Anger Lowers Your Intelligence

"Qingye, that's a huge difference in attitude!"

"What can I do? How about a hug for you too, Kurenai?"

"N-no, that's not necessary..."

Qingye smiled. "Well, anyway, you're both very welcome. I didn't expect you two to be my new teammates."

This team arrangement was acceptable enough, more or less.

Hyuga Himon's Byakugan would definitely improve their safety and chances of success on missions by a great deal.

As for the Medical Ninja he'd originally wanted, Qingye wasn't too surprised that the village hadn't arranged one.

"I don't really feel all that welcome. It's like I'm the Shuriken that came free with the Explosive Tags you bought," Yūhi Kurenai grumbled.

"Don't say that about yourself."

"???"

Yūhi Kurenai's eyes widened.

Wait, why did you just agree with what I said?!

So I really am just a freebie?!

"You jerk!"

Yūhi Kurenai gritted her teeth and shook a fist at him in warning. "I'll let it go this time since you're still injured."

On the other side, Hyuga Himon studied the bandages wrapped around Qingye's body, his expressionless gaze lingering on them.

"I heard you took down an Iwagakure Tokubetsu Jonin all by yourself. Did you get those injuries in that battle?"

"That's right." Qingye nodded.

"...Impressive."

Hyuga Himon could only marvel.

A Tokubetsu Jonin!

If he had to fight one, forget defeating them—he probably wouldn't even escape.

Back at the Ninja Academy, he and Qingye hadn't been that far apart. Sarutobi Asuma too. They'd all been left far behind by that guy Kakashi.

So how had Qingye suddenly defected from the group and started chasing after Kakashi?

"You're pretty badly hurt, aren't you?"

Yūhi Kurenai carefully poked at the bandages wrapped around Qingye's shoulder. "Your right leg seems injured too... At least you made it back safely."

She and Himon had become Qingye's new teammates, which meant his two previous teammates had both been lost in that earlier battle.

Qingye was the only one left, and he'd suffered such serious injuries. She had no idea how he'd made it back.

Qingye moved his left foot. "It's not too bad. There are some benefits during wartime. The village covers the cost of treatment by a Medical Ninja for injuries sustained on missions. Other than my broken arm, I'm pretty much healed."

"...You call that a benefit?"

Yūhi Kurenai couldn't help but complain.

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

During peacetime, you had to pay for a Medical Ninja yourself. During wartime, the village covered the cost.

That was why, over the past two and a half years, Qingye had fought as hard as he could, as long as it didn't kill him!

After all, as long as a Medical Ninja was around, they could usually save you as long as you were still breathing.

Next, Qingye took Yūhi Kurenai and Hyuga Himon to get settled, while also filling them in on the situation at the Iwagakure front.

"Even though we've received reinforcements today, Iwagakure has a lot of ninja. They'll probably send reinforcements too, so the balance of power between us is still grim."

"So for now, we can only hold the Golden Wheel Mountain Range along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass. We've stationed a large number of ninja there and set traps using the terrain to stop Iwagakure's main force from breaking through our defenses."

"Given the situation, for the foreseeable future, our missions will probably still involve holding the line and preventing Iwagakure Ninja from infiltrating."

"Of course, the missions may be more difficult than they were with my previous squad, so be prepared."

Qingye spoke slowly.

"The difficulty's going to increase?"

Yūhi Kurenai and Hyuga Himon exchanged a glance, both looking troubled.

Even Qingye, who could kill a Tokubetsu Jonin on his own, had been seriously injured. Against his strength, the two of them were only Chunin... Their future looked bleak!

"So over the next few days, I'll put you two through special training. For now, the goal is to make sure you can face an upper-level ninja without getting taken out instantly."

It would also help Qingye with his own training, as he adjusted to the perception of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"Huh? But Qingye, haven't you still not fully recovered?" Yūhi Kurenai asked, taken aback.

"I'm pretty much better."

Qingye stamped his right foot against the ground and rolled his shoulder. "We'll start with a light spar today to get a feel for each other's abilities."

Hyuga Himon said, "Even if you're better, shouldn't you rest for a few days? Besides, you can't use your left arm at all yet."

It was still in a cast!

How could he train them in that state?

"That's enough!"

Qingye didn't care and headed straight for the training ground. "But you have a point, Himon, so I'll try to avoid any strenuous movement."

"...What do you mean?"

Hyuga Himon was a little annoyed.

Qingye was underestimating them, wasn't he?

Did he think he could easily beat him and Kurenai working together with just one hand?!

Qingye smiled without answering, only offering a reminder. "Friendly advice: don't let your guard down."

Now even Yūhi Kurenai was getting annoyed.

The three of them arrived at the training ground inside the Konoha camp.

Trees grew thickly all around, and the terrain rose and fell just like the landscape at the front.

At Qingye's signal, Yūhi Kurenai leaped away, her figure disappearing from sight.

Hyuga Himon, meanwhile, activated his Byakugan with a flash. He didn't even try to hide it, simply taking up a Gentle Fist stance. He brought his right hand together and thrust the tips of his fingers toward Qingye.

"Decent speed."

Qingye stood still and casually deflected the attack, activating his Three-Tomoe Sharingan at the same time.

"Your Sharingan already has three tomoe?!"

Hyuga Himon's expression changed. He stared into those scarlet eyes and lost focus for a moment before coming to his senses and quickly looking away.

Don't make eye contact with the Sharingan!

"Your reaction was slow, but most other villages don't have many ninja with ocular techniques, so it shouldn't matter much."

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

"!"

Hyuga Himon's forehead veins bulged.

What an insult!

He was limiting him this much right at the start. If he still couldn't win, what was the point of even living?!

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

With a shout, a dense flurry of hand strikes filled the air, one after another bearing down on Qingye without a gap.

Qingye easily deflected Hyuga Himon's attacks with his right hand, his feet shifting in quick, light steps as he dodged. All the while, he kept talking. "You know, Himon, I'm not looking down on the Hyuga's Gentle Fist. It's fast, sure, but not fast enough."

"As for its damage, the pressure-point strikes are a real problem, but they don't help if you can't hit anyone."

"After all that, you're completely exhausted, and it doesn't seem to do much."

"And the Main Family keeps it locked away like it's some precious treasure, while the Branch Family can't just learn it whenever they want. I don't get it."

"You talk too much!" Hyuga Himon felt all the blood in his body rushing to his head.

"Don't get angry. Anger lowers your intelligence."

"Damn it!"

"See? You're getting worked up again!"