Anger Lowers Your Intelligence

"Qingye, your attitude is way too much!"

"So what? Why don't you hug me too, Kurenai?"

"Th-that's not necessary..."

Qingye chuckled, "Well, in any case, I welcome you both. I didn't expect my new teammates to be you two."

This team assignment was, for now, acceptable.

Hyuga Himon's Byakugan would definitely greatly improve their safety and success rate during missions.

As for the Medical Ninja he originally wanted, the village hadn't been able to arrange one, which didn't surprise Qingye much.

"I don't really feel like you're welcoming me. It feels like I'm just some shuriken that came with an Explosive Tag purchase," Yūhi Kurenai said indignantly.

"Don't talk about yourself like that."

"???"

Yūhi Kurenai's eyes widened.

Wait, why are you acting like you just admitted what I said is true?

So I really am just a freebie?!

"You jerk!"

Yūhi Kurenai gritted her teeth and threatened him with a clenched fist, "I won't hold this against you today because you're still injured."

On the other side, Hyuga Himon's expression was blank as he examined the bandages all over Qingye's body.

"I heard you single-handedly took down a Tokubetsu Jonin from Iwagakure, Qingye. Are these injuries from that battle?"

"That's right," Qingye nodded.

"...Impressive."

Himon could only sigh in admiration.

A Tokubetsu Jonin!

If he were sent to fight one, let alone defeat it, he probably wouldn't even be able to escape.

Even though he and Qingye weren't that different in skill during their time at the Ninja Academy, along with Sarutobi Asuma, they were all far behind that guy Kakashi.

How did you suddenly betray the organization to chase after Kakashi?

"You seem pretty badly hurt?"

Yūhi Kurenai cautiously poked the bandages wrapped around Qingye's shoulder. "Your right leg seems injured too... Fortunately, you made it back safely in the end."

She and Himon had become Qingye's new teammates, which meant Qingye's previous two teammates had been wiped out in that battle.

Only Qingye himself remained, and he was so severely injured. She wondered how he had managed to return.

Qingye moved his left foot. "It's not too bad. Thanks to wartime benefits, I don't have to pay for medical treatment for injuries sustained on missions. Besides my broken arm, I'm basically good as new."

"...You call that a benefit?"

Yūhi Kurenai couldn't help but retort.

Qingye smiled, "Compared to peacetime, it is."

During peacetime, getting treatment from a Medical Ninja required out-of-pocket payment. Only during wartime would the village handle the compensation uniformly.

Because of this, Qingye had been fighting to his absolute limit for the past two and a half years, as long as he didn't die!

After all, as long as there was a Medical Ninja around, they could basically save you as long as you had a breath left.

Next, Qingye led Yūhi Kurenai and Hyuga Himon to get settled and took the opportunity to brief them on the situation at the Iwagakure battlefield.

"Although we received reinforcements today, given the number of Iwagakure Ninja, the enemy will likely have reinforcements as well. The balance of power between both sides remains grim."

"Therefore, we can only rely on the Golden Wheel Mountain Range along the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, dispatching a large number of Ninja to defend the area, setting up traps using the terrain to prevent a large Iwagakure force from breaking through our defenses."

"Considering the current situation, for the foreseeable future, our missions will likely still be defensive ambushes to prevent Iwagakure Ninja infiltration."

"Of course, the mission difficulty might be higher than when I was with my previous team, so you two need to be mentally prepared."

Qingye said slowly.

"The difficulty will increase further?"

Yūhi Kurenai and Hyuga Himon exchanged glances, their expressions turning grim.

If Qingye, who could single-handedly kill a Tokubetsu Jonin, was severely injured, then for the two of them, who were Chunin... the future looked bleak!

"So, for the next few days, I need to conduct special training for you two. The tentative goal is to be able to face a Jonin without being instantly killed."

It would also help Qingye himself train and adapt to the perception of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"Huh? But Qingye, aren't you still not fully recovered from your injuries?" Yūhi Kurenai asked, surprised.

"I'm mostly recovered."

Qingye stomped his right foot firmly on the ground and moved his shoulder. "Let's just have a simple spar today to understand each other's abilities."

Hyuga Himon: "Even if you're healed, shouldn't you rest for a few days? Besides, your left arm is still completely unusable."

They're still in casts!

How can I train them in this state?

"That's enough!"

Qingye didn't care and walked directly towards the training ground. "But Himon, you're right, so I'll try to avoid strenuous physical activity."

"...What do you mean?"

Hyuga Himon was a little unconvinced.

This guy Qingye, he's underestimating them a little too much, isn't he?

Does he think he can easily take down both him and Kurenai at the same time with just one hand?!

Qingye smiled without answering, only offering a reminder: "Friendly tip, don't underestimate me."

This made even Yūhi Kurenai a little annoyed.

The three arrived at the training ground specially set aside within the Konohagakure camp.

The area was dense with trees and had uneven terrain, matching the landscape of the front-line battlefield.

As Qingye gave the signal to begin, Yūhi Kurenai immediately leaped away, her figure disappearing from sight.

Meanwhile, Hyuga Himon activated his Byakugan with a swish, not hiding it at all. He immediately assumed a Gentle Fist stance, bringing his right hand together and thrusting the tip of his palm fiercely towards Qingye.

"Your speed is decent."

Qingye stood still, casually parrying the palm strike. At the same time, he activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"Your Sharingan is already three tomoe?!"

Hyuga Himon's expression changed drastically. He stared blankly at the scarlet eyes for a moment before snapping back to reality and quickly averting his gaze.

I can't make eye contact with the Sharingan!

"Your reaction was slow, but since most other villages don't have many Genjutsu users, it doesn't really matter."

Qingye thought for a moment and added, "During the rest of the fight, you can look directly into my eyes. I won't use Genjutsu on you."

"!"

Hyuga Himon's forehead veins bulged.

He's underestimating me too much!

If he's already imposing so many restrictions on me right from the start, and I still can't win, what's the point of living?!

"Gentle Fist Style, Eight Trigrams: Thirty-Two Palms!"

He shouted, and instantly, palm shadows filled the air, striking towards Qingye in a dense, inescapable barrage.

Qingye easily deflected Hyuga Himon's palm attacks with his right hand, his feet moving in quick, evasive steps. He continued to mutter, "Speaking of which, Himon, it's not that I'm looking down on your Hyuga's Gentle Fist. If we're talking about speed, it's fast, but not fast enough."

"And when it comes to damage, the pressure point strikes are indeed troublesome, but they're useless if you can't land them."

"You go through this whole routine, exhausting yourself, and it seems to have no effect."

"And yet your Main Family guards it like a treasure, and the Branch Family can't learn it freely. I don't understand what they're thinking."

"You talk too much!" Hyuga Himon felt his blood rushing to his head.

"Don't get angry. Anger will lower your intelligence."

"Tch!"

"See? You're getting impatient again!"