Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Boom—

As the body of the Iwa Jonin nearby hit the ground, Uchiha Haruki withdrew his gaze.

He swept his surroundings.

Immediately, everyone who met his eyes instinctively looked away. None dared to lock eyes with his Sharingan.

Haruki ignored them entirely.

This wasn't a situation where he was deep behind enemy lines or needed to break through a formation alone. Around him were not only enemies—but allies too.

In such conditions, one had to follow the unspoken rules of battlefield conduct—you couldn't indiscriminately attack lower-ranking enemy ninja.

Otherwise, the opposing Jonin would retaliate in kind, and Konoha's own lower-ranking ninja would suffer.

Of course, if all the enemy Jonin were taken out, that rule no longer mattered.

With that in mind, Haruki quickly began scanning for other Iwa Jonin.

"Huh?"

He suddenly let out a soft noise, as though something interesting had caught his attention.

He saw, in the distance, an Iwa Jonin completely ignoring the counterattacks of a Konoha Jonin. His fists, turned to solid stone, pounded wildly at his opponent.

That's right—stone fists.

Through his Sharingan, Haruki could clearly see that this wasn't a simple Earth Release jutsu to harden his fists—the man's actual flesh had turned to stone.

And not just his fists—his entire body was rapidly petrifying. The man looked like a walking statue, charging forward with terrifying momentum and incredible defense.

The Konoha Jonin's attacks left behind only dents and gouges—none were fatal.

What's more, Haruki noticed those wounds were healing rapidly, pulsing with chakra.

Clearly, the man's regeneration was impressive too.

"This must be a kekkei genkai…"

Haruki thought silently.

It was well known in the ninja world that kekkei genkai weren't limited to chakra-based ones like Lava Release, Boil Release, or Ice Release. There were also other forms, such as the Uchiha's Sharingan, the Hyuga's Byakugan, and the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku.

In addition to those well-documented types, there were rare and unstable kekkei genkai—like the Iburi clan, once used as test subjects by Orochimaru. They had a smoke-body ability.

The smoke-body technique allowed users to enter others' bodies, control them, or even kill them from the inside out.

No doubt—a terrifying power.

But such power came with a cost. The Iburi's smoke form was highly unstable. They could involuntarily dissipate when exposed to wind—resulting in death.

This Iwa Jonin's petrification seemed similar.

Even at a glance, Haruki had already identified several flaws in this unnamed ability.

First, once the transformation began, the Jonin's perception dulled significantly. He failed to dodge several attacks that should have been easily avoidable.

Haruki doubted it was arrogance from overconfidence in his defense.

There were two reasons why.

First: his body still tried to dodge—clearly, his mind wanted to avoid the hits but couldn't react in time.

Second: pointless damage wasted chakra, and no shinobi would burn through their reserves so carelessly.

The only explanation was—he had no choice.

Haruki concluded that the petrification dulled the man's senses.

Additionally, the Jonin's agility had dropped sharply, leaving him swinging with slow, wide attacks.

Unfortunately for him, the Konoha Jonin wasn't giving him any opportunities—staying mobile, striking from angles, and gradually draining his chakra.

At this pace, if no one helped the Iwa Jonin, his defeat was inevitable.

A kekkei genkai with such blatant weaknesses—it was no wonder Haruki had never heard of it in his past life.

Shaking his head, Haruki activated Body Flicker Technique, moving in blurs until he stood directly in front of the petrified Iwa Jonin.

Yes—right in front of him.

Given the man's monstrous defense, Haruki's standard short sword—which couldn't conduct chakra—would be useless even in a sneak attack.

So why bother sneaking?

Especially when the enemy's slowed reactions could give him the opening he needed to land a Genjutsu.

And just as expected, when Haruki appeared, the Iwa Jonin froze for a second. The moment he realized he was facing the Sharingan, it was already too late.

"Genjutsu: Sharingan."

With a single hand movement, Haruki activated the technique. His three-tomoe Sharingan, pushed to their perfected form, dragged the Iwa Jonin's consciousness into an illusion instantly.

The Jonin stood there, frozen—motionless.

The nearby Konoha Jonin acted quickly. With a powerful push off the ground, he rushed forward.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Three explosive tags were slapped onto the enemy's body.

Each placement was deliberate—two on vital areas: the head and chest. One was placed on his leg—to ensure that, even if the first two didn't kill, the third would cripple him.

Having finished, the Konoha Jonin leapt back and raised his right hand.

With a flash of chakra—he ignited all three tags.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three massive fireballs exploded in unison, engulfing the Iwa Jonin entirely.

Staggered by the blast, the Jonin finally broke free from the Genjutsu—only to be devoured by searing flames.

"AAAHHH—!!"

A tortured scream erupted from his throat, drawing attention from ninja on both sides of the battlefield.

And with it—Haruki's figure entered more and more people's view.

From this moment on, it would be difficult for him to dispatch enemies without drawing attention.

Still, Haruki wasn't too concerned.

With his current power, none of the Iwa Jonin posed a real threat.

No need to hide.

In fact, the more public his actions were, the more he could boost the morale of Konoha forces.

Moments later, the flames died down.

The Iwa Jonin made no sound—but Haruki could still sense that the man wasn't dead.

To survive three direct hits from explosive tags—Haruki had to give his kekkei genkai some credit.

But only a little.

Whoosh—

A kunai flew from Haruki's hand, driving straight into the man's chest.

Yes, the explosion hadn't killed him—but it had shattered the petrification. Now, he was just flesh and blood.

And so, Haruki finished him with ease.

Another elite enemy down.

Haruki nodded toward the Konoha Jonin beside him and darted off toward the rest of the battlefield—ready to hunt more Iwa Jonin.