Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place!

Each team sent one person forward to draw a starting base number and its corresponding team flag.

Qingyu drew "C-7," which was presumed to be the seventh building in the third row on the west side of the complex.

Shikamaru drew "B-4," located right next to Team Gaara's "A-1."

This distribution... Qingyu analyzed rapidly in his mind.

"Area A is near the entrance—easy to attack but hard to defend. Area B is in the center, surrounded by enemies but with convenient access. Area C is on the edge, relatively hidden but far from high-value points."

"Suitable for defensive counterattacks," Tobirama said.

"Suitable for proactive strikes followed by a quick retreat," Izuna added.

For once, the two of them were actually in agreement.

Qingyu returned to his team, where Yamada and Nakamura gathered around him.

"What do we do?" Nakamura asked. "Do we defend or attack?"

"First, let's check the building structure," Qingyu said. "If it's easy to defend and hard to attack, we'll focus on defense and send people out to collect scrolls. If it's easy to attack and hard to defend, we'll take the initiative and move the battlefield outside."

Yamada scratched his head: "Captain, your analysis sounds just like the old veterans of Konoha..."

Nakamura whispered: "I actually think our captain is starting to sound more and more like a Konoha bureaucrat..."

Qingyu: "...You two, shut up."

Once the drawing was complete, each team was guided to their respective bases.

C-7 was a three-story brick building that looked like an abandoned shop.

The first floor was a spacious hall, the second floor had four rooms, and the third floor consisted of an attic and a rooftop terrace.

"A decent base," Tobirama evaluated. "The brick structure is fireproof, the window placement is favorable for observation and shooting, the stairs are narrow and easy to defend, and the rooftop offers a wide field of vision."

"But there are too many entrances," Izuna pointed out. "The front and back doors, the four windows, and the fire escape on the rooftop all need defensive measures."

Qingyu had Yamada and Nakamura inspect the interior while he climbed to the third-floor terrace to observe the surrounding environment.

Labyrinth City lived up to its name, with its intricate streets, buildings of varying heights, and countless corners and ambush points for concealment.

From the high vantage point, he could see other teams busy at their respective bases.

"Once the match starts, there will be two phases," Qingyu analyzed for his teammates.

"The first two hours are the exploration period; teams will be cautious, probing and collecting nearby scrolls. After two hours, the first high-value point will appear, and combat will intensify."

"So, we go out to collect during the first two hours too?" Yamada asked.

"Of course... not!" Qingyu shook his head.

Qingyu: You might want to risk your life, but I certainly don't!

"We stay here for the first two hours, set up defenses, and observe the movement patterns of the other teams. Once they start fighting over the high-value points, we strike. Our targets will be those teams that have strayed too far from their bases and can't make it back in time to defend."

"A raid on their home base?" Nakamura's eyes lit up.

"Or intercepting those who are returning with scrolls," Qingyu said. "Low risk, high reward."

"Agreed," two voices echoed in his mind simultaneously.

Qingyu smiled.

Time to camp the bridge!

At exactly nine o'clock in the morning, a sharp whistle echoed throughout the exam site.

"The second exam: Begin!"

The first half-hour was exceptionally quiet.

Every team chose to be cautious, with only a few bold ones sending scouts to explore the surroundings.

Team Qingyu followed their plan to set up defenses: Yamada installed tripwires and bell traps in the first-floor hall, Nakamura used Earth Style to reinforce the structure of the front and back doors, and Qingyu set up shuriken trigger mechanisms at the second-floor windows and the rooftop.

While setting up, Yamada accidentally kicked a bell, causing it to ring loudly, and the whole team froze instantly.

Qingyu's face darkened: "Yamada, are you giving away our position to the enemy in advance?"

Yamada looked embarrassed: "Captain, I didn't mean to..."

Better not have!

"That building in the upper left corner," Izuna said suddenly. "Someone is watching us. Third-floor window, black hair—it's that kid from the Uchiha clan."

Qingyu looked through a gap in the window and sure enough, behind the window of the building diagonally opposite, Sasuke was observing them with binoculars.

"He's gathering intelligence," Tobirama analyzed. "Very smart. He's clearing up the bases and defensive habits of the surrounding teams first."

"But he exposed his own position," Izuna sneered. "The pride of the Uchiha; they always think they won't be discovered."

Qingyu didn't speak, just silently noted Sasuke's location.

Qingyu received. A salute to the cutest, bravest, most passionate, and kindest Uchiha... I like you all!

Aren't you an Uchiha yourself?

That's really not it, I just studied there for a while?

You studied at the Uchiha compound during the New Year?!

An hour later, the first scroll was discovered.

An explosion erupted to the southeast, followed immediately by the visual effects of ninjutsu clashing; two squads had started fighting over a scroll.

The battle ended quickly, and the victors retreated to their base with the scroll.

"Sunagakure squad, using Wind Release and puppet techniques," Tobirama reviewed in Qingyu's mind, "The opponents were Amegakure, using Water Release and explosive tag tactics. Sunagakure won due to better coordination, but the expenditure was not small."

"Can be marked as a potential target," Izuna said.

Qingyu recorded this information in his pocket notebook.

This was something Tobirama demanded, calling it "the foundation of data analysis."

Two hours passed, and seven or eight small-scale conflicts broke out within the exam grounds, but no squads were eliminated.

At this moment, three blue pillars of light rose simultaneously in the center, north, and east of the exam area.

High-value target points had appeared!

In an instant, more than half of the squads were on the move.

"The show is starting," Qingyu stood up, "Yamada, you stay to guard the base. Nakamura, come out with me."

"Which way?" Nakamura asked.

"The center," Qingyu looked out the window, "It's the furthest from us, but the fighting there will be the most intense!"

"It's the best place to fish in troubled waters."

The two left the base silently through the back door.

The streets were empty, but Qingyu could feel gazes from the shadows.

"Someone at the alley entrance to the front left," Tobirama warned, "Chakra fluctuations are weak; they are lying in wait."

"Go around them," Izuna said, "Take the rooftops."

Qingyu signaled, and he and Nakamura leaped onto the roof, moving rapidly across the building complex.

Five minutes later, they approached the central area.

In the plaza below, the battle was in full swing.

Three squads were locked in a chaotic melee: an unknown Konoha squad, a Kirigakure squad, and Sunagakure's Temari and Kankuro (Gaara hadn't come, surprisingly).

Gaara: I will kill you both within three days!

Kankuro & Temari: We'll just excuse ourselves then~

On a platform in the center of the plaza sat a glowing scroll.

"Opportunity," Qingyu crouched at the edge of the roof, "Wait for them to exhaust each other..."

Before he could finish, a sudden change occurred.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The Kirigakure and Sunagakure squads suddenly turned their focus in tacit agreement, joining forces to attack the Konoha squad.

The three Konoha ninja were caught off guard, blasted away by the ninjutsu, and crashed into a nearby building, losing their combat effectiveness.

"Damn it," Qingyu's heart sank, "They were in league from the start."

"Very normal," Izuna said, "Temporary alliances were the norm during the Warring States period."

"But this is an exam..." Nakamura whispered.

"An exam is also a war," Qingyu stared below, "Prepare to retreat; we've been spotted."

Sure enough, Temari glanced in their direction and swung her fan, sending a wind blade cutting toward them.

Qingyu pulled Nakamura back as they jumped away, the roof where they had been crouching sliced in two.

"Konoha rats," a Kirigakure ninja sneered, "Since you're here, don't think about leaving!"

The two were forced back down to the ground, caught in a pincer attack.

They were trapped in a two-sided sandwich!

"Two against four," Nakamura gritted his teeth, "Shall we fight?"

"No," Qingyu quickly observed the environment, "I have a way."

"We have to use our legs!"

"Use our legs?"

Both of them looked confused.

"Run for your life!"

Yamada & Nakamura: "..."