Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

"The Yellow Flash?!"

Upon seeing the figure suddenly appear behind him, Shō's pupils shrank, and he couldn't help but shout in alarm.

Indeed—it was none other than Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash of the Leaf.

Accompanying him were a Jonin from the Nara clan and another from the Yamanaka clan.

This meant that, at this moment, the Konoha side had seven Jonin present, and the Iwagakure command post was just up ahead.

While Iwagakure also had Jonin among their guards, and the commanders were Jonin themselves, in terms of overall strength, they still couldn't compare to the force now gathered by Konoha.

After all, Minato's strength was undeniable. Without elite Jonin-level abilities, no one could even pose a threat to him.

With a glance, Minato quickly took in the situation. His eyes landed on the heavily guarded room not far away—it immediately caught his attention.

Sensing what he was thinking, Minato looked toward Uchiha Haruki. But before Haruki could respond, Hyuga Hiiro spoke up first:

"That's our target!"

He pointed directly at the room.

At this point, there was no point worrying whether the enemy overheard. Given the current situation, if the enemy still hadn't figured out their objective, they were simply too dim-witted.

With the confirmation, Minato wasted no time. In a flash, he dashed toward the Iwa Chunin and Genin guarding the way.

Oppressed by the sheer pressure of the Yellow Flash's presence, many of them instinctively stepped back.

But then, a booming voice came from behind:

"What are you afraid of?! Everyone, follow me!"

As he shouted, a Jonin from Iwagakure burst out of the command room, cutting through his own ranks to directly engage Minato.

"Lord Kuroki!"

Some of the Iwa Jonin called out and immediately rushed to join him.

Kuroki Ichirō was the commander of this assault on the Konoha stronghold at Wind Willow Town. His strength was between an ordinary Jonin and an elite one.

Alone, he couldn't match Minato. But his sudden appearance inspired the other Iwa-nin, giving them courage as more Jonin rushed alongside him.

This created some trouble for Minato.

And as the Iwa Jonin launched into action, the other Iwa-nin also began to fight back—surrounding and attacking the remaining Konoha ninja.

The corridor instantly became cramped and chaotic.

In such a tight space, no one dared use large-scale jutsu for fear of friendly fire.

This, however, played right into Shō's hands!

This environment suited his Explosion Release perfectly. With Haruki unable to use large-scale ninjutsu, Shō grew even bolder.

Yes—his target was still Uchiha Haruki.

Though he was shocked by Minato's appearance, he had not forgotten the enemy standing right in front of him.

As soon as the battle started, he threw a right hook, aiming straight for Haruki's chin.

A powerful gust rushed forth. Haruki twisted at the waist, leaning back to narrowly dodge the blow.

But right then, a deafening blast rang out.

Haruki saw the air in front of him explode under Shō's punch, followed by a shockwave that slammed him backward.

Tap tap tap—

Haruki was forced back several steps, his chest tightening in pain.

Clearly, the close-range shockwave had injured his internal organs.

But for someone with a body stat of 13, this was far from a serious injury. After a moment's pause, he could recover.

Haruki steadied himself and tried to calm his breathing—but Shō didn't give him the chance. He rushed in again with another punch.

Feeling the surge of Explosion Release chakra in Shō's fist, Haruki didn't dare block it head-on. He tapped the ground with his toe, sliding back to create distance and dodging the strike.

Haruki had expected Shō to pull the same trick—exploding the air again to disrupt his balance.

Surprisingly, Shō didn't. He casually dispersed the chakra from his fist, making the punch appear ordinary.

Then, with a rapid lunge, he closed in once more and launched another attack.

Haruki's eyes flickered with disappointment.

If Shō had exploded the air again, Haruki could've taken the opportunity to retreat and regain initiative—which he had lost earlier when he threw the kunai.

Unfortunately, Shō's experience was formidable. He saw through the risk and chose to hold back, keeping Haruki pinned in a reactive position.

So Haruki had no choice but to keep dodging and defending—for now.

But he wasn't worried.

As the saying goes: First surge, then fade, then exhaust.

Haruki didn't believe Shō could maintain this high-intensity offense forever. The moment his rhythm faltered would be Haruki's opening.

Boom boom boom—

Explosion after explosion shook the corridor. Haruki continued to evade as Shō's fists blasted the walls, carving deep craters with every punch.

Then—suddenly—Haruki noticed a flash of pain on Shō's face, followed by a barely perceptible delay in his movements.

It wasn't much of a flaw—but to Haruki's Sharingan, it was crystal clear.

That was his chance.

Without hesitation, Haruki leaned slightly aside to avoid a fatal strike, then thrust his sword forward, aiming directly for Shō's heart.

Having fought Shō twice before, Haruki knew: if he didn't target vital points, Shō would trade blows without hesitation.

After all, a flesh-and-blood body couldn't withstand an Explosion Release blast at close range.

That's why every strike had to hit a vital.

Only then could he force Shō into a defensive posture and prevent further attacks.

As expected, Shō hesitated when he saw the sword targeting his chest. He gave up his attack and dodged.

If he hadn't dodged, Haruki might have been seriously injured—but Shō would have died.

And he didn't want to die.

That dodge spelled the end of his momentum.

The tide had turned.

Haruki didn't hold back. After his first sword strike was dodged, he followed with a second, a third, and a fourth.

His blade surged like a storm, seamless in rhythm, concentrated in power. Every move aimed at a vital, giving Shō no chance to counterattack.

For a while, all Shō could do was defend.

Strangely, it even felt to him like Haruki's swordsmanship had improved since their last fight—which only increased the pressure.

Time ticked by.

And then—

Shhrrrip—

A blade sliced through flesh, leaving a bloody wound on Shō's arm.

The searing pain made Shō's face darken.

"I can't go on like this. I need to disrupt his momentum…"

His eyes scanned the corridor walls. With a powerful backflip, he dodged Haruki's next strike and quickly gathered chakra, slamming his fist into the nearby wall.

Boom!

A muffled explosion. The wall caved in, scattering dirt and debris, blocking Haruki's pursuit.

Cough, cough—

Haruki coughed lightly, scanned the area, and confirmed his teammates weren't nearby. He raised his hands and formed hand seals.

In an instant, he released a jutsu:

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

In the smoke and chaos, Shō was just preparing to strike back when a wave of heat surged toward him.

A giant fireball filled the corridor, roaring straight at him.

"Damn it!" Shō cursed. He leapt back, and while retreating, quickly formed hand seals.

Just before the fireball struck, he slammed his right hand into the ground:

"Earth Style: Earth Rampart!"

A thick slab of stone rose before him, sealing off the entire hallway.

Boom!

A muffled explosion shook the barrier. The ground trembled, and dust rained down from above, making people wonder if the corridor might collapse.

The noise drew attention—even the ongoing battle paused momentarily.

Crack—

A splitting sound rang out.

Shō looked over and saw a crack form in the center of the stone wall.

Crack—crack—

The crack quickly spread, webbing across the entire slab.

"It's going to break…"

Shō immediately gave up maintaining the jutsu, launched off the ground, and retreated.

Crack—

The familiar sound rang out again.

The wall shattered into countless fragments, and then—

A surge of fire burst forth, charging straight for him.

But Shō had already retreated far enough—the flames didn't reach him.

Just as he exhaled in relief, a wind blade suddenly shot through the flames, streaking toward his body.

But instead of panicking, Shō smiled.

"Just as I thought."

He had predicted Haruki would follow up with Wind Style: Blade of Wind—the same move that had severely injured him before.

How could he not be prepared?

Given the situation—a corridor filled with fire, making physical pursuit impossible—a surprise attack with Wind Style was the obvious choice.

Haruki's decision matched his prediction perfectly.

And because he was mentally prepared, dodging it was easy.

He twisted his body and narrowly avoided the attack.

But at that moment—a figure wrapped in pale blue chakra light burst through the fire, entering his field of view.

Then—blood-red Sharingan eyes filled his vision, pulling his consciousness into an endless abyss.

"How… is that… possible…"

As his awareness faded, Shō uttered those final, disbelieving words.

"Nothing's impossible," Haruki's calm voice replied.

A short sword pierced through Shō's heart with precision.

Until his last breath, he never awoke from the illusion.