight. If he activated it again, it would seriously strain his body, and his left eye would inch closer to blindness.

He hadn't forgotten—Sasuke once awakened the Mangekyō and relied on it excessively, eventually damaging his eyesight.

Haruki didn't want to end up like that.

Still…

If I drag this out any longer, things might spiral out of control.

As the saying goes: "The longer the night, the more likely the dream turns bad."

Haruki couldn't afford to waste time on these Root agents. The longer he fought them, the greater the chance they'd transmit intel back to their handlers.

And his chakra was nearly depleted. He couldn't sustain a drawn-out battle.

So—after weighing his options—he made his decision:

Swift and decisive combat.

As for his eyes—

Based on his prior calculations, his Mangekyō Sharingan should be able to evolve further in about two, maybe three years.

When that time came, he wouldn't need to worry about blindness anymore.

Resolved, Haruki launched himself at the Root agents.

Seeing him charge, the four remaining operatives didn't hesitate, rushing forward to meet him. The battle erupted in an instant.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Blades and kunai collided in a flurry of sharp, ringing sounds.

Although Haruki had decided to use "Amaterasu's Protection" to end this quickly, he still wanted to conserve eye power.

He would wait for a critical moment, use "Amaterasu's Protection" to dodge a lethal strike, and then go for the counter-kill.

Activating it too early and trading blows head-on would not only drain him, but might also expose his trump card.

While Haruki didn't think these Root agents had a way to counter it, caution never hurt anyone.

Cling—!

He blocked another attack, then suddenly narrowed his eyes.

His Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyō form, the three tomoe spinning into a shape like a black sun.

With its powerful insight, Haruki could see the shock reflected in the pupils of two Root ninjas in front of him.

They clearly had no idea what this eye transformation meant.

And they would never get the chance to find out.

Haruki didn't immediately activate "Amaterasu's Protection." Instead, he raised a hand and cast Genjutsu: Sharingan, pulling one target's consciousness into an illusion.

Then he used the Sharingan's natural hypnosis effect to freeze another.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two kunai flew from his hand—straight at the now-frozen targets.

He didn't wait for the outcome.

Immediately after throwing the kunai, Haruki activated "Amaterasu's Protection." His body flickered into a haze and vanished into a misty afterimage.

Almost at the same time, one of the remaining Root agents stabbed through what appeared to be Haruki's body with a kunai.

Too bad—it was just an illusion.

The ninja felt the lack of resistance and froze in alarm, scanning around in panic.

That's when a chill crept down his spine.

His hair stood on end.

Instinctively, he spun around, slashing backward with his kunai.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Haruki standing right behind him, blade raised, mid-swing toward his neck.

"Good! I made it in time!"

That thought barely crossed his mind—until his kunai passed straight through Haruki's body once again.

And Haruki's short sword?

It landed cleanly.

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