Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

"Die!"

With a low shout, Jūzō Biwa suddenly appeared in front of Uchiha Haruki, swinging his massive Executioner's Blade.

He didn't specifically aim for Haruki's neck, heart, or other vital points. Instead, he simply ensured that the blade made contact anywhere on Haruki's body.

Haruki understood why.

Given the sheer size and razor-sharp edge of the Executioner's Blade, it didn't matter where it hit—any contact could be lethal.

This wide-arc, all-in offense might not have had the finesse of Haruki's swordsmanship, but it was perfectly suited for a weapon like the Executioner's Blade.

And that made things extremely difficult for Haruki.

If not for his Sharingan, which allowed him to clearly read the angles and force behind Jūzō's attacks, this fight would've been overwhelming.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed as Haruki used his short sword to continuously parry Jūzō's relentless strikes. The massive recoil from each blow reverberated through his arms, wearing him down.

As time ticked by, Haruki's situation began to deteriorate.

The surrounding Mist ninja, seeing this, began to stir.

Finally, one of the Mist Special Jōnin couldn't hold back any longer. With a discreet hand seal, he unleashed a Water Release technique—Water Release: Water Whip!

A stream of water flowed from his hand, transforming into a long whip that slowly crept toward Haruki.

At first, the whip's movement was sluggish, but as it neared Haruki, it suddenly snapped forward like a viper, striking with speed.

Yet no matter how fast it was, it wasn't faster than Haruki's reflexes.

His Sharingan caught the motion instantly. Without hesitation, Haruki leaned back, narrowly dodging another swing of Jūzō's Executioner's Blade, and then jumped backward to create distance.

Simultaneously, his left hand formed seals quickly, releasing Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

The fireball and water whip collided with a hissing sound, followed by a billow of white steam, shrouding the area in mist over a ten-meter radius.

While the steam wasn't as dense as that created by Mist's signature Hidden Mist Jutsu, it still obscured vision enough—and that's exactly what Haruki needed.

An opportunity.

With Jūzō not immediately following, Haruki swiftly completed a set of hand signs and activated—Shadow Clone Jutsu!

In an instant, his single body became four.

Haruki and his three clones exchanged glances.

Then, one of the clones dashed off, targeting the outer Mist-nin, continuing the mission to thin their ranks—and more importantly, to stop them from interfering.

As for chakra consumption?

That was no longer a problem.

Back when Haruki was being surrounded earlier, he had already resolved it. During the chaos, he'd absorbed chakra from numerous Mist Chūnin using Chakra Absorption Technique, refilling his reserves.

Now, each clone held over 10,000 chakra points, enough for battle.

With one clone keeping the outer enemies occupied, Haruki and his two remaining clones focused their attention on Jūzō Biwa.

Seeing him use shadow clones for combat, Jūzō didn't mock him.

After all, he hadn't forgotten how Haruki used the same technique to kill Kaguya Morinosuke. Underestimating it now would be tantamount to suicide.

"Is he going to use that?"

Jūzō's gaze swept over Haruki and his clones, thinking of the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken Haruki had used before.

And that was exactly what Haruki wanted him to think.

As long as Jūzō feared that deadly move, even if he didn't cower, he would definitely hold back a little during the fight.

That small hesitation would be all Haruki needed—whether he actually used Rasenshuriken again or something else, the battle would tilt in his favor.

Just as Haruki was considering his next move, a familiar sensation of being watched crept over him again—and this time, it lingered longer than before.

Haruki's brows furrowed for a moment before he relaxed.

He understood now: not only were the Mist-nin on the field wary of his Rasenshuriken, but even the hidden enemies watching from the shadows were afraid of it.

Sure enough, the moment he activated Shadow Clone Jutsu, someone lurking nearby immediately focused their attention on him—evidently trying to figure out what he was planning.

Haruki wasn't concerned.

He hadn't even decided whether he'd use the Rasenshuriken again—and even if he did and someone saw it, so what?

In fact, it might even be a perfect trap.

Right now, the only reason he needed clones to assist with the Rasenshuriken was due to his lack of mastery—he wasn't confident he could hit a skilled opponent like Jūzō in a one-on-one.

If they wrongly assumed that clones were essential for him to execute the jutsu...

Well, won't they be surprised later.

And even if they didn't fall for it—no big deal.

As long as his Mangekyō Sharingan remained a secret, everything else was secondary.

A move like Wind Release: Rasenshuriken wasn't something worth hiding forever.

Countless thoughts passed through Haruki's mind in a flash. Without waiting for Jūzō to strike, Haruki and his two clones charged forward.

Unlike ordinary shinobi, Haruki could use his clones to fully maximize the capabilities of the Sharingan.

After all, dodging the genjutsu of one Sharingan was hard enough—dodging three at once was even worse.

While his clones couldn't share vision like Nagato's Six Paths of Pain, they could still coordinate well, unleashing incredible teamwork.

The only catch was—they had to completely change their fighting style.

Earlier, when it was just Haruki and Jūzō, Haruki could block the Executioner's Blade head-on with his short sword.

But now?

That approach wouldn't work anymore.

With Jūzō's raw power, if a clone tried to block him directly, it would be destroyed in just a few hits.

And if only the clones avoided direct confrontation while the real Haruki still fought head-on, it would become obvious which one was the original.

To avoid that, Haruki changed tactics entirely—switching to a mobility-based fighting style for both himself and the clones.

Fortunately, each of them had Sharingan.

With its powerful perception, avoiding head-on collisions was relatively easy.

Seconds ticked by as the battle raged on.

Outside the main skirmish, the Mist-nin were being held off by one of Haruki's clones.

Meanwhile, inside the field, Jūzō Biwa, despite his skill and experience, was starting to lose ground, being outmaneuvered and overwhelmed by Haruki and his two clones.

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