Chapter 15: Chapter Fifteen: Request

Not long after they began cultivation, their father Qimu Shuomao taught the Qimu Family's hereditary sword technique to Qimu Chao and Kakashi, and later also taught them his own self‑created, fame‑making White Fang Sword Technique.

From a certain perspective, the Qimu Family resembles a samurai clan more than a ninja family; aside from a spirit‑binding scroll that contracts a ninja dog, they do not possess hereditary ninjutsu like other ninja families in the Ninja World.

After receiving his father's instruction, Kakashi has been diligently practicing the sword technique, treating Body Technique strikes and kicks as a secondary study.

Qimu Chao is different from him.

As a prodigy whose talent even surpasses Kakashi's, Qimu Chao did not follow those two sword techniques verbatim; during the development of the Five‑Colored Thread, he devised a sword style better suited to himself.

Just as his father uses a Short Sword and Kakashi copies that, Qimu Chao chose a longer sword that better fits him.

On the other hand, Qimu Chao places more emphasis on Body Technique than Kakashi; rather than relying on swords, he prefers to channel his might inward, never neglecting Body Technique, and often sparring with his father and Kai.

Because of this, when he was six, he consciously formed a Battle Mark for the first time and delivered that punch—the punch capable of piercing the entire Sea Tiger Universe.

Just like now, Qimu Chao grips Mo Luo Yi's fist, which is wrapped in blue lightning, with his right hand; his whole body surges with momentum, and the Sea Tiger Battle Mark appears on his forehead.

This Battle Mark, whose pressure overwhelms the entire Sea Tiger Universe, combined with Qimu Chao himself, gives his enemies an immense sense of oppression; Mo Luo Yi can only watch helplessly as the boy, whose aura has completely shifted, raises his left hand and gradually closes his five fingers around it.

"Move, body, why aren't you moving?!"

His sixth sense, honed over years between life and death, tells him that taking this punch would surely kill him miserably, yet he is completely immobilized by Qimu Chao's overwhelming aura.

Boom—

The high‑speed punch produced a massive explosive roar; Qimu Chao's Sea Tiger Explosive Fist pierced Mo Luo Yi's chest, causing his internal organs, back flesh, and ribs to explode outward.

The force of the punch hurled him nearly a hundred meters, slamming him into several large trees before finally crashing heavily into a rock wall, where he became deeply embedded.

He flicked his left arm, and the blood‑red Sea Tiger Battle Mark on Qimu Chao's forehead vanished; that punch had far exceeded his arm's current capacity.

It was the most peak‑aura punch he has ever thrown, meant to cover his mistake; if he wishes to deliver such power again, he'll likely have to reach the realm of Magnetic Field Rotation first.

He didn't go forward to check Mo Luo Yi's condition—after all, that guy was dead beyond death; instead, there were two other guys, one knocked out by him and one hit by a companion's ninjutsu, and he needed to finish them off.

He picked up a shattered Tachi from the ground, approached the two men, and slashed each at the throat; using Magnetic Field Sense he perceived that both had completely lost vital signs, after which Qimu Chao went to Jiu Xin Nai and removed the Electric Current Sky Lock's defense for her.

Under the moonlight, Jiu Xin Nai watched the boy who freed her, and an inexplicable feeling rose in her heart again.

After standing, Jiu Xin Nai rubbed her wrist and whispered gratefully, "Thank you very much."

"There's no need to thank me; didn't you hear what I said earlier?"

Qimu Chao smiled, pointed at the charcoal‑looking Ao De Yi on the ground, and said, "That guy shows no concealment of his malice toward me; if I don't kill him, I can't rest peacefully."

Hearing Qimu Chao's words, Jiu Xin Nai was startled; ever since she was dubbed the Crimson Little Chili, no boy her age had ever spoken to her like that.

Or perhaps it was the sense of security Qimu Chao had previously given her, which evoked a special feeling.

"Oh, right."

Just as the two were about to return to the village, Qimu Chao suddenly pressed his face close to Jiu Xin Nai, raised his index finger to his mouth and said, "Please keep my matters secret."

"Eh?"

Before Jiu Xin Nai could speak, two figures—a large one and a small one—burst out from the depths of the forest.

The newcomers were Qimu Shuomao and his spirit‑bound ninja dog.

"Just shift all responsibility onto my old man."

Mid‑sentence, Qimu Chao didn't even turn his head; he simply pointed backward at his father's figure, having just detected Qimu Shuomao's presence through Magnetic Field Sense.

"You stinky brat!"

Usually sparing in scolding his two sons, Qimu Shuomao unusually lost his temper, gave Qimu Chao a hard knock on the head and said, "Do you know how worried Mom, Kakashi, and I are?"

"Am I not fine?"

Qimu Chao covered the spot his father struck, still smiling, and said, "And I even earned a merit for you, old man."

"Jiu Xin Nai, as long as you're okay."

Hearing Qimu Chao's words, Qimu Shuomao glanced at Jiu Xin Nai, nodded at her, then realized something and asked, "Merit?"

After explaining the whole backstory, Qimu Chao grinned at his father and said, "Later just say you took care of those guys, old man; if I say I killed them, it will inevitably cause unnecessary trouble. Jiu Xin Nai and I have agreed not to tell anyone, after all I'm not even seven years old yet."

"What?!"

Looking at Qimu Chao, who was about the same height as herself, Xuanwo Jiuxinnai.

"What a joke, isn't he just a little brat?"

"Are you sure?"

Qimu Shuomao frowned, his expression solemn; he didn't know exactly how strong the three people Qimu Chao killed were, but such a mission to infiltrate another village and abduct someone is at least A‑rank or higher.

Receiving such a task in peacetime means it must be assigned to ninjas of at least Chunin rank.

Killing three ninjas of that caliber while protecting Jiu Xin Nai, with such power and talent, even the First Hokage and the Ninja World Asura would likely be inferior to his own son.

However, if this news spreads, his eldest son would probably be targeted wildly by other nations; to reduce that, the kid's reasoning is indeed sound.

"You really are far more opinionated than Kakashi... hurry back, Mom and Kakashi are still waiting for you at home."

"Then I'll go first."

After saying that, Qimu Chao was about to leave when he thought of something, gestured to Jiu Xin Nai and said, "See you next time."

In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished deep into the jungle.

Leaving Jiu Xin Nai watching his silhouette and Qimu Shuomao, who cleaned up the aftermath for his son.