0-Second Guess of Uchiha's Predicament

"That would invite even more suspicion! Konoha's surveillance of the Uchiha!"

"And you would know? You white-haired Senju!"

Tobirama: I don't know about Konoha, but I certainly know what I am capable of doing!

Izuna: Despicable white-haired Senju! You won't even rest in peace after death!

Qingyu rubbed his temples.

He could only say that Tobirama lived up to his reputation; even though he hadn't become the Second Hokage in this timeline, he had deduced the Uchiha's predicament in zero seconds flat.

Tobirama: I can even guess how I would mess with the Uchiha if I were still alive...

As for their reputation...

Afterward, the two of them had been arguing since this morning over a new issue: the direction of his upcoming training.

Izuna insisted on teaching the Uchiha Style secret shurikenjutsu and the foundational theories of the Sharingan.

"Since you're going to fake the awakening of a Kekkei Genkai, you might as well guide it directly toward the Sharingan!"

The Sharingan is quite magical, isn't it~

Tobirama, however, advocated for building a solid foundation in chakra control first and began teaching him the basics of sealing jutsu.

"The Sharingan consumes a massive amount of chakra. With your current reserves, forcing an awakening will only damage your foundation. You should learn my Senju Style: Chakra Precision Control Method before even considering a Kekkei Genkai."

The two argued for a full two hours, finally reaching a bizarre compromise: listen to Tobirama during the day, and listen to Izuna at night.

Oh my, how is this still half Ao Bing and half Nezha!

Damn! Damn! Damn!

However, if Qingyu had to say, Tobirama's advice suited his intentions better; the person who understood the Sharingan best wasn't Kishimoto, but actually Tobirama.

And so, now, while his teammates were resting, Qingyu's consciousness was pulled into that pure white mental space.

On the left, in front of Izuna's flickering flame projection, three rotating shuriken projections appeared.

On the right, in front of Tobirama's flowing water projection, a complex chakra meridian map unfolded.

"Do them simultaneously," Izuna said.

"Practice the curved throws of the shuriken while simulating the chakra circulation in your mind."

"This is the most efficient training method," Tobirama added.

"In reality, your body is resting, but your consciousness can continue to learn. However, be warned: if you feel mental fatigue, you must stop immediately, or you will cause permanent damage."

Qingyu nodded and took a deep breath.

If this were some famous novel, I'd be a Daoist master by now... Schizophrenia warning!

Even sleep isn't spared; still that classic neon style: nuclear-powered donkey...

The experience that followed... was quite magical.

His consciousness was split in two.

One half followed Izuna to learn the "Uchiha Style: Eight Light Return" shuriken technique.

Theory: How to use subtle wrist adjustments to make a shuriken change direction three times in mid-air, how to calculate angles and force, and how to predict an enemy's evasive trajectory.

The other half followed Tobirama to learn the "Senju Style: Chakra Precision Control Method."

Theory: How to subdivide chakra into a hundred strands and have them flow along different meridians simultaneously, how to maintain this state without interference, and how to achieve maximum effect with minimal consumption.

A normal person would develop schizophrenia doing this.

But Qingyu found that he was... slowly adapting.

The Uchiha are quite magical, aren't they~

"Not bad," Izuna praised, a rare occurrence.

"The angle of the third change in direction was 0.2 degrees more accurate than before."

"Chakra shunt stability has increased to 71%," Tobirama's tone also carried a hint of satisfaction.

"Continue to maintain it; the goal is 85%."

He practiced for who knows how long (time flowed differently in the mental space), and Qingyu began to feel his mind growing weary.

"Stop," Tobirama said first.

"That's enough for today; continuing will cause damage."

"Hmph," Izuna uncharacteristically didn't argue.

"Rest. Tomorrow... there might be a tough battle."

Qingyu's consciousness returned to reality.

It was still dark outside the rock crevice, but the faint sounds of battle drifted from afar. It wasn't a small-scale skirmish; at least three squads were locked in a chaotic melee.

"One point five kilometers away, to the southeast," Tobirama analyzed in his mind.

"Wind Style, Fire Style, Earth Style... and Lightning Style. Ninjas from at least four different hidden villages."

Qingyu: "Oh, oh, oh, there's also that."

"The pace of the battle is accelerating," Izuna said.

"It means the exam has entered the middle-to-late stage. The remaining squads must be actively seeking targets, trying to collect the scrolls before the time limit."

Qingyu sat up and woke his two teammates.

"Is there a situation?" Nakamura woke up immediately, rubbing his eyes.

Yamada said groggily, "Captain, were you sleepwalking just now? Your eyes were glowing... you scared me."

"You must be dreaming! There is a large-scale battle to the southeast," Qingyu said in a low voice.

"We may need to relocate again."

The three of them packed up quickly.

Just as they were about to leave, Qingyu suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Wait!"

"Perhaps... we don't need to run."

"What do you mean?" Nakamura asked.

In Qingyu's mind, the two big shots were discussing rapidly.

They were rarely in agreement.

"When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman reaps the benefit," Tobirama said.

"If we go now, we can observe the battle and look for an opportunity."

"If there are injured squads retreating, we can intercept them," Izuna added.

"But be careful, there may be other squads with the same idea."

Plan formulated: sneak close to the battlefield, but do not intervene.

Observe, wait, strike if there is an opportunity, and retreat if there is not.

Twenty minutes later, the three were lurking in the canopy at the edge of the battlefield.

In the clearing below, the battle was intense.

A Sunagakure squad and a Kirigakure squad were joining forces to deal with a Konoha squad; judging by the combination of members, it was the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Nara Shikamaru had a blade of grass in his mouth, his Shadow Possession Jutsu barely holding one person, sweat already beading on his forehead.

Choji Akimichi had fallen to the ground, and Ino Yamanaka had no choice but to turn back to protect him: "Choji! Hang in there!"

Soon, only Nara Shikamaru was left, barely restraining four people with his Shadow Possession Jutsu.

"The situation is bad," Yamada frowned.

"Should we help?"

"Wait a little longer," Qingyu said.

He analyzed rapidly in his mind:

Tobirama: "The two from Sunagakure specialize in Wind Release, and the two from Kirigakure are skilled in Water Release. Their coordination is tacit; it's clear they didn't team up temporarily, but had an agreement before the match."

Izuna: "That Konoha brat using shadows... he has a good tactical mind, but his chakra is almost exhausted, and the other two have basically lost their combat effectiveness."

Tobirama: "There are at least two other hidden observers nearby; one in the bushes to the rear left, and one behind the rock wall to the upper right."

Izuna: "Both are acting alone, likely lone wolves who lost their teammates, waiting for a chance to scavenge."

Qingyu simplified this information and told his teammates: "Intervening now will make us the target for everyone. Wait for them to exhaust each other."

Below, the battle situation changed suddenly.

Nara Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu successfully caught one Sunagakure ninja, but the other Sunagakure ninja immediately attacked his main body with Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, forcing him to release the technique.

At the same time, the two Kirigakure ninjas circled from the side toward the injured Ino and Choji.

"Now!" Izuna said suddenly.

"Use what I taught you yesterday, use shuriken to interfere with the Kirigakure ninjas and stop them from getting close to the wounded!"

"No," Tobirama objected.

"You should help the Konoha squad break the siege first. Use Earth Release to create cover. Nakamura can use Earth Release, right? Have him provide cover, and you go ambush the rear of the Sunagakure ninjas!"

Two choices, Qingyu only had one second to decide.

Then what am I deciding for? Screw it, I'm jumping in!

Just kidding... he finally made a decision that went against his ancestors: a third option.

"Yamada," he whispered.

"You feign an attack from the left to draw the attention of the Sunagakure ninjas. Nakamura, create an earth platform beneath our feet and lift us up. Don't attack, just lift."

Nakamura: "Lift us up? Captain, are you trying to make us mobile high-ground snipers?"

Qingyu: ...Do you take me for Dumeizhu? Do you want me to issue you a sniper rifle?

[System: Efei Qingyu, no weapon is sharper than conviction!]

"It is merely to create chaos."

Though the two were puzzled, they followed his instructions nonetheless.

Yamada took a deep breath: I'm charging for nothing... but if the captain says charge, then I charge!

Fine! I'm charging!