Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

A fine drizzle fell from the sky, tapping against the forest leaves, merging and dripping down to the earth with soft pattering sounds.

A squad of Iwa-nin was moving swiftly through the woods.

Suddenly, the ninja in front halted abruptly. He looked down at the ground—and his face changed drastically.

"Retreat! Now!" he shouted in panic, already leaping backward as he spoke.

The rest of the team, though confused, didn't hesitate. They immediately scattered and leapt away from the area.

Just then—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions erupted ahead. Several crimson fireballs shot skyward, the searing flames instantly evaporating the rain around them and igniting trees nearby.

"It's explosive tags!" one of the Iwa-nin cried out.

The next moment, a powerful gust swept through with blistering heat, making it almost impossible to keep their eyes open.

Then—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of kunai flew from the shadows, hurtling toward the Iwa-nin in a coordinated ambush.

"Watch out!"

The leading ninja drew his kunai, swinging it swiftly to deflect the incoming barrage.

The others quickly followed suit, defending themselves from attacks on all sides.

To their credit, the Iwa-nin squad's combat instincts were solid. Though they'd been caught off guard, they managed to hold their formation quickly. No one was killed outright, and only a few suffered light injuries.

Seeing that the first ambush hadn't delivered a killing blow, Makimura Tanikawa immediately abandoned the idea of a direct confrontation and ordered the execution of Plan B.

Plan B was simple: guerrilla warfare.

Keep the Iwa-nin tied up in the forest while the other squad moved further away from the battlefield. As long as they could gain some distance, the enemy would be reluctant to pursue.

This was still within Konoha's defensive territory, after all. Chasing too deep could risk an ambush from reinforcements.

That was why Tanikawa had the confidence to stay behind with only a handful of ninja to stall the Iwa-nin force.

A few sharp whistles rang out in the forest, signaling the plan. Hidden nearby, Uchiha Haruki quickly deciphered the meaning behind them.

"Plan B, huh…" he murmured. After a moment of thought, he nodded. "That works."

Ever since learning Chakra Absorption Technique, Haruki hadn't had a chance to test it in real combat. Now that the opportunity was here, he wasn't going to pass it up.

With that thought, Haruki disappeared into the trees.

Meanwhile…

After dodging the initial ambush, the Iwa-nin squad had split into smaller teams, wary of further traps. Each group moved toward where the kunai had been thrown from.

Before long, fierce battles echoed throughout the forest.

Three Iwa chūnin approached Haruki's position.

Hidden atop a tree branch, his crimson Sharingan eyes stared down at them like a predator stalking prey.

Below—

One of the Iwa-nin shivered unexpectedly.

He turned to his companion. "Ishimatsu, do you feel like… something's watching us?"

"What? You feel it too?" Ishimatsu's face turned pale. He gasped in alarm.

The third Iwa-nin glanced around. Now all three felt the eerie tension in the air.

But it was already too late.

Haruki dropped from the trees, landing in front of the ninja who had just spoken.

A flash of cold steel glinted in the rain as he swung his short sword.

Ishimatsu raised his kunai to block—but in that instant, the crimson glow of the Sharingan met his gaze.

His mind faltered.

Slash!

The blade tore across his chest, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound.

In just one move, this Iwa chūnin was out of the fight.

"Ishimatsu!" the ninja beside him shouted. In a panic, he flung a kunai at Haruki, trying to stop him from finishing off his comrade.

But Haruki didn't bother to finish Ishimatsu.

Instead, he dodged the kunai with a flicker of movement and launched himself toward the other enemy.

Too close to escape, the second Iwa-nin could only raise his kunai to block.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their weapons clashed in rapid succession.

Meanwhile, the third Iwa-nin—who had thrown the kunai—finally recovered and drew another blade to join the fray.

But Haruki wasn't someone average chūnin could match.

Using a combination of Konoha-Style Swordsmanship and Uchiha-Style Swordsmanship, paired with the dual tomoe Sharingan, Haruki quickly seized the upper hand.

Cold sweat, mixed with rain, dripped from the faces of his two opponents.

Finally, after yet another failed attempt to counterattack, one of them suddenly backed away, dropped his kunai, and began forming hand seals—preparing to cast a jutsu.

But Haruki's reflexes were lightning fast.

The moment his opponent moved back, Haruki saw an opening. The hypnotic ability of the Sharingan activated.

The remaining Iwa-nin was caught off guard just long enough for Haruki to strike.

Slash!

His short sword pierced the ninja's right arm. Haruki followed up with a spinning kick that launched the man backward into a tree.

Thud!

Blood sprayed from his mouth as he hit the trunk hard.

He groaned in pain, trying to get back up.

But Haruki wasn't finished.

He threw three kunai in a single, fluid motion—pinning the ninja's other arm and both legs to the ground.

"Ahhhh!" the Iwa-nin screamed in pain, finally losing all ability to fight.

By this point, the last Iwa-nin had only just completed his hand seals.

Before he could release the jutsu, Haruki charged forward, sword at the ready.

The enemy ninja quickly slapped his hand on the ground, casting Earth Style: Swamp Trap Jutsu!

Instantly, the ground beneath Haruki's feet softened, threatening to become a pit of mud.

But he was far too fast.

With no one restricting his movement, he darted out of the jutsu's range before it could take effect.

Slash!

His sword cut deep into the man's shoulder, slicing away a chunk of flesh.

Had the Iwa-nin reacted a moment slower, that blade would have landed on his neck.

But surviving one blow didn't mean survival.

Even when they had teamed up, these two chūnin hadn't been Haruki's match—now that only one remained, the outcome was already decided.

Within a few more strikes, Haruki disabled the ninja's other arm.

Then, his hands flashed through a rapid series of seals.

Chakra gathered in his right palm.

He grabbed the back of the enemy's head and pressed down firmly.

The Chakra Absorption Technique activated.

In seconds, Haruki could feel the enemy's chakra flooding out of their body, passing through his palm, and entering his own chakra pathways.

One second… two seconds… three…

About twenty seconds later, Haruki let go.

The Iwa-nin collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Haruki opened his system panel and scanned it—his chakra reserves had increased by about 1,000 points.

Based on the process, he could now estimate the effects of Chakra Absorption Technique (Level 1).

Roughly 100 chakra points could be drawn per second, with half of that being converted into Haruki's own chakra.

Not the most efficient, perhaps—but still incredibly useful.

A small gain was still a gain.

Besides, with further leveling, these drawbacks could eventually be resolved.

It wasn't a problem.