Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Black River Ichiro came to a stop about ten meters away from Uchiha Haruki. His expression turned grim as he stared at the two burning corpses behind Haruki.

He was well aware of Oguri Gen Asuka's trap. Originally, even if it failed to imprison Uchiha Haruki, it shouldn't have ended so disastrously. And yet, just like that—Asuka was dead.

And—

'What was that flash technique he just used? A space-time jutsu?'

Black River Ichiro was deeply suspicious and increasingly wary of Haruki.

Neither side exchanged unnecessary words. The moment Ichiro threw a kunai, the battle reignited instantly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Since Haruki had already killed two of them earlier, the pressure on him was significantly reduced. The remaining four couldn't even compare to the likes of Nobunaga Kamihara.

Even though Haruki didn't plan on using his Mangekyō Sharingan this time, it didn't mean the four could last long.

Within just a few minutes, he found an opening and drove his sword through one enemy's abdomen, severely injuring him.

In exchange, Haruki suffered another gash—but such wounds meant little to him.

Even the wound to his chest from earlier had almost fully healed after just a few minutes. A mere cut like this was nothing.

He dodged a heavy punch from Black Wind, quickly formed hand seals, and unleashed Mystic Palm Technique, injecting condensed Yang-nature chakra directly near the wound.

Then, he dove back into battle.

With yet another enemy down, Haruki's Sharingan Genjutsu became even more effective, and the pressure on Ichiro's side grew heavier.

Time ticked on.

Another few minutes passed before Haruki found another opening and slashed through half the shoulder of the last Special Jōnin, severely weakening him.

Now, only Black River Ichiro and Black Wind—both actual Jōnin—remained on the battlefield at full strength.

No—calling them "full strength" was generous.

With a glance, Haruki could tell that their chakra reserves had dropped to less than a third of their original capacity.

In that state, trying to outlast Haruki was a losing battle.

With this realization, Haruki no longer rushed. Instead, he played the long game, draining their stamina.

He could afford to be relaxed now.

Across the battlefield, as more Konoha Jōnin joined the fray, the tide had started turning in their favor.

Although the Iwagakure side still had superior numbers, their morale had clearly crumbled.

Especially after Haruki had killed several Jōnin in a row, many of the Iwa Chūnin and Genin were left psychologically shaken.

They were now fighting at maybe sixty or seventy percent of their normal effectiveness.

This, combined with the focused strikes from other Konoha Jōnin, meant even stronger Iwa Chūnin didn't dare expose themselves to rally morale, worsening their condition.

That was why Haruki had the luxury to stall.

Sure, he could have activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and ended this fight quickly, then rushed into the enemy lines to support his allies.

But why should he?

Using the Mangekyō risked permanent damage to his eyes, and more importantly—playing the babysitter wasn't Haruki's style.

Yes, he wanted the Konoha forces to survive this Iwa ambush. But he had no intention of doing everything himself.

His goal was to give them hope. Whether they lived or died beyond that depended on their own strength.

More people might die this way—but Haruki could live with that.

Clearing his mind, Haruki focused entirely on dealing with Black River Ichiro, Black Wind, and the half-crippled Special Jōnin.

This time, he rarely used ninjutsu or genjutsu. He relied primarily on his sword techniques—only using other methods when absolutely necessary.

Why?

He wanted to grind proficiency points for his Kenjutsu.

Even if he was stalling, there was no reason to waste chakra doing nothing.

His Kenjutsu proficiency had already passed Lv6 (6000/10000), and he was close to mastering Lv7.

This was the perfect chance to farm experience—he wasn't going to waste it.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The battle raged on.

It didn't take long for Ichiro, Black Wind, and the wounded Special Jōnin to notice something was off. They quickly realized what Haruki was doing.

So that's it… He was using them as grind fodder!

All three were furious.

With rage overtaking caution, they launched all-out assaults, disregarding chakra consumption.

Haruki immediately felt the pressure—but that only accelerated his Kenjutsu growth.

Little did they know, every moment they continued attacking him under pressure, they were contributing to his training.

In fact, the closer they pushed him to his limits, the better his growth became.

Feeling their bloodlust, Haruki almost laughed. But he held it back, not wanting them to suspect anything.

His stern, focused expression only made Ichiro and the others believe they were finally getting through to him, spurring them on even harder.

Time passed slowly.

Under mounting pressure, Haruki's sword skills rapidly improved, and his proficiency rose at a visible pace.

Even so, accumulating 4000 experience points in a single battle was unrealistic.

Not to mention—Ichiro and the others had their limits, too.

Eventually, Haruki sensed the pressure lighten.

Looking closer, he saw the three men drenched in sweat, gasping for breath—clearly exhausted after their burst of strength.

With his Sharingan, he scanned their chests and confirmed it: their chakra was down to less than a quarter of full strength.

Farther off, the remaining Iwa Chūnin and Genin—briefly encouraged by the Jōnin's earlier outburst—were now suppressed again by the Konoha elite, and in even worse shape.

Victory was inevitable.

"It's time to end this."

Haruki no longer held back. He released his chakra, performed a Body Flicker, and charged the enemy trio.

At full speed, the first to fall was the half-crippled Special Jōnin.

Haruki first locked him in Genjutsu: Sharingan, then followed up with a Rasengan to the chest, critically injuring him on the spot.

Ichiro and Black Wind tried to run, overwhelmed by Haruki's bloodthirsty aura—but there was no escaping now.

Black Wind was next. Haruki struck with Wind Style: Wind Blade, slicing through half his neck.

Even though Black Wind managed to activate his Earth Release jutsu in time, it couldn't withstand the Wind Blade.

That proved that Ichiro wasn't misleading him earlier—Black Wind's defense truly couldn't block Haruki's wind-based attacks.

With Black Wind dead, Ichiro stood alone.

Within ten exchanges, Haruki found an opening.

Their eyes locked—and Haruki unleashed Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, instantly rooting Ichiro in place.

Shing!

His short sword pierced straight through Ichiro's heart.

Just like that, Black River Ichiro fell.

In his final breath, perhaps the last meaningful thing he did was to order the remaining Iwa forces to retreat.