Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Uchiha Haruki sheathed his short sword and stared solemnly at the Mist jōnin stepping out from the forest.

He could clearly sense that this ninja's strength was on a completely different level from the Tokubetsu Jōnin he had slain earlier.

Judging by his outfit and appearance…

Clad in a white kimono, with two hair buns, black eye shadow, and two red dots between his brows—there was no mistaking it—he was a member of the Kaguya clan.

The Kaguya Clan, a renowned bloodline family from Kirigakure, possessed a powerful kekkei genkai—Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse)—which allowed them to manipulate their own bones at will.

Most members specialized in taijutsu and had exceptional physical prowess.

Noticing Haruki's gaze, Kaguya Morinosuke also looked him over, and when his eyes landed on Haruki's Sharingan, his gaze brimmed with uncontainable bloodlust.

Sensing this, Haruki mentally sighed. "As expected… this clan is completely deranged."

It wasn't an insult—the Kaguya clan was infamous for their violent tendencies.

They revered combat, thrived on killing, and slowly descended into madness through bloodshed. Eventually, many became bloodthirsty and completely psychotic.

This particular jōnin standing before him had joined this mission not out of duty, but simply to satisfy his own murderous impulses.

"A Sharingan… A Uchiha…"

"Good! Very good!"

Kaguya Morinosuke muttered, and then suddenly burst into maniacal laughter. "Hahaha—!"

Yet Haruki remained expressionless, simply standing in place, watching him silently.

A few seconds later, Morinosuke abruptly stopped laughing. His crazed expression vanished, replaced with cold focus.

Clearly, he had been faking it.

Yes, the Kaguya were brutal, but that didn't make them stupid.

On the contrary, their battle experience and tactical instincts were top-tier, honed by years on the front lines.

Everything Morinosuke had just done had been a ploy to provoke Haruki into making the first move.

Too bad Haruki didn't fall for it.

Realizing this, Morinosuke dropped the act. His gaze turned icy, and in a raspy voice, he sneered, "Hehehe… I hope you don't die as easily as the others."

Hearing that, Haruki glanced past him.

There, two Konoha Tokubetsu Jōnin lay dead, their bodies limp and boneless—as if every bone had been shattered.

Clearly, this was Morinosuke's doing.

But Haruki didn't feel angry.

For one, he barely knew those fallen comrades—there was no emotional attachment.

And second, if he could kill Mist Tokubetsu Jōnin, it was only fair the enemy could kill Konoha's.

Fair is fair.

As for casualties on both sides?

That just meant they were unlucky—or too weak.

"Die!"

Seeing Haruki avert his eyes, Morinosuke wasted no time.

He lifted both hands and performed a taijutsu technique—

Shikotsumyaku: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!

In the blink of an eye, the bones of all ten fingers pierced through his flesh, launching forward like bullets aimed at Haruki's vital points.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The piercing sound of bone bullets cutting through the air made Haruki's pupils contract. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun at full speed.

Suddenly, time seemed to slow to a crawl in his perception.

The incoming bone projectiles looked as if they were crawling like snails, each moving slowly toward different parts of his body.

Haruki tracked their paths, and with swift precision, swung his short sword—

Clang, clang, clang!

Every single bone bullet was knocked away.

Though it all sounded slow, in reality, it happened in an instant.

Seeing his attack so easily neutralized, Morinosuke's surging battle lust returned.

Once again, his ten fingers fired, bone bullets flying relentlessly, trying to breach Haruki's sword defense.

But it was futile.

Haruki's three-tomoe Sharingan, combined with nearly Lv. 7 sword mastery, meant that simple projectiles like this were no threat at all.

Moreover, with each exchange, Haruki grew more familiar with Morinosuke's habits.

Then, during one volley of attacks, Haruki sidestepped the bone bullets, moving swiftly—and locked eyes with Morinosuke.

In that moment, he raised a hand—

Genjutsu: Sharingan!

A powerful wave of spiritual energy erupted.

Though it lacked the Mangekyō's boost, this fast-cast genjutsu still packed considerable power.

Morinosuke's face froze. His body went rigid.

Perfect.

Haruki lunged forward, short sword aimed directly for the man's heart.

But at the last second, the battle-hardened instincts Morinosuke had forged in countless life-or-death duels kicked in—

He broke free of the illusion.

Though Haruki's blade was already inches away, Morinosuke raised his right hand and grabbed the short sword.

Slice!

The sound of metal tearing through flesh echoed.

Blood trickled from his hand.

Haruki felt resistance—but pushed harder.

The white blade pierced through Morinosuke's palm, trailing crimson as it advanced toward his heart.

But… he was just a second too slow.

Morinosuke had used his hand to delay the strike, giving himself just enough time to shift his body.

Stab!

The sword pierced his chest—but missed the heart.

Worse, it didn't go very deep. Haruki felt his blade stop, as if hitting solid metal.

Morinosuke grinned wickedly, baring his fang-like teeth.

"You little brat… that actually hurt."

With that, he tightened his grip on the sword.

Suddenly, bone spikes burst from his right arm, ripping through muscle and thrusting toward Haruki.

Haruki's heart sank. "Misjudged!"

He tried to pull the sword back—but Morinosuke's grip was too tight.

With no other choice, he released the hilt, kicked off the ground, and leapt backward.

Seeing Haruki disengage, Morinosuke tossed the sword aside and rapidly fired another volley—

Ten-Finger Bone Bullets!

Haruki's Sharingan spun rapidly, locking onto the incoming projectiles.

As he retreated, he reached into his ninja pouch and drew a kunai, deflecting every shot mid-air.

Clang, clang, clang!

Haruki deflected all the attacks with ease.

Morinosuke, however, only laughed.

"Hahaha! As expected of the Sharingan! I hope you last long enough to entertain me!"

As he spoke, he ripped off his clothing—

Then, fully activating Shikotsumyaku, white bone spikes erupted from all over his body.

In mere seconds, he transformed into a monstrous figure covered in gleaming bone blades.

This was the true power of Shikotsumyaku—by manipulating osteoblasts and osteoclasts, the user could instantly generate dense bone armor and deadly weapons, achieving both absolute defense and an unstoppable offense.