Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Uchiha Haruki had no idea about the secret meeting between Aburame Ryoma and Orochimaru.

At this moment, he was still on his way back to the main base.

Although the base had requested his immediate return, Haruki didn't rush. Along the way, he moved at his own pace, stopping occasionally, taking time every day to train.

As a result, it wasn't until the afternoon of the third day that he finally arrived back at the main headquarters.

After months away, returning to this familiar place filled Haruki with a strange sense of nostalgia.

He remembered clearly—when he first graduated, his first assignment on the battlefield in the Land of Rain had been right here, doing basic support and patrol duties.

Unknowingly, more than a year had passed. His strength had grown tremendously, while many of the teachers and classmates who had come with him had long since perished on the battlefield.

"Sigh..."

Letting out a soft sigh, Haruki stopped lingering and headed deeper into the main camp.

Along the way, he encountered several patrol teams, verified his identity multiple times, and crossed several defensive lines before finally reaching the central headquarters.

At the mission center, after completing his check-in, he wasn't immediately assigned a new mission. Instead, he was given three days of leave.

During those three days, as long as he remained within the boundaries of the main base, he was free to move about as he pleased.

Stepping out of the mission center, Haruki glanced back at the signboard and muttered:

"Three days off... why does this feel like a death row meal?"

Shaking his head, he pushed the thought aside.

Since he had been given time off, he might as well use it. As for what came after—

He'd deal with it afterward.

Of course, he wouldn't let those three days go to waste—training would continue as usual.

But before training, there was something else he had to take care of.

Shing—

Haruki drew the short sword from his waist.

Staring at the ordinary-looking weapon in his hand, he slid it back into its sheath and headed straight for the Uchiha clan's base camp within the larger headquarters.

It had been nearly two months since he submitted his request for equipment support, and still no response.

Now that he was back, it was time to see what was going on.

Soon enough, he located the Uchiha clan's on-site commander—a veteran elder.

Well, "elder" might've been a stretch; the man looked to be just over fifty.

But in a world where the average life expectancy barely reached thirty, fifty was already considered old.

On top of that, he carried old injuries from his years on the battlefield, making him appear even older than he was—so the title "elder" still fit.

Seeing Haruki approach, the Uchiha elder greeted him with a smile:

"Oh? Haruki, you're back?"

Haruki's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You knew I was coming back?"

"Hehehe~"

The elder chuckled, then replied meaningfully:

"Haruki, don't underestimate the clan's intelligence network. We've got people even in the mission center. The moment your transfer order was issued, I was informed."

Haruki nodded slowly. That made sense.

Although the Uchiha clan was subtly being pushed aside and suppressed by the Konoha higher-ups, as one of the village's great families, they still had their own sources and connections.

Since that was the case—

His gaze flickered. Instead of asking about the support request right away, he shifted topics:

"Then, Elder, do you know why I was summoned back to the main base?"

Upon hearing the question, the elder's smile faded quickly.

"So, you've sensed it too."

Sigh...

The elder let out a long breath and said gravely:

"This is likely another instance of Konoha targeting our clan."

That phrasing—'Konoha... our clan'—instantly told Haruki that this elder was likely one of the radical voices within the Uchiha.

He was clearly separating the Uchiha from Konoha with his words, and what's more, he subtly included Haruki himself as part of that "us."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have used a word like "our."

In that instant, many thoughts raced through Haruki's mind, but he didn't voice any objections.

He simply waited silently for what the elder would say next.

Judging by his expression, it seemed like he knew something important.

Sure enough, the elder continued:

"It's not just you. Shisui—I mean, Uchiha Shisui, you know who he is, right?"

"Yeah," Haruki nodded. "We fought during the Chūnin Exams."

"That's him."

The elder nodded. "Shisui's been summoned back as well."

"From the intel we've gathered, it looks like the two of you will be sent to the Kirigakure Front alongside a support unit."

"Kirigakure?"

Haruki feigned slight surprise.

As he'd already considered before, the Mist and Sand battlefronts were notoriously unfriendly to Uchiha shinobi.

The Mist Village, for one, specialized in Mist Concealment Techniques, which severely restricted the effectiveness of the Sharingan, which relies on vision.

Furthermore, the Mist frontlines were situated along the southeastern coast of the Land of Fire, and battles often extended into the sea.

This marine environment posed another significant challenge to the Uchiha, who specialized in Fire Release techniques.

With all these factors combined, the Mist front was clearly a deadly posting for them.

As for the Sand front—

It wasn't quite as dangerous as the Mist front, but it wasn't much better.

The puppet masters of Sunagakure were natural counters to the Uchiha.

Not only because they fought through puppets, nullifying the effectiveness of the Sharingan, but also because they were skilled in poison.

Even minor injuries could prove fatal without immediate treatment.

Now, you could argue:

"Dangerous or not, it's not just Uchiha being sent there. If others can go, why not them?"

Sure, Uchiha shinobi could go.

But here's the key problem: Eighty percent of the Uchiha clan's shinobi were being concentrated on just those two dangerous fronts.

The targeted suppression was painfully obvious.

And with that in mind, it was no wonder the Uchiha would eventually rise in rebellion.

It would've been more surprising if they didn't.

Of course, that was all distant context. Right now, Haruki had more immediate concerns:

He was going to the Mist Front.

He wasn't afraid—

With his current strength, even that dangerous battlefield wasn't enough to faze him.

But that didn't mean he was okay with it.

The elder's words had basically confirmed that someone was trying to set him up.

And who?

Haruki already had someone in mind.

After all, there were only a handful of people who could influence Orochimaru's decisions.

And among them, one name stood out the most:

Shimura Danzō—that old snake.

Haruki hadn't forgotten that after the Chūnin Exams, Danzō had sent people to ambush and assassinate him on the road.

"Tch… should I just take him out?"

The thought sprang into Haruki's mind.

But ultimately, he shook his head.

It wasn't that he lacked the will to do it. He wasn't afraid, nor did he hesitate when it came to necessary action.

The problem was—Danzō's whereabouts were too well hidden.

That man had done so many dirty deeds that he'd gone underground to avoid retaliation. Only Root shinobi even knew where he was.

And Root operatives were all bound by the "Curse of the Tongue"—the Forbidden Seal of Absolute Secrecy.

They couldn't speak about Danzō's secrets, no matter the method—willingly or unwillingly.

That meant Haruki couldn't extract any intel from them, even if he wanted to.

So for now, he had to let it go.

But this grudge?

He'd etched it deep into his memory.

The first chance he got, he would absolutely eliminate Danzō.

As for whether he could win?

"What a joke."

If it were the future version of Danzō with an arm full of Sharingan and the power of Izanagi and Wood Release, then sure, it might be a tough fight.

But the current Danzō?

Not even worth mentioning.