Shadow Clone: The Chameleon Is Here?

"The timing doesn't add up," Qingyu murmured.

"What doesn't add up?" Izuna asked.

Qingyu explained what was bothering him.

According to the original story, the Konoha Crush Plan should be happening around this time.

In this world, Sunagakure's unusual movements were still part of the timeline, but they seemed to have been pushed back?

"The butterfly effect," Tobirama analyzed calmly. "Your appearance, and the changes you've brought, may have affected the course of certain events."

Qingyu's heart stirred.

Could it be that his victory over Neji had drawn everyone's attention, causing Sunagakure and Orochimaru to adjust their plans?

Orochimaru: "How many drinks did you have? You're eating and taking everything with you!"

Or was it... that this world had always differed from the original story?

"Regardless," Tobirama continued, "we can be sure there's something wrong with Sunagakure. You need to be prepared."

Qingyu nodded.

He opened the first half of the scroll Setsuna had given him and began studying the survival techniques.

How to detoxify quickly: wrap the poison in chakra and force it out through specific pressure points.

How to deal with genjutsu: the moment you realize you've been caught in one, bite your lip and use the pain to snap yourself back to your senses.

How to survive in the desert: form an insulating layer of chakra over your body to reduce moisture loss...

These techniques were all practical, and clearly drawn from battlefield experience. They weren't things you could learn from a textbook.

"That old geezer Setsuna," Izuna suddenly remarked, "didn't hold back. These techniques were lifesaving secrets during the Warring States period. People didn't usually pass them on."

Qingyu was surprised. "The elder... lived through the Warring States period?"

"I remember Uchiha Setsuna," Tobirama chimed in.

"His father belonged to Tajima Uchiha's generation. He himself must have been born near the end of the Warring States period, so he should have lived through the early days of the village."

Well, would you look at that. He was a living piece of history!

As Qingyu studied, he also planned his next moves.

The joint event was only two weeks away. He had to:

1. Master the new survival techniques.

2. Improve his abilities, especially when it came to dealing with puppeteers.

3. Maintain... a delicate balance within the Uchiha.

4. Figure out what Sunagakure was really up to.

This schedule was more packed than a nine-to-nine, six-day workweek! And every item could mean the difference between life and death!

[ Ding! ]

[ System Notice: The host has made a "survival plan." Task integration function triggered. ]

[ Main Quest Updated: Sunagakure Exchange Survival Guide (Integrated Version) ]

[ Subquest 1: Master at least three survival techniques (Progress: 0/3) ]

[ Subquest 2: Specialized training against puppeteers (Progress: 0/7 days) ]

[ Subquest 3: Maintain balance among Uchiha factions (Current balance: 52%; Target: Maintain between 40% and 60%) ]

[ Subquest 4: Investigate Sunagakure's conspiracy (Clues collected: 1/5) ]

[ Quest Rewards: Depending on completion, unlock the "Desert Survival Expert" title or the exclusive "Uchiha Water-Balancing Master" skill. ]

[ Failure Penalty: Failing any subquest will drastically reduce your "joint event survival rate." Please take this seriously (smile). ]

Looking at that "smile," Qingyu felt that the system was starting to sound more and more like a heartless boss.

It gave you a pile of impossible tasks, then docked your pay (life) if you couldn't finish them.

[ System: Have I been using too many smiley faces?! ]

He didn't have time to complain.

Time was short. He had to get moving.

Over the next few days, Qingyu threw himself into brutal training.

In the mornings, he trained with Shisui, focusing on using ninjutsu and managing his stamina in the desert.

"In the desert, you have to make every bit of chakra count," Shisui said seriously.

"Water Release techniques consume three times as much chakra in the desert. You need to learn to 'borrow water' by drawing tiny amounts of moisture from the air, or make use of your opponent's Water Release."

Qingyu trained until he could barely stand it.

In the simulated desert environment on the training ground, he felt like a fish out of water. Every time he used Water Release, he winced at the cost.

In the afternoons, he studied the survival techniques Setsuna had given him and the analysis of puppeteers Itachi had provided.

The survival techniques were all right. They were difficult, but at least safe to practice.

The puppeteer analysis was a problem, though. He needed someone to spar with.

So Qingyu turned his attention to... Shadow Clones.

"Fight yourself?" Izuna asked, puzzled. "What good would that do?"

"It can simulate a puppeteer's attack patterns," Qingyu explained.

"The Shadow Clone can use Shuriken and wire to imitate puppet attacks, while the real me practices dodging and counterattacking."

He made one Shadow Clone, and then...

Ten minutes later, the training ground was a complete mess.

The Shadow Clone had tied Qingyu up like a bundle, while Qingyu had burned the clone to ash with Fire Release.

Shadow Clone: "If you suck, train harder! Ants? Those are ants!"

"Both sides lost," Tobirama commented. "But the idea is sound. Keep going."

Qingyu gritted his teeth and tried again.

Once, twice, ten times...

By the third day, he could last five minutes against the Shadow Clone's "puppet attacks" without getting tied up.

By the fifth day, he could counterattack, and sometimes even cut the "puppet's" wires.

His progress was clear, but it came at a heavy cost.

His chakra ran dry every day, and his body was covered in bruises and scrapes.

He felt completely drained, just like Kakashi.

Shisui couldn't help advising him when he saw how hard he was training. "Qingyu, you don't have to push yourself so hard. You can take it slowly..."

"No," Qingyu said, shaking his head. "There isn't much time."

He really was running out of time.

It wasn't just because of the joint event. The undercurrents within the Uchiha were growing more obvious, too.

Over the past few days, he'd received three separate overtures.

The first came from the Clan Head Faction: Clan Head Fugaku had Yashiro deliver a new training outfit. It was made from special material, fireproof, waterproof, and breathable. It clearly hadn't come cheap.

The second came from the Radical Faction: Elder Setsuna had someone—not himself—deliver a bottle of special ointment. It worked wonders on pulled muscles and chakra exhaustion.

The third... came from the neutral faction?

An unsigned package containing a copy of the Desert Flora and Fauna Guide, along with a note: "Some plants are poisonous, while others can save your life. Learn to tell the difference yourself."

Holding the three "gifts," Qingyu felt like a new employee trying to navigate the politics between a bunch of powerful bosses.

Every leader was handing him resources, but he knew that if he accepted something from someone, he'd have to do them a favor in return.

If he tried to please everyone without doing anything for anyone, he'd be asking for trouble.

You clearly hadn't seen how cutthroat the Uchiha could be!

So even if you were going to take advantage of things, you had to do it with some scruples. It wasn't a matter of saying you absolutely had to do one thing or absolutely couldn't do another.

Put it off, take it slow, start with what will get things moving...

"This is how you survive in a major clan," Tobirama said in his mind.

"Resources, favors, taking sides... more complicated than the open fighting of the Warring States period."

"What a hassle," Izuna grumbled. "If you ask me, just go with whoever gives you the most! Simple and direct!"

Qingyu smiled wryly.

You two are something else. One of you is too rational, and the other is too direct. It's hard to find a middle path with you around.

Shadow Clone: The Chameleon Is Here?

He accepted all the gifts, but didn't rush to use them.

He put the training outfit aside and stored the ointment away. He did read the guide carefully, though, since knowing how to survive in the desert was genuinely useful.

This act of "balancing the scales" seemed to work.

For the next few days, no one came to bother him, leaving him free to focus on training.

On the seventh night, Qingyu finished his training for the day and collapsed on the training ground, staring up at the stars.

His chakra was empty again, and his muscles ached, but he'd undeniably gotten stronger.