The Eve of the Tournament!

Time slipped away silently, like sand through one's fingers.

Only twenty-four hours remained until the official finals of the Chunin Ninja Exams.

By now, Konoha Village had long since lost its usual peace and tranquility, replaced by a near-boiling clamor and restless excitement.

Nobles and royalty from various nations, wealthy merchants, and gamblers addicted to betting flooded into the Shinobi World's largest village like a tidal wave.

The streets were packed with people, and colorful banners fluttered everywhere.

Odds sheets from the major casinos covered every street and alley, while debates over whether Uchiha Sasuke could maintain his genius reputation and whether that dead-last Naruto was merely cannon fodder rose and fell without pause.

Meanwhile, in training grounds throughout the village, the Genin who had advanced were making their final push.

Naruto tirelessly practiced the Summoning Technique by the river, trying to summon that giant toad even he could not control again;

Sasuke endured the strain Chidori placed on the meridians in his arms deep in the mountains, trying to raise the power of his Lightning Release another level;

Neji practiced Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven over and over in the courtyard, vowing to break the shackles of fate imposed by the main family.

The air was thick with tension, anxiety, and the thirst for glory.

However.

At a time when everyone was preparing for battle, when even each breath carried the scent of gunpowder, an extremely incongruous figure appeared on Konoha's busiest commercial street.

Yamanaka Flower Shop.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass windows, warm and pleasant.

"Welcome! Cosmos flowers are on sale today—buy three, get one free!"

Ino, wearing an apron, was run off her feet. With so many tourists pouring in from out of town, flower sales had soared. She practically wished she could grow three heads and six arms.

"Phew... I'm exhausted." Ino wiped the sweat from her forehead, then turned toward a recliner in the corner of the shop. Her irritation flared immediately.

Ye Tian lay there comfortably, holding his ever-present thermos. A copy of the Konoha Geography Gazetteer rested open on his knees, his eyes half-closed as though he might drift off at any moment.

"Hey! Ye Tian!"

Ino slammed the scissors in her hand onto the table. "Everyone's busy training! Even Choji, that foodie, is being dragged into special training by Shikamaru! How can you still be sleeping here? The finals are tomorrow!"

"Cough, cough... Ino, stay calm."

Ye Tian slowly opened his eyes and took a sip of goji berry tea. His tone was weak yet perfectly justified. "It's precisely because I'm going to the 'execution ground' tomorrow that I need to rest up today. You know my body—every extra movement is draining my life away. Besides..."

Ye Tian pointed at the precious orchid by the doorway, which had grown somewhat wilted after days of sun exposure. "Aren't I helping you 'watch the shop'?"

"Watch the shop? What can you do besides drink tea?" Ino looked painfully at the orchid that was nearly dead. "That's Dad's favorite Secluded Valley Orchid. If it dies, I'm done for... Sigh, it's all because I got too busy and forgot to water it."

Seeing Ino's anxious expression, the corners of Ye Tian's mouth lifted slightly.

"Don't worry. Maybe it's just... asleep."

Ye Tian slowly rose to his feet and made his way to the orchid with his cane.

Where Ino could not see, his fingers gently brushed across the orchid's yellowing leaves.

[Longevity Formula · Yi Wood Spiritual Energy · Withered Tree Revives in Spring]

Inside his dantian, the illusory Golden Core trembled slightly. A thread of incomparably pure wood-attributed spiritual energy silently flowed from Ye Tian's fingertips into the orchid's roots.

For a cultivator, controlling the growth of plants was merely a beginner's method. Besides, Ye Tian's cultivation technique inherently leaned toward vitality. To an ordinary plant, this was practically a miracle.

"Rise," Ye Tian silently said.

The next second, something miraculous happened.

The once-drooping leaves visibly turned lush green and upright again. At the tip of one branch, a new flower bud slowly poked out, and then...

Pop.

The bud bloomed.

A faint, elegant fragrance instantly filled the entire flower shop, soothing the agitation in one's heart the moment it was inhaled.

"Wow—!"

Ino's eyes widened as she covered her mouth and cried out, "It... it bloomed?! And this color... it's even more vibrant than before! Ye Tian, how did you do that?!"

"Cough, cough... Perhaps my sincerity moved the flower god."

Ye Tian withdrew his hand, and his face promptly turned a little paler, as though that simple action had drained all his strength. "Or maybe... I sent it a little 'energy.' You know, my family's health-preserving cultivation method has some effect on plants too."

"That's incredible!"

Ino happily leaned closer to smell the flower's fragrance. When she turned back to Ye Tian, her eyes were full of admiration and... an indescribable tenderness. "Ye Tian, I never thought that besides cooking and treating illnesses, you're also a gardening master! If you can't become a ninja in the future, come work at my family's flower shop! I'll pay you double!"

"Cough... Then I'll thank you in advance, boss."

Ye Tian smiled weakly and returned to the recliner.

Watching Ino's busy yet cheerful back, Ye Tian chuckled inwardly.

Working is impossible. But with the wood spiritual energy radiating from this flower, I can set up a small Spirit Gathering Formation node in this flower shop.

Ye Tian's gaze swept over the four corners of the shop.

These past few days, he had not merely been wandering around.

He had been making preparations.

Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan was about to begin, and the entire Konoha would become a battlefield. Although Ye Tian had no intention of becoming a savior, he still had some "private property" in this village that needed protecting.

For example, Ino's family flower shop, which had treated him fairly well; Ichiraku Ramen, where he could eat until he was stuffed every time; and Konoha's public bathhouse, where he could mooch free hot water...

These places will be my long-term bases in the future. If that snake destroys them, who am I supposed to complain to?

Ye Tian subtly formed hand seals inside his sleeve. Several jade stones engraved with defensive runes were silently slipped into the gaps between the floorboards of the flower shop.

"The first node is done."

After leaving the flower shop, Ye Tian leaned on his cane and slowly wandered over to Konoha's liveliest Ichiraku Ramen.

"Hey! Ye Tian! The usual today?"

When Teuchi saw Ye Tian, he greeted him warmly. "Business has been great lately. Everyone wants a good meal before the competition. But I prepared the ingredients for your Root-Nourishing Essence-Building Soup a long time ago!"

"Thank you, Uncle."

Ye Tian took a seat in the farthest corner. He looked at the steaming ramen but did not immediately begin eating.

His Divine Sense quietly spread out, covering the entire ramen shop.

"This place is in a critical location. If large-scale ninjutsu bombardment breaks out, it could easily be caught in the blast."

Using the motion of picking up his chopsticks as cover, Ye Tian stuck a pale yellow talisman beneath the table.

[Earth Style: Adamantine Barrier Talisman]

Once it suffered a powerful chakra impact, the talisman would automatically activate, forming a defensive barrier capable of withstanding Jonin-level Earth Release attacks.

"With this, my long-term meal ticket is safe."

Ye Tian contentedly drank a mouthful of soup, savoring that familiar delicious flavor.

Just then, the curtain at the entrance was lifted.

A listless young man with a pineapple-shaped ponytail walked in.

Shikamaru Nara.

"Ah... what a drag. Is this place full too?" Shikamaru scratched his head and was about to turn around and leave when he spotted Ye Tian in the corner.

"Ye Tian?"

Shikamaru looked somewhat surprised, then walked over. Without any ceremony, he sat down beside Ye Tian. "Everyone's busy with special training. Even Naruto, that idiot, is nowhere to be seen, yet you still have the mood to drink soup here?"

"People are made of iron, and food is made of steel." Ye Tian gave Shikamaru the other half of his braised egg. "Want some?"

"Thanks." Shikamaru sighed and accepted the egg. "Honestly, sometimes I envy your attitude. The competition is tomorrow, and your opponent is that terrifying Sound Ninja, but you're acting as though nothing happened."

At that, Shikamaru's expression grew a little solemn.

"That guy named Dosu Kinata... I watched his match against Choji. His sound-wave attacks can penetrate everywhere and are hard to defend against. And he has a vicious personality. If you..."

Shikamaru paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully. "If you think you can't handle it, it's better to withdraw. You only get one life."

Though Shikamaru constantly said everything was troublesome, he clearly considered Ye Tian a friend. He had no idea that Dosu had already died in Gaara's hands on that dark and windy night a few days ago, with Ye Tian watching.

Seeing the trace of concern behind Shikamaru's sincere gaze, Ye Tian set down his chopsticks.

He wiped his mouth, turned toward Shikamaru, and revealed an unfathomable smile.

"Shikamaru."

Ye Tian's voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable certainty.

"Did you know? There's a saying in my hometown."

"What?" Shikamaru froze.

"Sometimes, even if you do nothing at all and merely sit there drinking tea, your enemy might just get unlucky and die on their own." Ye Tian pointed at the ceiling. "That's called... fate."

"Huh?" Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Are you telling a joke? The odds of that are lower than the odds of me wanting to get up tomorrow morning."

"Who knows? Maybe my luck will be unbelievably good tomorrow."

Ye Tian offered no explanation, merely smiling mysteriously.

What a joke. Dosu's ashes are probably cold by now. This match is destined to make me the legend who wins without fighting.

"What a strange guy..." Shikamaru shook his head. Though he could not understand Ye Tian's confidence, that relaxed atmosphere did ease his tightly wound nerves considerably.

"Forget it, I won't bother with you. I need to go back and prepare too. That woman Temari... what a pain."

Grumbling, Shikamaru left the ramen shop.

Ye Tian watched his departing figure. The amusement in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a cold glint.

"All right. I've eaten, and the formation has been set."

Ye Tian stood, paid, and walked out of the ramen shop.

At this time, the setting sun dyed all of Konoha blood-red.

Ye Tian stood in the middle of the street, looking at the towering Hokage Rock in the distance and the central tower that would become a battlefield tomorrow.

Within the range of his Divine Sense, massive yet obscure currents of chakra surged through the village's shadowy corners. They belonged to Orochimaru's Sound Ninja forces and Sunagakure's hidden infiltrators.

He even sensed the One-Tail jinchuriki—Gaara—hiding in some inn, trembling with fear and excitement.

"A storm is coming..."

Ye Tian tightened his clothes around himself and coughed twice, as though he could not bear the chill.

Yet his hand gently stroked the natal flying sword in his sleeve, which had been nurtured for a month and was now eager for action—Blood Drinker.

"Chaos is better."

"The muddier the water, the easier it is to catch fish."

"Orochimaru, the Third Hokage, and that little tanuki..."

A curve called "greed" appeared at the corner of Ye Tian's mouth.

"Tomorrow, I'll prepare a big 'surprise' for all of you."

Leaning on his cane, Ye Tian turned his back to the sunset and walked step by step into the darkness that would soon be consumed by war. Behind him, several invisible "sensing talismans" trembled lightly in the breeze, like an enormous open net quietly waiting for its prey to enter.