Collar Pulled to the Highest Point! Dive In!

At four in the morning, Qingyu dragged his exhausted body back home.

He slipped into his room on tiptoe and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

But what he did not know was that, on this night, the meeting in the secret chamber of the Naka Shrine of the Uchiha was still ongoing.

"Fugaku, the situation with that child..." an elder hesitated, leaving his sentence unfinished.

Fugaku Uchiha sat at the head of the table, his fingers tapping lightly against the surface. "His chakra fluctuations are abnormal but show no hostility. Yashiro, what is your take?"

Yashiro Uchiha said in a low voice, "I have checked the shrine's barrier; there are no traces of external intrusion. His appearance... was indeed an accident, but that kind of chakra turbulence reminds me of what his parents were researching back then..."

"Forbidden Technique: Soul Guidance," another elder interjected, his voice heavy.

"A fragmented secret technique discovered in the ancient texts of the Naka Shrine. It is said to be able to attract special soul fragments. His parents were researching this before they went missing."

"A curse left behind by Tobirama Senju!" a radical elder slammed the table.

"We should never have allowed the Uchiha to study the things of the Senju!"

"It is useless to talk about that now," Fugaku raised a hand to stop the argument.

"The point is whether that child, Qingyu, is aware of it, and whether... his abnormality will affect the clan's plans."

"If that child has truly attracted... a soul that should not have appeared..."

"Should we dispose of..."

The secret chamber fell into silence.

Fugaku broke the silence. "Let us observe him a while longer. After all, he is an Uchiha..."

Outside the window, the moonlight gradually dimmed.

The darkness before dawn was the deepest of all.

In Qingyu's dream, he was being forced to practice shurikenjutsu by two great figures from the Warring States period simultaneously; one demanded a curved throw with three changes in direction, while the other demanded calculations for wind speed, humidity, and lead time.

He cried in his dream.

It turned out that even sleep offered no escape.

If he tried to hang himself, both great figures would just say he was swinging on a swing!

Three days later, the first stage of the Chunin Exams, the Forest of Death.

Qingyu stood in the crowd, trying his best to look inconspicuous.

But this was too difficult, because he was an Uchiha, and the Uchiha were always eye-catching in Konoha.

Especially when you were, in this year's Chunin Exams.

The only Uchiha dead-last participating in the Chunin Exams.

But this was an order!

"Is that the one from the Uchiha family?"

"I heard his grades aren't very good..."

"Shh, keep it down, the Uchiha have sharp ears."

No, are you treating the Uchiha like dogs?

Although he did indeed hear it...

Qingyu pretended not to hear.

His attention was currently entirely on his brain.

Or more accurately, on the two Warring States souls arguing inside his head.

"So this is what a 'ninja' is nowadays?" Izuna's voice was full of disdain.

"Loose discipline, sloppy posture, chakra fluctuations completely uncontained... in the Warring States period, this kind of trash wouldn't live for three days."

"The times have changed," Tobirama analyzed calmly.

"Training intensity naturally drops in times of peace, but looking at it from another angle, the tactical thinking born in this environment might be more... flexible."

"Flexible? I call it slack."

"Better than some people who are stubborn as a mule."

Qingyu rubbed his temples. Since he woke up this morning, these two hadn't stopped.

They hadn't stopped since they started arguing about whether to eat military rations or rice balls for breakfast.

Izuna: "Military rations are more efficient!"

Tobirama: "An empty stomach affects blood flow to the brain!"

And it continued to whether he should wear a high-collar or low-collar uniform.

Izuna: "High collars provide better protection!"

Tobirama: "Low collars provide better heat dissipation!"

Qingyu: "He has the final say on this part. Pull the collar up to the highest point—that's how we truly commit!"

Then came the debate over whether to strap the kunai to the thigh or the calf (a question that took fifteen minutes to argue).

In the end, Qingyu did half of each: he ate a rice ball and half a military ration pill, wore a medium-collared shirt, and strapped one kunai to each leg.

Sigh, how did it end up being both left and right?

It was even half Ao Bing and half Nezha.

What a headache!

Right now, the two big shots were evaluating the other examinees nearby.

"That one from the Hyuga clan—the purity of his Byakugan is high, but there's a flaw in his taijutsu stance. His left shoulder is 0.3 inches lower than his right."

"That one from Sunagakure, his chakra carries the sharpness of the wind element. He likely specializes in Wind Release; I suggest avoiding a direct confrontation."

"The three from Kirigakure, their breathing rhythms are synchronized. It's highly probable they are a squad specifically trained in coordinated combat tactics."

"As for this side, Konoha... tsk, why is that yellow-haired brat eating instant noodles? Consuming such food before an exam will affect the efficiency of his chakra flow..."

"Wait," Qingyu suddenly interrupted Tobirama.

"Yellow-haired brat? Eating instant noodles?"

He followed the direction Tobirama "pointed" out.

Sure enough, a boy with spiky blond hair and six whisker-like marks on his cheeks was happily slurping down a bowl of instant noodles.

Standing next to him was a pink-haired girl scolding him, and a cool-looking black-haired boy standing by with his arms crossed.

Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha.

Team 7.

Qingyu's heart skipped a beat.

It wasn't just because he was seeing the protagonists of the original work—well, maybe a little bit.

Half of them were characters he had watched grow up, and the other half were protagonists he had projected himself onto.

Good heavens, this is literally me!

But he suddenly realized: Sasuke was over there—his clansman, the second son of the clan head, the recognized genius of the Uchiha generation.

And he, Qingyu Uchiha, was just a background character in the clan.

"Oh? That Uchiha brat," Izuna's voice carried a hint of interest.

"His chakra quality is decent, but his emotions are unstable... restless? Angry? Interesting."

Qingyu: Isn't it just because he looks so much like you?

Classic case of a son looking like his father.

"The focus should be on that blond boy," Tobirama's voice turned serious.

"His chakra... is very special. Vast, chaotic, and carrying a certain familiar aura..."

Qingyu: The old pro is here. It took me one second to guess what kind of jinchuriki he is. Let the other ninja villages try to figure it out!

Danzo: Who knows~

"Nine-Tails," Izuna said coldly.

"Although it's been weakened countless times, that feeling... it can't be wrong."

"A jinchuriki, then..." Tobirama mused.

"To actually let a jinchuriki participate in this kind of exam in this era, the Konoha management..." Are they insane?

Tobirama: Who is the higher-up?! I really need to get you people under control!

"The proctor is here." Qingyu cut off their discussion.

Anko Mitarashi jumped onto the high platform and began explaining the rules with her signature loud voice.

Qingyu listened intently, while the two big shots in his mind were also analyzing rapidly.

"Allowing all means... which means killing is also permitted," Izuna sneered.

"Still the same old way."

"The key is the scrolls," Tobirama countered.

"Since you must collect a set of the 'Heaven' and 'Earth' scrolls, the optimal strategy is: seize one scroll as quickly as possible, then hide, wait for other squads to exhaust each other, and finally intercept a squad that possesses the corresponding scroll."

"Too conservative," Izuna immediately retorted.

"You should take the initiative, collect the scrolls at the fastest speed, and head straight for the central tower. Delaying only increases the variables."

"You evil Uchiha brat, the risk is too high! Your tactics are always so reckless!"

"You insidious white-haired Senju! Your tactics are always so boring!"

"Stop!" Qingyu shouted in his mind.

"I've noted down both plans. We'll choose based on the situation when the time comes, alright?"

The two (souls) hummed in unison, reluctantly agreeing.

The rules were explained, and each team drew their scrolls before being assigned to different entrances.

Qingyu took the scroll and looked down to see the character for "Earth."

After a moment of silence in his mind...

They started arguing again.

"I told you! Use the glory of the Uchiha to micromanage them directly!"

"Bullshit! We should wait for the right moment and win with a single strike!"