Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Swish—

Just as Mei Terumi was scanning the surroundings with full vigilance, a Mist ninja around thirty years old suddenly appeared beside her.

Confused and uncertain, he said, "Just now, that was...?"

The speaker had long bluish-gray hair, his right eye covered with a black cloth. Hanging from both earlobes were sealing tags.

He was none other than Ao, the elite jonin of the Mist Village, who had seized a Byakugan from a member of the Hyuga clan's main branch months ago on the battlefield.

Beneath that black cloth lay the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan—granting him x-ray vision, telescopic sight, and acute perception.

The reef watchtower where Uchiha Haruki's shadow clone had been stationed was discovered by Ao using that very Byakugan.

It was fair to say—Ao was the spark that ignited this battle.

At Mei Terumi's serious expression, Ao grew more focused.

"It's exactly what you think," she said sternly. "The one I fought just now—it was only a shadow clone of that so-called Ghost Blade, Uchiha Haruki."

She paused, scanned her surroundings, then continued,

"Ao, you arrived just in time. Use your Byakugan and find out where his real body is hiding!"

Understanding the urgency, Ao didn't waste a second. He gathered his chakra and activated the Byakugan beneath the black cloth.

In an instant, everything around him was laid bare before his eyes.

The sensation of seeing through everything filled him with a sense of intoxicated power.

But he didn't let it distract him. He quickly focused his gaze, searching for any trace of Uchiha Haruki.

Two minutes passed. Sweat beaded on Ao's forehead.

Still no sign of Haruki.

When he informed Mei Terumi of this, she decisively shook her head.

"Impossible. He was right under my nose just moments ago. Even if he slipped away after summoning the shadow clone, he couldn't have gone far. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Ao asked quickly.

"Unless... the one from the beginning was already a shadow clone."

Mei hesitated, but finally spoke the thought aloud.

"What? That's impossible!" Ao frowned.

But the longer he thought about it, the more it seemed to be the only explanation.

He couldn't believe—no, he refused to believe—that Uchiha Haruki could hide from the Byakugan.

As someone who had fought and bled to obtain it, Ao had more trust in the Byakugan than even many Hyuga clan members themselves.

So... Haruki had always been a shadow clone?

But then, where was the real Haruki? Was this all part of some larger plan?

While the two of them were lost in thought, a stir began to ripple through the Konoha side.

As the team's captain, nicknamed "Ghost Blade," Uchiha Haruki had earned everyone's trust and expectations.

Many had secretly been watching his every move.

When they saw Haruki unable to suppress Mei Terumi, they began to doubt him.

When she reversed the pressure and began overpowering him, their disappointment grew.

And when Haruki was finally defeated, their morale plummeted.

But the moment they discovered the one who had fallen was only a shadow clone, a spark of hope reignited.

Their flagging spirits rose again.

Yet, as more and more time passed and Haruki's true body failed to appear, anxiety took hold once more.

Shinobi are still human.

Without a strong leader to rely on, even they could feel fear—and panic.

Slowly, unrest began spreading throughout the Konoha ranks.

Mei Terumi noticed this shift immediately.

Abandoning her fruitless wait for Haruki's appearance, she turned her attention to the Konoha shinobi.

Her thinking was simple:

Strike while morale is low—crush the enemy in one blow.

Even if Haruki had a plan, by that point, she'd already have the advantage.

As she joined the fray, the Konoha forces began to falter under her pressure.

Only the elite first and second squads Haruki had brought from the Forward Base held the line.

Though shaken, they didn't collapse outright.

This resilience was in part due to Uchiha Tekka, Haruki's loyal follower.

He shouted loudly, "Hold your ground! The Captain will be here any moment!"

The others, though unsure, saw that Tekka was of the Uchiha clan.

Assuming he knew some inside information, their morale lifted again.

But while the others found renewed resolve, Tekka himself was in grave danger.

Ao, who was still searching for Haruki, heard Tekka's outburst and rushed toward him—clearly intending to capture him and extract Haruki's plans.

He too believed Haruki had something up his sleeve.

Yet, what none of them knew was…

The only Haruki that had appeared so far really was just a shadow clone.

The real Haruki was, in fact, still on his way.

Several minutes later.

Haruki arrived at the battlefield.

By now, the sea had become complete chaos.

Both sides were locked in fierce combat—it was the decisive moment.

The situation was extremely urgent.

Even so, Haruki didn't act immediately.

His Sharingan flared open. He began silently observing the battlefield.

After a moment, he withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath—

—and dived into the ocean, swimming at full speed toward Mei Terumi.

Capture the general to rout the army.

Based on his earlier observations and the shadow clone's final memories, Haruki had concluded that Mei Terumi was the leader of the Mist forces.

Just as she had targeted him directly earlier, he would now do the same.

But fate is rarely so simple.

Just as he was about to reach her, a figure suddenly came crashing down from above, piercing through the water and passing close by him.

Haruki's Sharingan instantly recognized the figure—

Uchiha Tekka.

The man was coughing blood, his body clearly struck by something powerful, now plummeting toward the ocean floor.

Haruki looked up.

Above him—Ao had arrived.

His Byakugan flared to life. He was about to locate Tekka.

But at that moment—

His expression twisted in alarm. He leapt back at once.

Boom—!

Water exploded into the air.

A figure burst from the surface—

Shing—!

The chilling sound of a blade being drawn.

A flash of cold light streaked forward.

A long blade swept past Ao's chest, Wind Release chakra sharp as razors, tearing his clothes and leaving a shallow wound across his torso.

Had Ao not reacted instantly, pulling back the moment danger appeared, it would have been far worse than a scratch.

"You?!"

Ao staggered back, clutching his chest, staring at the attacker in shock.

There was no mistaking it.

It was Uchiha Haruki.

At the moment Ao had activated his Byakugan, Haruki had realized he couldn't hide any longer.

So, he attacked.

Unfortunately, the opponent had the Byakugan.

With that level of awareness, even a sneak attack had limited effect.

Still, Haruki had made his move—

—and the game was no longer in the Mist's hands.