Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Back at the Western Mountain outpost.

Returning once more to the base, Uchiha Haruki looked at the dramatically altered terrain of the mountain and could easily infer the intensity of last night's battle.

The entire mountainside was now devoid of forest. In its place stood jagged, grotesque lava formations—natural crystalized remnants of a volcanic battlefield.

Large-scale Earth Release techniques had also caused massive fractures across the terrain.

Simply put, this was now an entirely new landscape.

And in such a place, the first priority was naturally to survey the surroundings and understand the new terrain.

With that thought, Haruki turned and instructed Yamanaka Kiku, who stood behind him, "Kiku, take a team immediately and scout the surrounding area. Then draft a new defensive strategy."

"Yes, Captain!" Kiku responded without hesitation.

However, his voice was clearly weak, as if he had just recovered from a severe illness.

Which, in fact, wasn't far from the truth.

Though they had managed to retreat from the main battlefield in time and hadn't participated in the final clash over the Four-Tails, the outer skirmishes had been unavoidable.

It was during those brutal fights that Kiku had suffered internal injuries. Although Haruki had treated him with medical ninjutsu, the time since had been too short for full recovery.

Under normal circumstances, such wounds would've warranted at least a few days of rest.

But this time, there was no such luxury.

Konoha had suffered too great a loss in yesterday's battle, and the defense of each outpost couldn't be compromised. Therefore, even lightly injured personnel had to return to duty.

Watching his subordinates head off, Haruki flickered through a few Body Flicker steps and arrived at what used to be his personal quarters.

Unfortunately, the area was completely destroyed.

The simple wooden hut he had lived in had long since been reduced to ashes.

Haruki didn't dwell on it. He casually found a large rock formed by solidified magma and sat down.

Forming hand seals, he began to channel Mystic Palm Technique, skillfully gathering a stream of pure Yang Release chakra to strengthen his body.

Even as he focused on fortifying himself, part of his mind turned to planning his next steps.

First, naturally, was continuing his physical enhancement. This rare period of peace couldn't be wasted—not even for a second.

Second, he needed to gather knowledge related to water-nature chakra development, and begin collecting Water Release techniques.

He didn't yet have time to develop his water-nature affinity, but once this round of physical strengthening was complete, he could begin preparing.

Better to be proactive than scrambling for resources at the last moment.

And lastly, the third matter—he needed to find a replacement weapon.

As his strength continued to grow, the current short sword—one that couldn't even conduct chakra—was becoming a serious hindrance.

If he didn't want to be held back in future battles, then a weapon upgrade was essential.

As for his target? He already had one in mind—the legendary Kusanagi Sword, one of the rarest in the shinobi world.

Conveniently, both knowledge gathering and the weapon search were tasks he could delegate to the Uchiha clan.

The first was a no-brainer. As an elite clan with centuries of history, acquiring chakra nature scrolls and water-style ninjutsu would be simple for them.

As for the second…

That too had long been part of Haruki's plan.

Compared to what he could accomplish alone, the Uchiha clan's intelligence network was far more efficient. Having them help him search would speed things up significantly.

And would the clan assist him?

Given that both the conservative and radical factions within the clan were eager to win his favor, the rising star of Uchiha, he had no doubt they would support him.

Three minutes later.

Haruki opened his eyes.

This time, he didn't immediately cast Mystic Palm Technique again. Instead, he pulled out pen and paper and began composing a letter.

After carefully wording his message, he sealed it away.

In another two days, a supply caravan from headquarters would arrive. At that time, he could entrust someone to deliver the letter back to the village.

Another week quietly passed.

It was now early March.

Haruki could clearly feel that his body was on the verge of transformation. At most, another week—and he would undergo a complete breakthrough.

"It's close… So close now."

On a mountainside, Haruki opened his eyes and murmured to himself.

Moments later, footsteps echoed nearby.

He turned toward the sound and saw several Konoha chunin emerge from behind jagged lava formations.

These were his direct subordinates, responsible for patrolling this sector.

As they approached, Haruki asked directly, "Any abnormalities?"

"None," one of the chunin replied crisply.

Haruki wasn't surprised.

Just as he had predicted, the Iwa-nin had clearly slowed their offensive pace since the major battle a week ago.

Forget large-scale invasions—even minor skirmishes had become rare.

Over the past seven days, they had barely encountered enemy forces. And those few clashes hardly qualified as battles.

If the Iwa-nin ever realized they'd been spotted, they would immediately retreat, never standing their ground.

As a result, there were virtually no direct confrontations.

Still, a week had passed. It was possible that Iwa had recovered by now—and they might launch a larger attack at any moment.

Staying alert, Haruki told his team, "Stay vigilant. The enemy could reignite hostilities at any time. Be extra cautious during patrols."

"Yes, Captain!" the chunin replied, their expressions turning serious.

Satisfied, Haruki waved them on. "Alright, let's move to the next area."

With that, he stood up and took off in another direction.

The chunin quickly followed.

Soon, the group arrived at their next patrol zone.

Without needing instructions, the chunin scattered to carry out their routine surveillance.

As for Haruki, he found another quiet spot, sat down, and once again began Mystic Palm Technique, focusing his Yang Release chakra to strengthen his body.

And so, the days passed.

Three days later – Evening.

Haruki had just finished his patrol duties and returned to the mountain-top outpost.

He hadn't even warmed his seat yet when—

Knock, knock, knock!

Haruki opened his eyes with a trace of annoyance and called out, "Come in."

Creak—

A Konoha chunin stepped into the room.

"What is it?" Haruki asked, his tone flat.

"Jonin Haruki, Captain Yuijin has summoned all jonin for a meeting. Here's the official order."

The chunin handed over a handwritten decree without hesitation.

Haruki took it and carefully checked it. Once he confirmed its authenticity, he nodded.

"When's the meeting?"

"In half an hour," the chunin replied.

"Got it. You're dismissed."

Hearing Haruki's words, the chunin bowed and turned to leave. Once outside, he disappeared using Body Flicker Technique.

*********************************************************************************************************Hey everyone! Want to read ahead and unlock up to 100 early-access chapters? 📖Plus, enjoy even more exclusive novels! Join my Patreon now and dive into the adventure!

patreon.com/Rawink00