Chapter 27: The Second Meeting, the First Introduction

Qimu Chao never expected that the Third Hokage's appointment of the Jonin to lead him would turn out to be Bofeng Shuimen.

And Bofeng Shuimen was even more surprised, because the Third Hokage had told him yesterday that the genius ninja he was to lead would be the boy he had seen that day.

He recalled that the Third Hokage had told him that the other's current age was only seven.

Seven years old—exactly nine years younger than him.

He himself could hardly believe that he had been beaten by someone nine years younger…

Never mind, that's already a settled matter.

Bofeng Shuimen is not the type to take out his anger on others; on the contrary, whenever someone encounters a problem, he immediately wonders whether he himself fell short or made a mistake.

Moreover, since the other party is not at fault at all, he has even less to say.

Though his mind felt a bit unbalanced, as an excellent ninja, Bofeng Shuimen quickly readjusted his mindset.

"Shui Men, you arrive at the perfect time. Let me introduce him: he is the Genin I mentioned to you yesterday—Qimu Chao. For the coming period, I'll be asking you to serve as his team‑leading Jonin, which will also be a test for you."

Because both parties reined in their emotions the instant they were shocked, the Third Hokage was not clear about what past the two shared; he simply introduced them with a smiling face.

He held great confidence in Shui Men as his disciple, and also in Qimu Chao, the eldest son of Konoha's Bai Ya; both were, in his eyes, future leaders of Konoha, just like his three disciples of old.

"Hello, I am Bofeng Shuimen."

He exhaled inwardly, then Shui Men walked up to Qimu Chao, smiling as he extended his hand; his gesture and demeanor were nothing like those toward a future subordinate.

"Qimu Chao."

Qimu Chao also smiled, and their hands clasped together.

As if they were meeting for the first time today.

"Although Shui Men is currently a Special Jonin, his strength will never be inferior to any Jonin; as a leader, he is definitely a first‑rate choice."

After introducing Qimu Chao to Shui Men, the Third Hokage then turned to introduce Shui Men to Qimu Chao.

"Third Hokage, you flatter me."

Shui Men waved his hand quickly, thinking that the description 'won't lose to any Jonin' was a bit premature for him now.

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage's words left Qimu Chao pondering.

Special Jonin, test…

So, does that mean I am also part of Shui Men's Jonin promotion test?

After the two left, ordinarily a team‑leading Jonin would assess his Genin subordinates, testing their basic level, and then assign missions based on their strength.

However, Shui Men did not do so; at this moment he walked ahead of Qimu Chao, feeling deeply conflicted.

Finally, the two walked straight to the rooftop of a building adjacent to the Huo Ying Da Lou; from there one could get a fine view over Konoha Village, with no one else around—a good spot for a conversation.

They both leaned on the rooftop railing, saying nothing.

After a long while, Shui Men finally spoke: "You…"

"You want to ask about Jiu Xin Nai, right?"

Qimu Chao turned, leaning his back against the railing, looking at the Bofeng Shuimen beside him.

Honestly, what does this situation between the two even count as?

A love rival? No, because neither side has ever viewed the other as an enemy.

Shui Men also knows that Jiu Xin Nai never knew he had ever liked her.

"No, there's no need."

Upon hearing Qimu Chao's words, Shui Men seemed finally relieved; although he has blond hair, he does not live in Lei Ting Ya.

"Then, although we already introduced each other once just now, if we want to get to know each other better, the introductions really should be more detailed."

With a bright smile, Shui Men said, "My name is Bofeng Shuimen, I'm sixteen years old, I don't have any particular favorite dish, and I usually enjoy reading."

"Qimu Chao, seven years old, and coincidentally I also have no particular favorite food; my favorite activities are probably reading and training."

Raising an eyebrow at Shui Men's words, Qimu Chao thought, hasn't this just become the typical Konoha team‑leading Jonin and Genin routine? He even looked forward to Shui Men pulling off some unusual stunt for him.

"Well, after all the squad now consists of just the two of us. Although the Third Hokage calls you a genius, I still need to verify your actual strength."

As he spoke, Shui Men looked ahead: "Follow me."

Then an Instant Body Technique vanished from the spot.

Qimu Chao followed at an unhurried pace, and his Instant Body Technique even made Bofeng Shuimen glance in admiration.

Since he mastered the Instant Body Technique, none of his peers could match his speed; even his teacher Jiraiya praised his swiftness and reaction, nearly reaching the legendary level of the Ninja World's fastest, the Second Hokage.

And even though he hasn't yet exerted his full power, Qimu Chao can still effortlessly keep up behind him; this speed…

No wonder he's Mr. Shuo Mao's son—a genius praised by the Third Hokage.

One ahead, one behind, the two arrived at Training Ground No. 7 almost simultaneously.

No other people were in sight at the training ground, so there was no worry of being disturbed.

"Ready, Chao?"

Bofeng Shuimen took a Throwing Knife from his Ninja Tool Bag behind him and placed it flat in front of him.

Normally, Genin would disperse first and then look for a chance to attack the Jonin, but here it was different; Shui Men was earnestly treating Qimu Chao as an equal.

So after Qimu Chao nodded, he immediately threw his Throwing Knife, then swiftly performed a Seal Formation with both hands: "Throwing Knife Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Using one to become a hundred, the single Throwing Knife expanded in exploding white smoke, splitting into hundreds and thousands of knives that shot toward Qimu Chao.

Seeing the rain of knives, Qimu Chao remained calm, extended a single finger, and with instinct precisely struck the foremost knife; a flick of his finger altered its trajectory and deflected the other approaching knives.

The deflected knives then hit other knives, causing most of their paths to change, and they fell around Qimu Chao without a single scratch.

Seeing this, Bofeng Shuimen's eyes lit up, then he looked at Qimu Chao with a hint of disbelief.

The weight of the word "genius" had never felt so heavy in his heart.