Fire Style, or Water Style? That is the Question.

Qingyu's squad consisted of two other genin who, like him, were just there to make up the numbers; they had drawn the "Earth" scroll.

"What's the plan, Qingyu?" one of his teammates, Yamada, asked.

He was a taijutsu specialist with a simple, honest personality and a goofy grin always plastered on his face.

Yet, his strength was shockingly immense; one second he was complaining about how "the forest is so dark," and the next, he could hoist a small tree over his shoulder to use as cover.

"We go in, find a safe spot, and then plan our next move," Qingyu replied, following Tobirama's advice.

"Isn't that a bit too passive?" the other teammate, Nakamura, frowned.

He excelled in Earth Style and had an impatient temperament, with a spark of unyielding defiance always burning in his eyes.

"If we don't take the initiative, won't our scroll just get snatched by someone else?"

"Information is scarce in the early stages; acting rashly is dangerous," Qingyu trotted out Izuna's theory.

"We observe the environment and the movements of other squads first."

Qingyu: I'm an Uchiha and even I'm not rushing in blindly, why are you two so anxious!

The two teammates exchanged glances, and Yamada scratched his head: "Let's listen to the captain. I've got the strength, I'll just hold the line."

Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he could keep things stable for now.

The entrance opened, and all the squads charged into the Forest of Death.

Qingyu's squad chose to advance with caution.

Under the dual guidance of Izuna and Tobirama, Qingyu displayed scouting abilities far beyond his usual level:

He could spot traps in advance (Tobirama's analytical ability), choose the most concealed routes (Izuna's stealth experience), and judge the size and direction of other squads through subtle traces (a combination of both their pointers).

"Thirty meters to the front-left, there are fresh scratches on the tree. The height is about five feet seven inches, suggesting the person who passed by is between five-two and five-five—likely a woman or a youth," Tobirama analyzed calmly.

"The angle of the scratches tilts to the right, which means the person is left-handed, or they were dodging something to the right at the time."

Izuna added, "There are no signs of combat nearby; they were likely startled by an animal or a trap."

"I suggest we detour. If it was a trap, it means there might be hidden mechanisms in this area. If it was an animal... animals that can startle a ninja are usually not to be trifled with."

Qingyu relayed this information to his teammates, and the way they looked at him changed.

"Qingyu, when did you get so good at this?" Yamada asked, surprised.

"I just... sharpened my skills at the last minute," Qingyu said with a dry laugh.

Actually, it's all my hard work and sweat, haha~

Deep Blue, add points!

Two kilometers deep into the forest, they found an ideal hiding spot: a semi-concealed rock crevice. The entrance was covered by vines, and the interior space was enough for three people to rest while being easy to defend and hard to attack.

"Establish a temporary base here," Tobirama suggested.

"Then take turns scouting. Remember, you must take a different route every time you leave, and erase your tracks immediately upon returning."

"At the same time, set up warning mechanisms around the base," Izuna said.

"The simplest: thin wires with bells, buried explosive tags, and then scatter a specially prepared olfactory marker... do you know how to mix that powder?"

Qingyu: I don't know jack!

"I do," Tobirama took over.

"But the materials require specific herbs. Listen up, brat: three parts mugwort ash, one part peppermint powder, half a part sulfur, mixed evenly with chakra.

Humans can barely smell this scent, but most ninja hounds and summoned beasts will instinctively avoid it."

Qingyu took notes while having his teammates split up to collect the materials. Half an hour later, the perimeter of the base was fully set up.

"Now," Qingyu looked at his two teammates, "let's discuss our follow-up plan."

Inside the rock crevice, the three sat in a circle.

Qingyu listened to the advice of the two big shots in his head simultaneously, then synthesized it into his own words.

"First, we need the 'Heaven' scroll, but searching for it actively is too risky. It's best to wait for other squads to come to us."

"How do we wait?" Nakamura asked.

"Create a false impression," Qingyu said. "Make other squads think there's an injured or weak target here to lure them into 'picking up scraps'."

"Trap tactics," Tobirama approved in his mind. "Not bad."

"Then we counter-kill," Izuna added. "Be fast, be ruthless. Don't let them send out a distress signal."

The plan was finalized: Yamada would pose as an injured person and move around nearby to attract attention.

Qingyu and Nakamura would lie in ambush on both sides of the base entrance; once the target entered the encirclement, they would strike immediately.

"Remember," Qingyu emphasized at the end, "do not kill! Knock them out, take the scroll, and then we immediately relocate the base."

"Why?" Nakamura was puzzled. "The rules allow..."

"Because the squad that kills will become the priority target for every other squad," Qingyu explained, following Tobirama's analysis.

"Besides, if the enemy has special means to track the location of a comrade's death, we'll be exposed."

Just because the rules say you can, doesn't mean you should actually start a massacre; what if this place turns into a Guangzhou no-holds-barred fight?

Once this precedent is set, it won't be easy to clean up the mess later!

How much is the Ninja Village paying you? There's no need to risk your life!

Everything is ready.

The wait was long, and Qingyu leaned against the rock wall, closing his eyes to rest.

In reality, he was continuing his "lessons" with the two big shots in his head.

"The angle of the third explosive tag in the trap you just set was wrong," Izuna criticized.

"It should have been tilted five degrees to the left; that way, the shrapnel would cover a larger fan-shaped area during the explosion."

"I'm more concerned about your waste of chakra," Tobirama said.

"When setting the olfactory markers, you used too much chakra to mix the materials. In reality, you only need to use chakra to activate the medicinal properties; the mixing process should be done by hand."

"That's precision work! How can you guarantee uniformity without using chakra? Do you even understand the Uchiha's special techniques!"

"That is exactly why you need training! Do you think we had that much chakra to waste during the Warring States period?"

Sigh~ Qingyu let out a breath; these arguments had already become background noise.

Two hours later, the warning mechanism was triggered.

It wasn't a bell, but the olfactory marker; something was approaching, but it had avoided the obvious traps.

"They're here," Qingyu opened his eyes, "Get ready."

Faint footsteps came from outside the rock crevice.

Three, no, four people.

Judging by the chakra fluctuations, two were at the chunin level, and two were at the genin level.

"Prepare..." Qingyu whispered.

But just then, an accident occurred.

"Wait!" a girl's voice came from outside, "There's a trap! Fall back!"

"What? Where?"

"I don't know... but I can feel the chakra flow is very abnormal... something is wrong with this place!"

Qingyu's heart tightened.

A sensory-type ninja? This is trouble.

"Abort the plan," Tobirama said immediately, "The enemy has sensory capabilities; the success rate of an ambush is less than forty percent."

"No," Izuna countered, "Sensory types usually aren't strong in taijutsu. If we launch a sudden, fierce attack, we can catch them off guard!"

"The risk is too high! The enemy has the numbers! Do you think you have such a huge advantage? You'll get kicked to death like a stray dog if a fight breaks out!"

"That's why we take out the sensory type first! What about the shurikenjutsu I taught you? Throw them through that small hole above the rock crevice, 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 crafted shuriken; these were the ones he had modified this morning under Izuna's guidance.

The originally ordinary shuriken had been etched with fine patterns by his chakra, allowing them to conduct elemental chakra more effectively.

Fire Style, or Water Style?

That is the choice.