Corner! I Was Wrong!

"The last high-value point," Qingyu said, looking at the pillar of light rising in the distance, "is in District D, very far from us."

"Are we going?" Yamada asked.

Qingyu hesitated.

If they went, the risk was extremely high; they might encounter a strong team or have their base raided.

If they didn't go, they might end up stuck in ninth place and be eliminated.

There was no such thing as "let me have all the supplies to myself" here.

"We're going," he finally decided.

"But only two of us. Yamada, you stay behind to guard. Nakamura and I will go and return as quickly as possible. Regardless of whether we succeed, we must be back within twenty minutes."

The plan was set.

But just as the two were preparing to leave, a knocking sound came from outside the base.

It wasn't the crude method of breaking down the door, but three polite, light taps.

Qingyu froze, signaled his teammates to be on guard, and walked to the door himself.

"Who is it?"

"Me," a calm voice came from outside.

Qingyu's heart skipped a beat.

He had heard this voice before, in front of the Central Tower.

Itachi Uchiha.

He took a deep breath and opened the door.

The moment the door opened, Qingyu felt a cold killing intent sweep over him, as if he were being stared at by the Grim Reaper.

Two people stood outside.

One was Itachi Uchiha, wearing an Anbu uniform with a calm expression.

The other was also Itachi Uchiha...

Actually, the other one was Shisui Uchiha, also dressed in Anbu attire, but with a gentle smile.

"Sorry to disturb you," Itachi said.

"On the orders of the Clan Head, we have come to deliver something."

He handed over a small scroll.

Qingyu hesitantly took it: "This is..."

"Some insights on ninjutsu from within the clan," Shisui said with a smile.

"Clan Head Fugaku said that you displayed the potential of the Uchiha during the exam, and this is his encouragement to you."

Qingyu gripped the scroll tightly, his palms sweating.

Did you really have to pick this moment!

In his mind, both voices fell silent.

After a long while, Izuna said: "...Accept it. Refusing would be more suspicious."

Tobirama: "But do not look at it immediately. Wait until the exam is over and you have confirmed there are no tracking or surveillance ninjutsu on it before opening it."

Qingyu nodded and bowed to Itachi and Shisui: "Many thanks to the Clan Head, and many thanks to you two seniors."

Itachi looked at him, his black eyes reflecting Qingyu's tense face.

"Do well on the exam," Shisui said, "Good luck~ Qingyu."

After speaking, the two turned and left, disappearing into the complex of buildings after a few leaps.

Qingyu closed the door and leaned his back against the door panel, his heart pounding like a drum.

Yamada: "Captain! Those two seniors just now... their killing intent was so heavy, my legs went soft!"

Nakamura: "They... are paying attention to you?"

"Could it be that they discovered you are a hidden genius, Captain..." Nakamura stopped mid-sentence, though he was muttering to himself.

These Uchiha must have discovered the Captain's talent.

Chapter 1: The Fallen Genius

Chapter 2: The Genius Revived!

"I don't know! And stop with the wild fantasies!" Qingyu tucked the scroll into the deepest part of his ninja tool pouch.

"Now is clearly not the time to think about this. Let's go, head to District D!"

The two left the base and headed toward the last high-value point at full speed.

On the way, Qingyu asked in his mind: "Those two just now... what do you think?"

No, how is this getting weirder and weirder? Clearly, at this point in time, the Uchiha clan should have been wiped out, and Shisui shouldn't be alive either!

Qingyu: Shisui... you aren't dead?!

"That one called Shisui, his chakra is very gentle, yet it conceals a formidable power," Izuna said.

"He is a true powerhouse, with an open mind, unlike the typical Uchiha."

"As for Itachi..." Tobirama paused for a moment.

"I cannot see through him. His chakra control is abnormally perfect, and his emotions show no fluctuation, just like... a pool of water with no bottom."

Qingyu fell silent.

He knew Itachi's story; he knew what this young man would experience and what he would become.

But for now, Itachi was still just a rising star in the Konoha Anbu and a genius of the Uchiha.

He hadn't done those things yet.

If it weren't for the fact that he was an Uchiha and also on the list of people to visit for the New Year, he wouldn't care what was happening in this world at all.

He needed to go find a Big Thunder Senju to talk about his own family of origin.

If the little Thunder Shizune dared to eavesdrop, she was dead!

Once the Thunder grew up, she could eavesdrop...

Qingyu: Sorry, even if we are master and disciple, there is no way around it; I cannot bring myself to hurt a girl!

"Forget it," he shook his head, "focus on the exam first."

The pillar of light in District D was getting closer and closer.

A battle had already erupted there, with Team Gaara facing off against a Kumogakure squad.

Sand Waterfall clashed against Lightning Style: False Darkness; the scene was spectacular.

Qingyu and Nakamura lurked on a rooftop in the distance, waiting for an opportunity.

"Wait for them to both be heavily injured," Qingyu whispered, "then we will..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Gaara's sand suddenly turned, surging toward the direction where they were hiding.

The sand lunged at them like a tidal wave, and a suffocating sense of oppression even permeated the air.

"We've been discovered!" Nakamura exclaimed.

"Let's retreat for now!"

Gaara! I was wrong!

The two jumped backward, and the rooftop where they had been lurking was swallowed by the sand.

Gaara stood in the distance, watching them coldly, but he did not pursue.

Because his opponents, the Kumogakure squad, were still putting up a fight.

"That was close..." Qingyu panted.

Good thing I'm a cut above!

"That red-haired kid," Izuna's voice carried a sense of gravity, "the thing inside him... is very dangerous."

"The jinchuriki's seal is not yet stable," Tobirama analyzed, "emotional fluctuations could lead to a rampage; I suggest staying away."

Qingyu nodded and was about to retreat when he suddenly saw the edge of the battlefield.

A Kumogakure ninja took advantage of the chaos to secretly swipe a high-value scroll and was fleeing in the opposite direction.

Opportunity!

"Chase!" Qingyu decided instantly.

The two chased for two streets and finally intercepted the Kumogakure ninja in a dead end.

"Hand over the scroll, and you can go," Qingyu said.

The Kumogakure ninja sneered and formed hand seals: "Lightning Style: Earth Flash!"

Electric current surged along the ground; Qingyu jumped to avoid it while simultaneously forming hand seals.

"Water-Fire Style: Steam Bomb!"

It wasn't a barrier, but an offensive form.

A fist-sized, two-colored sphere flew out and slammed into the ground at the Kumogakure ninja's feet.

"Boom!"

With a violent Steam Explosion, the Kumogakure ninja was sent flying, crashing into the wall, and the scroll slipped from his hand.

Qingyu rushed over to pick up the scroll. 5 points!

Lucky!

"Let's go!"

The two retreated at full speed.

4:50 PM, ten minutes until the end of the exam.

Team Qingyu returned to their stronghold, and Yamada reported that three teams had come to scout them during their absence, but all had retreated after seeing the defenses.

"Including this one, we have a total of 12 points," Qingyu tallied the scrolls, "That should be enough to make the top eight."

They had managed to squeeze in after a difficult struggle, even if they were only eighth...

Yamada: "Captain! Eighth place is fine! We made it to the final round!"

Nakamura: "Haha, this time it's all thanks to the Captain's successful ambush!"

Qingyu: How can a scholar's actions be called an ambush?

4:59 PM, the final whistle blew.

"The exam is over! All examinees must cease movement and wait in place for the tally!"

Qingyu slumped to the ground, soaked through with sweat.

Exhausted, yet relieved.

The two big shots in his head were also summarizing:

"Today's performance, barely passing," Tobirama said.

"The timing for using the new technique was correct but the control was rough; the tactical choices were reasonable but the foresight was insufficient. You need to strengthen your data analysis and battlefield reading abilities."

"Hmph, at least you didn't die," Izuna rarely refrained from refuting.

"The idea for that Water-Fire Barrier was not bad, but the shape transformation was too slow. Next time, I will teach you a variation for rapid hand seals to optimize your speed."

Qingyu smiled: "Many thanks, both teachers."

Five minutes later, the broadcast sounded:

"The results of the second exam are announced. The eight teams advancing to the final round are as follows—"

"Sunagakure Team Gaara, total score 28, first place."

"Konoha Team Neji Hyuga, total score 21, second place."

"...Konoha Team Nara Shikamaru, total score 15, fifth place."

"Konoha Team Fugaku Uchiha's son, Qingyu, total score 12, eighth place."

"Advancing!"

Yamada and Nakamura cheered and high-fived.

Qingyu smiled as well, but his smile carried exhaustion and something deeper.

He pulled out the scroll from the depths of his ninja tool pouch—the "encouragement" Fugaku Uchiha had sent via Itachi.

What was actually inside?

Was it goodwill, a probe, or something else entirely?

He did not know.

But he knew that from today on, within the Uchiha clan and within Konoha, he was no longer the nobody that no one paid attention to.

People had started to notice him.

And attention often meant the beginning of trouble.

As the sun set, Qingyu walked out of the exam grounds.

The two voices in his head were still arguing over the gains and losses of today's tactics.

In the distance, in the direction of the Uchiha compound, Fugaku was watching from behind the window of the clan head's mansion.

Further away, in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage looked at the report in his hand, lost in thought.

As for Qingyu, he simply walked on the road home, thinking about what to have for dinner and what preparations he needed to make for the final round starting tomorrow.

Ahhhhhhh!!!! Can I just slack off!!!!