Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Time passed in a blur.

Several hours slipped by.

By now, it was evening.

A torrential downpour began to fall from the sky.

Uchiha Haruki and the others, drenched in rain, finally made their way into a dense forest.

After a long day of fighting and fleeing, everyone was utterly exhausted and desperately needed rest.

"Aoyama."

Nara Soshimizu turned toward Hyuga Aoyama and spoke.

Aoyama understood right away. He nodded and forced himself to focus. With both hands pressed together in front of his chest, he activated his Byakugan once more.

In the next instant, the veins on either side of his temples bulged, and everything within a one-kilometer radius appeared clearly in his vision.

A short while later, he deactivated his Byakugan and reported in a deep voice:

"No large enemy forces within one kilometer. Only a few scattered ninja watching the area."

"Good."

Soshimizu let out a small sigh of relief, then turned to Haruki.

"Haruki, I'll leave those watchers to you. Aoyama, provide support."

"Understood," Aoyama replied.

Haruki said nothing. He simply turned and walked off into the rain.

After the endless battles, he was completely numb—both physically and mentally. He didn't want to speak. Didn't want to think. Just act.

Seeing Haruki head off, Soshimizu gave Aoyama a nod, signaling him to follow.

The two of them quickly left the main group behind.

Well... "main group" might've been a stretch at this point.

Over the past day, to avoid being surrounded, they had barely stopped moving, sprinting through terrain and skirmishes nonstop.

That constant push had indeed improved their pace, but it also meant that many Konoha ninja who were held back in fights or ambushes received no reinforcements—and were either captured or killed by the pursuing Iwa shinobi.

The result?

Their forces were severely reduced.

From what had started as a strong and full unit, only about half remained.

Calling them a "main force" now was more symbolic than accurate.

Fifteen minutes later.

Haruki returned from the other side of the forest.

His expression was still blank, and when he saw Soshimizu, he simply gave him a small nod—no words exchanged.

Behind him, Aoyama spoke:

"All surveillance points within a kilometer have been cleared. We should have at least thirty minutes to rest."

Fewer people meant faster movement, and that made it nearly impossible for the Iwa army to catch up.

Now, with the sentries eliminated and the rain pouring down, tracking them would be even harder.

But that was only if they didn't stop moving.

After all, it was likely those sentries had already reported their position, so this place was compromised.

They needed to keep going if they wanted real rest.

So, the Konoha unit quickly set off again.

And sure enough, not long after they left, several Iwa scout teams arrived at the site.

They carefully examined the tracks and followed Haruki's direction of retreat.

Not far behind them…

the Iwa main force arrived.

This wasn't just a handful of units anymore.

After a full day of relentless pursuit and coordination, the Iwa forces had swelled to over 700 soldiers.

And that was after accounting for the heavy casualties Haruki had already inflicted.

If not for his devastating counterattacks throughout the day, that number might've been even higher.

Now, following the scouts' trail markers, the Iwa army also began pursuit.

And just like that, the chase resumed.

One side hunted; the other ran.

An entire night passed like this, filled with high-stakes cat-and-mouse.

The next morning.

Dawn broke.

Haruki and the others stood at the edge of a clearing, facing over a hundred Iwa ninja who were blocking the road ahead.

Their faces turned grim.

They were so close—just a little farther, and they'd enter the outer perimeter of Fengliu Town, the fallback stronghold.

But now, out of nowhere, this elite squad had appeared to block their final escape route.

Anyone would be furious.

If it were just another standard hundred-man squad, they wouldn't have been too concerned. Even with their current depleted numbers, they were confident they could break through.

But this group wasn't ordinary.

There wasn't a single genin among them. And just by looking at the way they stood, the way their chakra pulsed—it was clear these weren't just soldiers.

They were elite.

And the one leading them confirmed it beyond doubt:

It was none other than Kari, the Iwa jonin who had previously fought Haruki not long ago.

The moment he saw Kari, Haruki knew—this fight wasn't going to be easy.

Because Kari wasn't stupid. He wouldn't go head-to-head unless he was fully prepared. And if Haruki couldn't draw his attention or disrupt him, then their side would suffer serious casualties.

What Haruki didn't know…

was that Kari was also wary of him.

He had watched all of Haruki's rampage the day before.

Haruki's performance had been unbelievable—the damage he had dealt alone was nearly a quarter of all Iwa losses.

And the worst part?

Haruki still didn't show signs of slowing down.

So Kari wasn't taking chances this time. He had handpicked only the best soldiers for this ambush.

In the curtain of rain, the two sides stood face to face.

Tension thickened the air.

No one knew who shouted first—

"Kill!"

But the moment the cry rang out, the battle exploded into motion.

Both sides launched volleys of kunai, though the attacks didn't do much—these were all elite ninja. They dodged or deflected easily.

But no one expected much from that initial volley.

It was just the opening act.

The real fight was up close.

"Kill——!!"

Both sides roared and charged.

And so began a brutal melee.

Haruki, short sword in hand, moved like a shadow—cutting down two enemies in an instant.

Kari wasn't far behind.

With two powerful punches, he blew open the chests of two Konoha chunin.

Haruki didn't stop him.

He knew—trying to stop Kari directly would only provoke him further.

What he needed to do was match his ferocity—kill enough of Kari's men to force him into a head-on clash.

And his bet worked.

After Haruki cut down six Iwa chunin, Kari finally snapped—and charged directly at him.

This time, Haruki didn't dodge.

He stood his ground…

waiting for the enemy to come.

And then—they clashed.

Haruki's sword was fast, accurate, and timed perfectly.

Kari was forced to evade every attack.

But Kari's fists were coated in Explosion Release chakra, which made Haruki extra cautious. A single hit could be fatal—he didn't dare let them land.

So to outsiders, the fight looked almost comical—as if neither of them could land a blow.

But that was a false impression.

In truth, both were hyper-focused.

Because they both knew—one hit would be all it took to end the fight.

Without full confidence, neither was willing to take that risk.

Time ticked by.

The battle raged around them. The field was a mess of blood, jutsu, and chaos.

Haruki felt the pressure rising.

He couldn't stall any longer.

The longer they stayed here, the more likely they'd be swarmed by Iwa reinforcements.

They had to do what they had done before—break through and keep moving.

The moment that thought formed, Haruki made his decision.

He dodged another strike from Kari, then leapt back, putting some distance between them.

His hands flew through seals—

Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!

Earlier in the battle, the two had already cleared a wide area around them.

That meant Haruki no longer had to worry about friendly fire.

He could unleash jutsu freely.

The only downside? The rain weakened his Fire Style.

He had to burn extra chakra to compensate for the loss in power.

But that didn't bother him.

He had more than enough chakra to spare.