Gala Shadow isn't like this!

Qingyu dragged his falling-apart body home, locked the door, and drew the curtains—all in one fluid motion.

As he fished that hot potato of a small scroll from the deepest part of his ninja pouch, he didn't feel like a ninja; he felt like a spy stealing classified documents right under the noses of the Uchiha Special Ops.

"This thing?" He placed it on the table and used a kunai to carefully pry the scroll open, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Don't tell me opening this will trigger some genjutsu that says, 'Anyone who sees this scroll automatically joins the Uchiha coup d'état'?"

"It's not that low-class," Izuna's voice carried a hint of disdain.

"Uchiha genjutsu is far more elegant. At the very least, it would be packaged as 'you voluntarily made this wise choice.'"

"It's not that high-class, you mean!" Tobirama's tone was full of contempt.

"The Uchiha brain isn't that smart. At least, you can't tell; it's hard to find a few smart people in the entire Uchiha clan."

"...Your words are even more terrifying, you know that!" Qingyu's mouth twitched.

I hope a Sharingan doesn't trigger a CG the moment I look at it, some kind of Konoha brotherhood scene...

"Don't touch the main body yet, let me sense it," Tobirama analyzed calmly.

"There is a faint chakra seal on the surface. It's not high-level, likely just to prevent ordinary people or small animals from accidentally triggering it. As for the contents... I can't sense them; there's a shielding barrier. It seems you Uchiha really do love these pretentious, mysterious tricks."

"That's called a sense of ritual, White-Hair," Izuna retorted.

"So," Qingyu raised his hands, "two big shots, give me a straight answer: do I look or not?"

"Look," they said in unison.

Qingyu: "...Didn't you two just say it might be dangerous?"

"Even if it's dangerous, we look!" Izuna said.

"Knowing what the enemy is thinking is better than knowing nothing. The most terrifying thing on the battlefield is an intelligence vacuum."

"Besides, this is a good opportunity to understand the current internal movements of the Uchiha," Tobirama added.

"From a scroll 'personally gifted by the clan head,' one can read a lot of information—for instance, whether they are trying to win you over, use you, or monitor you as a clan member who suddenly emerged from nowhere."

Izuna & Tobirama: Anyway, it's not them opening it, right...

Qingyu took a deep breath, prepared to use the Substitution Technique to bolt at any moment, and untied the dark purple silk ribbon.

Click.

The wax seal was carefully peeled away... no explosion, no smoke, no sudden Sharingan genjutsu jumping out.

Nothing unusual happened at all.

As expected, the Uchiha IQ wouldn't stoop to such uncouth behavior.

A blessing in disguise... perhaps.

But the fact that his teammates were a pair of "pigs" didn't make him feel any better.

Though, it seemed slightly better than the AI bots from his past life; at least no one was coming to perform a Turing test.

1v9, fair game!

"That's it?" Qingyu was a bit disappointed. "I thought at least there would be some golden light or something..."

Like, the moment the scroll opened, someone would excitedly shout, "Wow! Legendary Gold!"

The scroll slowly unfurled.

The first half was very normal—perhaps even excessively so. It was indeed genuine Uchiha ninjutsu insight:

<Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique Chakra Flow Optimization Diagram (Late Warring States Period Improved Version)>

<Sharingan Basic Training Precautions (Applicable to those who have not yet awakened the eyes, includes daily eye exercise diagrams)>

<Uchiha Style Shuriken Throwing Angle Calculation Table (Includes wind speed and humidity correction formulas)>

It even thoughtfully included several practice schedules, clearly arranged from five in the morning to ten at night, with time reserved for meals and bathroom breaks.

Why are you Uchiha so rigorous...

"It's actually quite professional..." Qingyu flipped through it.

"The chakra path for this Great Fireball is at least thirty percent more streamlined than what I learned at the academy. Compressing seventeen chakra nodes down to twelve should significantly increase efficiency."

"Hmm, this is the version my brother improved," Izuna's voice carried a trace of nostalgia.

"The original version wasted too much chakra. Saving even a little extra chakra on the battlefield could mean living one second longer."

"Your brother manages even this?" Qingyu was surprised.

"He manages everything," Izuna said.

"From shuriken throwing angles to the etiquette training of the clan's children, from battlefield formations to what's for dinner. He calls it 'Clan Head Responsibility,' but it's really just a strong desire for control."

Tobirama: That's not the case. Does he really think I don't know who the actual clan head is? With Madara Uchiha's IQ, being able to handle things this orderly? Is he wishing upon a star!

Perhaps in Tobirama's eyes: Uchiha Clan > Border Collie > Madara Uchiha.

But Tobirama didn't expose him; instead, he suddenly spoke: "Turn to the last page, bottom right corner. Use chakra to sense the edge."

Qingyu followed suit, condensing a faint trace of chakra at his fingertips and gently brushing it across the edge of the scroll.

In the lining of the paper at the very end of the scroll, a line of small text appeared in special, nearly transparent ink:

[Three days from now, at the Hour of the Boar, Naka Shrine, routine clan meeting. If you have the energy to spare, you may come to listen in. --Fugaku]

Qingyu stared at the words, stunned for a full ten seconds.

How was this any different from "Whoever sees this scroll automatically joins the Uchiha coup d'état plan"?

Qingyu: Border Collie > Uchiha Clan > Madara Uchiha.

Qingyu: Wait, that's not right! I'm an Uchiha too!

Tobirama: That's right! Exactly!

"Does this count as... an invitation?" he asked.

"It counts as a probe," Tobirama said, hitting the nail on the head.

"'If you have the energy to spare' literally means 'if you aren't busy,' but it actually means 'if you think you're qualified enough.'"

"Or rather," Izuna's interpretation was more direct, "'if you truly want to integrate into the clan instead of continuing to be an outsider.'"

"Kid, you've been targeted. Ever since the day you fell into that secret chamber—no, ever since you used that half-baked Water-Fire ninjutsu, you've already entered someone's line of sight."

Qingyu slumped into his chair, gazing at the sky with a look of utter despair.

"I just wanted to quietly pass an exam, become a Chunin, earn a salary, and lie down eating red bean cakes after training... Why is it so hard? Is this ninja world really so unfriendly to players who just want to lie flat?"

Gala Naruto isn't like this!

Why are you sending me straight to a clan meeting?!

It's not like this in the Gala game!

You're supposed to chat with me more to raise my affection level.

Occasionally give me gifts, and then have a special interaction during a specific holiday.

Finally, during some mysterious event in my heart, you confess to me, I agree to be with you, and then I show you my special CG.

How can you just jump straight to asking me to go to a clan meeting!?

It's not like this in the Gala game at all! I refuse to accept this!!

[Ding!]

[System Prompt: Detected that the host is attempting to avoid a key plot node. A "Love's Encouragement (Forced Version)" mission has been issued.]

Qingyu: "...Brother System, I beg you, not at a time like this..."

[Side Mission: Uchiha's Invitation (The "You Have To Go" Version)]

[Mission Content: Brave youth, go forth and create a miracle! At the Hour of the Boar (9-11 PM) three days from now, head to Naka Shrine to attend the Uchiha clan meeting.]

[Note: If you don't go, the number of Uchiha clansmen who "accidentally" pass by your front door might increase~]

[Mission Requirements: 1. Arrive on time (lateness will affect your reputation within the clan) 2. Do not expose the existence of the dual souls (exposure counts as mission failure) 3. Obtain at least one piece of valuable intelligence (don't think about slacking off)]

[Mission Rewards: Depending on performance, unlock "Sharingan Awakening Probability Increase (slight, roughly equivalent to winning five bucks on a lottery ticket)" or "Chakra Control Enhancement (might be useful~)"]

[Failure Penalty: Uchiha clan reputation drops to "Suspicious (Key Subject of Observation)," plus one "Curious Gaze from Root" added as a bonus, and subsequent plot difficulty increases by 50%]

Qingyu: Buddy, I'm not piloting a Gundam here, what's with the "brave youth" stuff! And who's going to make up for the cheat codes I'm missing?!

[System: I'm not giving you an egg either!]