Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

"That's right. It's me."

Facing Ao's shocked, post-battle stare, Uchiha Haruki responded calmly.

As he spoke, he flicked the blood off his long blade casually. His every movement was relaxed and deliberate, the very picture of confidence born from strength.

Since his ambush had failed, Haruki no longer bothered hiding. He boldly revealed himself—

a move that would no doubt boost the morale of his allies.

Just as he expected, the surviving Konoha shinobi instantly lit up with hope at the sight of him. Their strength seemed to return in full force.

That's what a true leader meant in a chaotic battlefield—

As long as Uchiha Haruki stood, the Konoha forces wouldn't break.

Splash!

A wave broke, and Uchiha Tekka finally crawled out of the water, clutching his chest.

"Be careful!" Tekka gasped. "He's really strong!"

"Mm," Haruki nodded. "I understand."

"Now's my chance!"

Up ahead, Ao saw Haruki turn his gaze away for just a second—he saw the opening and moved.

Whoosh—

A kunai flew through the air with a soft whistle.

Haruki caught it in the corner of his eye. With a flick of his blade, he knocked the kunai away with perfect precision.

But Ao wasn't finished.

He swiftly formed hand seals. Then, with a sharp breath, he unleashed a jutsu—

Water Style: Wild Water Wave!

Though it was a basic C-rank technique, it required only the simple "Tiger-Ox-Rabbit" seals, perfect for surprise attacks like this.

Ao had hoped to catch Haruki off guard.

But—almost at the exact same moment he unleashed the water, Haruki opened his mouth and spat out a blazing fireball.

While blocking the kunai earlier, Haruki had already completed a set of hand seals with his left hand.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

Crackle-hiss—!

Flames met water with a loud, sharp sizzle. Steam erupted in clouds, quickly blanketing the battlefield in thick mist.

Ao, a battle-hardened veteran, immediately thought to use the environment to his advantage.

His hands blurred once more through hand seals. In a flash, he performed the Mist Village's signature jutsu—

Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique!

Haruki could've stopped him. He had a chance.

But instead, he let Ao complete it—on purpose.

He activated his Sharingan fully and observed Ao's hand signs and chakra flow with utmost focus.

The moment the jutsu was complete, Haruki opened his status panel—

Sure enough, a new skill had appeared:

Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique (Lv. 1, 1/200).

Just like when he copied Wind Blade previously, his Sharingan had successfully replicated the technique at entry level.

He didn't need to test or experiment. It was ready to use.

While his chakra reserves could've handled learning it on his own, saving the trouble was a welcome bonus.

These thoughts flashed by in an instant.

Haruki closed his panel and scanned his surroundings.

His vision had turned into a blinding white haze. Even his sensory abilities were slightly suppressed.

Swish—swish—swish—

The soft sound of air being sliced came from the side.

Haruki's ears twitched. His blade moved again, perfectly parrying a barrage of kunai in the mist.

The silence returned.

Haruki stood still—calm, patient, waiting for his opponent to make the next move.

"Ahhh!"

Suddenly, a familiar cry rang out.

Haruki's expression shifted. In a blur, he flashed toward the sound and appeared before Uchiha Tekka once again.

Tekka, already badly injured, now had another kunai embedded in his arm.

Seeing Haruki approach, Tekka tried to say something—but his eyes suddenly widened in terror.

"Die!"

A chilling voice came from behind Haruki.

Ao had appeared, kunai in hand, stabbing straight for Haruki's back.

But Haruki moved first.

As though he had anticipated it, he dove forward, narrowly dodging the strike while spinning his body around 180 degrees.

"What?!"

Ao's eyes widened in shock. He tried to retreat.

Too late.

Haruki activated his technique—Flash Blade Jutsu.

A green aura shimmered around him, merging his blade and body into one.

In a blink, he appeared right in front of Ao.

Slash!

The blade gleamed, aiming straight for Ao's neck.

At the last moment, Ao lifted his kunai to block—

Clang!

Steel rang against steel.

Unable to withstand the force, Ao was sent flying backward.

Haruki didn't let up. He chased after him with swift, relentless slashes, forcing Ao to retreat further and further—unable to counter at all.

Haruki's blade grew faster and faster.

Ao began to fall behind.

At one point, Ao's eyes lost focus. When he blinked and regained clarity, Haruki's blade was already in his face.

In a panic, Ao raised his kunai to defend.

But—

To his horror, the long blade passed right through the kunai like an illusion.

Behind the illusion was the real blade, which adjusted its angle mid-attack to slip past Ao's defense.

Ao realized he'd been fooled.

He panicked and threw himself backward.

"You think you can run now?" Haruki sneered. "Too late!"

He twisted his wrist, and the blade surged forward.

Slice—!

A chilling sound as steel tore through flesh.

Blood sprayed from Ao's chest.

This wound was nothing like the earlier scratch from Haruki's failed sneak attack.

This time—it was deep. So deep that bone could be seen.

"Ugh—!"

Ao clenched his jaw, suppressing a scream.

He grunted through the pain and used the last of his strength to pull back.

Haruki stepped forward to finish him off.

But—

A surge of water!

A Water Dragon Jutsu lunged at him from the side.

"Water Dragon Bullet?" Haruki narrowed his eyes.

He gave up the finishing strike and dodged.

Swish—

A blue figure appeared, stepping between Haruki and Ao.

There was no mistaking her—

Mei Terumi.

Her eyes were locked on Haruki, full of cautious vigilance.

She had learned some of his abilities when she fought his shadow clone—

But to see him defeat Ao so cleanly and so decisively…

It was still hard to believe.

Haruki could only think:

Ao was too impatient. He had underestimated him.

Ao had used Uchiha Tekka as bait to set a trap.

But Haruki saw through it—and turned it around.

He seized the upper hand instead.

Had his Flash Blade Jutsu been a higher level, and moved faster, his first counterattack might have ended Ao right then and there.

Even so, with his Phantom Blade Technique, he managed to seriously injure Ao.

Too bad… Mei Terumi had arrived just in time.