Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

"Shunkenjutsu—"

With a thought, Wind Release chakra surged, and a layer of blue light enveloped Uchiha Haruki's entire body.

In the next instant, his speed exploded as he turned into a flickering afterimage, darting straight toward Mei Terumi.

"That technique again..."

From the edge of the battlefield, Ao's heart clenched. He feared Mei wouldn't react in time and Haruki would seize the opportunity.

Thankfully, Mei's reaction was swift. In an instant, she raised her kunai in defense.

Whoosh—

A blade flashed.

Suddenly, Mei felt Haruki's attack slow down in her vision, and for a brief moment, it was as if time had split into two—Haruki appeared twice, each striking separately.

Her scalp tingled with unease.

Under normal conditions, one attack should only occur at a single point in time.

But now—two simultaneous attacks?

There could only be one explanation: her senses were being manipulated.

As for whether it was a shadow clone—

Mei was skilled enough to know that wasn't the case.

This time, she didn't dare face it head-on. With no hesitation, she dodged backward.

Haruki's blade missed its mark, and he frowned slightly. He then channeled chakra to his feet.

Boom!

The surface of the sea erupted beneath him, spraying water in every direction as his speed spiked again.

"Annoying little brat!"

Seeing Haruki come at her again without pause, Mei cursed under her breath and raised her kunai once more to block.

Clang!

The sharp ring of steel echoed through the air as blade met kunai. Haruki twisted his wrist, instantly switching from a vertical slash to a horizontal sweep.

Mei instinctively leaned back, narrowly dodging the attack.

Haruki's eyes gleamed. Without a moment's pause, he raised his left hand and quickly performed hand seals.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

A small fireball the size of a fist shot from his mouth, rapidly expanding midair before crashing down toward Mei.

Boom!

The fireball struck and exploded violently on impact.

"Ahhh!"

A scream rang out.

But Haruki didn't even glance at her. His gaze immediately turned toward the sea ahead.

Boom—!

The surface erupted violently as a massive water dragon broke through the waves and soared into the sky.

A moment later, its head dipped low, locking onto its target—it dived straight toward Haruki.

If it landed a hit, with that size and momentum, even if he didn't die, he'd be seriously injured.

Without hesitation, Haruki used Body Flicker Technique, retreating in a blur.

Boom—!

The water dragon smashed into the sea with the force of a meteor, creating a massive crater.

A towering wave, several meters high, surged outward from the impact, rippling across the battlefield.

Not wanting to be caught in the aftermath, Haruki retreated again.

A few seconds later, the chaos subsided.

Haruki looked ahead and saw Mei Terumi rise from the sea, once again standing atop the water.

Clearly, his Great Fireball had failed to harm her.

That earlier scream? Just a feint to distract him.

But—

Haruki's eyes lit up. He noticed Mei's clothes were partially scorched, and the skin beneath showed signs of mild burns.

So his attack had landed—just not enough to seriously injure her.

In fact, she had used Water Release: Water Substitution Technique the moment the fireball approached. Though she dodged the main blast, she still took some damage.

Even so, she had quickly retreated into the sea and seized the chance to counterattack.

Though her Water Dragon Bullet Technique didn't injure Haruki, it successfully forced him back.

Now that they had some distance between them, Mei could finally play to her strengths.

Yes, her taijutsu wasn't bad—but compared to her ninjutsu, it was average at best.

As a user of two Kekkei Genkai, her true power lay in her ninjutsu.

Before Haruki could approach again, Mei swiftly performed hand seals and unleashed:

Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!

Boil Release—a combination of Water and Earth chakra—grants control over scalding steam.

But different users manifest it differently.

For instance, Han, the Jinchūriki of the Five-Tails from Iwagakure, used its steam to boost his physical power and speed.

But Mei's version? Far more terrifying.

She could manipulate the acidity of the steam, allowing it to corrode and melt even powerful defenses—like Susano'o's bones.

So when the billowing, high-temperature white mist surged toward him, Haruki didn't hesitate. He immediately jumped back.

At the same time, he performed hand seals and countered with:

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

A powerful gust of wind burst forth, sweeping up seawater and slamming into the acidic mist.

As soon as they collided, the seawater diluted the acidic fog, and the wind kept it from drifting closer.

However—

the fish in the sea weren't so lucky.

Though they had been hiding in the depths, Haruki's jutsu stirred the acid back toward them. Most of them perished instantly.

After a few seconds, the acidic mist dispersed, and Haruki stood unharmed in the distance.

Mei didn't seem discouraged.

She locked onto Haruki's position. Before he could react, she again performed hand seals and activated:

Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!

Opening her mouth, she gathered a massive amount of water chakra, forming a huge water sphere and hurling it toward Haruki.

Sensing the immense chakra within, Haruki wisely chose to evade.

Boom—!

The water sphere slammed into the sea and exploded into an enormous surge, unleashing a monstrous wave in every direction.

This jutsu could douse even Uchiha Madara's Great Fire Destruction on land—

in the ocean, its power was even more overwhelming.

A towering wave, over ten meters high, rose from the blast and rushed straight for Haruki.

He leapt back repeatedly, but the wave's speed was incredible—

in the blink of an eye, it was upon him.

Just as he was about to be swallowed, Haruki vaulted into the air, bouncing off the water several times until he stood atop the crashing wave.

From this height, Haruki looked down.

Then his pupils shrank.

Below, Mei opened her mouth and unleashed a massive stream of thick, sticky liquid straight toward him.

"That's… Lava Release?"

In that instant, Haruki recognized the technique.

Lava Release—Mei's second Kekkei Genkai—also formed by combining Earth and Water chakra.

It was thick, nearly impossible to remove once stuck, and its corrosive properties were dangerously high.

It was truly a nightmare to deal with.

And Mei had chosen the perfect timing—right as Haruki revealed himself in the air, leaving him with no way to dodge easily.

At that moment, Haruki felt a genuine sense of danger.