What did I do to you?

"Is Neji-senpai... alright?" he asked.

"He was discharged before you," Shisui shrugged.

"The Hyuga clan's recovery rate is quite impressive. He left as soon as his meridians were checked, but he left a message for me to pass on: 'Next time, I will use my true strength.'"

Qingyu gave a wry smile: "He wasn't using his true strength today?"

"He was, but not entirely," Shisui lowered his voice.

"Neji still knows some secret techniques of the main branch, but his status as a branch member restricts him from using them openly. Of course, this is just between us."

Qingyu nodded, though his heart stirred.

The conflict between the Hyuga branch and the main branch, it seems, exists in this strange timeline as well.

"Speaking of which," Shisui leaned in closer, his voice dropping further.

"That final move of yours... how did you think to strike that spot?"

Here it comes! The lethal question!

Qingyu's brain CPU ran at full capacity, while he heard two voices in his head:

Izuna: "Tell the truth! Just say it was a flash of inspiration during the fight!"

Tobirama: "Too far-fetched! I suggest attributing it to an ancient text left by your parents, claiming you happened to see a similar record."

"I..." Qingyu opened his mouth, and a stroke of genius hit him.

"It was just... I felt like that was a weak point."

Metaphysics against metaphysics, using magic to defeat magic!

Let the daimyo investigate the daimyo, let the ninja investigate the ninja!

Shisui stared at him for three seconds, then smiled: "A feeling, huh... that's fine. Sometimes intuition is more accurate than analysis."

He actually believed it!

The Uchiha are just like that—authoritative!

Qingyu secretly wiped away a cold sweat.

"However," Shisui changed the subject.

"You can't always rely on that kind of intuition. Starting tomorrow, I'll come to the hospital every afternoon to accompany you through recovery training and, incidentally, teach you some systematic tactical analysis."

Qingyu: "...Senpai, I just finished a brutal fight."

"Which is exactly why we must strike while the iron is hot," Shisui said with an expression of absolute certainty.

"Learning efficiency is highest during the post-battle review period. Don't worry, I'll control the intensity~"

Looking at Shisui's brilliant smile, Qingyu suddenly had an ominous premonition.

"Recover well. Tomorrow, we start hospital special training, and while we're at it, we'll practice the Heart-Intent Style until you can apply it to your Water-Fire Technique~"

Shisui sat for a while longer, chatting about the details of the match, and even peeled an apple to hand over, his technique as skilled as if he had practiced it a thousand times.

"Back when I was in the Anbu and hospitalized for injuries, I had to peel apples myself," Shisui explained with a smile.

"Practice makes perfect, after all."

Qingyu munched on the apple, suddenly remembering something: "Shisui-senpai, who do you think will win tomorrow's match between Sasuke and Gaara?"

Shisui's smile faded slightly.

After a few seconds of silence, he said slowly.

"In terms of strength and experience, Gaara has the advantage. Sasuke... he has the pride of the Uchiha, and the expectations of his brother, so it's hard to say."

"Then who do you hope wins?" Qingyu asked cautiously.

Shisui looked at him, his eyes turning profound: "I hope... that both of them stay safe."

Qingyu: It really has to be you, the little angel of the Uchiha.

After Shisui left, the hospital room returned to silence.

Qingyu sprawled on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his brain beginning to automatically replay the match footage.

[Ding!]

[System Prompt: Host detected entering post-battle sage time. Launching "Tactical Review Module (Trial Version)"]

[Generating match report... Loading...]

A translucent data panel popped up before his eyes:

[Match: Uchiha Qingyu VS Neji Hyuga]

[Duration: 9 minutes 47 seconds (7 minutes of which were spent running away)]

[Chakra Consumption: Qingyu 92% (not a drop left), Neji 68% (with ease)]

[Effective Attacks: Qingyu 11 times (the master of scratching), Neji 87 times (the storm of pear blossoms)]

[Fatal Flaws Exposed: Qingyu 3 times (that was close), Neji 1 time (got ambushed)]

[Tactical Rating: B+ (Victory against a stronger opponent, but the playstyle is too much of a Gambler of Subversion)]

[New Title Acquired: "Gambler of Subversion" (Slightly increases luck when facing stronger enemies)]

Qingyu looked at the data, especially the "Fatal Flaws Exposed: 3 times," and felt a chill run down his spine.

"Did you see that?" Izuna's voice rang out.

"Three times! If any one of those had been caught, you'd be dead!"

"But the opponent only caught one," Tobirama countered, "and you neutralized it with the Substitution Technique. That shows improvement in your on-the-spot adaptability."

"That was just luck!"

"Luck is also a part of strength."

The two began their daily bickering.

Qingyu sighed and pulled up the system reward:

[Byakugan Insight (Youth Version)]

[Effect: Dynamic vision +15%, chakra flow perception range +5 meters]

[Special Skill: Can briefly (0.5 seconds) see through the weak points in an opponent's chakra meridians (CD: 30 minutes)]

[Note: A knockoff is a knockoff after all. Don't expect to compete with the genuine article; the Hyuga family reserves the right of final interpretation.]

Qingyu: "..." System, are you serious about that last sentence?

[System: Don't you have any idea how you won?! Kid, look at the luck you had; be grateful for what you're given. If you don't want it, plenty of other ninjas do!]

Qingyu: ...666

He tried activating the ability, and his eyes grew slightly warm as his vision shifted.

He could see tiny chakra particles floating in the air and could even vaguely perceive the flow of chakra within the nurse outside the door.

Although the range was small and the clarity low, this was already incredibly overpowered!

Small but cute!

"This ability," Tobirama evaluated.

"Has high strategic value. Combined with my analysis, you can quickly find breakthroughs in battle."

"Flashy," Izuna scoffed.

"True experts fight head-on; they don't look for weak points."

"That's why you..."

"Shut up!"

Qingyu cut off the mental connection and began to consider the next problem: how to handle Kankuro or Temari?

According to the original story, Kankuro played with puppets and Temari used Wind Release; neither were easy targets.

"If it's Kankuro," Tobirama began to analyze.

"Your Water and Fire ninjutsu counter puppets. Fire can burn wood, and water can rust the mechanisms, but you must be careful of poison and hidden weapons."

"If it's Temari," Izuna took over.

"Wind counters Fire but is countered by Water. You can use Water Release to create mist for interference, then close the distance. Her fan has a large attack range, but close-quarters combat is her weakness."

Qingyu listened and took notes while opening the intelligence scroll Shisui had given him.

The scroll detailed the common structures of Sunagakure puppets, several variations of Wind Release, and even the dimensions and weight of Temari's fan...

"Senior Shisui really has dug up all of Sunagakure's secrets," Qingyu clicked his tongue.

"Intelligence is a ninja's basic skill," Tobirama said.

"Back in my day, my brother and I... ahem, in any case, know yourself and know your enemy."

Qingyu keenly caught the mention of "brother," but wisely chose not to ask further.

Time slipped away amidst the review and planning.

In the evening, the nurse came in to change his bandages and brought dinner—a patient's meal, so bland it could make one cry.

"I want to eat meat..." Qingyu stared at the white porridge and greens on his tray, wailing.

"Wait until your chakra recovers," the nurse said heartlessly.

"Your stomach can't handle anything greasy right now."

Qingyu resigned himself to the bowl, while his two teachers continued discussing tactical details in his head.

"Oh, right," the nurse turned back as she reached the door.

"A blond kid tried to see you earlier, but he was stopped. They said non-family visits have to wait until tomorrow."

Blond? Naruto Uzumaki?

Qingyu froze, a warmth spreading through his heart. He hadn't expected that hot-blooded idiot to come visit him...

Wait, did I do something too?!