Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

That's right—Uchiha Haruki truly didn't know any Earth Release jutsu that didn't require hand seals. In fact, he hadn't even developed Earth-nature chakra at all.

However, that didn't mean he had no other way to escape.

The moment he was buried by the earth, he activated his Dōjutsu—Heavenly Dominion (Amatsu no Miya), entering a brief state of invincibility.

In that moment, nothing in the ninja world could harm him—not even the technique cast by Hayakawa Kaede.

What?

You're saying he's not supposed to reveal the Mangekyō Sharingan?

It's true—Haruki had no intention of exposing the Mangekyō Sharingan unnecessarily. But that didn't mean he'd let that fear paralyze him.

And being buried underground? It was the perfect opportunity.

In such a situation, even if he activated his Mangekyō and used "Heavenly Dominion," no one would notice.

So naturally—he used it.

In fact, the idea had already crossed his mind when he sensed the opponent was preparing a long and powerful technique.

Not because he had foreseen the exact jutsu that would be used—but simply because the longer the preparation, the more likely it would be a devastatingly destructive move.

And with power came noise—and noise was an opportunity to act unnoticed.

So, he didn't need to predict the exact jutsu—he only needed to know that its effect would cause enough of a commotion for him to use as cover.

Otherwise, he would have disrupted it before it was cast.

Though he had been pinned down by the other Mist Jōnin's Earth Release: Rising Earth Spear, if he truly wanted to stop Kaede, he had options—be it Shadow Clone Jutsu, another diversion, or simply retreating earlier.

The truth was—Haruki had allowed the jutsu to be completed.

And now, the result proved he made the right decision.

Thanks to the ability of Heavenly Dominion, he effortlessly slipped behind the enemy's back—and with a single stab, pierced straight through the heart.

Splurt—

A mouthful of blood gushed from Hayakawa Kaede's lips.

Wasabi turned his head and saw the shocking sight. His mind reeled—and the moment he laid eyes on Haruki behind Kaede, he panicked.

"You—!"

He tried to say something, but before he could utter more than a word, Haruki vanished from view—replaced by a pair of blood-red Sharingan, filling his vision.

"No—it's genjutsu!"

Realizing his mistake too late, Wasabi frantically circulated his chakra to break the illusion.

But—he was too late.

Shhhk—

Haruki yanked the short sword from Kaede's body and casually swung it, slicing Wasabi's throat cleanly.

"Hggggh...!"

The suffocating sensation flooded in. Wasabi managed to break free of the genjutsu—but could do nothing more than clutch his neck, making meaningless choking noises.

Thud. Thud.

Two heavy thuds followed. Both Hayakawa Kaede and Wasabi collapsed to the ground.

Ninja were far more resilient than ordinary people. Even with such mortal wounds, the two managed to hang on briefly—before finally succumbing to death.

Haruki looked at their corpses and wiped the blood trickling from beneath his left eye—a side effect of using "Heavenly Dominion"—then exhaled deeply.

With that, all three Mist Jōnin—excluding the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—had died by his hand.

The surrounding Mist-nin, whether Special Jōnin or Chūnin, all wore looks of disbelief.

Their morale? Plummeting.

By contrast, the Konoha shinobi fighting them suddenly had a huge morale boost.

They were still at a numerical disadvantage, but they no longer looked as hopeless as before.

Swoosh—

Haruki flicked the blood from his blade.

He turned his gaze to the surrounding Mist-nin. Anyone he looked at instantly felt an overwhelming pressure—a weight they couldn't shake.

But Haruki didn't strike immediately.

Instead, he turned his attention to the three distant Jōnin battlefields.

First—Uchiha Shisui.

He was still kiting around Munashi Jinpachi. The "Blasting Blade: Splash" was powerful and dangerous, but Shisui's perfect synergy of genjutsu, ninjutsu, and Body Flicker techniques gave Jinpachi no advantage whatsoever.

That battlefield didn't need his help.

Next was the unit captain, facing Kurotsuchi Raiga, whose "Thunder Blade: Fang" could manipulate lightning—a nightmare for most shinobi.

But the captain countered him with Wind Release techniques, which naturally suppressed lightning, plus powerful Fire Release moves to hold the line.

That battlefield was stable as well.

Only the vice-captain was in trouble.

He was the weakest of the three.

Even though the "Executioner's Blade" didn't offer many direct combat enhancements, against Zabuza Momochi, he was clearly struggling—his body already covered in wounds.

Still, Haruki didn't move to assist.

His logic remained the same—if the overall battle broke down and the Chūnin front collapsed, they Jōnin would be the ones to suffer next.

So before helping Shisui and the others fight the Seven Swordsmen, he had to weaken the enemy's frontline—targeting Mist Special Jōnin and Chūnin to ease the pressure on Konoha's forces.

Only then could he safely join the elite battlefield.

Having made up his mind, Haruki wasted no more time.

His body flickered—and in the blink of an eye, he was in the midst of the enemy ranks.

"Aaaagh!"

A Mist Chūnin screamed in agony—but his cry was cut short.

Haruki grabbed him by the throat, activating Chakra Absorption Technique.

In mere seconds, the enemy's chakra was completely drained.

Next came the second enemy—Haruki injured him, then used the same technique to extract his chakra.

One after another, Haruki struck down Mist Chūnin after Mist Chūnin, replenishing his chakra reserves to over 40,000 points.

By this time, the Mist Special Jōnin finally reacted. They encircled him, forming a complete trap.

But Haruki showed no fear—in fact, he even had the leisure to count them aloud.

"One, two, three…"

Angered by his arrogance, one of the Special Jōnin roared, "Kill him!"

In an instant, they all lunged at Haruki.

A chaotic battle erupted.

Surrounded and under siege, Haruki either swung his blade, cast ninjutsu, or used genjutsu with his Sharingan.

Short of his Mangekyō, he used everything at his disposal.

Soon, the first casualty emerged.

One Mist Special Jōnin was caught off guard—Haruki landed a direct Rasengan to the stomach, leaving him critically wounded.

The others hesitated briefly—but quickly pressed forward again, attacking even more fiercely.

But Haruki remained unfazed.

With the Sharingan's incredible insight, he dodged left and right, narrowly avoiding their strikes again and again.

At the same time, he scanned the flurry of blades and jutsu—searching for the perfect opportunity to strike back.