Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

In a flash, several hours passed.

Morning had shifted into late morning.

The battle still hadn't ended.

If anything, it had only grown fiercer.

Konoha's defensive line had long since been broken. As the fighting escalated, the battlefield expanded, now covering several kilometers.

From the eastern edge of the Black Stone stronghold to more than a kilometer into the sea, every inch of terrain had become a warzone.

Shinobi from both sides—whether working in teams, going solo, lying in ambush, or engaging head-on—were doing everything in their power to eliminate the enemy.

Blood stained the ground. The air echoed with screams and the sounds of combat. Anyone who witnessed this would feel a chill down their spine.

And yet, this was merely a small glimpse of the wider shinobi war.

In fact, even along this single eastern front, this wasn't the only battleground.

As Mist shinobi launched their assault on Flying Fish Town, three other previously captured strongholds also became active fronts.

Simultaneously, all northern, central, and southern defense lines along Konoha's eastern border came under intense pressure, as forces and resources were rapidly redeployed to fend off the Mist Village's offensive.

Even with these efforts, the situation remained dire.

The reason was simple:

Konoha was still locked in a major battle with the Sand Village, while the Stone Village continued to apply pressure.

Nearly a week had passed, yet they still hadn't been able to dispatch adequate reinforcements.

With no extra manpower to spare, defending against the Mist's sudden strike became an immense struggle.

Naturally, Mist Village saw this as an opportunity.

They escalated their assault.

Not only did they solidify their hold on four strongholds as forward bases, they also began coordinating raids on other outposts along Konoha's border, trying to stretch their forces thin and prevent them from focusing their strength.

True, defending home territory had its advantages—such as easier access to supplies.

But it also came with drawbacks.

Like now: to prevent a large-scale Mist invasion, Commander Nara Kikou dared not reassign troops from any of the front-line posts.

Even though he suspected these new attacks were merely a diversion, he couldn't take that risk.

If any outpost were left undermanned and Mist Village caught wind of it, they might gain another foothold.

So he refused to gamble.

He didn't even consider bluffing with an empty outpost.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought of it—it simply wasn't feasible.

Last time, Mist had captured four strongholds, clearly thanks to accurate intelligence.

To this day, the ANBU still hadn't uncovered the source of that leak.

Kikou wouldn't risk it again.

His safest option now was brute force.

No tricks, no feints—just overwhelm Mist Village with strength. That was the confidence of a member of the high-intellect Nara Clan.

In terms of sheer numbers, they couldn't match Mist Village near the strongholds.

But in elite combat power?

Mist was clearly outclassed.

Kikou hadn't spent the last week idly.

Besides managing logistics and repositioning forces, he had been lobbying the village's leadership for support from top-tier fighters.

And the village had agreed.

If Konoha could just hold out a little longer, reinforcements would arrive.

With their help, even if they couldn't win outright, they could drag the Mist forces down.

After all, the Mist Village was far from its homeland. If they could cut off the enemy's sea supply lines, Mist's offensive would eventually stall due to lack of resources.

Survive this period, and once the outcome of Konoha's battle with the Sand Village was clear, they could redirect more troops to the front lines.

Then they could push the Mist Village back.

That was Kikou's plan: delay and wait for a turning point.

Uchiha Haruki, however, wasn't privy to Kikou's strategy—nor did he care.

Right now, he was in the thick of battle, almost casually.

Of course, even if he didn't actively provoke Mist Village, his reputation and power meant they wouldn't ignore him.

He was currently surrounded by two elite jonin and three special jonin from Mist.

Clang! Clang!

Haruki wielded his long sword, his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning as he read the enemy's movements and predicted their next moves.

With swift, calculated strikes, he parried their blows.

His sword clashed with kunai in bursts of sparks—deadly and dazzling all at once.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a subtle sound cut through the air from behind.

Haruki's ear twitched. He tilted his head just in time.

A shuriken whizzed past, grazing his ear and leaving a thin line of blood.

The wound healed almost immediately.

With chakra-enhanced regeneration, Haruki didn't even need medical ninjutsu for such injuries.

But this was only the beginning.

In the next instant, the two jonin disengaged and widened the gap.

Haruki prepared to give chase.

Then—

A flurry of shuriken and kunai flew toward him from all directions.

His Sharingan flared to its peak. The tomoe spun rapidly as he tracked every incoming weapon.

With swift strikes, he knocked them all from the air in a storm of metallic clinks.

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief—

The two jonin launched simultaneous jutsu:

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!"

One jutsu attacked from above, the other from behind—perfectly synchronized to hit him when his energy was depleted.

They even smirked slightly, anticipating his downfall.

But Haruki didn't panic.

He had been holding back to avoid drawing too much attention.

Now, in true danger, he could no longer afford restraint.

Forming hand signs, he activated:

Water Release: Giant Shark Bullet Technique!

A massive shark-shaped missile formed before him and surged toward the oncoming whirlpool stream.

The Water Fang Bullet tried to pierce the shark, but its watery projectiles were absorbed—feeding the shark and making it grow larger.

The jonin on that side canceled his jutsu and dodged away in fear.

Meanwhile, Haruki avoided the overhead Water Dragon Bullet with agile backsteps.

Boom!

The water dragon smashed into the ground, sending up a torrent of spray and dust.