The Sharingan Exerts Its Power

"Your match against Neji Hyuga is scheduled for the third round, starting at two o'clock this afternoon. The two matches before that are Kankuro versus Kiba Inuzuka, and Temari versus an unknown genin."

"In other words..." Qingyu's voice went dry, "I have three hours to prepare?"

"To be precise, two hours and forty-seven minutes." Tobirama announced the time in his mind.

Qingyu wanted to find a place to lie down.

"Follow me." Itachi said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"The Clan Head wants to see you."

In the lounge behind the main podium.

Fugaku Uchiha sat on the sofa, watching Qingyu as he stood before him.

"You drew Neji Hyuga." Fugaku's tone was devoid of emotion, "How do you feel?"

"A bit... dazed." Qingyu answered honestly.

Fugaku smiled, a rare sight, his face showing a look of reminiscence.

"Normal. When I first participated in the Chunin Exams, I was also dazed when I drew an opponent from the Senju clan."

Qingyu looked up in surprise; Clan Head Fugaku was actually sharing his own experience?

"But dazed or not, the match must be fought." Fugaku said.

"And, it must be fought well!"

Fugaku stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the arena below.

"The Uchiha and the Hyuga are the two strongest bloodline families in Konoha possessing ocular jutsu. For a long time, the outside world has been comparing which is stronger—the Sharingan or the Byakugan—and which is the 'strongest eye'."

He turned around and looked at Qingyu: "This duel is not just a personal match between you and Neji; in the eyes of many, this is another contest between the Uchiha and the Hyuga."

Qingyu felt the pressure mount.

"However, you don't need to feel too burdened." Fugaku changed the subject.

"You are still young. Neji is two years older than you and graduated a year earlier, so he has more experience.

Even if you lose, no one will say anything, as long as you can display the style and spirit of the Uchiha."

Qingyu understood the subtext: losing is acceptable, but you cannot lose disgracefully.

You must fight with flair and uphold the pride of the Uchiha.

Meaning: Don't be like the national football team; if you lose, don't make it look too ugly.

And don't claim you're sticking to a diet of sea cucumbers.

"Clan Head," Qingyu gathered his courage to ask, "how do you think... I should fight?"

Fugaku looked at him for a few seconds and said slowly: "Shisui should have taught you the Heart-Intent Style. Use that. The Hyuga's Byakugan can see through chakra flow and predict movements, but it cannot see through the heart's intent."

"Your Water and Fire ninjutsu can also be used, but be careful. The Hyuga's Gentle Fist can disperse chakra, making close-quarters combat extremely disadvantageous for you. Keep your distance and use what you are good at."

"Additionally," Fugaku paused.

"If you feel you cannot win, do not force it. Admitting defeat is not shameful; it is better than suffering a serious injury that affects your future development."

Qingyu was stunned. This last sentence carried an unexpected touch of concern...

"Thank you for your guidance, Clan Head." Qingyu bowed.

"Go." Fugaku waved his hand, "Let Shisui and Itachi help you analyze the tactics again. Remember, win or lose, you are an Uchiha!"

"The pride of the Uchiha lies not in victory or defeat, but in how one fights."

Qingyu exited the lounge, his mind still ruminating on Fugaku's words.

Fugaku: As long as you don't die, something called the Sharingan will kick in later.

This Uchiha piece!

"Your Clan Head is quite eloquent." Izuna commented.

"He gave you pressure, but also gave you an out."

"A very rational leadership style." Tobirama acknowledged.

"But now is not the time for reflection. There are two hours and thirty-nine minutes left until the match; we need to formulate a detailed strategy."

Back in the waiting area, Shisui and Itachi were already waiting for him.

"What did the Clan Head say?" Shisui asked.

Qingyu repeated it.

"Hmm, about what I expected." Shisui nodded.

"Neji's weaknesses are long-range combat and sustained attrition. Your advantages are shuriken and that Steam Killing Jutsu. Let's build the strategy around that."

Itachi suddenly spoke: "Neji's Rotation can last for seven seconds when fully released, consuming about one-tenth of his total chakra."

"Theoretically, if you can force him to use Rotation three times in a row, his chakra will bottom out."

"But he won't be that foolish," Shisui said.

"Neji's tactical mind is also very sharp, Qingyu. What you need to do isn't just force him to use Rotation, but make it so he has no choice but to use it."

"For example?" Qingyu asked.

"For instance, use wide-range, sustained attacks to seal off his movement space," Itachi said.

"If your Water and Fire ninjutsu can create a continuous steam zone, combined with shuriken harassment, it might be effective."

Qingyu looked thoughtful.

For the next hour or so, the three of them (actually five, if you counted the two in their heads) stayed in the corner of the waiting area.

They frantically analyzed tactics based on the intelligence from Neji's previous matches.

"Here, when he faced that Amegakure ninja, he didn't dodge all the continuous shuriken attacks; instead, he used Gentle Fist to swat some away. This shows he has a fixed pattern for dealing with high-frequency attacks..."

"Look at this data. The degree to which the veins around his eyes bulge when he activates his Byakugan can roughly determine the duration and consumption of his Byakugan..."

"The starting stances for Gentle Fist are divided into 'Cloud Hand,' 'Push Hand,' and 'Collapse Hand,' corresponding to attacks at different distances and angles. You need to memorize the characteristics of these stances to predict them in advance..."

Qingyu felt dizzy, but he desperately tried to memorize every detail.

He knew that this information could be the key to victory or defeat.

[Ding!]

[System Prompt: Detected that the host is formulating high-intensity tactics. Time-limited mission triggered.]

[Time-limited Mission: Fall of a Genius? The Three-Year Promise!]

[Mission Content: Defeat Neji Hyuga (Konoha's recognized genius) in a public duel and hit him at least once with "Steam-Kill Shuriken."]

[Mission Reward: Depending on performance, unlock "Byakugan Insight (Weakened Version)," slightly improving dynamic vision and chakra flow perception, or "Gentle Fist Meridian Map," gaining knowledge of some Hyuga family meridian acupoints.]

[Failure Penalty: None (but you will lose the rewards and might be written down in a little notebook by a certain Uchiha hawk).]

[Hawks: In the Uchiha, if you can't win, then get out!]

[Special Note: There are many factions watching from the stands. Please choose the number of trump cards you reveal with caution.]

Qingyu looked at the mission and took a deep breath.

Win, win, win! In the end, it's just...

The reward was very tempting. A weakened version of Byakugan Insight? That was practically a budget substitute for the Sharingan!

But the difficulty was also extremely high.

Defeat Neji? And hit him with a Steam-Kill Shuriken?

Qingyu felt like he was dreaming.

"It's about time." Shisui glanced at the clock on the wall. "Twenty minutes until entry. Qingyu, one last piece of advice."

"Please go ahead, Senior."

"Forget all the tactics," Shisui said seriously.

"Once you're on the field, don't think about anything. Trust your body, trust the 'feeling' you've trained over these past few days. Sometimes, the best tactic is having no tactic at all—fighting purely and instinctively."