Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

The sun set, the moon rose.

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.

During those three days, Konoha and Iwagakure ninja clashed repeatedly.

Both sides suffered heavy losses, but neither gained a decisive upper hand.

Iwagakure had two powerful trump cards—the Jinchūriki of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails—

but they didn't dare to fully unleash them.

On Konoha's side, Minato Namikaze had the ability to inflict massive casualties on Iwa forces,

but he too refrained from acting rashly in order to keep those two Jinchūriki in check.

And so, the stalemate continued.

Now, both sides were searching for a way to break the deadlock.

Windwillow Town.

Inside a meeting room, all the Konoha jōnin had gathered to discuss their next course of action.

First, Omura Ihito reported the outcomes and losses from the past three days.

"Everyone, over the last three days, we've…"

Uchiha Haruki wasn't interested in those details.

As Ihito spoke, Haruki turned his gaze toward the man sitting across the table—Minato Namikaze.

This was the first time Haruki had seen him up close.

The past few days had been too tense and chaotic for him to return to the base down the mountain,

so he hadn't crossed paths with Minato at all.

Before the war, he had heard Minato had arrived at the base,

but for the sake of secrecy, the man hadn't made a public appearance.

Only Omura Ihito had quietly informed the senior jōnin.

So, to be precise—this was their first true meeting.

And Haruki had to admit:

Compared to Orochimaru's cold and eerie presence, Minato's gentle and refined demeanor left a much better impression.

Which made it easy to understand how, during the selection for the Fourth Hokage,

Minato had outshone Orochimaru.

Sure, Hiruzen Sarutobi's influence played a part,

but overall, people simply had more faith in Minato.

As if sensing Haruki's gaze, Minato looked back at him.

Their eyes met. Minato gave a warm, polite smile, and nodded in greeting.

Haruki also nodded slightly in return, then looked away.

"Maybe… I should consider saving him during the Nine-Tails Incident."

"If he survives, the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village might be greatly reduced. With the right approach afterward, there could even be real peace."

Haruki silently considered the possibility.

He didn't feel deeply attached to the Uchiha Clan,

but since he bore their name and had benefited from it,

he was willing to lend a hand if it didn't cost too much.

Given Minato's character, once he became Hokage,

he wouldn't deliberately escalate tensions with the Uchiha.

And if someone like Shisui Uchiha, who had a rational mindset,

could act as a mediator—

perhaps he could persuade Minato to amend some of the village's discriminatory policies.

If that happened, the relationship between the Uchiha and the village would likely improve.

From there, it would just take time to gradually dissolve the remaining tension.

Of course, this was all just a thought for now.

Whether to act on it would depend on how powerful Haruki became in the next year.

"How much rice you can eat depends on how big your bowl is."

If he didn't reach a certain level of power,

he wouldn't risk interfering in Minato's fate.

Worst case?

If the Uchiha were truly destined to be destroyed,

he'd just show up and slap Itachi Uchiha dead.

There was no rush.

What?

What if he still wasn't strong enough by then?

Well, then Haruki could only say—

"If I die, I deserve it."

If, even with the help of his proficiency system,

he still couldn't gain overwhelming power by then,

it would only mean he'd been slacking off.

In that case, if he died at the hands of Itachi or Obito,

he'd have no one else to blame.

As for the idea that saving Minato or the Uchiha would "alter the plot"?

Please—

the moment Haruki arrived in this world, the "plot" had already changed.

It was just a question of how obvious the changes were.

As long as his strength continued to grow,

changing the "plot" would be inevitable.

After all, this was a world where power defined reality.

The stronger you were, the more of an impact you naturally had on the world.

Unless he completely isolated himself and never interacted with anyone,

Haruki would inevitably influence the course of events.

But then again—

"Why should I restrain myself?"

If he had power, others should adapt to him, not the other way around.

Enduring hardship should only be a stepping stone—

a temporary phase before you no longer have to endure.

Fearing changes to the "plot" had never been the mindset of the strong.

Haruki didn't want to follow the tide.

He wanted to lead the current.

What was so interesting about the tiny, muddy piece of land called the ninja world?

The universe was vast.

If they had the ambition, the Five Great Nations could each claim their own planet.

Clearly, their limited vision had stunted their thinking.

They had chakra—such a convenient and versatile power—

and yet they were still squabbling over a handful of resources in this backwater world.

"Ridiculous."

Haruki's goal, once he had absolute power,

was to turn the ninja world's gaze to the stars and galaxies above.

Because in the end—

"Our goal is the sea of stars!"

"Jōnin Haruki, what do you think about this plan?"

Omura Ihito's voice snapped Haruki out of his daydream.

Haruki blinked in surprise, then quickly recalled the discussion he'd half-tuned out.

After a moment's thought, he nodded and said:

"No objections."

Omura Ihito gave a satisfied nod.

"Very well. Then it's settled. Tonight, Jōnin Haruki will lead a team to infiltrate the Iwa camp.

Minato, prepare your support unit."

That's right—

just a moment ago, after reporting on the war's toll, the jōnin had formulated a plan.

A decapitation operation.

The mission would have Haruki, the strongest among them, lead an elite jōnin team

to infiltrate the enemy camp, locate Iwa's command center, and then signal Minato.

Minato would teleport in with backup, and together they'd eliminate the enemy commanders.

Meanwhile, the rest of Konoha's forces would launch a diversionary attack

to help them retreat afterward.

It was a risky mission, but Haruki was confident in himself.

After only a brief consideration, he agreed.

As for Minato—

He didn't hesitate at all.

His role was far less dangerous than Haruki's.

And with his Flying Thunder God Technique, he had more than enough confidence to leap into danger and survive.

After Haruki accepted the mission, Minato said calmly:

"No problem. I'll be ready."

As he spoke, Minato reached into his ninja pouch

and pulled out a three-pronged kunai, handing it to Haruki.

Haruki took the special weapon and examined it closely.

Wrapped around the hilt was a paper seal with four characters written on it:

Blade of Shinobi Love

Haruki recognized it instantly.

This was Minato's personal Flying Thunder God seal.

Unlike the symbol used by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju,

Minato's formula was written as a line of text.

Still, it was a chakra mark.

As long as Haruki activated the seal,

Minato would sense it instantly.

Then he could use the Flying Thunder God Technique

to teleport in with his team immediately.

In other words—

the success rate of this mission was very high.

Which was exactly why Haruki was willing to take the risk.