Over the past few days of training, Uchiha Haruki had pushed his Rasengan to the peak of Level 6, just a single step away from reaching Level 7.
So although the chakra sphere he just formed looked small, it actually contained over 500 chakra points.
Such a massive burst of chakra unleashing all at once—one could imagine the destructive power it carried.
"Akio!"
Watching as Matsushita Akio spewed blood violently, another Mist jōnin shouted his name.
But Akio could no longer respond.
After the Rasengan had critically injured him, Haruki didn't hesitate in the slightest. With a flash of blue light around him, he activated Instant Blade Technique and appeared right at Akio's side.
Then his blade swept out—slitting Akio's carotid artery.
In that moment, all breath left the man's body.
Whoosh~
Flicking the blood off his sword, Haruki turned around to face the remaining four Mist jōnin, his gaze ice-cold and detached.
But the four didn't flinch. With a glance exchanged, they quickly resumed their assault using various jutsu.
Haruki, seeing this, didn't say a word. He simply raised his blade and charged.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clashing of steel echoed once more.
One man, one sword—Haruki faced off against four elite Mist jōnin and wasn't at a disadvantage at all.
In fact, he was gradually gaining the upper hand.
And as the battle dragged on, this became more and more evident.
Then—Ssshhhkkk! The sharp slice of a blade tearing flesh.
One of the Mist jōnin failed to dodge in time, and Haruki's blade carved a deep gash across his chest.
Blood dripped steadily, and the battle paused momentarily.
At this point, Yukikaze stared at Haruki with growing unease.
He didn't know why, but Haruki's strength seemed to have increased again compared to a month ago.
True, Haruki was at an age where rapid improvement was expected—but this growth was abnormally fast.
And he was right.
With the help of the Skill Proficiency Panel, a single month of training for Haruki was worth several months of grueling practice for others.
Beyond the general upgrade of all his jutsu by a full level, just the two-point boost in Constitution alone had been a game-changer.
Constitution didn't just affect potential and chakra recovery—it also improved every physical attribute.
And with the Sharingan enhancing everything further, the growth was astronomical.
That was why Yukikaze felt such a noticeable difference.
After several seconds of deadlock, the Mist jōnin launched their next assault.
This time, they abandoned close-range combat and began forming distance between them, attempting ranged attacks.
Haruki wouldn't allow it—he immediately tried to rush them.
But Yukikaze moved first, leaping in front of him with an ice blade forming in his palm, slashing directly toward Haruki.
Forced to defend, Haruki engaged Yukikaze in close combat once more.
Meanwhile, the other three Mist jōnin successfully pulled away.
One of them formed hand seals, opened his mouth, and unleashed a barely detectable soundwave aimed at Haruki's ears.
Hearing it, Haruki's body trembled slightly, and the three tomoe in his Sharingan flickered erratically, disturbed.
This was an extremely rare auditory Genjutsu—and Haruki, caught off guard, was affected immediately.
Thankfully, his spiritual strength was formidable, and he broke free from the Genjutsu within moments.
But just as he regained clarity, he saw a massive water dragon barreling toward him.
He knew this move all too well—Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet, a B-rank jutsu.
It had been launched by another Mist jōnin.
Seeing the water dragon charging at him, Haruki didn't hesitate. With a few quick backsteps, he pulled himself out of range.
Boom!
The water dragon smashed into the sea, sending towering waves several meters high, crashing toward Haruki.
The ocean surged violently, making it hard for him to keep his balance.
Just then, the third Mist jōnin made his move—he opened his mouth and shot a razor-sharp water arrow directly at Haruki's chest.
Sensing danger, Haruki ignored the crashing waves and stabilized his footing, quickly weaving hand signs before casting:
Water Style: Giant Shark Bullet!
He had learned this from Kisame Hoshigaki over a month ago, and by now it had reached Level 4, nearly at Level 5.
While it might not have overwhelming offensive force at this level, its defensive power was more than sufficient—especially against straightforward attacks like this.
And to avoid making the same mistake Kisame once had, Haruki had already confirmed via Sharingan that the water arrow was indeed a ninjutsu—not some weird taijutsu hybrid.
The jutsu activated.
A giant water shark materialized in front of him and surged toward the incoming arrow.
As soon as the two clashed, the shark opened its mouth and swallowed the water arrow whole.
Its size then expanded dramatically into a larger shark that continued charging toward the Mist jōnin who had cast the attack.
The enemy froze momentarily, eyes widening—then quickly dodged to the side.
This was why Haruki believed that the Level 5 Giant Shark Bullet was better for defense than offense.
Even with that brief opening, it failed to land a hit.
Haruki shook his head slightly—but wasn't disappointed. He had expected this and was already prepared.
At that instant, a layer of blue chakra light enveloped his body and blade—the sign of Instant Blade Technique.
But just then, Yukikaze, who had earlier retreated to give his teammates an opening, suddenly erupted from the sea.
He stood atop a crystal ice dragon, commanding it as its claws lunged toward Haruki.
Yukikaze's timing was impeccable. If Haruki continued targeting the Mist jōnin ahead with Instant Blade, he'd surely be hit by the dragon's claws.
Even if not fatal, it would result in serious injury.
An intense wave of danger surged through Haruki. His Sharingan spun at full speed.
In the nick of time, he adjusted the direction of his Instant Blade dash, narrowly avoiding the dragon's attack.
Taking advantage of the moment, the other two Mist jōnin—who had used the Genjutsu and Water Dragon earlier—hurled kunai at Haruki.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Haruki's ears twitched. He turned toward the direction of the projectiles.
At the same time, he flipped his hand and drew two kunai of his own from his pouch, hurling them back without hesitation.
Clang! Clang!
The four blades collided mid-air, sparks flying as they deflected off each other and fell away.
Haruki didn't spare another glance.
The ice dragon was already attacking again.
Its mouth gaped wide, releasing a billowing mist of freezing air—like dragon breath—rushing toward Haruki.
If hit, even if he withstood the cold physically, he'd still be frozen solid.
Fortunately, they had fought once already, and Haruki was familiar with the ice dragon's capabilities.
The moment the mist emerged, he was already forming hand seals.
Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!
As before, fire clashed with cold—the flames evaporated the mist and even surged toward the dragon.
But Haruki knew this wouldn't be enough to defeat it.
He needed to act further.
Scanning his surroundings, Haruki saw that the Mist-nin had regrouped after the initial chaos. Their superior numbers now allowed them to slowly push back the Konoha forces.
If this went on, they'd be surrounded and picked off.
"We need to retreat!"
With that thought, Haruki made a decision.
He stopped dodging and charged directly toward the ice dragon, using Instant Blade Technique to accelerate.
Screeeeech!
A shrill, grinding sound rang out.
A force that defied description erupted—not from his body, but more specifically, from his left palm.