Don't Be Unconvinced, Konoha's Masters Are Masters!

The silhouette of the Central Tower grew increasingly distinct amidst the shadows of the trees, yet Qingyu felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

"Something is wrong," Qingyu said to himself.

"It's too quiet," Izuna's voice rang out immediately. "To be this close to the target and yet face no ambush—this is not normal."

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

"Or there is a much larger trap waiting here," Qingyu finished.

Shikamaru had clearly sensed the anomaly as well.

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

"There are about eight hundred meters left from here to the Central Tower," Shikamaru whispered.

"On the direct path, there are three spots suitable for an ambush: the pile of jagged rocks on the left, the open ground straight ahead, and the high ground on the right."

"The rock pile has limited visibility but is easy to defend and hard to attack," Qingyu added, following Tobirama's analysis.

"The open ground looks dangerous, but if we move fast enough, it's actually safe. The high ground is convenient for observation and long-range attacks."

Shikamaru glanced at Qingyu, his eyes filled with approval. "It seems we are thinking the same thing. The question is, which path do we choose?"

"I suggest..." Qingyu was about to speak when two voices exploded in his mind simultaneously.

"The high ground!" Izuna said. "Take the vantage point and use my shurikenjutsu to clear out potential threats!"

"The rock pile!" Tobirama countered. "The complex terrain is suitable for counter-ambushes, and my tactical analysis can predict the enemy's position!"

Qingyu took a deep breath. "Prepare both plans and adapt as we go."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "You just said... both plans?"

"Uh, I mean..." Qingyu quickly smoothed things over.

"We can split into two groups: one to feign an attack and the other to lead the assault, providing cover for each other."

"What a drag..." Shikamaru scratched his hair but nodded nonetheless.

"Then we'll do as you say. Ino, Choji, and I will take the open ground to feign an attack and draw their attention. You three take the rock pile; if you're fast, you can reach the base of the tower in five minutes."

"And then?" Yamada asked.

"Then we regroup outside the tower, exchange scrolls, and enter together," Qingyu said. "If we encounter an ambush, we'll use signal flares to support one another."

The plan was finalized.

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

"Yeah?"

"Be careful," Shikamaru said, uncharacteristically serious. "I keep feeling like... something is watching us."

Qingyu felt a chill in his heart and nodded.

Three minutes later, in the rock pile.

Qingyu, Yamada, and Nakamura advanced in a tactical formation.

The rocks were jagged and the shadows intertwined; every step could hide an enemy.

"Behind the third rock to the front left," Tobirama suddenly warned. "Chakra fluctuations. They're hidden well, but the breathing rhythm is wrong. It's too shallow; they're deliberately controlling it."

"Two of them," Izuna added. "There's another one in that patch of withered grass to the rear right. There's a metallic glint in their hand—a kunai or a shuriken."

Qingyu: This isn't like filming an episode with me and Sister Yu.

[System: It's a pity, brother, this is pure green!]

Qingyu: Oh, ho, still protective of the food! Send it over!

Qingyu then made a hand gesture. Yamada and Nakamura understood immediately, and the three continued forward, appearing completely oblivious.

Twenty meters, fifteen meters, ten meters...

"Move!" Qingyu suddenly barked.

Almost simultaneously, two Sunagakure ninja leaped out from behind the rocks, and a Kirigakure ninja emerged from the withered grass, attacking from three sides.

But Qingyu's team had been prepared.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" Nakamura slammed his hands onto the ground, and a wall of earth rose up, blocking the frontal attack.

Yamada rushed out from the flank, unleashing his taijutsu to entangle one of the Sunagakure ninja.

As for Qingyu, he performed an action that caught everyone off guard.

He didn't weave hand signs or throw shuriken; instead, he quickly made a series of strange gestures with his hands in front of his chest and then slammed them onto the ground.

"Secret Technique: Steam Mist Domain!"

"BOOM!!!"

Ninjutsu must be shouted out loud!

However, this wasn't an explosion, but rather high-temperature steam gushing from the ground, instantly enveloping a twenty-meter radius.

This was not ninjutsu, at least not conventional ninjutsu; it was a "crooked path" that Qingyu had been forced to master over the past three days by two Warring States titans.

The principle was simple: pre-plant specialized Water Style and Fire Style chakra paper charms at specific locations.

Connect them with faint threads of chakra and activate them simultaneously when needed to create a controlled steam explosion.

Combine Izuna's precise control of fire-attribute chakra, Tobirama's meticulous manipulation of water-attribute chakra, and the "paper charm trigger" Qingyu had devised himself, and you had the result.

How could one use Fire Style in the left hand and Water Style in the right?!

"What kind of ghost technique is this?!" the Kirigakure ninja shrieked.

"I can't see!"

"Scatter! Scatter quickly!"

The Kirigakure ninjas had originally intended to blend into the steam, but a faint, imperceptible red light suddenly flashed across Qingyu's eyes.

It was not the Sharingan; it was far too early for that.

Izuna's soul fragment had granted him a slight boost to his dynamic vision.

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

He "saw" it.

The positions of the three enemies, their movement trajectories, and their openings.

"Yamada, three steps to the front left, elbow strike him!"

"Nakamura, rear right, Earth Rising Gun!"

With two muffled grunts, both enemies collapsed to the ground.

The third Kirigakure ninja saw that the situation was dire and turned to flee, but Qingyu had already flung three shuriken.

They didn't travel in a straight line; they moved in arcs, carving eerie curves through the air that sealed off all paths of retreat.

"Uchiha Style: Three Swallow Return!"

This was something Izuna had taught him just last night; Qingyu had only mastered thirty percent of it, but it was enough to deal with a panicked genin.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The Kirigakure ninja barely deflected two, but the third grazed his neck, leaving a bloody gash.

He froze in place, not daring to move again.

The steam slowly dissipated.

From the start of the battle to the end, not even a minute had passed.

Yamada rushed over, panting: "Captain, that move you just used... it was too cool! The steam was so hot I almost cried!"

Nakamura wiped his sweat: "Give us a heads-up next time, my heart can't take it..."

Cut the crap, you two are getting off easy and still complaining; just wait, you'll get yours later!

If you want to be carried by me in the future, don't expect me to pay you any mind unless you have thirty thousand ryo.

Qingyu: I wouldn't even spare you a glance!

Qingyu walked up to the Kirigakure ninja and reached out: "The scroll."

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

The Heaven scroll.

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

"You... you're not killing me?" the Kirigakure ninja stammered.

"No time." Qingyu didn't even look back as he walked away.

The Kirigakure ninja watched Qingyu's retreating back with a look of defiance.

"Konoha... next time we meet, I won't be caught off guard like this!"

Qingyu: Don't be so defiant, a Konoha man is a man! Why fight so hard? Who are you working for? Risking your life for thirty thousand ryo a month!

I didn't transmigrate here just to scrape pennies off poor wretches!

If I transmigrated and still had to scrape pennies off the poor, wouldn't that be a wasted trip!

The trio rushed out of the rock pile; the Central Tower was already in sight, less than three hundred meters away.

On the open ground, Shikamaru's team had also succeeded in their feint.

They had intentionally exposed their tracks to lure out another ambush squad, and after a brief skirmish, they had successfully broken away and were now running toward the tower gate.

All six arrived at the tower almost simultaneously.

"The scroll," Shikamaru said, catching his breath.

Qingyu held up the Heaven scroll he had just seized, and Shikamaru produced the Earth scroll.

The exchange was complete.

"Pleasure doing business," Shikamaru smiled. "Let's go in."

The tower gate slowly creaked open.

But just as the six of them were about to step inside, a voice drifted down from above:

"Wait."

The voice came from the top of the tower, carrying a hint of a coldness that was both familiar and strange.

Qingyu looked up, his pupils constricting.