Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Time ticked by second by second.

Uchiha Haruki was slaughtering the Iwagakure Chunin and Genin with extreme efficiency, while the Iwa Jonin attempted to intervene—only to be held back by the Jonin from the Nara and Yamanaka clans.

As a result, in less than three minutes, Haruki had achieved his goal—completely wiping out the nearby Iwa mid- and lower-ranking ninja.

With a flick of his wrist, he flung the blood from his blade, then turned his eyes toward the remaining Iwa Jonin.

Perhaps due to the sheer number of lives he had taken in such a short span of time, his entire body now radiated a murderous aura. The moment his gaze swept over them, the Iwa Jonin couldn't help but feel a jolt of dread.

"Kill!"

Haruki growled low, and with a flicker, he vanished—only to reappear behind one of the Iwa Jonin, his short sword thrusting straight toward the man's back.

A fellow Jonin beside him reacted quickly, lunging forward with a kunai in an attempt to block the strike.

But at that instant, a shadow silently slithered from the corner of the wall, creeping up his legs and climbing onto his body.

A surge of binding force came from the shadow, freezing his movement mid-swing.

He had no choice but to shout in warning: "Kiko! Watch out!"

In truth, Wu Kiko had already sensed the danger the moment Haruki appeared behind him. Now with his comrade's alarm, he reacted even faster.

Before the blade could reach him, he used the Substitution Technique, vanishing in a burst of movement and leaving behind a stone in his place.

Clang!

The short sword struck the rock, emitting a crisp sound.

Riding the recoil from the blade, Haruki twisted his wrist and redirected the sword toward the shadow-bound Iwa Jonin nearby.

Seeing this, Wu Kiko, now at a safe distance, immediately flung a kunai toward Haruki's neck, aiming directly at the carotid artery.

Out of the corner of his eye, Haruki registered the kunai's flight path and shifted his body just slightly, easily dodging the attack.

However, this adjustment also distorted his sword swing, and he failed to land a killing blow.

Shrrrip—

The blade sliced across the Iwa Jonin's forearm, leaving a deep gash.

"Argh!"

The sharp pain snapped the man back to his senses, and he let out a roar, finally breaking free from the Nara clan's shadow binding.

This backlash forced the Nara Jonin to take two steps back.

Haruki, however, paid no mind.

Having missed a killing strike, he immediately swung his sword again—this time aiming for the man's throat.

Sensing danger, the Jonin didn't hesitate. He quickly retreated, dodging the slash and forming a pincer position with Wu Kiko.

Haruki glanced at the two of them without a flicker of fear. With a powerful kick, he launched himself forward like a cannonball.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The three of them quickly became entangled in fierce close combat.

At the same time, Haruki's presence significantly reduced the pressure on the Nara and Yamanaka Jonin, who immediately went on the offensive as well.

It was only then that Haruki noticed a problem.

While he had eliminated all the Iwa Chunin and Genin—allowing his allies to fight freely without distractions—it also freed the Iwa Jonin from concerns about hitting their own comrades with ninjutsu.

With nothing holding them back, their fighting power surged.

And just like that, the intensity of the battlefield skyrocketed exponentially.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out in rapid succession.

Not just the corridor, but the entire underground chamber began to shake violently.

The full-force exertion of several Jonin quickly pushed the space to its limits. The walls and ceiling were riddled with cracks, looking like they might collapse at any moment.

Yet despite that, no one backed down. The battle raged on.

"Urgh—"

A muffled grunt suddenly echoed.

Wu Kiko had slipped up, and Haruki immediately seized the opportunity—casting Genjutsu: Sharingan and dragging his opponent's mind into an illusion.

Then—shhk!—his blade pierced Kiko's chest.

The intense pain jolted Wu Kiko back to awareness. He grunted through clenched teeth, shocked by his dire situation, and a sense of hopelessness surged in his heart.

Staring into Haruki's cold eyes up close, Wu Kiko made a desperate choice.

Swallowing the blood in his throat, he raised his hands and, with the last of his strength, gripped the sword lodged in his chest.

Seeing this, the other Iwa Jonin who had been fighting alongside him put aside his grief and quickly formed a hand seal.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Dragon!"

Crackling!!

A massive dragon of lightning surged from his palms, shooting straight toward Haruki at incredible speed.

Sensing the threat from behind, Haruki didn't hesitate. He immediately let go of the sword stuck in Kiko's chest and leapt to the front-right side.

"Tch! Trying to run? Not a chance!"

The Iwa Jonin sneered and manipulated the Thunder Dragon to give chase.

Catching this in the corner of his eye, Haruki altered his path, gathering chakra in his soles and sprinting along the wall deeper into the corridor.

Still, the Iwa Jonin remained relentless, commanding the Thunder Dragon to pursue him.

Haruki's eyes narrowed coldly. With a flash of hand seals, he completed a jutsu before the dragon could catch him.

"Wind Style: Blade of Wind!"

A transparent blade of wind surged from his palms and struck the Thunder Dragon head-on. The electric beast paused briefly, then was sliced clean in two.

Wind beats lightning—Wind chakra inherently counters Lightning chakra.

And Haruki's Blade of Wind was clearly superior to his opponent's Thunder Dragon in rank and execution.

Naturally, it overpowered the jutsu with ease.

However, due to their close proximity, the energy backlash from slicing the Thunder Dragon still reached Haruki.

Zzzzztt!

A burst of blinding white light flashed, followed by a loud buzz of electricity.

Haruki was caught in the surge. His hair stood on end, his body trembled involuntarily, and his nervous system fell into temporary paralysis.

"A perfect opportunity!"

The Iwa Jonin's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he pulled out a kunai attached to an explosive tag and hurled it at Haruki.

Haruki's Sharingan tomoe spun rapidly, instantly locking onto the flying kunai and the explosive tag attached to it.

With no hesitation, Haruki unleashed all his chakra at once.

Boom—!

An overwhelming force burst from him, shattering the paralyzing current in an instant. The very air around him thickened under the pressure.

With a powerful leap, Haruki vanished from his spot.

Clink!

BOOM!

The kunai landed where he had stood, and the explosive tag detonated moments later. Fire and shockwaves erupted, blasting through both ends of the corridor.

Shhhkkk—

Amid the smoke, the sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out.

Through the haze, one could just make out Haruki standing behind the Iwa Jonin, a kunai driven deep into the man's back.

Gush—

Blood sprayed from the Jonin's mouth. He glanced back weakly and saw half of Haruki's emotionless face.

"You—"

He tried to speak, but Haruki gave him no chance. With a slight twist of his wrist, he ripped the kunai free.

A fountain of blood followed. The Iwa Jonin stumbled forward a few steps before collapsing, his life snuffed out.