Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

"What—?"

As Uchiha Haruki began his dive from the sky once more, Ao's pupils snapped shut in alarm. Why is he launching a second attack already? He thought, baffled. Haruki had just repelled Ao's ambush with venom-coated kunai—so why was he striking again so quickly?

Confusion flickered on Ao's face, but he forced it away. If I can't figure it out right now, I'll just have to react. Composing himself, he issued a calm command:

"Everyone—defensive formation!"

The distance between them shrank rapidly—Haruki was almost within striking range when suddenly, his wings flared and he veered off sharply, soaring away at an angle.

Haruki wasn't giving up on fighting, but he wasn't reckless either. He remembered his goal: delay them at all costs. Since the "boy who cried wolf" distraction had worked before, why not continue draining their energy?

Perhaps it was more dangerous—yet strategy demanded it.

Ao exhaled, tensing as Haruki began to soar back. The Mist ninja tensed too, their fingers tightening around kunai.

Once Haruki was in range, they attacked—but only to liberate space. He dodged cleanly and rose back into the sky. Ao's carefully laid trap had been wasted.

Now perched far above them, Haruki floated—neither approaching nor retreating, forcing the Mist ninjas to endure the standoff. Finally, Ao ordered them forward—but they hadn't gone far when Haruki circled back again.

Reluctantly, they halted once more.

Despite Haruki's proximity, no one struck him.

"Impressive endurance," he chuckled softly. Then, curving in the air, he drew even closer—hovering within twenty meters, well within their attack range.

This time, the Mist ninjas couldn't restrain themselves. Under Ao and the other three Jonin, they broke formation and attacked—throwing kunai, launching ninjutsu, even flinging bizarre tools and steel wire designed to bind.

Everything unfolded under Haruki's watchful Sharingan gaze. He didn't get tangled in their attacks. Instead, he dodged, held, and countered—evading each attempt with surgical precision, then rising once more into the open sky.

From his vantage point, Haruki watched the frustration grow in their faces. Ancient wisdom says: Victory fades quickly. A confident first blow is followed by weakness and exhaustion. One more distraction like earlier, and their morale would be gone. Even the elite Jonin would hesitate—let alone the lower-ranked foot soldiers.

A millisecond of doubt could save Haruki's life.

And if the majority of the unit hesitated, his safety would skyrocket.

With that conviction, Haruki paused…and struck again.

With a powerful flap of his wings, he rocketed forward at 40 meters per second, diving toward the Mist formation like a lethal arrow.

Ao's face tightened as he heard Haruki's voice:

"Attack! Attack now!"

Kunai—some coated with both explosive tags and potent venom—rained upward in tightly packed volleys.

Haruki's Sharingan whirled, analyzing every projectile in a heartbeat. Predicting their trajectories, he drew his blade and carved through the air, intercepting blow after blow—shattering sharp edges, diverting curves, slashing the explosive tags mid-air with perfect timing.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions erupted in the sky, craters blooming in midair like crimson fireworks.

Haruki's body glowed with chakra as he used the blast's shockwaves to boost himself upward toward the Mist ninjas.

Ao and the other three Jonin shouted, "Attack—keep pressing!"

They formed seals, each casting a signature jutsu.

One unleashed Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet, sending a massive water serpent lunging forward.

Another fired a trio of long water arrows in a "品" formation—designed to corral Haruki into a frontal strike against the dragon.

They coordinated their assault.

Meanwhile, the third unleashed something rare for Kirigakure: Fire Release, spewing a flaming bloom that engulfed Haruki in a blazing bloom.

Haruki's eyes sharpened—quickly, he let go of duplicating the approach, focusing solely on counterplay.

He calmly formed a seal, inhaled deeply, and expended vast chakra to fuel wind release:

From his lips burst the C-rank jutsu: Wind Release—Great Breakthrough!

The simple technique yields immense results when used with precision and Chakra advantage. For Haruki—mastery of chakra control, and a perfected Wind Release technique—drawing 3000 Chakra for this jutsu was nothing.

One third of his chakra pool unleashed in a single hurricane.

Everything attacking him—kunai, jutsu, sword—was obliterated. None could approach him, let alone strike.

Crisis resolved.

Just as Haruki's gaze relaxed and he drew back his hand—a fierce sense of impending danger struck his spine cold.

Instinctively, he banked sideways, twisting sharply away.

Slash—

A thin steel needle grazed his left arm, leaving a deep cut.

Haruki's heart clenched. He realized the kunai wasn't aimed at the arm—it was intended for the back of his neck—but he had reacted just in time.

The venomous strike had struck the blade of safety.