"That'll only raise more suspicions! Konoha's surveillance of the Uchiha!"
"You figured that out too? You White-Haired Senju!"
Tobirama: I may not know Konoha, but I know what I myself might do!
Izuna: You despicable White-Haired Senju! You're still causing trouble even after you're dead!
Qingyu rubbed his temples.
No wonder it was Tobirama. Even without becoming the Second at this point in time, he'd guessed the Uchiha's predicament in exactly zero seconds.
Tobirama: I can even guess what I'd do to the Uchiha if I were still alive...
His reputation...
Ever since this morning, the two of them had been arguing over a new issue: what to focus on in the next stage of training.
Izuna insisted on teaching him the Uchiha Style's secret Shurikenjutsu and the basics of the Sharingan.
"If we're going to pretend he's awakened a Kekkei Genkai, we might as well steer him toward the Sharingan!"
The Sharingan was amazing, right~
Tobirama, on the other hand, insisted they build a solid foundation in chakra control first, and had begun teaching him the basics of Sealing Jutsu.
"The Sharingan consumes a lot of chakra. With your current reserves, forcing your eyes open will only damage your foundation. You should learn my Chakra Precision Control Method first, then consider your Kekkei Genkai."
The two argued for a full two hours before finally reaching an absurd compromise: listen to Tobirama during the day and Izuna at night.
Hey, wasn't he still half Ao Bing and half Nezha?
Fortune! Fortune! Fortune!
But if you asked Qingyu, Tobirama's advice suited him better. The person who understood the Sharingan best wasn't Kishimoto. It was Tobirama.
And so, while his teammates rested, Qingyu's consciousness was pulled into that pure white mental space.
On the left, three spinning shuriken projections appeared before Izuna's fiery silhouette.
On the right, a complicated chakra pathway diagram unfurled before Tobirama's watery silhouette.
"We'll do both at once," Izuna said.
"Practice throwing shuriken along curved paths while simulating your chakra circulation in your mind."
"This is the most efficient way to train," Tobirama added. "Your body is resting in the real world, but your mind can keep learning. However, if you feel mentally fatigued, you must stop immediately. Otherwise, you could suffer permanent damage."
Qingyu nodded and took a deep breath.
If this were some famous novel, I'd be a Daoist priest right now... Mental breakdown warning!
They wouldn't even let him sleep in peace. Typical Japanese style: a nuclear-powered donkey...
The experience that followed... was surreal.
His consciousness split in two.
One half followed Izuna in learning the Uchiha Style: Eight Light Return, a Shurikenjutsu technique.
How to make a shuriken change direction three times in midair with tiny adjustments of the wrist; how to calculate angles and force; how to predict an enemy's evasive movements.
The other half followed Tobirama in learning the Senju Style: Chakra Precision Control Method.
How to divide chakra into a hundred fine streams and direct them through different pathways at the same time; how to maintain that state without the streams interfering with one another; how to achieve the greatest effect with the least expenditure.
A normal person would have suffered a mental breakdown doing this.
But Qingyu found that he... was slowly getting used to it.
The Uchiha were amazing, right~
"Not bad," Izuna praised him, a rare occurrence.
"The angle of your third change in direction was 0.2 degrees more accurate than before."
"Your chakra flow stability has risen to 71%," Tobirama said, sounding slightly pleased as well.
"Keep it up. The target is 85%."
After who knew how long of practice—the flow of time was different in the mental space—Qingyu began to feel mentally exhausted.
"Stop," Tobirama said first.
"That's enough for today. Any more and you'll hurt yourself."
"Fine," Izuna said, unusually not arguing.
"Get some rest. Tomorrow... there might be a tough fight."
Qingyu's consciousness returned to reality.
It was still dark outside the crack in the rocks, but the distant sounds of battle were faintly audible. This wasn't a minor skirmish. At least three squads were fighting.
"About one and a half kilometers away, southeast," Tobirama analyzed in his mind.
"Wind Release, Fire Release, Earth Release... and Lightning Release. There are ninja from at least four different villages."
Qingyu: Oh, oh, and that thing too.
"The pace of the battle is picking up," Izuna said.
"That means the exam is entering its middle and later stages. The remaining squads should all be actively searching for targets, trying to gather the scrolls before time runs out."
Qingyu sat up and woke his two teammates.
"Something wrong?" Nakamura asked, instantly alert as he rubbed his eyes.
Yamada mumbled, "Captain, were you sleepwalking just now? Your eyes were glowing... scared the hell out of me."
"You're still half asleep. There's a large-scale battle to the southeast," Qingyu said quietly.
"We may need to move again."
The three quickly packed up.
Just as they were about to leave, Qingyu suddenly stopped.
"Wait!"
"Maybe... we don't need to run."
"What do you mean?" Nakamura asked.
In Qingyu's mind, the two veterans were already discussing it rapidly.
For once, they agreed.
"When snipe and clam fight, the fisherman profits," Tobirama said.
"If we go over now, we can observe the situation and look for an opportunity."
"If a wounded squad retreats, we can intercept them," Izuna added.
"But be careful. Other squads may be thinking the same thing."
They made their plan: creep closer to the battlefield, but don't get involved.
Observe, wait, strike if an opportunity arose, and retreat if it didn't.
Twenty minutes later, the three were hiding in the treetops at the edge of the battlefield.
The fight in the clearing below was intense.
A Sunagakure squad and a Kirigakure squad were working together against a Konoha team. Judging by the team members, it was an Ino-Shika-Cho team.
Nara Shikamaru had a blade of grass clenched between his teeth. His Shadow Possession Jutsu was barely holding one opponent in place, and sweat was already beading on his forehead.
Choji Akimichi lay unconscious, and Ino Yamanaka had no choice but to turn back to protect him. "Choji! Hang in there!"
Soon, Nara Shikamaru was the only one left, barely using Shadow Possession Jutsu to hold off all four opponents.
"This doesn't look good," Yamada said with a frown.
"Should we help?"
"Wait a little longer," Qingyu said.
He quickly analyzed the situation in his mind:
Tobirama: "The two Sunagakure ninja specialize in Wind Release, while the two Kirigakure ninja are skilled in Water Release. They work well together, so they clearly didn't form a team on the spot. They must have made an agreement before the exam."
Izuna: "That Konoha kid using shadows... He's got a good tactical mind, but he's almost out of chakra. The other two have basically been taken out of the fight."
Tobirama: "There are at least two more observers nearby. One in the bushes to the left and behind us, and another behind the rock face above and to the right."
Izuna: "They're both alone. Probably stragglers who lost their teammates, waiting to pick up the pieces."
Qingyu simplified the information and told his teammates, "If we intervene now, everyone will target us. Wait until they've weakened each other."
Below, the battle suddenly shifted.
Nara Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu caught one of the Sunagakure ninja, but the other immediately attacked Shikamaru himself with Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, forcing him to release the jutsu.
At the same time, the two Kirigakure ninja circled around toward the injured Ino and Choji.
"Now!" Izuna suddenly said.
"Use the move I taught you yesterday. Distract the Kirigakure ninja with shuriken and stop them from reaching the injured!"
"No," Tobirama objected.
"We should help the Konoha team break free first. Use Earth Release to make cover. Nakamura knows Earth Release, right? Have him cover us while you sneak up on the Sunagakure ninja from behind!"
Two choices. Qingyu had one second to decide.
Like hell I'm choosing either one. Let's do it!
Just kidding... In the end, he made a decision that defied his ancestors and chose a third option.
"Yamada," he said quietly.
"Make a feint from the left to draw the Sunagakure ninja's attention. Nakamura, make an earth platform beneath our feet and lift us a little higher. Don't attack. Just raise us up."
Nakamura: "Raise us up? Captain, are you trying to turn us into mobile snipers on a platform?"
Qingyu: ...Do you think I'm Dumeizhu? Want me to hand you a sniper rifle too?
[System: Efei Qingyu, there is no weapon more powerful than conviction!]
"We're just creating confusion."
Though they were puzzled, the two did as he asked.
Yamada took a deep breath: I'm charging in for nothing... But if the captain says charge, then I'll charge!
All right! I'm going!
Before you continue