<The Astonishing Elite Jōnin Reincarnated as a Genin, Part Two>

Why was she following me?

Qingyu quickened his pace and returned to the room.

Sasuke was already back, sitting on the bed and wiping his kunai.

"How'd it go?" Qingyu asked.

"Gaara and Kankuro," Sasuke said briefly. "They're strong, but manageable."

"What about Pakura? Do you know anything about her?"

Sasuke shook his head. "She's not on Sunagakure's Genin roster. She might be an Anbu in disguise."

Just as I thought!

<The Astonishing Elite Jōnin Reincarnated as a Genin>

"But," Sasuke added, "as long as she doesn't come after us, we can leave her alone."

Easy for you to say! What if she suddenly hits us with Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder?

I wouldn't even have ashes left!

Uchiha Qingyu [Ashes of a Hundred Battles]

[System: Laughing. You're not that famous.]

Night fell.

The desert grew bitterly cold after dark. Qingyu wrapped himself tightly in his blanket, but he still felt chilled.

Outside the window, the lights of Sunagakure City gradually went out.

The entire fortress sank into slumber.

But Qingyu knew that some things were stirring in the darkness.

At dawn the next day, the call to assemble rang out.

The joint event officially began.

Qingyu put on his gear, checked his ninja tools, and took a deep breath.

At six in the morning, the desert sun was already brazenly hanging in the sky like a giant microwave light, ready to roast everything on the ground into jerky.

Qingyu stood at the west gate of Sunagakure City with a standard survival pack on his back.

He felt like he was starring in a real-life survival show... on the hardest difficulty.

"Is everyone here?" Temari rested her enormous fan, taller than a person, on her shoulder. She looked impatient. "Don't hold us back, Leaf brat."

Qingyu looked at his teammates: Temari, the short-tempered Wind Release girl; Pakura, the mysterious big shot in disguise; and him, the snarky one "with two old men living in his head."

Could this team comp actually win a fight?

We're going to win!

Pakura stood quietly to one side, wearing an ordinary Sunagakure Genin uniform. But Qingyu could sense something off about her. It was like seeing a max-level player posing as a newbie in the starter village. Who did she think she was fooling?

Come on, newbie dungeon!

[Ding!]

[System Notice: Team mission issued]

[Mission Name: Desert Extreme Survival]

[Objective: Survive in the desert for 72 hours without food or water, and reach the designated coordinates (latitude XX°N, longitude XX°E)]

[Team Members: Uchiha Qingyu, Temari (Sunagakure), Pakura (Sunagakure · Fake)]

[Team Rating: A-rank combat strength, D-rank teamwork]

[Helpful Tip: Host is advised to prioritize your own survival. You can sell out your teammates... I mean, make reasonable use of them (laugh)]

Qingyu read the system notice, the corner of his mouth twitching.

System bro, that last bit about "selling them out" gave away what you really think!

If anything goes wrong, you'll be the first to run, you cowardly system!

"The rules are simple," the Sunagakure Jōnin in charge of supervising them announced.

"Each person will receive one flask of water (500 ml) and three Military Ration Pills. You may not bring your own food or water. You may hunt desert creatures or search for water sources, but you may not attack other teams unless they attack first."

Temari snorted. "Enough with the nonsense. Can we get going?"

"Move out!"

Three mixed teams charged through the west gate at once, sprinting into the vast desert like unleashed huskies.

As for Qingyu's team's strategy... well, they didn't have one.

Temari took the lead and raced ahead, not caring whether her teammates could keep up.

Pakura followed at an unhurried pace, her steady stride like someone taking a stroll through a park.

Qingyu was caught between them, feeling like a dog being dragged along on a walk.

"Wait!" After ten minutes, Qingyu called out, panting. "Slow down! We need to conserve our strength!"

Temari glanced back at him with disdain. "Tired already? Are all Leaf shinobi this delicate?"

Qingyu: "..." Lady, we're trekking through a desert, not competing in a race! And aren't you tired carrying that huge fan? Did you build those arm muscles lifting weights?

"Temari, he has a point," Pakura said, her voice gentle.

"Pacing ourselves is important when surviving in the desert."

Temari looked at Pakura and actually slowed down.

Qingyu was surprised.

Pakura's word carried that much weight? It seemed this "fake Genin" really did hold a high position in Sunagakure.

Pakura: A Kimi of your caliber doesn't get to bark at me!

Qingyu: I'm here to keep an eye on Pakura!

The three adjusted their pace and continued at a more sensible speed.

As they went, Qingyu began surveying the terrain.

The desert landscape was more complex than he'd imagined. There were dunes and rocky wastelands, and every so often they spotted a few hardy desert plants.

Though they all looked like some kind of mutant species.

"Those are cacti," Pakura said, noticing where he was looking. "You can get water from them, but some are poisonous. You need to know how to tell them apart."

"You know about this?" Qingyu asked tentatively.

"I read it in a book," Pakura said with a smile.

Sure, keep pretending! Qingyu snarked inwardly.

Did she really expect anyone to believe she'd learned all that from a book?

She had at least an eighth-degree black belt in desert survival!

By noon, the temperature had soared to a ridiculous level.

Qingyu felt like he was inside a moving oven. Every breath felt like drinking boiling water.

"Break time." Temari finally spoke, leading them to the shade of a rock.

The three sat down and took out their flasks.

Qingyu carefully sipped a tiny mouthful. Making 500 ml last three days was pure torture!

"This won't work," Pakura said suddenly. "We won't last until tomorrow with this little water."

Temari frowned. "Then what do you suggest?"

Pakura stood and looked into the distance. "I know a place nearby that might have water."

"How do you know?" Temari asked warily.

"It's marked on the map," Pakura replied without changing her expression. "Believe it or not."

Temari and Qingyu looked at each other.

"Let's go," Temari finally decided. "But if it's a trap..."

"You can do whatever you like with me," Pakura said calmly.

The three changed direction and followed Pakura northwest.

After walking about two kilometers, they came upon... an oasis?

No, it wasn't a real oasis. It was a small hollow surrounded by rocks, with a murky pool in the middle.

"This is a seep from the groundwater," Pakura explained. "We can't drink it as it is. We have to filter it."

Qingyu went closer to inspect it. There were animal tracks around the pool, which meant creatures had come to drink. That was a good sign.

"How do we filter it?" Temari asked.

"Filter it through several layers of cloth, then boil it." Pakura took a small metal box out of her pack. "I have a container."

Qingyu and Temari both stared at her.

She'd come prepared for everything! Was she really here for Genin training?

The three split up the work: Temari used Wind Release to blow dust off the water's surface, Qingyu used a small Fire Release technique to boil the water, and Pakura handled the filtering.

After half an hour of work, they finally had a container of reasonably clean water.

"Each of us gets 100 ml," Pakura said, portioning it out. "We'll save the rest."

When Qingyu drank it, it felt like the finest nectar in the world. It tasted a little strange, but at least it was water!

[Ding!]