Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sounds of battle rang out all around.

But in the area where Uchiha Haruki and the three Mist Jonin stood, there was an eerie silence. The contrast was striking.

Time ticked away.

Haruki stared at the three, and the three Mist Jonin stared back. No one moved—until…

Whoosh!

A breeze swept through, kicking up a swirl of dust. It momentarily obscured the vision of one of the Mist Jonin.

In that instant, Haruki made his move.

A flash of blue light shimmered across his body.

His long blade gleamed as the "Instant Sword Technique" activated. Without a sound, Haruki appeared before the blinded Mist Jonin.

Swish!

A silver arc of steel slashed through the air.

"Watch out!" another Mist Jonin yelled, hurling his kunai while sounding the alarm.

One had to admit, the reflexes of a Jonin were indeed sharp. Even though Haruki had struck at a perfect opening, the Mist Jonin still managed to raise his kunai just in time to block.

Clang!

Steel clashed with steel, sending out bright sparks.

Haruki's ear twitched. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of another kunai speeding toward him.

He tilted his head slightly, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Then, with a powerful push of his legs, he thrust his blade forward.

The Mist Jonin, already thrown off by the suddenness of the attack, couldn't react optimally. Pressured further, he instinctively stepped back.

Haruki's gaze locked onto the man's eyes. With a thought, he activated Genjutsu: Sharingan.

In that instant, Kurosaki Takeo sensed something wrong and immediately shut his eyes.

The genjutsu failed. Haruki muttered to himself, "Tch, shame."

But he didn't pause. With his left hand, he extended his palm, forming a light-blue chakra sphere.

With a swift motion, he slammed it into the enemy's abdomen.

It was the silent, seal-less technique—Rasengan!

At this point, Haruki had already trained this A-rank ninjutsu to level 7. Both speed and stealth had significantly improved.

And because Kurosaki Takeo had shut his eyes to avoid the genjutsu, he'd sacrificed his primary sense—sight. His instincts alone weren't fast enough.

Boom!

Haruki's palm connected with Takeo's stomach.

A wave of intense pain overwhelmed him. Kurosaki Takeo opened his mouth and vomited a large amount of blood.

But the Jonin was cunning—he aimed that blood spray directly at Haruki's face.

To avoid being covered in blood, Haruki withdrew his blade and dodged aside.

Seizing the moment, Kurosaki Takeo stumbled back two steps and barely managed to stabilize himself.

However, judging by his condition, he was clearly out of the fight.

The other two Mist Jonin looked grim.

They hadn't expected that in just a single exchange, their comrade would be nearly killed.

Although Kurosaki was a Special Jonin mainly skilled in tracking, his overall strength wasn't weak.

Yet he'd been taken out by a single opening—injured so badly they hadn't even had a chance to intervene.

A shadow of dread crept into their hearts.

But such is the nature of battle among shinobi—when the difference in power is that great, and you're not the protagonist or blessed with miraculous comebacks, a fight can end instantly.

Most shinobi are fragile. A single well-placed blow is all it takes to disable them.

And clearly, the gap between Haruki and Kurosaki was that wide.

That's why Haruki had finished him in one blow.

Turning, Haruki looked at the other two and said arrogantly, "You're next."

"Arrogant brat!" one Mist Jonin growled, immediately throwing a kunai and rapidly forming hand seals, preparing to cast a jutsu.

But Haruki gave him no such chance.

He lunged forward, ducking beneath the flying kunai and instantly closing the distance.

A shimmer of blue light enveloped him again—"Instant Sword Technique" activated. He arrived in front of his opponent before the hand seals could be completed.

In that moment, Haruki resembled the famed general Mifune from the Land of Iron, whose sword strikes were so fast ninja couldn't even finish a jutsu.

This Mist Jonin was no exception.

Swish!

Steel gleamed once more.

Haruki's blade sliced toward the man's neck.

In the nick of time, the Mist Jonin—Mihara Takuya—abandoned his seals and kicked off the ground, leaping backward to dodge the strike.

Haruki didn't relent. He stepped forward, blade arcing upward toward the man's throat.

Clang!

Takuya quickly pulled a kunai from his pouch and blocked the attack.

Haruki narrowed his eyes and immediately attempted a repeat—activating Genjutsu: Sharingan.

But Takuya was cautious and quick. Without trying to resist the genjutsu, he immediately leapt backward to escape.

Haruki moved to pursue—but then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something barreling toward him.

A beast of lightning—formed entirely of crackling chakra—charged directly at his face.

"Lightning Style?!"

Haruki quickly glanced at the other Mist Jonin in the distance.

There was no doubt—this lightning beast was his doing.

The shinobi was still weaving hand signs, channeling chakra into the creature.

Sensing danger, Haruki wasted no time. He activated Body Flicker Technique and dodged away at high speed.

The lightning beast pursued for several steps, but couldn't match Haruki's pace.

Seeing this, Yamada Shinichi stopped forcing it. He changed his hand seals and detonated the beast.

BOOM!

A blinding flash erupted.

The lightning beast exploded violently, releasing bolts of lightning that spread rapidly in all directions.

Even before they touched him, Haruki felt a numbing sensation creep across his body.

Without hesitation, he leapt high, avoiding the first wave of lightning.

When he landed again, he could still feel the residual effects, but it was much weaker.

Annoyed, Haruki gathered his chakra.

A burst of energy exploded outward from his body.

In an instant, all the invasive strands of Lightning Release chakra were expelled.

Haruki rolled his neck, feeling the tension leave him.

Then he turned his sharp gaze back to Yamada Shinichi and Mihara Takuya.

Boom!

The ground beneath him cracked and shattered as Haruki disappeared.

The next instant, he reappeared directly in front of Mihara Takuya—the weaker of the two.

"You—!"

Takuya froze, horrified. He wanted to speak but didn't get the chance.

Already rattled by Haruki's earlier display of power, his mind was unsettled. Caught off-guard by this ambush, he couldn't react.

Shhk!

The sound of a blade slicing through flesh echoed.

Clang!

Takuya's kunai fell to the ground.

His hands flew to his neck, eyes locked on Haruki in disbelief, gurgling out a stream of unintelligible noises.

Then, with a final collapse—Thud!—he fell to the ground.

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