Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

When the two teams reunited, Minato Namikaze noticed that Haruki's group was missing two people. Although he already had a suspicion in his heart, he still asked, "Where are Daisuke Noda and Haraku Murashita?"

"Sacrificed," Haruki replied bluntly.

Upon hearing that, Minato sighed lightly, then immediately asked about the progress of the mission.

The Nara clan jōnin answered directly, "All designated targets have been eliminated."

"All targets... taken care of?" Minato sounded a little surprised and confirmed again.

"Yes." The Nara jōnin nodded and glanced at Haruki. "All thanks to Jōnin Uchiha Haruki."

Minato gave Haruki a slightly astonished look. Though he'd heard the nickname "Ghost Blade" and was aware of some of Haruki's past feats, over the past several days, Haruki had mostly focused on physical conditioning. To conserve chakra, he hadn't had many direct clashes with the elite Iwa-nin, so his battlefield record during this campaign wasn't particularly eye-catching.

Moreover, Haruki had been stationed on the western ridge, far from the main conflict zones. Naturally, Minato had developed some doubt about his true strength.

It wasn't out of disrespect—but rather a necessary skepticism that any competent shinobi should possess toward things they hadn't personally witnessed.

However...

Now it seemed those doubts had been unnecessary. Haruki's strength exceeded even the rumors.

"No wonder Nara Soshimizu pushed so hard to recommend him before the formal meeting…"

The thought passed through Minato's mind but was quickly set aside.

He looked at the group of four and said, "Haruki. Kii. You two wait here a moment. I'll bring Hinata and Seifu back first, then return for you."

As he spoke, he pulled out a specially crafted kunai and embedded it into the wall.

Haruki and Yamanaka Kii instantly understood his intention and nodded.

Seeing this, Minato didn't waste any more time. He placed his hands on Hiura Hinata and Nara Seifu's shoulders and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.

In the blink of an eye, all three vanished.

Even as Haruki activated his full sensory capabilities, he couldn't detect a single fluctuation—Minato and the others had simply disappeared from right in front of him.

Haruki's heart sank. "So my spatial sensing ability is still pretty average…"

He had always planned to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique himself—but spatial awareness was essential to even begin understanding it. Without that, he might not even pass the threshold.

Now, Haruki could only hope that his proficiency panel would help him overcome this shortcoming. Otherwise, it could turn into a real problem.

"No choice… next time I teleport, I'll have to fully unleash my sensory perception. Maybe I'll pick up something…"

Just as he was thinking this, Minato reappeared beside the kunai embedded in the wall.

Seeing this, Haruki once again felt a twinge of envy. If I had that kind of ability, the things I could do…

"All right. Your turn," Minato said warmly, pulling the kunai from the wall and tucking it into his pouch before glancing at Haruki and Kii.

"Okay."

Both responded in unison, indicating they were ready.

Minato flickered behind them in an instant and placed his hands gently on their shoulders.

Sensing Haruki's slight tension, he said in a soft voice, "Relax. No need to be nervous."

Haruki gave a slight nod and loosened up a bit.

He had tensed up purely out of instinct—he didn't like anyone standing behind him, especially someone as powerful as Minato.

But right now, to ensure a safe exit, he could only endure it.

As soon as he relaxed, Haruki felt a sudden shift in his vision. The next moment, he was already standing in the middle of Furyu Town.

"What the hell just happened?"

Looking at the familiar surroundings, Haruki was momentarily dumbfounded. He hadn't sensed anything at all—one moment he was in the underground base, and the next he was here.

"Come on, seriously? That fast? And I'm supposed to sense this? Sense my ass!"

Haruki couldn't help mentally ranting.

But after venting, he began replaying that moment of blurred vision.

Such disorientation usually stemmed from neural reaction speeds falling short of sudden environmental changes. It was the same reason why lower-tier shinobi would see afterimages when a high-level ninja used the Body Flicker or Substitution techniques.

His Sharingan had been fully activated the entire time.

In terms of reaction speed, he far outclassed most jōnin.

And yet—even after teleportation, he still experienced a momentary visual disorientation. It only lasted a split second, but it definitely happened.

That meant his nervous system couldn't keep up with the sudden spatial change.

But Minato?

He clearly didn't suffer any such disorientation.

Otherwise, there's no way he'd be able to fight using Flying Thunder God the way he did.

Even the shortest sensory lag could be a fatal weakness in a high-level fight.

But Minato used the jutsu freely, meaning his neural responses were so fast that even the three-tomoe Sharingan couldn't keep up.

"Tch—"

Haruki sucked in a sharp breath.

Now, he finally understood what it meant to possess Kage-level combat strength.

With Minato's reflexes, most people wouldn't even get the chance to touch him—even other jōnin.

No wonder Uchiha Itachi had been able to wipe out nearly the entire Uchiha clan after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.

The gap between Kage-level shinobi and the rest was just that wide.

Of course, the Mangekyō's ability to suppress ordinary Sharingan played a role in that massacre—otherwise, the Uchiha wouldn't have been defeated without putting up a fight.

Thinking of this, Haruki's heart burned with anticipation.

In less than a month, he would awaken that same power.

Once he had Kage-level strength, he would finally be able to establish a firm foothold in the shinobi world. He could move with confidence, no longer needing to worry about others' opinions.

But then there was the blindness issue with the Mangekyō…

He didn't know if the "Reflecting Heart Technique" would be able to solve that problem.

Still, Haruki wasn't too worried. Compared to others, he had something no one else did—his proficiency panel.

Even if the Reflecting Heart Technique didn't work, he would find another way.

He didn't believe that just because he had no brother, he wouldn't be able to evolve the Mangekyō into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

"All right, we're here," Minato said behind him, interrupting Haruki's thoughts.

Haruki felt Minato's hand lift from his shoulder, and with that, his body instinctively relaxed. The tension in his muscles faded away.