Don't Be So Sure of Yourself-Konoha's the Boss!

The Central Tower's outline grew clearer between the trees, but Qingyu felt a sudden, inexplicable unease.

"This isn't right," Qingyu said inwardly.

"It's too quiet around here," Izuna's voice immediately replied. "We're this close to the target, yet there's no ambush. That's not normal."

"There are two possibilities," Tobirama analyzed calmly. "Either the other teams have given up intercepting us and are focusing on collecting their own scrolls, or..."

"Or there's an even bigger trap waiting for us here," Qingyu finished.

Shikamaru had clearly noticed something was off, too.

He signaled for the team to stop, and the six of them concealed themselves behind a clump of bushes.

"From here to the Central Tower is about eight hundred meters," Shikamaru said quietly.

"There are three places along the direct route that would make good ambush spots: the rubble on the left, the clearing straight ahead, and the high ground on the right."

"The rubble offers limited visibility but is easy to defend," Qingyu added, following Tobirama's analysis.

"The clearing looks dangerous, but if we're fast enough, it might actually be safer. The high ground is ideal for observation and ranged attacks."

Shikamaru glanced at Qingyu, approval in his eyes. "Looks like we're thinking alike. The question is, which route do we take?"

"I suggest..." Qingyu began, but two voices exploded in his head at the same time.

"The high ground!" Izuna said. "Take the high ground and use my Shurikenjutsu to eliminate any potential threats!"

"The rubble!" Tobirama countered. "The complex terrain is perfect for counter-ambushes. My tactical analysis can predict where the enemies are!"

Qingyu took a deep breath. "Let's prepare for both options and adapt as we go."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Did you just say... both options?"

"Uh, I mean..." Qingyu quickly improvised.

"We can split into two groups. One will draw them out while the other makes the main push. We'll cover each other."

"What a drag..." Shikamaru scratched his head, but nodded anyway.

"Then we'll do it your way. Ino, Choji, and I will take the clearing and act as a diversion to draw their attention. You three take the rubble. If you move fast, you should reach the tower in five minutes."

"And then?" Yamada asked.

"Then we'll regroup outside the tower, exchange scrolls, and go in together," Qingyu said. "If we're ambushed, use a signal flare to call for support."

The plan was settled.

Before they split up, Shikamaru suddenly called out to Qingyu. "Hey, Uchiha."

"Yeah?"

"Be careful," Shikamaru said, unusually serious. "I just have a feeling... something's watching us."

Qingyu's heart tightened. He nodded.

Three minutes later, in the rubble.

Qingyu, Yamada, and Nakamura advanced in tactical formation.

Jagged rocks and crisscrossing shadows made every step a potential hiding place for the enemy.

"Behind the third rock ahead on the left," Tobirama warned suddenly. "There's a chakra signature. It's well hidden, but the breathing rhythm is wrong—too shallow. They're deliberately controlling it."

"Two," Izuna added. "There's another one in that patch of dead grass behind us on the right. I can see metal glinting in their hand. It's either a Kunai or a Shuriken."

Qingyu: This isn't a whole episode of me and Rain Sis.

Qingyu: "Wow, getting possessive, are you? Send it over!"

Then Qingyu gave a hand signal, and Yamada and Nakamura immediately understood. The three of them continued forward as though they hadn't noticed a thing.

Twenty meters, fifteen meters, ten meters...

"Now!" Qingyu suddenly barked.

Almost simultaneously, two Sunagakure ninjas leaped out from behind the rocks, while a Kirigakure ninja sprang from the dead grass. They attacked from three sides.

But Team Qingyu was ready.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" Nakamura slapped both hands on the ground, and a wall of earth rose up to block the attack from the front.

Yamada charged in from the flank, unleashing his Taijutsu and engaging one of the Sunagakure ninjas.

As for Qingyu, he did something no one expected.

He didn't form Hand Seals or throw a Shuriken. Instead, he made several strange gestures rapidly in front of his chest, then slammed both hands onto the ground.

"Secret Technique: Steam Mist Domain!"

"Boom!!!"

You had to shout your ninjutsu for it to work!

But it wasn't an explosion. Superheated steam surged up from the ground, instantly enveloping an area twenty meters across.

This wasn't a ninjutsu—not a conventional one, anyway. It was a "crooked trick" that Qingyu had been forced to develop over the past three days by two old warlords from the Warring States period.

The principle was simple: plant specially made Water Release and Fire Release chakra tags at specific locations in advance.

Connect them with faint Chakra Threads, then activate them simultaneously when needed to create a controlled Steam Explosion.

Izuna had taught him precise control of fire chakra, Tobirama had taught him meticulous manipulation of water chakra, and Qingyu had added his own "tag trigger." The three techniques combined...

How the hell was he supposed to use Fire Release in one hand and Water Release in the other?!

"What kind of bizarre technique is this?!" the Kirigakure ninja shouted.

"I can't see!"

"Spread out! Hurry!"

The Kirigakure ninja tried to use the steam as cover, but a faint red glimmer suddenly flashed in Qingyu's eyes.

It wasn't the Sharingan. It was far too soon for that.

Izuna's soul fragment had slightly sharpened his dynamic vision.

Tobirama's soul fragment had given him a better understanding of his surroundings.

He "saw" them.

The three enemies' positions, their movements, their openings.

"Yamada, three steps to your left! Elbow him!"

"Nakamura, behind you on the right! Earth Spear!"

Two muffled grunts sounded, and two enemies hit the ground.

Seeing things were going badly, the third, a Kirigakure ninja, turned to flee, but Qingyu had already flung three Shuriken.

They didn't fly in straight lines. They curved through the air in bizarre arcs, sealing off every escape route.

"Uchiha Style: Three Swallow Return!"

Izuna had taught him the technique just the night before. Qingyu had only mastered thirty percent of it, but that was enough to deal with a panicking Genin.

"Clang, clang, clang!" The Kirigakure ninja barely knocked away two of the Shuriken. The third grazed his neck, leaving a streak of blood.

He froze in place, afraid to move.

The steam slowly dispersed.

From the start of the fight to its end, less than a minute had passed.

Yamada ran over, panting. "Captain, that move you just used... it was so cool! The steam nearly made me cry from the heat!"

Nakamura wiped the sweat from his brow. "Give us a warning next time. My heart can't take that..."

Yeah, right. You two take all the benefits and then complain. Just wait until you're not so lucky!

If there's no Thirty-Six Emperor backing you up in the future, you think I'll even give you the time of day?

Qingyu: I won't even look at you!

Qingyu walked up to the Kirigakure ninja and held out his hand. "Scroll."

The Kirigakure ninja gritted his teeth, pulled a scroll from his clothes, and tossed it over.

The "Heaven" Scroll.

"Thanks," Qingyu said, taking it. He turned to his two teammates. "Let's go."

"You're... not going to kill me?" The Kirigakure ninja stared at him in surprise.

"No time." Without looking back, Qingyu walked away.

The Kirikage ninja watched Qingyu's retreating figure, still unwilling to accept his defeat.

"Konoha... Next time we meet, I won't be this pathetic!"

Qingyu: Don't be so sure of yourself. Konoha's the boss! What are you even fighting for? Who are you trying to impress, risking your life for thirty thousand ryo a month?!

I never planned on squeezing money out of poor people when I got transmigrated here!

If I transmigrated here only to squeeze money out of poor people, then what was the point of transmigrating?!

The three of them rushed out of the rubble. The Central Tower was just ahead, less than three hundred meters away.

On the clearing, Shikamaru's team had also succeeded in their diversion.

They had deliberately revealed themselves, drawing out another ambushing team. After a brief skirmish, they managed to slip away and were now running toward the tower entrance.

All six reached the tower at almost the same time.

"The scrolls," Shikamaru panted.

Qingyu showed him the "Heaven" Scroll he'd just taken, and Shikamaru produced the "Earth" Scroll.

They exchanged them.

"Pleasure doing business," Shikamaru said with a smile. "Let's go in."

The tower doors slowly swung open.

But just as the six were about to step inside, a voice came from above.

"Wait."

The voice came from the top of the tower, carrying a chill that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Qingyu looked up, his pupils contracting.