Konoha: It's Useless to Even Call for Mom

"I made this," Shisui said, handing it over. "It's nutritionally balanced, perfect for recovery after training."

Qingyu opened the container to find rice, grilled fish, vegetables, and a soft-boiled egg.

The presentation was so exquisite it looked like it came straight from a restaurant.

"Senior, you can cook?" Qingyu asked, surprised.

My fragrant, soft little kitchen maid!

Shisui-baby, you are a fragrant, soft little cupcake!

"Living alone, one has to pick up a few life skills," Shisui said with a smile.

"Besides, cooking is a lot like ninjutsu! Both require precise control and perfect timing."

Qingyu took a bite of the grilled fish; it was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and seasoned to perfection.

Delicious! Senior, with skills like these, you could open a shop!

During their post-meal rest, Shisui began to share intelligence on Sunagakure.

"Kankuro, thirteen years old, puppeteer," Shisui said, spreading out a blueprint.

Detailed structural diagrams of two puppets were drawn on it.

"He specializes in using Crow and Black Ant. Crow is for offense, equipped with poison needles and traps; Black Ant is for control, featuring binding and capture functions."

Qingyu studied the blueprint carefully.

The intelligence was absurdly detailed, marking even the connection methods of each joint and the locations of the hidden mechanisms.

"Where did this... come from?" he couldn't help but ask.

Highly classified blueprints like these were certainly not obtained through ordinary channels.

Shisui blinked. "Trade secret~"

Qingyu: "..." Senior, don't tell me you infiltrated Sunagakure to steal this? That's way too risky!

Shisui: My bad, my bad, brother. My Sharingan was still active, and I accidentally locked onto the wall behind it.

Besides, can you really call it stealing when it comes to the Sharingan?

"However, intelligence is only a reference," Shisui said, his expression turning serious.

"In a real battle, an opponent might modify their puppets on the fly or hide new mechanisms, so you cannot rely entirely on intel."

Qingyu nodded.

He understood this logic; it was like reading a walkthrough for a game—there are always surprises during boss fights.

On the road to becoming king, besides the three hundred and sixty-five miles of travel, there are also the delayed attacks of private-server bosses.

I haven't heard a bedtime story in three minutes...

"Next is the overall situation in Sunagakure," Shisui said, putting away the blueprint, his expression growing graver.

"Sunagakure's recent movements... are a bit strange."

"Strange?"

Could it be that Orochimaru is making his move? He's so bold!

With the entire Uchiha clan here, he'd be turned into a sieve if he dared to show up...

"The genin they sent to participate in the Chunin Exams are generally stronger than average," Shisui said.

"Furthermore, their team leader, Baki, has been frequently entering and leaving the Hokage's office, seemingly negotiating something, and the Kazekage himself has rarely appeared in public recently..."

Qingyu's heart tightened.

Isn't this the precursor to the Konoha Crush Plan!

You really dare to attack?

This isn't a game; there are no millions of Mitsuki players here to protect you.

"It's not Orochimaru who is strong, it's Rashomon! Don't nerf me, Butterfly!"

"The Clan Head and Itachi are also keeping an eye on this," Shisui lowered his voice.

"So this joint activity... might not be as simple as a mere exchange."

Qingyu felt a chill run down his spine. So he was essentially jumping into a pit of fire on purpose?

[Ding!]

[System Prompt: Key intelligence detected!]

[Hidden Mission Updated: Sunagakure's Conspiracy]

[Mission Objective: Investigate Sunagakure's true intentions during the joint activity and obtain at least one piece of key evidence.]

[Mission Reward: Unlock "Conspiracy Insight" ability (Passive, slightly increases the probability of detecting traps and lies).]

[Failure Penalty: Sunagakure Favorability -∞, and the legend of "The Uchiha who was played like a fiddle by Sunagakure" will be left behind in Konoha]

Qingyu stared at the mission, wailing internally.

Brother System, this penalty is even more terrifying than death! "The Uchiha who was played like a fiddle"...

If that gets out, how am I supposed to show my face in Konoha again!

"Don't worry too much." Shisui patted him on the shoulder. "With Itachi and me here, we won't let anything happen to you! Besides..." He smiled. "This is also an opportunity for growth."

Qingyu gave a bitter smile.

Senior, the way you say that is just like a teacher saying "exams are an opportunity to test your learning results"... I understand the logic, but I don't want to take the test!

The ninjutsu coordination training in the afternoon was even more devilish.

Shisui required Qingyu to use Fire Release and Water Release simultaneously, and he had to be able to switch between them at any moment, or even achieve partial fusion.

"Your idea for 'Water-Fire Rotation' is excellent, but it forms too slowly in actual combat," Shisui analyzed.

"You need to practice until you can complete the attribute switch within 0.5 seconds."

0.5 seconds! Qingyu felt like he was listening to a fairy tale.

Thanks to his previous basic training, he had indeed become a bit stronger, but something like this...

How could it be achieved with just a short period of training?

"Let's start with something simple," Shisui demonstrated.

"Fireball in the left hand, water ball in the right, maintain both for ten seconds."

It sounded simple, but it was lethal in practice.

He couldn't just do a slow-motion move with his left and right hands...

Qingyu gathered fire-attribute chakra in his left hand and water-attribute in his right.

The two opposing natures of chakra clashed within his body, making him feel like he was repeatedly jumping on the edge of self-destruction.

"Control! Control them separately!" Tobirama instructed in his mind.

"Split the chakra into two independent circuits, don't let them meet in your meridians!"

"Imagine there is a wall in the middle of your body," Izuna added.

"Fire on the left, water on the right, keep them strictly separated!"

Qingyu gritted his teeth and tried, sweat beading on his forehead.

Five seconds later, the fireball in his left hand exploded, and the water ball in his right dissipated.

"Again," Shisui said calmly.

Qingyu took a deep breath and continued.

He tried his best to mobilize the control he had accumulated over these past few days.

Once, twice, ten times...

By the twentieth time, under the real-time guidance of the two big shots in his head, he finally managed to maintain both for five seconds.

"Progress made," Shisui nodded.

"Rest for five minutes, then continue practicing the switch! Left hand fire to water, right hand water to fire."

Qingyu collapsed on the ground, feeling like a toy that had been played until it broke.

This training intensity was even more exhausting than fighting Neji!

But he didn't complain, simply recovering his stamina in silence.

Because he knew Shisui was right.

On the battlefield, the enemy wouldn't give you time to slowly charge up.

By evening, the day's training finally came to an end.

Qingyu dragged his falling-apart body toward home, his mind still reviewing the day's training content.

"Your performance today was acceptable," Tobirama evaluated.

"Chakra control precision increased by 2%, shuriken hit rate increased by 15%."

"Your stamina is still too poor," Izuna snorted.

"Tired like a dog after only running twenty laps; back in my day..."

"You were a monster of the Warring States period, I know," Qingyu replied weakly.

"Senior, can you say something constructive?"

"Eat more meat," Izuna offered the unadorned advice.

Qingyu gave a bitter smile.

Easier said than done; with a ninja's meager allowance, how much meat can I afford to eat!

Konoha: It's useless to call for Mom; only when you earn money will Mom love you!

Returning to his doorstep, he discovered an envelope wedged into the door crack.

Picking it up, he saw there was no signature, only a simple fan pattern drawn on it.

Internal Uchiha communication?

Qingyu's heart skipped a beat as he vigilantly looked left and right.

He immediately sensed his surroundings with caution, and after confirming no one was there, he quickly entered the house and shut the door.

He tore open the envelope to find a note inside, written in neat handwriting:

[Tomorrow afternoon, behind Naka Shrine, someone wishes to see you. You must come alone. --Someone who cares about you]

Qingyu stared at the note, his brows knitting together as a strong sense of unease gripped him.

What is this? Is there a mole calling off a deal?

What kind of mysterious invitation is this?

Is this the Uchiha version of "I know your secret"?

Could it be some radical elder trying to recruit me?

"Go," Izuna said decisively. "You can't hide from this."

"But be prepared," Tobirama added.

"Bring enough ninja tools, plan your escape route in advance, and if the situation turns, use the Body Flicker Technique to leave immediately."

Qingyu nodded.

It seemed the internal drama of the Uchiha was about to officially begin.

He put away the note and began preparing his equipment for tomorrow.