Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

One day later.

Their period of rest came to an end.

Under Omura Yuito's orders, Uchiha Haruki began leading a team out on active missions.

The Fengliu Town outpost was located at the foot of a mountain. To the west and north, towering ridges rose less than 200 meters away—natural fortresses and vital strategic high grounds. The south opened up to plains leading back to their rear headquarters, while the east was where the main Iwa army was stationed.

As such, their field operations focused on three main tasks:

Receiving reinforcements from the southern rear.

Monitoring enemy troop movements to the east and ensuring the earliest possible warning of any attacks.

Skirmishing with small Iwa infiltration squads in the mountainous west and north, preventing them from occupying those strategic peaks.

To ensure he had access to enough chakra every day, Haruki didn't hesitate—he directly requested to be assigned the third mission.

Omura Yuito agreed without question.

Not because he was easygoing, but because over the previous day, he had taken the time to review everything Haruki's group had accomplished to reach Fengliu Town.

He now understood: Haruki's strength far exceeded that of an ordinary jōnin. Their successful escape was thanks largely to Haruki's overwhelming power.

So when Haruki asked to take on a frontline assignment, Yuito gave immediate approval.

And just like that, Haruki was officially stationed at the western mountain stronghold, where he swiftly ran into exactly what he'd been hoping for: a steady stream of Iwa infiltration squads.

The actual battles didn't need much description. With Haruki's current strength, it was nearly impossible for him to be caught off guard—even if he wanted to be.

Victory came easily.

And with it, chakra—just as planned.

With ample chakra acquired, Haruki wasted no time. Almost every spare second of the day was spent using Yang Release chakra to enhance his body.

Thankfully, training in Medical Sage Technique didn't require a quiet or secluded environment, allowing him to continue strengthening his body even while out on missions.

It was a bit odd to see, sure, but Haruki didn't care.

After all, once this war ended, how many of them would still be alive?

There was little risk of rumors spreading. And even if they did, ninja training was a highly personal matter—few would dare ask prying questions.

As for anyone trying to investigate him in secret...

Well, once Haruki awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, his strength would leap into Kage-tier. By then, who would care about petty suspicions?

In the ninja world, strength was justice. If your fists were strong enough, you didn't need to explain yourself.

With that in mind, Haruki made no effort to hide his training. He cultivated his body openly, even around his team members.

The only thing he did conceal was his chakra absorption.

Chakra was a ninja's most fundamental essence. If word got out that Haruki could forcibly extract chakra, and do so so efficiently it could drain someone dry in seconds, it would inevitably cause alarm—even among allies.

So Haruki kept that part secret.

Fortunately, his Chakra Absorption Technique had long since reached Level 5, allowing him to absorb 1,000 chakra points per second. Draining a standard chunin took only 7 to 8 seconds.

That made it easy to conceal the act when needed.

And just like that, Haruki continued pushing through obstacle after obstacle, following his plan to fully evolve his body.

Seven days passed in a flash.

That afternoon—

As Haruki once again activated Medical Sage Technique, Yang Release chakra surged through his body, flooding his cells and reinforcing them… when suddenly, a violent surge of power exploded inside him.

It was as if a long-dormant volcano had erupted without warning.

The torrent of power rampaged through him, shaking every cell as it forcibly accelerated his physical evolution.

Haruki's face twitched. He abruptly stopped walking.

Nearby, several Konoha chunin noticed his sudden change in expression and quickly raised their guard, thinking he'd sensed an ambush.

After a few moments, one of them carefully asked, "Captain… is something wrong?"

Haruki gritted his teeth, fighting back the discomfort in his body. He waved a hand dismissively.

"We'll pause here. Stay alert."

Without waiting for a response, he flickered away in a blur and landed atop a massive stone nearby. There, he crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and began meditating.

In that moment, the outside world seemed to fade away.

He focused everything inward—on the surge of power running wild in his body. He had to guide it, refine it, and soften its intensity before it did harm.

Haruki hadn't expected the evolution to come so suddenly, so violently.

It caught him completely off guard.

Luckily, this power had come from within him, built up over time. Had it been foreign energy, the damage could've been devastating.

As he calmed and focused his mind, the chaotic energy began to stabilize.

The process gradually shifted from chaos to bliss.

Once again, Haruki felt the satisfying euphoria that always accompanied a breakthrough in body evolution.

Time passed slowly.

An hour went by.

The Konoha chunin nearby were starting to get restless when Haruki finally opened his eyes.

"Captain?" one of them called out cautiously.

Before they could ask more, Haruki raised a hand to silence them.

His gaze shifted to a particular section of forest.

"Since you've come this far," he said coldly, "why not show yourselves?"

The others blinked in confusion.

"What?"

Their expressions changed. Weapons were drawn, and every eye followed Haruki's line of sight.

But… nothing moved. Not a sound.

Some of the chunin started to doubt Haruki's perception. They had remained fully alert the entire time—how could any enemy have approached without being noticed?

But just as those doubts crept in—

Clap. Clap. Clap.

A mocking applause rang through the trees, followed by a chilling, unnatural laugh, and then… footsteps.

"Hahaha~ As expected from the famed Ghost Blade, Haruki! Your senses are sharp indeed."

A figure emerged.

Their skin was shriveled, their clothing ragged. Though they wore a smile, it twisted their face into something deeply unnatural—like a corpse pretending to be alive.

No, not just pretending.

They were corpses.

The few others who followed him were no different—devoid of any warmth or life force.

That was why the Konoha chunin hadn't sensed their approach.

Only Haruki, attuned to subtle spiritual disturbances, had noticed the oddity.

Staring at them, Haruki narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you? Why are you looking for me?"

These people weren't Iwa-nin. They bore no insignia—not of Iwagakure or any other hidden village.

Which meant…

They likely didn't belong to any of the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

Given what Haruki knew about Ōnoki and Iwagakure's style, he had some very bad suspicions.

As his mind raced, the shriveled man finally spoke again.

"Heh… Who are we?"

"Hahaha~ Why not tell you?"

"We… are the glorious Ghost Corpse Clan! Hahahaha~"

At first, only he spoke.

But halfway through, the others joined in, reciting the words in eerie unison.

Even their laughter rang out together—an echoing, inhuman chorus.

The entire forest filled with an unnatural, nerve-wracking sound.

Suddenly, Haruki's face changed.

He shouted, "Everyone—seal your hearing immediately! This is genjutsu!"

"What?!"

The Konoha chunin were stunned—and horrified to realize they'd already begun to smile unconsciously.

Panic set in.

They clapped their hands over their ears at once.