Gaara! I Was Wrong!

"The last high-value point," Qingyu said, looking at the pillar of light rising in the distance. "It's in District D, far from here."

"Are we going?" Yamada asked.

Qingyu hesitated.

If they went, the risk was extremely high. They might run into a strong team, or someone might raid their base.

If they didn't, they might end up in ninth place and get eliminated.

This wasn't the kind of situation where they could say, "Let me keep all the supplies!"

"Let's go," he decided at last.

"But only two of us. Yamada, you stay behind. Nakamura and I will make a quick trip. Whether we get what we came for or not, we have to be back within twenty minutes."

The plan was settled.

But just as the two of them were about to leave, a knock came from outside their base.

It wasn't the rough pounding of someone trying to break in. There were three polite, light knocks.

Qingyu froze and gestured for his teammates to stay alert, then walked to the door himself.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," came a calm voice from outside.

Qingyu's heart gave a sudden leap.

He'd heard that voice before, in front of the Central Tower.

Itachi Uchiha.

He took a deep breath and opened the door.

The moment it opened, Qingyu felt a wave of icy killing intent sweep over him, as if the Grim Reaper had fixed its gaze on him.

Two people stood outside.

One was Itachi Uchiha, dressed in an Anbu uniform, his expression indifferent.

The other was also Itachi Uchiha...

Actually, the other one was Shisui Uchiha, ha. He was dressed like an Anbu too, but wore a warm smile.

"Sorry to bother you," Itachi said.

"We've come to deliver something on the Clan Head's orders."

He handed over a small scroll.

Qingyu took it hesitantly. "What's this...?"

"Some notes on our clan's ninjutsu," Shisui said with a smile.

"Clan Head Fugaku said you showed the Uchiha's potential in the exam. This is a little encouragement for you."

Qingyu tightened his grip on the scroll, his palm sweating.

Did you really have to pick this moment?!

In his mind, both voices fell silent.

After a long pause, Izuna said, "...Take it. Refusing would be more suspicious."

Tobirama said, "But don't read it right away. Wait until the exam is over, and make sure it contains no tracking or surveillance techniques before you open it."

Qingyu nodded and bowed to Itachi and Shisui. "Thank you, Clan Head. Thank you both."

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

"Do your best in the exam," Shisui said. "Good luck, Qingyu!"

With that, the two turned and left, disappearing among the buildings after a few leaps.

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

Yamada said, "Captain! Those two seniors just now... Their killing intent was so intense, my legs nearly gave out!"

Nakamura said, "Are they... keeping an eye on you?"

Could it be they'd discovered that the captain was a hidden genius... Nakamura stopped himself, but couldn't help wondering.

Those Uchiha must have noticed the captain's talent.

Chapter 1: The Fallen Genius

Chapter 2: The Genius Reborn!

"I don't know! And don't make up any more wild theories!" Qingyu stuffed the scroll into the deepest part of his ninja pouch.

"Now's obviously not the time to think about that. Let's move. We're heading to District D!"

The two left their base and raced toward the last high-value point.

On the way, Qingyu asked in his mind, "What do you two think about those people just now...?"

No, why was everything getting stranger and stranger? The Uchiha, who were supposed to have been wiped out by this point, were still alive, and Shisui hadn't died either!

Qingyu: Shisui... you're still alive?!

"That one called Shisui has a gentle chakra, with immense power hidden beneath it," Izuna said.

"He's a true powerhouse, with a broad mind. He's nothing like a typical Uchiha."

"As for Itachi..." Tobirama paused.

"I can't read him. His chakra control is perfect to an abnormal degree, and his emotions don't fluctuate at all. He's like... a bottomless pool of water."

Qingyu fell silent.

He knew Itachi's story. He knew what this boy would go through and what he would become.

But right now, Itachi was still just a rising star among Konoha's Anbu and a genius of the Uchiha.

He hadn't done any of those things yet.

If Itachi weren't an Uchiha and on the New Year's greeting list, Qingyu wouldn't care what was going on in this world.

He needed to find Big Thunder Senju and talk about his birth family.

If Little Thunder Shizune dared to eavesdrop, she'd be dead!

Once it was Big Thunder, though, eavesdropping would be fine...

Qingyu: Sorry, even if you're my teacher, I can't do it. I can't bring myself to hurt a girl!

"Forget it," he said, shaking his head. "Let's focus on the exam."

The pillar of light in District D drew closer and closer.

A battle had already broken out there: Team Gaara was fighting a Kumogakure team.

Sand Waterfall faced off against Lightning Release: False Darkness. The scene was spectacular.

Qingyu and Nakamura hid on a distant rooftop, waiting for their chance.

"Once they've worn each other down," Qingyu whispered, "we'll..."

Before he could finish, Gaara's sand suddenly turned and surged toward their hiding place.

The sand rushed at them like a rising tide, and an oppressive sensation filled the air, almost suffocating them.

"We've been spotted!" Nakamura cried.

"Let's get out of here first!"

Gaara! I was wrong!

The two leaped back as sand swallowed the rooftop where they'd been hiding.

Gaara stood in the distance, watching them coldly without giving chase.

His opponents, the Kumogakure team, were still putting up a fight.

"That was close..." Qingyu gasped.

Good thing I'm one step ahead!

"That red-haired kid," Izuna said gravely, "there's something inside him... It's dangerous."

"The Jinchuriki's seal is still unstable," Tobirama analyzed. "Emotional fluctuations could cause a rampage. I recommend staying away."

Qingyu nodded and was about to retreat when he spotted something at the edge of the battlefield.

Taking advantage of the chaos, a Kumogakure ninja had secretly grabbed the high-value scroll and was fleeing in the opposite direction.

A chance!

"After him!" Qingyu decided at once.

They chased him for two blocks and finally cornered the Kumogakure ninja in a dead-end alley.

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

The Kumogakure ninja sneered and formed Hand Seals. "Lightning Release: Earth Flash!"

Electricity surged along the ground. Qingyu jumped to dodge it while forming Hand Seals.

"Water-Fire Release: Steam Bomb!"

Not the barrier form—the offensive form.

A round, two-colored sphere about the size of a fist shot out and struck the ground beside the Kumogakure ninja.

"Boom!"

A violent Steam Explosion blasted the ninja into a wall, and the scroll slipped from his hand.

Qingyu dashed forward and picked up the scroll. Five points!

Lucky!

"Let's go!"

The two raced back.

At four fifty in the afternoon, ten minutes remained until the exam ended.

Qingyu's team returned to their base. Yamada reported that three teams had come to scout them during their absence, but had given up after seeing the defenses.

"With this, we have twelve points in total," Qingyu said, tallying the scrolls. "We should make the top eight."

After a grueling struggle, they'd made it in, though they were in eighth place...

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

Nakamura said, "Haha, we have the captain to thank for successfully catching them off guard!"

Qingyu: How could you call it catching them off guard? That's just what a scholar does!

At four fifty-nine, the final whistle sounded.

"Exam over! All candidates, stop moving and wait where you are while we tally the results!"

Qingyu collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat.

He was exhausted, but relieved.

The two big shots in his head were reviewing things too.

"Your performance today was barely passing," Tobirama said.

"You used your new technique at the right time, but your control was rough. Your tactical choices were reasonable, but your predictions fell short. You need to improve your data analysis and battlefield awareness."

"Hmph. At least you didn't die," Izuna said, unusually refraining from arguing.

"That idea for the Water-Fire Barrier was good, but your transformation was too slow. Next time, I'll teach you a variation with quicker Hand Seals to streamline it."

Qingyu smiled. "Thank you, teachers."

Five minutes later, the announcement came over the loudspeaker:

"The results of the second exam are now available. The following eight teams have qualified for the final round—"

"Team Gaara of Sunagakure, twenty-eight points, first place."

"Team Neji Hyuga of Konoha, twenty-one points, second place."

"...Team Nara Shikamaru of Konoha, fifteen points, fifth place."

"Team Qingyu Uchiha of Konoha, twelve points, eighth place."

"We made it!"

Yamada and Nakamura cheered and slapped hands.

Qingyu smiled too, but his smile carried a hint of exhaustion and something deeper.

He pulled the scroll from the depths of his ninja pouch—the "encouragement" sent by Uchiha Fugaku through Itachi.

What exactly was inside?

Was it goodwill, a test, or something else?

He didn't know.

But he knew that from today on, he was no longer the nobody at the bottom of the Uchiha clan—or of Konoha.

People were starting to notice him.

And being noticed often meant the beginning of trouble.

The sun was setting as Qingyu walked out of the exam grounds.

The two voices in his head were still debating the merits of the day's tactics.

In the distance, behind a window in the clan head's residence at the Uchiha Clan Compound, Fugaku was watching him.

Farther away, in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage studied the report in his hands, deep in thought.

As for Qingyu, he was simply walking home, wondering what to have for dinner and how to prepare for the final round starting tomorrow.

Aaaagh!!!! Can't I just slack off?!