The Sharingan Will Come Through

"You and Neji's match is scheduled for the third round, starting at two this afternoon. The first two matches 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?"

"More precisely, two hours and forty-seven minutes," Tobirama reported in his head.

Qingyu wanted to find somewhere to lie down.

"Come with me," Itachi said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"The Clan Head wants to see you."

The lounge behind the main platform.

Fugaku Uchiha sat on the sofa, looking at Qingyu standing before him.

"You drew Neji Hyuga." Fugaku's tone gave nothing away. "How do you feel?"

"A little... stunned," Qingyu answered honestly.

Fugaku rarely smiled, but now he did, a look of reminiscence on his face.

"That's normal. When I took the Chunin Ninja Exams for the first time, I was stunned too when I drew an opponent from the Senju Clan."

Qingyu looked up in surprise. The Clan Head was actually sharing his own experience?

"But being stunned doesn't change the fact that you still have to fight," Fugaku said.

"And you have to fight well!"

Fugaku rose and walked to the window, looking down at the arena below.

"The Uchiha and the Hyuga are Konoha's two strongest clans with ocular kekkei genkai. People have always compared them, debating which is stronger: the Sharingan or the Byakugan—which is the 'strongest eye.'"

He turned to Qingyu. "This match isn't just a personal contest between you and Neji. To many people, it's another clash between the Uchiha and the Hyuga."

Qingyu felt the pressure mount.

"But you don't need to feel too burdened," Fugaku added, changing tack.

"You're still young. Neji is two years older and graduated a year before you, so he has more experience.

Even if you lose, no one will say anything, as long as you show the Uchiha's style and spirit."

Qingyu understood the unspoken message: it was all right to lose, but he couldn't make it ugly.

He had to fight with flair and show the pride of the Uchiha.

In other words: don't be like the national soccer team—losing is fine, just don't make it too embarrassing.

And don't go on about how you're sticking to eating sea cucumbers.

"Clan Head," Qingyu asked, summoning his courage, "what do you think... I should do?"

Fugaku studied him for a few seconds, then said slowly, "Shisui should have taught you the Heart-Intent Style. Use it. The Hyuga's Byakugan can see chakra flow and predict movements, but it can't see intent."

"You can use your Water and Fire Style ninjutsu too, but be careful. The Hyuga's Gentle Fist can disrupt chakra, so close combat is extremely unfavorable for you. Keep your distance and use what you're good at."

"One more thing," Fugaku said, pausing.

"If you feel you can't win, don't push yourself. There's no shame in surrendering. That's better than suffering a serious injury that affects your future."

Qingyu was taken aback. That last sentence was unexpectedly considerate...

"Thank you for the advice, Clan Head." Qingyu bowed.

"Go," Fugaku said, waving him off. "Have Shisui and Itachi help you analyze your tactics. Remember, win or lose, you're an Uchiha!"

"The pride of the Uchiha isn't in winning or losing, but in how you fight."

Qingyu left the lounge, still turning Fugaku's words over in his mind.

Fugaku: As long as you don't die, you'll be fine. Something called the Sharingan will come through for you later.

Now that's the Uchiha spirit!

"Your Clan Head sure knows how to talk," Izuna remarked.

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

"That's a very rational way to lead," Tobirama agreed.

"But now's not the time to reflect on it. There are two hours and thirty-nine minutes until your match. We need to come up with a detailed strategy."

When Qingyu returned to the waiting area, Shisui and Itachi were already waiting for him.

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

Qingyu repeated it all.

"Yeah, that's about what I expected," Shisui said with a nod.

"Neji's weak against ranged attacks and prolonged battles of attrition. Your strengths are Shuriken and that Steam Killing Jutsu. Stick to that plan."

Itachi spoke up suddenly. "Neji's Rotation can last seven seconds when fully released and consumes about a tenth of his total chakra.

"In theory, if you can force him to use Rotation three times in a row, he'll run out of chakra."

"But he won't be stupid enough to do that," Shisui said.

"Neji's also a strong tactician. Qingyu, your goal isn't to force him to use Rotation. It's to make him have no choice but to use it."

"Like what?" Qingyu asked.

"For instance, use wide-ranging, continuous attacks to seal off his avenues of movement," Itachi said.

"If your Water and Fire Style ninjutsu can create a persistent field of steam, then combine that with Shuriken to harass him, it might work."

Qingyu considered this.

For the next hour or so, the three of them—five, if you counted the two in Qingyu's head—sat in a corner of the waiting area.

They pored over information about Neji's previous matches, frantically analyzing tactics.

"Here, when he fought that Amegakure ninja and faced a continuous barrage of Shuriken, he didn't dodge them all. He used Gentle Fist to knock some aside instead. That means he has a set response to high-frequency attacks..."

"Look at these figures. When he activates his Byakugan, the degree to which the veins bulge around his eyes can give us a rough idea of how long he's kept it active and how much chakra he's used..."

"Gentle Fist has three opening stances: Cloud Hand, Push Hand, and Collapse Hand. Each corresponds to attacks from different distances and angles. You need to memorize the characteristics of each stance so you can predict them in advance..."

Qingyu's head spun, but he fought to remember every detail.

He knew that this information might be the key to victory.

[System notification!]

[System message: Detected that the host is devising high-intensity tactics. Limited-time mission triggered.]

[Limited-Time Mission: A Prodigy's Downfall? Three-Year Promise!]

[Mission: Defeat Neji Hyuga, Konoha's publicly recognized prodigy, in a public match, and hit him at least once with "Steam-Kill Shuriken."]

[Reward: Depending on your performance, unlock "Byakugan Insight (Weakened Version)," which slightly improves dynamic vision and chakra-flow perception, or "Gentle Fist Meridian Map," which grants knowledge of some of the Hyuga Clan's meridians and pressure points.]

[Failure penalty: None (but you'll lose the reward and might end up in the notebook of some Uchiha Hawk Faction member).]

[Hawk Faction: If you can't win, get lost!]

[Special notice: Multiple factions are watching from the stands. Choose carefully how many of your trump cards to reveal.]

Qingyu looked at the mission and took a deep breath.

Win, win, win! And in the end...

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

But the mission was incredibly difficult, too.

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

Qingyu felt like he was dreaming.

"Almost time." Shisui glanced at the clock on the wall. "You'll enter the arena in twenty minutes. Qingyu, one last piece of advice."

"Go ahead, senpai."

"Forget every tactic," Shisui said seriously.

"Once you're in the arena, don't think about anything. Trust your body, trust the 'instinct' you've trained over the past few days. Sometimes the best strategy is no strategy at all. Just fight, purely and instinctively."