Shadow Clone: Chameleon's Here?

"The timeline doesn't match up," Qingyu muttered to himself.

"What doesn't match?" Izuna asked.

Qingyu explained his confusion.

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

In this world, while the abnormal movements of Sunagakure existed, the timeline seemed to have been pushed back.

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

A thought stirred in Qingyu's mind.

Could it be that because he defeated Neji, drawing attention from all sides, Sunagakure and Orochimaru had adjusted their plans?

Orochimaru: How much have you had to drink to be acting this delusional?

Or perhaps... this world was inherently different from the original story to begin with?

"Regardless," Tobirama continued, "it is certain that there is 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 to study those life-saving techniques.

How to quickly detoxify: Envelop the toxin with chakra and force it out through specific acupoints.

How to counter genjutsu: Bite your lip the moment you realize you are under a spell, using the pain to stimulate clarity.

How to survive in a desert environment: Use chakra to form a heat-insulating layer on the surface of the skin to reduce moisture loss...

These techniques were all highly practical and clearly summarized from real combat experience; they were not things one could learn from a textbook.

"That old guy Setsuna," Izuna said suddenly, "didn't hold back. These techniques were life-saving secrets during the Warring States period and were generally not passed on to outsiders."

Qingyu was surprised: "The Elder... experienced the Warring States period?"

"Setsuna Uchiha, I have some impression of him," Tobirama interjected.

"His father was of Tajima Uchiha's generation, and he himself should have been born at the end of the Warring States period. Logically, he should have experienced the early days of the village's founding."

Good grief, he was a living history book!

As he studied, Qingyu planned his next moves in his mind.

There were two weeks left until the joint event, and during this time, he needed to:

1. Master the newly learned life-saving techniques.

2. Improve his strength, especially his ability to deal with puppet masters.

3. Maintain a delicate balance within the Uchiha.

4. Figure out what Sunagakure was actually planning.

This schedule was even more packed than a 996 work week! And every item was a matter of life and death!

[Ding!]

[System Prompt: Host's "Survival Plan" detected. Triggering quest integration function.]

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

[Sub-quest 1: Master at least three life-saving techniques (Progress: 0/3)]

[Sub-quest 2: Targeted training against puppet masters (Progress: 0/7 days)]

[Sub-quest 3: Maintain balance between Uchiha factions (Current balance: 52%, Goal: Maintain within 40%-60% range)]

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

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

[Failure Penalty: Failure of any sub-quest will result in a significant decrease in "Joint Event Survival Rate." Please proceed with caution (Smile)]

Qingyu looked at that "smile" emoji and felt the system was becoming more and more like an unscrupulous boss.

Assigning a bunch of impossible tasks and deducting pay (life) if they weren't completed.

[System: Have I been giving you too many smiles?]

He had no time to complain.

Time was tight; he had to take action.

Over the next few days, Qingyu entered a state of frantic training.

In the morning, he had special training with Shisui, focusing on the use of ninjutsu and stamina distribution in a desert environment.

"In the desert, every bit of chakra must be calculated carefully," Shisui said sternly.

"Especially Water Release. In the desert, the consumption of water-attribute chakra is three times higher than usual. You must learn to 'borrow water' by extracting trace amounts of moisture from the air, or by utilizing your opponent's Water Release."

Qingyu practiced until he was miserable.

In the desert environment simulated in the training ground, he felt like a dehydrated fish, and every time he used Water Release, his heart ached with the waste.

In the afternoon, he self-studied the life-saving techniques given by Setsuna and the puppeteer analysis from Itachi.

The life-saving techniques were manageable; though difficult, they were at least safe.

The puppeteer analysis, however, was troublesome, requiring him to find a sparring partner.

Thus, Qingyu set his sights on... Shadow Clones.

"Fighting yourself?" Izuna asked, confused. "What can that possibly train?"

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

"The Shadow Clone will use shuriken and wire to mimic puppet attacks, while the main body practices dodging and counter-attacking."

He created a Shadow Clone and then...

Ten minutes later, the training ground was a mess.

The Shadow Clone had bound Qingyu like a zongzi with wire, while Qingyu had burned the Shadow Clone to ashes with a Fire Style jutsu.

Shadow Clone: If you're weak, train more! Ant pincers are ant pincers!

"A mutual destruction," Tobirama commented. "But the idea is sound. Continue."

Qingyu gritted his teeth and went again.

Once, twice, ten times...

By the third day, he could last five minutes under the Shadow Clone's "puppet attacks" without being bound.

By the fifth day, he could counter-attack, even occasionally severing the "puppet's" wires.

The progress was evident, but the cost was also severe.

His chakra was depleted daily, and his body was covered in bruises and scrapes.

He felt, like Kakashi, that his body had been hollowed out.

Shisui, seeing his training intensity, couldn't help but advise, "Qingyu-kun, you don't need to push yourself so hard. You can take your time..."

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

He truly had little time left.

Not only because of the joint activities, but also because... the undercurrents within the Uchiha clan were becoming increasingly apparent.

In the past few days, he had received three waves of "goodwill."

The first wave was from the clan head—Clan Head Fugaku sent Yashiro to deliver a new set of training clothes. The material was special, fireproof, waterproof, and breathable; it was clearly not cheap.

The second wave was from the radical faction—Elder Setsuna sent someone (not himself) to deliver a bottle of specially made ointment, which had miraculous effects on muscle strains and chakra depletion.

The third wave... was from the neutral faction?

An unsigned package contained a copy of the Desert Flora and Fauna Guide, with a note attached: "Some plants are poisonous, some can save lives. Discern for yourself."

Holding these three "gifts," Qingyu felt like a rookie navigating the complex dynamics of a large corporation.

Every leader offered resources, but he knew that accepting something meant owing a favor.

If he tried to play both sides without committing, it would be like "a small knife to the butt."

You truly haven't seen how socially adept the Uchiha are!

Therefore, even greed must be moral. This matter isn't about what absolutely must or must not be done.

Handle it slowly, delay it, use one to influence another...

"This is the way of survival in a large clan," Tobirama said in his mind.

"Resources, favors, taking sides... it's more complex than the direct combat of the Warring States period."

"So troublesome," Izuna grumbled. "If you ask me, just side with whoever offers the most benefits! Simple and direct!"

Qingyu gave a wry smile.

My two teachers, one is too rational, the other too direct. My path of the golden mean is difficult to tread.

Shadow Clone: Is a chameleon here?

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

He set aside the training clothes, put away the ointment, but he did study the guide carefully, as desert survival knowledge was indeed useful.

This act of "balancing the water" seemed to have an effect.

In the following days, no one bothered him, allowing him to focus on his training.

On the evening of the seventh day, Qingyu finished his training for the day and collapsed on the training ground, gazing at the starry sky.

His chakra was depleted again, his muscles ached again, but his strength had indeed improved.