Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Half an hour later.

Uchiha Haruki slowly opened his eyes.

Around him, about twenty comrades stood or crouched silently.

Some sat cross-legged like he just had, eyes closed, storing up chakra and energy for the fierce battle to come.

Some were chewing soldier pills, trying to recover the chakra they had depleted.

Others meticulously cleaned their ninja tools, hoping to increase their odds of survival in the next phase of combat.

In short, the atmosphere was grim and silent.

That silence was broken the moment Haruki stood up.

Everyone's gaze immediately turned toward him.

His eyes swept across each of their faces before settling on the three unconscious individuals lying nearby.

Their bodies were tightly bound in bandages—even after being treated with his Level 8 Mystic Palm Technique, they still looked half-dead.

These three were clearly critically wounded.

They had only survived thanks to the timing of Mei Terumi's retreat. If she and her forces had stayed just a little longer, these three likely would've died at the hands of Mist ninja finishing them off.

But in this condition, there was no way they could participate in the coming battle.

And Haruki couldn't spare anyone to stay behind and guard them either.

From this point on, their survival depended on luck.

If a Mist reinforcement unit passed by or they encountered other dangers after Haruki's team left—then that would be the end for them.

As for taking them along?

Come on—this was war, not a picnic. Carrying three injured comrades would only increase the danger to everyone.

"Let's hope they're lucky," Haruki murmured quietly.

Then he turned his attention away from the wounded and looked back at the others with a serious expression.

"Is everyone ready?"

"Ready!" everyone responded in unison.

"Good."

Haruki nodded.

"Move out!"

"Yes, Captain!"

With nothing more to say, Haruki flickered out of the watchtower with Body Flicker, running swiftly across the water toward the forward base.

Behind him, the Konoha ninjas followed his lead one after another, stepping onto the water's surface and racing after him.

Soon, only the three heavily injured and unconscious ninja remained inside the watchtower, while over a dozen figures tore across the sea outside.

Elsewhere.

Land of Waves – Forward Base.

A chaotic and brutal battle had erupted between the ninja of Konoha and Kirigakure (Hidden Mist).

Over four hundred shinobi from both sides clashed, and the destruction was immense.

Forget the forward base—the surrounding two to three kilometers had been turned into a battlefield, filled with the sounds of fighting and screams of pain.

Initially, Konoha had relied on terrain advantage and early preparation to hold their ground.

But as the battle dragged on, their advantage gradually disappeared.

Now, the tide had turned, and Konoha was clearly on the defensive.

The reason was simple—Kirigakure had spent a long time preparing for this surprise attack. They had deployed their elite units with the clear intent to secure victory.

Even with slightly fewer troops and the disadvantage of fighting on enemy territory, their overwhelming skill and coordination reversed the momentum.

Fortunately, Watchtower No. 3 had detected the enemy's movements early on, giving the forward base time to prepare.

Had the Mist troops managed to sneak all the way to the base without warning, the outcome might've been far worse—possibly even a total collapse of the front lines.

Even now, the base was barely holding on.

They had not yet reached the breaking point... but that time was quickly approaching.

Once the critical threshold was crossed, Konoha's casualties would spike dramatically.

At that point—it would be too late.

In the rear command center of the base, an Uchiha jonin commander stood with furrowed brows, scanning the endless reports pouring in from the frontlines.

After a long moment, he turned to a nearby chunin messenger.

"What about the assault squad from Watchtower No. 3?"

"Reporting, Captain!" the chunin responded quickly. "Jonin Kanda just sent word—they've already departed."

He paused hesitantly.

"However…"

"Hmm?" The Uchiha jonin narrowed his eyes. "Speak plainly."

"Yes, Captain!" the chunin stiffened and continued,

"Watchtower No. 3 was ambushed not long ago. Less than twenty of them remain, and every one of them is injured.

Even if they make it here in time, it's unlikely they'll be able to turn the tide."

He phrased it politely, but in his heart, he was thinking: They're basically useless.

But upon hearing that, the Uchiha jonin suddenly laughed heartily.

"If it were anyone else, you'd be right. But Uchiha Haruki is different."

"The Ghost Blade Haruki?" the chunin blinked.

"That's right—him!" the jonin confirmed with pride.

Others might not fully understand Haruki's true strength. Some assumed the Uchiha clan exaggerated his feats.

But this jonin knew—the truth was even more ridiculous than the rumors.

Take for example the ambush mission led by the Three Swordsmen of the Mist. Despite the fierce fight, Haruki barely suffered any serious injury.

He even had the energy to heal other wounded comrades afterward.

That alone proved he hadn't even used his full strength.

Based on his past performance, if he ever went all-out, his power could probably leap to another tier entirely.

So, while the squad from Watchtower No. 3 had fewer than twenty people left, the jonin still had high expectations—because of Haruki.

As for the rest of the squad…

Honestly? He didn't care much.

He just wanted Haruki to get here—ASAP.

What they lacked most on this battlefield was a commander-level presence—someone who could single-handedly shift the momentum and boost morale.

Once Haruki arrived, he would become the core, uplifting his comrades and disrupting the enemy's rhythm.

The Uchiha jonin firmly believed that their clan's genius could pull it off.

Meanwhile, Haruki had no idea how much hope was being placed on him.

He was still en route to the battlefield.

But Mei Terumi and her group had already arrived.

After reporting to the Mist commanding officer, Mei was ordered to take a portion of her forces and intercept Haruki's team—assuming they showed up.

However, Haruki had long since anticipated that Mei would head to the main battlefield.

He knew that once she reached their main force, his identity and position would be exposed.

So how could he not plan for that?

When they were still five kilometers away from the forward base, Haruki led his squad on a detour—taking the same secret route he had previously used when sneaking from the base to the reef watchtower.

As a result, he successfully bypassed Mei Terumi's interception team.