The next day.
Early morning.
As the first ray of sunlight broke through the crack in the window, Uchiha Haruki opened his eyes.
With a single thought, he pulled up his proficiency panel. Glancing at the progress for Mind Projection Technique and Mystic Palm Technique, he nodded in satisfaction.
After a full night of focused effort, he had finally made up for the training progress he missed on Mind Projection Technique the previous day.
Not only that, he had also used Mystic Palm Technique to enhance his body. While he hadn't fully made up for all the progress he lost, he had taken another significant step toward his bodily transformation.
As for the chakra consumed—
Since he had only been training those two techniques, the chakra restored naturally by his body and the chakra refined through Chakra Refinement Technique had been sufficient.
So by now, his chakra reserves were still nearly at full capacity.
"Not bad at all," Haruki murmured to himself as he closed the proficiency panel.
Then, glancing at the window, he muttered, "It's about time—I should get going."
Kurozawa Nariki had ordered him to arrive at Blackstone Base before 8 a.m. today.
Currently, it was just past seven. With Wind Style: Wings of Wind, he could make it there in less than forty minutes.
Haruki had never liked to be late.
Likewise, he wasn't one to make others wait.
So, no need to cut it too close. Better to head out now!
With that thought, Haruki packed his gear, double-checked everything he needed, and left his room.
He didn't bother going to say goodbye to Uchiha Tekka.
Last night, after the hundred-man reinforcement squad sent by Kurozawa Nariki had arrived, Tekka had already come to check in again. They had said everything that needed to be said then.
So now, there was no point in repeating anything.
Reaching an open area, Haruki looked up at the sky, and without hesitation, he raised his hands and formed seals.
He performed the jutsu—Wind Style: Wings of Wind.
In the next instant, a pair of pale blue chakra wings unfurled behind him. With a thought, he flapped the wings and rose into the air.
About a hundred meters off the ground, Haruki found his direction and soared toward Blackstone Base.
From within the base, a few people caught sight of his silhouette in the sky.
"Look up there! Someone's flying!" a Konoha shinobi shouted in surprise.
But the comrade beside him glanced up and chuckled. "Relax, Kuroya. That's our squad leader."
"You're new, so you probably didn't know—our captain can use a flying jutsu."
"Captain? You mean the Ghostblade, Uchiha Haruki?" Kuroya asked in astonishment.
"That's right. Let me tell you what he did two nights ago…"
The shinobi then launched into an animated recounting of Haruki's exploits.
That's how legends are born—by word of mouth.
In the sky, Haruki vaguely spotted the two of them. He gave them a quick glance but didn't pay them much mind.
With a powerful flap of his wings, his speed surged to its maximum—about 30 meters per second—as he flew straight toward Blackstone Base.
Half an hour later.
Haruki arrived at Blackstone Base without incident.
The patrolling Konoha shinobi were visibly stunned to see someone descend from the sky.
Clearly, in just one day, word of his flight jutsu hadn't spread yet. Likely, only Kurozawa Nariki and a few upper-ranking Konoha officials were aware of it.
Honestly, Haruki would've preferred to keep this technique hidden.
But fate had other plans.
From the start, his ability had been exposed. Then, when Mist Village launched their surprise attack, he had been forced to use it in battle.
So at that point, there was no point in trying to keep it a secret.
If anything, maybe this skill could even earn him a safer mission assignment.
No doubt, this counter-offensive Konoha was organizing would involve large-scale, high-intensity battles. Even with his considerable strength, Haruki would have to stay vigilant.
If he could take on a task with lower risk, it would reduce the chances of unexpected danger.
But that meant he'd need help from someone high-ranking in the clan.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be easy to make that happen.
Also, the matter he'd entrusted to the clan should have some results by now.
With that in mind, Haruki completed his registration at the outpost and then went to find Uchiha Yatsushiro.
Yes, he had also come to support the base.
And not just as any ordinary member.
For important military operations like this, each of Konoha's major clans usually assigned a representative to oversee coordination and protect clan interests. This helped ensure clan members didn't die needlessly and allowed for better cooperation with the village's strategies.
Naturally, the Uchiha were no exception.
And this time, their representative was Uchiha Yatsushiro, something already confirmed in the message sent the day before.
So Haruki had no trouble locating him.
Knock knock knock—
Outside a room, Haruki lightly tapped on the door.
"Come in!" came Yatsushiro's voice from inside.
Though they hadn't interacted many times, Haruki could still recognize his voice.
He opened the door and stepped in.
But as soon as he entered, he was surprised to see someone he hadn't expected.
"Shisui?"
Indeed—it was none other than Uchiha Shisui.
Seeing him enter, Shisui nodded and greeted, "Haruki, you made it."
"Yeah," Haruki nodded in return, then asked, "You got assigned here too?"
"Yup," Shisui confirmed.
With Yatsushiro present, the two didn't exchange much more small talk.
Haruki turned toward the man at the desk. "Clan Uncle."
"Mm," Yatsushiro nodded, giving Haruki a quick once-over. Then he smiled and said, "Haruki, you've done well. I'm impressed!"
After that, he looked at Shisui and added, "Perfect. Since both of you are here, I'll go over everything that needs attention at once—save us all some time."
Hearing this, both Haruki and Shisui replied in unison, "We're listening."
"Right. Here's the deal…"
Yatsushiro didn't waste words. He dove straight into the mission details and important considerations.
He didn't go on too long. In just a few minutes, he covered all the standard precautions.
Only then did his expression turn serious.
He looked at both Haruki and Shisui and finally said, "You two represent the future of our clan—you're the foundation of our advancement. You must not fall here."
"So in this operation, I'll do my best to assign you missions with relatively low risk. You must ensure your own survival."
Upon hearing this, Shisui furrowed his brow slightly. He seemed to disagree, but being wise, he chose not to argue aloud.
Haruki, on the other hand, didn't protest at all.
In fact, it aligned perfectly with what he wanted.