Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

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Time ticked by, minute after minute.

In the blink of an eye, the battle had already dragged on for more than forty minutes.

Haruki had been dragging out his confrontation for nearly ten of those, and finally, some noticeable shifts began unfolding on the battlefield.

First, disturbances broke out along the outer edges, particularly on the flank furthest from their base. A group of Iwa shinobi had started behaving strangely, as if something had spooked them.

Next, several of the Iwa Jonin—after what seemed like receiving some kind of message—began struggling to break off from the battle. Eventually, they started organizing a retreat.

Seeing this, Haruki's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

He glanced at the two Jonin still keeping him locked in combat and said with a half-smile:

"Hey, looks like your comrades are pulling out. Aren't you going with them?"

"What?!"

The two Iwa Jonin were startled. They immediately glanced toward their allies—and sure enough, a number of their fellow Iwa shinobi were already falling back.

Clearly, they hadn't noticed.

But that wasn't surprising.

Though Haruki had been stalling, he wasn't pretending to fight. On the contrary, he was going all out, using the opportunity to refine his swordsmanship and gain combat experience.

Because of that, the two Jonin had no choice but to give it their all to avoid being killed.

So it made sense they hadn't paid attention to what was happening elsewhere.

As they processed what was going on, a series of sharp whistles of varying lengths suddenly pierced through the battlefield.

"That's the retreat signal!"

Their expressions shifted.

The two Iwa Jonin exchanged a glance—then immediately launched a sudden offensive at Haruki.

That confirmed Haruki's suspicions. Those whistle blasts were retreat orders.

And this abrupt offensive? It wasn't a desperate fight to the death.

Rather, they were trying to create an opening—a chance to pull back safely.

After all, if they stayed under constant pressure, there'd be no way out.

"Looks like Nara Suiwa's plan worked… though I'm curious whether it's exactly what I imagined."

While pondering that, Haruki swept aside their attacks with smooth, precise sword movements.

And just when they attempted to disengage—he struck again, pushing them right back into the fight.

The two Jonin were growing increasingly agitated.

In contrast, Haruki remained completely calm, dragging things out with masterful control. He didn't press too hard or act passive—he kept things right in the middle. His approach could be summed up in one word:

Stall.

Ironically, it was the same tactic these two had used against him earlier.

Now, he was just giving them a taste of their own medicine.

And it was driving them crazy.

Soon, a full minute passed.

Just as Haruki was parrying the increasingly reckless attacks of his frustrated foes, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

It was none other than Yamanaka Kazeo, reaching out through the Yamanaka Clan's secret Mind Transmission Technique, relaying the latest updates to all Konoha Jonin still on the field.

Along with the intel came new orders from Nara Suiwa.

Haruki listened carefully, and before long, a knowing expression crossed his face.

"Just as I thought."

His guess had been correct.

Nara Suiwa did have a deeper plan in motion.

And it wasn't a small one either—he was aiming to completely annihilate the elite Iwa force present in the area.

According to Kazeo's transmission, over three-quarters of the base's forces had already been mobilized. The encirclement of the enemy was complete.

Those recent disturbances among Iwa's ranks?

They had discovered the trap too late and were now trying to pull out before it snapped shut.

As for why even their own Jonin hadn't been informed earlier—

It was simple: the plan was made in haste.

Only after confirming there were no other Iwa reinforcements heading toward their location had Nara Suiwa finally moved to execute it.

By that time, the frontlines had already been fighting for a while.

And with Yamanaka Kazeo not nearby during the early phase, it wasn't practical to send runners to every squad—doing so would have risked exposing the plan.

So Nara Suiwa made a decisive choice: delay the intel, even if it meant some units were caught unaware.

Haruki could only sigh and shrug.

What was there to say?

Even though Jonin were considered Konoha's pillars, in a war like this, they were still just higher-value pawns.

Words were meaningless.

In the end, only strength could determine one's fate.

Just like now—Haruki hadn't needed any inside knowledge to hold his ground. His raw power had been enough to keep him safe while waiting for the tide to turn.

Those less capable simply had to suffer the consequences.

While Haruki's mind was processing all this, the two Iwa Jonin seized the distraction, accepting minor injuries to break away and flee into the distance.

Haruki watched them go, then chose not to pursue.

Instead, he sheathed his blade and began rallying nearby Konoha shinobi, preparing to coordinate with squads from other directions to begin a full sweep and crush the remaining Iwa forces.

Two hours later…

The battle was over.

It ended so smoothly, so naturally, that it felt almost anticlimactic.

This elite Iwa unit—aside from fewer than ten who managed to escape—had been completely wiped out.

In truth, the moment they failed to detect Nara Suiwa's plan and got encircled, their fate was sealed.

Yes, the Iwa force was elite—but the Konoha ninja who'd survived long enough to reach this point were no amateurs either.

And with over 75% of the base's manpower deployed, Konoha held an overwhelming numbers advantage.

Surrounded and exhausted, the Iwa shinobi never stood a chance.

Even though they fought desperately to the bitter end, all they managed to do was raise Konoha's casualties slightly—it changed nothing.

In the end, most of them still died.

Haruki stood over the body of the young Iwa Jonin he had heavily wounded earlier.

He shook his head.

"Looks like you didn't make it after all."

That boy had once been a promising fighter.

Now, his corpse lay beside the body of the middle-aged Iwa Jonin, who had fought to protect him to the very end.

But against such overwhelming numbers, no last-ditch effort could change the outcome.

"With a burden like that clinging to him, how could he have survived?"

As Haruki was silently reflecting, a Konoha Chunin jogged over and reported respectfully:

"Jonin Haruki! Captain Nara requests your presence at the strategy meeting—one hour from now."

"One hour, huh…"

Haruki paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Got it. I'll be there."

Truthfully, he wanted answers too.

Why had the Iwa forces suddenly launched such an aggressive attack? And judging by their strength, many of them weren't even from nearby outposts.

How could he tell?

It was simple.

Ever since his reputation had spread, the Iwa shinobi from nearby bases—especially the lower-ranking ones—knew his face.

No one wanted to be targeted by the infamous "Ghost Blade."

Yet when he arrived at the battlefield, out of the first four Chūnin he encountered, only one recognized him.

That was a red flag.

There was no way these attackers were all from the local garrisons.

And more importantly—the level of strength they showed far exceeded what nearby outposts could muster.

So reinforcements had clearly come from elsewhere.

But how?

Iwagakure was already under pressure from both the Sand and Cloud villages. How could they afford to send backup here?

There were clearly hidden factors at play—decisions and movements he wasn't aware of.

Hopefully, this upcoming meeting would finally shed some light on what those were.