Qingyu's team had two Genin who, like him, had only made up the numbers. They had drawn the "Earth" scroll.
"What's the plan, Qingyu?" asked one of his teammates, Yamada.
He specialized in Taijutsu and had an honest, simple-minded personality. A goofy grin was almost always plastered across his face.
But he was incredibly strong. One moment, he'd been complaining that "the forest was too dark."
The next, he'd hoisted a small tree up to use as cover.
"Let's go in first and find somewhere safe. Then we can figure out our next move," Qingyu replied, following Tobirama's advice.
"Isn't that too passive?" asked the other teammate, Nakamura, frowning.
He specialized in Earth Release and had a short temper. A defiant spark always burned in his eyes.
"If we don't make the first move, someone else will just take our scroll!"
"We don't have enough information at the start. Acting rashly is dangerous," Qingyu said, borrowing Izuna's theory.
"Let's observe the terrain and see how the other teams move first."
Qingyu thought, I'm an Uchiha, and even I haven't rushed in headfirst. What's the hurry?
The two teammates exchanged a glance. Yamada scratched his head. "Let's listen to the captain. I'm strong enough to hold the line."
Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he could keep things steady for now.
The entrance opened, and all the teams charged into the Forest of Death.
Qingyu's team chose to proceed cautiously.
With Izuna and Tobirama both guiding him, Qingyu demonstrated scouting skills far beyond his usual ability:
He could spot traps in advance, thanks to Tobirama's analytical skills; choose the most concealed routes, thanks to Izuna's experience with stealth; and deduce the number and direction of other teams from the slightest traces, thanks to both of their guidance.
"Thirty meters to the front left. There are fresh scratches on a tree, about five feet seven inches high. Whoever passed by was probably between five feet two and five feet five, most likely a woman or a teenager," Tobirama analyzed coolly.
"The scratches angle to the right, which means the person was either left-handed or dodging something to the right at the time."
Izuna added, "There are no signs of a fight nearby. They were probably startled by an animal or a trap."
"I recommend going around. If a trap startled them, there may be hidden mechanisms in the area. If it was an animal... animals capable of startling a ninja are usually dangerous."
Qingyu relayed the information to his teammates, and both of them looked at him differently.
"Qingyu, when did you get so good at this?" Yamada asked in surprise.
"Crammed for the test... and it worked," Qingyu said with an awkward laugh.
It's all thanks to my hard work and sweat, haha~
Deep Blue, add points!
After they had ventured two kilometers into the forest, they found an ideal hiding spot: a partially concealed crevice in the rocks. Vines covered the entrance, and there was enough room inside for all three to rest. It was also easy to defend and hard to attack.
"Set up a temporary base here," Tobirama suggested.
"Then take turns scouting. Remember, each time you go out, take a different route. When you return, erase your tracks immediately."
"Set up warning mechanisms around the base, too," Izuna said.
"The simplest options are tripwires with bells, buried Explosive Tags, and a special scent marker... Do you know how to make that powder?"
Qingyu thought, How the hell would I know?
"I know how," Tobirama cut in.
"But you'll need specific herbs. Listen carefully, kid: three parts mugwort ash, one part mint powder, and half a part sulfur. Mix them evenly with chakra.
"Humans can barely smell it, but most Ninja Dogs and summoning beasts will instinctively avoid it."
Qingyu memorized the recipe while sending his teammates out to gather the ingredients. Half an hour later, they had finished setting up the warning mechanisms around the base.
"Now," Qingyu said, looking at his two teammates, "let's discuss what to do next."
The three of them sat together in the crevice.
Qingyu listened to both experts' advice in his head, then combined it into his own words.
"First, we need the 'Heaven' scroll. But searching for it ourselves is risky, so it'd be better to wait for another team to find us."
"How do we do that?" Nakamura asked.
"We create a false impression," Qingyu said. "Make the other teams think there's an injured or weakened target here, and lure them in to pick up an easy win."
"An ambush," Tobirama approved in his mind. "Not bad."
"Then we strike back," Izuna added. "Fast and hard. Don't let them send a distress signal."
The plan was set: Yamada would pretend to be injured and move around nearby to attract attention.
Qingyu and Nakamura would lie in wait on either side of the base's entrance. The moment their target entered the trap, they would attack.
"Remember," Qingyu emphasized at the end, "don't kill anyone! Knock them out, take the scroll, then relocate the base immediately."
"Why?" Nakamura asked, confused. "The rules allow it..."
"Any team that kills someone will become the top target for every other team," Qingyu explained, using Tobirama's analysis.
"And if the other side has a special way to track where their teammates died, we'll be exposed."
Just because the rules allow it doesn't mean we should start slaughtering people. What is this, some kind of no-holds-barred fight in Guangzhou?
Once we cross that line, it'll be hard to regain control!
The village isn't paying us enough to risk our lives!
Everything was ready.
The wait dragged on. Qingyu leaned against the rock wall and closed his eyes to rest.
In reality, he was continuing his "lessons" with the two experts in his head.
"The angle of the third Explosive Tag was wrong," Izuna criticized. "You should've tilted it five degrees farther to the left. That way, the shrapnel would cover a wider arc when it exploded."
"I'm more concerned about how much chakra you wasted," Tobirama said. "When setting up the scent marker, you used far too much chakra to mix the ingredients. You only needed to use chakra to activate the herbs' properties. You could've mixed them by hand."
"That takes precision! How can I make sure it's mixed evenly without chakra? Do you know some special Uchiha technique?"
"That's why you need to train! Do you think we had chakra to waste during the Warring States period?"
Ugh~ Qingyu sighed. Their arguments had become background noise.
Two hours later, the warning mechanism was triggered.
It wasn't the bell. It was the scent marker. Something was approaching, but it had avoided the obvious traps.
"They're here," Qingyu said, opening his eyes. "Get ready."
Faint footsteps came from outside the crevice.
Three people—no, four.
Judging from their chakra signatures, two were at the Chunin level and two at the Genin level.
"Get ready..." Qingyu whispered.
But then something unexpected happened.
"Wait!" a girl called from outside. "There's a trap! Fall back!"
"What? Where?"
"I don't know... But I can sense that the chakra flow is strange. Something's wrong with this place!"
Qingyu's heart tightened.
A sensory-type ninja? This is trouble.
"Abandon the plan," Tobirama said at once. "They have sensory abilities. Our chances of pulling off the ambush are below forty percent."
"No," Izuna countered. "Sensory types are usually weak at Taijutsu. If we launch a sudden attack, we can catch them off guard!"
"The risk is too high! They outnumber us! You think you have much of an advantage? If a fight breaks out, they'll kick you around like a roadside dog!"
"Then take out the sensory type first! What happened to that Shurikenjutsu I taught you? Throw them through the hole above the crevice and aim for the source of the voice!"
Qingyu gritted his teeth and made a decision.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out three specially made Shuriken. He had modified them that morning under Izuna's guidance.
They had started out as ordinary Shuriken, but he had etched fine patterns into them with chakra so they could conduct nature-transformed chakra more effectively.
Fire Release or Water Release?
That was the question.
Before you continue