"I'm done watching!"
Morino Eaton couldn't hide his disappointment. He had personally watched Qingyu head into the woods with high spirits, meticulously performing every warm-up stretch.
But... this was just ridiculous!
He warmed up for half an hour! And then it was over in less than three minutes! That physical condition... it left Eaton speechless.
"I'd get more excitement watching Mr. Yuta exercise than this!"
With a flicker, Eaton vanished. He hadn't just been monitoring; he was genuinely trying to look out for a new subordinate. Now, he'd made up his mind: Qingyu wasn't someone who could last in the Torture Force. With a body like that, he wouldn't even survive the Third Shinobi World War, let alone be entrusted with heavy responsibilities.
Eaton immediately shifted his focus elsewhere, no longer paying much attention to Qingyu.
Qingyu sat on the ground, gasping for air as if he were about to collapse. Suddenly, he felt it—the sensation of being watched was gone. The observer had left!
"Hehe..." A smirk played on Qingyu's lips, a look of a successful schemer. "Finally bluffed my way through! But... now isn't the time to be careless. Who knows if they'll pull a 'u-turn' and check back. I'll 'rest' a bit longer, then head back to the dorm."
Steady as a rock!
Since he'd just shown a state of near-collapse, it would be too fake to suddenly become energetic. He couldn't treat Eaton or Yuta like fools. Those who held high positions in the Torture Force were anything but stupid.
Qingyu sat for a full half-hour until his sweat dried. He maintained a pale complexion, looking like he'd just finished a high-intensity workout.
This session wasn't for nothing; it let me experience the Sage Body! Confidence flashed in his eyes. Through his perfect control over his body, he had been able to simulate the exact physical symptoms of exhaustion and produce "cold sweat" at will.
"Back to the dorm!" He stood up and walked back. He didn't feel the slow pace was a problem. In this world, the year was Konoha 36. Kaguya wouldn't be resurrected until Konoha 64! As long as he stayed low, he had plenty of time to develop.
Early development is all about avoiding "flashy" moves. He knew his "weak body" label was his protection—it was why he wasn't sent to the front lines. He would never let that label go. It was his camouflage.
The next morning, Qingyu arrived early at the morgue-like office. Yamanaka Yuta hadn't arrived yet; the room was empty. After about an hour, Yuta walked in.
"Morning," Yuta grunted. He was far less enthusiastic than the day before.
"Morning!" Qingyu replied.
Silence filled the room for two minutes until the sound of many footsteps echoed outside. The door swung open, and over a dozen masked Anbu ninjas entered, carrying corpses. They laid the bodies on the floor, said nothing, and left.
"Let's begin," Yuta said slowly. He leaned down, lifted the top corpse, and placed it on the iron bed. "Our job is to find any intel useful to the village from these memories. Of course... not everyone has intel. Just do your best. Be meticulous. Don't miss anything crucial."
Yuta gave the instructions calmly. He didn't have high expectations; these were mostly deceased Konoha prisoners. Probing their memories was just a standard supplementary procedure to the previous interrogations. To him, this was mostly practice for Qingyu to gain experience for the future.
"Yes!" Qingyu's eyes brightened as he looked at the pile of bodies.
Things are looking up! So many treasures to read!
Qingyu immediately crouched before the pile, reached out his right hand, and touched the head of the topmost corpse.
Hum! His body trembled slightly. Images flashed like a movie. Most were of a Konoha prison cell—definitely a convict. Then, the long-awaited electronic voice echoed in his mind:
[Ding! Memory Reading Successful! Reward: Earth Style: Mud Wall Jutsu!]
Finally! A special sensation flooded his mind. He could now use the Mud Wall at any time—he could even carve a few dog heads on it for extra protection!
"Qingyu, put the body on the iron bed and investigate carefully!" Yuta frowned, seeing Qingyu just crouching there. He felt the boy was perhaps less "steady" than he looked.
"Yes!" Qingyu replied, but he didn't stand up. Instead, he added softly: "I'll just count how many bodies there are first."
With that, his hand moved to the second head...
He had to read everyone's memories right now! He needed to claim the system rewards before Yuta started his own probes—once Yuta finished with a body, it might be harder to get a clean read!
[End of Chapter 18]