Down below.
In Flying Fish Town.
A Hidden Mist ninja, dressed in a dark navy robe, slowly removed his index and middle fingers from his right eye.
His right eye was covered by a layer of black cloth, faint traces of a sealing technique visible underneath.
This man was none other than the Hidden Mist jonin known as the "Byakugan Slayer"—Ao.
The concealed eye beneath the cloth was, indeed, a Byakugan.
It was by relying on the enhanced vision and far-seeing ability of this Byakugan that Ao had spotted Uchiha Haruki flying in the sky.
And from there, tonight's ambush had been launched.
Unfortunately for them, Haruki's reaction speed far exceeded their expectations, and they ultimately failed to bring him down.
Seeing Ao lower his hand, one of the Hidden Mist jonin standing beside him asked,
"How did it go?"
Ao shook his head. "He's gone."
"Damn, what a shame," the first jonin sighed.
The other jonin, however, didn't show a trace of regret.
With a calm tone, he said,
"It's not that big a loss. Our preparations were rushed. It's no surprise we couldn't keep him."
He paused briefly, then continued,
"Consider this a dry run. Next time, we'll do better."
"Do better, huh…" Ao murmured, his gaze drifting unconsciously in the direction Haruki had flown off.
"But if we've gained experience, hasn't he as well? If he's more vigilant next time, it won't be nearly as easy."
That thought led Ao to glance toward the ballistae mounted atop the surrounding buildings.
These things… they're ultimately too cumbersome—whether in transport or use.
Their power is decent, but when used against someone like Haruki, who possesses the Sharingan and exceptional insight… they fall short.
They may serve as a deterrent, but little more.
Ao's mind was working non-stop, searching for new ways to counter Uchiha Haruki.
Meanwhile, after more than ten minutes of flying, Haruki finally returned to the Blackstone Outpost.
By now, it was approaching midnight.
However, much like Flying Fish Town, the Blackstone Outpost was brightly lit.
Aside from the patrolling ninjas, even the command center had personnel on duty.
Clearly, with war on the horizon, both sides were maintaining a state of constant high alert—there was no distinction between day and night.
Haruki wasted no time. He immediately submitted all the intel he had gathered.
Not only that, but he also reported the fact that the Hidden Mist had somehow procured and deployed twenty-one ballistae—clearly set up to target him.
While those weapons were likely aimed at him specifically, that didn't stop him from revealing their existence.
First, it proved that his mission hadn't been as easy as it might've seemed.
Second, it gave the village a chance to consider countermeasures—maybe even send a team to sabotage those weapons.
If they could pull it off, he would be significantly safer in the next phase of the war.
That said, Haruki wasn't holding his breath.
Because unless the Mist Village's leadership was completely incompetent, they wouldn't be lax in defending those ballistae.
There's no way they'd let anyone destroy them easily.
Rather than relying on Konoha to act, he figured it might be better to take matters into his own hands next time he went on a reconnaissance mission.
If an opportunity presented itself, he could try to destroy a few himself.
Of course, that was the direct approach.
There was also a more subtle solution—developing a jutsu that could conceal his presence.
If the enemy couldn't see him, they couldn't target him, and that would ensure his safety.
What Haruki didn't know, however, was that it had been Ao who spotted him tonight.
Even if he did manage to become invisible, he wouldn't be able to hide from the Byakugan.
Still, not everyone possessed the Byakugan.
And besides, learning an invisibility-type jutsu wasn't just for this war—it would be useful long term.
So even if he found out Ao had exposed him, Haruki wouldn't abandon his plans to study concealment techniques.
Speaking of stealth, he recalled a technique used by the Hidden Stone Village: the Camouflage Concealment Technique.
Back during the campaign in the Land of Rain, while conducting a raid on a Hidden Stone logistics center, one of his squadmates—Shizuko Mizutani—had been assassinated by a Stone jonin named Shuji Obara, who used this technique to approach unnoticed.
Had Shizuko not pushed him aside at the last second, it would've been Haruki who died that day.
That was the closest he'd ever come to death.
Although he had avenged her since, that moment had left a lasting impression on him.
To this day, he remembered it vividly.
The Camouflage Concealment Technique was practically tailor-made for his needs.
The only problem was that it was considered a secret technique within the Hidden Stone Village.
Even among their own shinobi, access to it was extremely limited.
For someone like him to obtain it would be near impossible.
"That's going to be a real pain…" Haruki muttered.
Still, he wasn't in a hurry.
He hadn't even fully developed his Earth Chakra nature yet.
Even if he had the scroll in front of him, he wouldn't be able to learn it right now.
Better to focus on building a solid foundation first.
With that thought, Haruki left the command center and returned to his quarters.
Once home, he first treated his injuries, then immediately began training.
With the war potentially starting at any moment—and so many eyes within the outpost—he couldn't freely create Shadow Clones for intensive training like before.
But that didn't mean his daily Chakra recovery had to go to waste.
Haruki raised both hands, forming the Ram hand seal, and as usual, activated Shadow Clone Jutsu.
In a puff of Chakra smoke, three Shadow Clones appeared in the room.
He assigned the first clone to continue working on developing Earth Chakra.
The second clone was tasked with perfecting the Mind Link Technique, a jutsu he had started conceptualizing ever since learning how to fly.
The idea was to maintain mental communication between himself and his clones without having to dispel them to transfer memories.
If successful, it would let him share intel and battlefield decisions instantly without losing combat power.
After that clone left, he turned to the third one.
This one was assigned to the theoretical research for a technique he called Shadow Shuriken Technique—an idea based on merging Shadow Clone Jutsu with projectile weapons.
Specifically, he wanted to recreate the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.
It wouldn't be easy.
So far, he hadn't made much progress.
But compared to developing a brand-new flying jutsu from scratch, it was considerably simpler.
He already had the foundational knowledge, and a clear conceptual model in mind.
Just like he once used the Rasengan to develop Wind Style: Rasenshuriken without anyone teaching him, he believed this new technique would also come together in due time.
With all three Shadow Clones set to work, Haruki went to a quiet corner of the room.
Sitting cross-legged, he alternated between practicing Mind Mirror Technique and Mystical Palm Technique to sharpen both his perception and medical skills.
These days, his missions were all assigned at night.
So, he had already shifted his sleep schedule—resting during the day instead.
Tonight, just like many nights to come, was destined to be sleepless.