Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Several shuriken flew from Uchiha Shisui's hands, all aimed at Uchiha Haruki's vital points.

The two tomoe in Haruki's Sharingan spun rapidly as he locked onto every single incoming shuriken, calculating their trajectories in an instant.

With a few flickers of movement, he dodged most of them. The two he couldn't avoid, he swatted away midair with precise sword strikes—one for each.

Without slowing down, Haruki charged again.

Shisui responded in kind—throwing kunai while simultaneously using Body Flicker Technique to increase the distance between them.

And so the chase continued.

Every time Shisui ran out of ninja tools, he would resort to ninjutsu attacks.

Haruki's Sharingan allowed him to avoid damage, but he couldn't close the gap—his plan for close combat was being thoroughly shut down.

"If that's how you want to play... then let's see whose ninjutsu is better!"

Haruki stopped in his tracks, spinning his wrist to sheath his short sword.

Then he raised both hands and swiftly formed the seals: Rat → Tiger → Dog → Ox → Hare → Tiger.

He opened his mouth—

And unleashed dozens, if not hundreds, of fireballs, small and fierce, like seeds of a blazing phoenix flower, dancing through the air toward Shisui.

"That fast?!"

Shisui was stunned and hurried to evade.

But he had completely underestimated Haruki's proficiency with the Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique and got caught off guard.

It wasn't really Shisui's fault. When Haruki had used Great Fireball Technique earlier, it hadn't seemed all that impressive. Naturally, he'd assumed Haruki's fire-style ninjutsu was just average.

Who would've thought this particular jutsu was where Haruki excelled?

Getting caught off guard was understandable.

But Haruki wasn't going to waste this opportunity. Seeing Shisui barely escape the first barrage, Haruki immediately launched a second wave—same technique, but this time, he added several shuriken just as the fireballs were launched.

A surprise combo like this would trip up most people.

But Shisui wasn't most people.

His eyes never left Haruki even for a moment.

The instant Haruki launched his attack, Shisui sensed that something was different.

He moved more cautiously this time.

Even so, when he saw blazing hot shuriken flying from within the fireballs, he couldn't help but flinch. The heat radiating from them alone was enough to make him shudder—he didn't want to imagine what they'd feel like on skin.

Fortunately, with his Sharingan, this type of attack didn't pose too great a threat.

With a few well-timed steps, Shisui dodged again.

"Tch. Shame."

Haruki clicked his tongue but didn't slow down—he unleashed another round of Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.

With his current chakra reserves, he could easily cast it fifty to sixty times without issue.

Since Shisui refused to engage him in close quarters, Haruki would force him into it.

After all, no one can defend forever.

This kind of attack—he could repeat it over and over.

Sure, Shisui could dodge once. Twice. Even eight or ten times.

But all it took was one slip-up, and that was all Haruki needed.

And as time dragged on, Haruki began to read Shisui's habits more and more clearly.

With that understanding, combined with the insight of the Sharingan, predicting Shisui's movements became easier by the second.

Shisui's pressure would only increase from here.

Eventually, he'd have no choice: either engage Haruki directly or make a mistake and be forced into it.

Either way—Haruki had nothing to lose.

So he wasn't in any hurry.

All he had to do now was keep his eyes on Shisui's movements and stay sharp for any potential counterattacks.

Time passed, minute by minute.

On the second-floor corridor, the already-eliminated genin watched the battle in stunned silence.

They stared at the match below, feeling like they were watching something far beyond their level.

With the kind of power these two were showing, if any of them had been down there… they'd be dead ten times over.

"Are they really just genin?"

Someone finally voiced what everyone else was thinking.

No one answered.

All eyes were locked on the fight.

Finally, after narrowly dodging yet another wave of fireballs, Shisui launched his counterattack.

Maybe he knew that dragging this out wouldn't end well.

Maybe he was just done waiting.

Either way, he made his move.

But even counterattacks require strategy.

First: Avoid close combat at all costs.

Second: Use ninjutsu only for support.

His Sharingan had just awakened not long ago, and he hadn't learned many jutsu yet. His only real ace was the Great Fireball Technique.

But as the earlier clash had proven, it wasn't nearly enough to hurt Haruki.

Which left him with only one real weapon:

Genjutsu.

That was the only area where he had gained an edge earlier.

And if that's where his advantage lay—then he needed to press it.

But of course, anything Shisui could think of, Haruki had already considered as well.

So when Shisui tried to use Great Fireball as a distraction, Haruki didn't budge an inch.

He activated Body Flicker Technique, dodged the incoming fireball—

Then flipped the script: using the opportunity to cast Genjutsu: Shackling Stakes Technique.

Earlier, Haruki had taken damage in their genjutsu clash not because Shisui was overwhelmingly stronger—but because Shisui had struck first.

That made all the difference.

After all, Shisui's Sharingan hadn't evolved into Mangekyō yet. At the two-tomoe stage, the gap wasn't too wide.

So this time, with Haruki seizing the initiative, the outcome was entirely different.

Caught off guard, Shisui had no mental defenses ready. The intense pain caused by the illusion overwhelmed him, and for the first time, the prodigy cried out loud.

He was only nine years old, after all.

Mature for his age, yes—but still a child.

When pain hit suddenly and violently, it was hard to endure.

Haruki didn't care.

Seeing Shisui locked in place, he didn't hesitate for even a second. His hands, still raised, quickly formed the next seals: Snake → Dragon → Hare → Tiger.

Then—he breathed out a stream of fire:

Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique.

This jutsu had one signature feature: speed.

Especially in a straight line, it was faster than most other Fire Release techniques.

As for ninja tools?

Sorry—he had already used them all.

Watching the roaring flame surge toward him, Shisui's pupils shrank in shock. A surge of fear flooded his chest.

But a genius is still a genius.

Even in a moment like this, he managed to steady his mind.

And just when it seemed too late—

Relying on the power of his two-tomoe Sharingan and sheer mental strength, he broke free from the genjutsu and leapt to the side just in time.

The exam proctor, who had been about to intervene, stopped in place.

The flames exploded against the floor with a deafening boom.

Shisui had barely been grazed.

That was the one weakness of Dragon Fire Technique—it only traveled in a straight line. No curves, no tracking.

But that was enough.

Before Shisui could even get to his feet, Haruki appeared beside him, having used Body Flicker Technique again.

Shisui felt the cold steel at his neck.

He hesitated for a moment—

Then quietly said, "I concede."