Chapter 28: Test

The word "genius" has never before weighed so heavily in Shui Men's heart as it does now.

The move Qimu Chao just performed—let alone his seven‑year‑old self, even his current self could not have done it.

In this regard, Qimu Chao's talent surpasses his own.

"Really impressive."

After letting out that sigh, Bofeng Shuimen instantly vanished from the spot.

"What a speed."

Shui Men's Instant Body Technique made Qimu Chao's eyes light up.

No wonder the comment sections of those video edits always claimed that Shui Men's speed is that of the First under the Six Paths; even the Second Hokage praised that his own speed was inferior to it.

With that single Instant Body Technique, probably only a few in Konoha could keep up with him.

Still, I'm quite confident about my speed.

Magnetic Field Rotation is a hexagonal super‑ability, but its speed‑enhancing effect is modest at lower levels.

To truly display high speed, one must wait until reaching the Anti‑Gravity Realm of Five Hundred Thousand Horses strength.

At that tier, whether on Earth or in Space, speed will increase by more than one grade.

Qimu Chao's confidence in his speed stems from years of relentless training; if he relied solely on the Chakra System for conditioning, even with his great talent he would lack confidence in surpassing the present Bofeng Shuimen in speed.

But factoring in Magnetic Field Rotation, it's a different story.

He could already feel the edge of Shui Men's Kunai near his waist; Qimu Chao, with a backward‑arched, high‑raised leg, kicked Shui Men's wrist at supersonic speed.

And that kick wasn't aimed merely at the wrist—it targeted Shui Men as a whole.

Because of that kick, Shui Men was launched into the air by Qimu Chao; mid‑flight he clutched his wrist and inhaled a sharp breath of cold air.

Given his reflex speed, he had already withdrawn his hand when he sensed Qimu Chao's retaliatory kick, yet Qimu Chao's foot was so fast that his wrist still got struck.

It's been a long time since he's met anyone who could match him in speed.

Qimu Chao, you really aren't simple.

When Shui Men landed, he saw Qimu Chao pull a scroll from his Ninja Tool Bag, infuse it with chakra, and with a bang and a puff of white smoke, a Tachi materialized in his hand.

Bofeng Shuimen only then realized that Qimu Chao is Mr. Shuo Mao's child, meaning he would certainly possess Shuo Mao's Bai Ya.

A master of Body Technique with a blade? No wonder his reaction speed is so fast.

Looking at the sword in his hand, it differs from Mr. Shuo Mao's Bai Ya Short Sword, and the fact that he produced this blade here shows he has forged his own path, distinct from Shuo Mao's short‑sword style…

Truly worthy of the title "genius"…

He sighed inwardly; just as Shui Men reached for a Kunai, his eyes widened.

Qimu Chao, astonishingly, drew the Tachi with one hand and pointed it steadily forward.

The Tachi, over 1.3 meters long, seemed weightless in his hand.

What does that indicate?

His strength is also great, allowing him to wield such a massive Tachi single‑handed at will.

So, that kick earlier wasn't given his full strength, was it?

Then I really was underestimated…

At that thought, Bofeng Shuimen, both hands gripping Kunai, sprinted toward Qimu Chao's direction at blistering speed.

Qimu Chao, one‑handed on his sword, stood motionless, awaiting Shuimen's assault.

The scene resembled Bofeng Shuimen as a hero challenging the great demon king Qimu Chao.

Or perhaps Qimu Chao is the leading Jonin, with Shuimen being the Genin he's testing.

With his hands alternating, Bofeng Shuimen launched several attacks in succession, each time finding a gap and exploiting the Kunai's short‑range advantage to thrust into the opening and harm Qimu Chao.

In Kunai usage, Bofeng Shuimen could be called an expert.

Even among the Uchiha, famed for their Throwing Knife mastery, few can match him; combined with his reaction speed, it reaches a level where one plus one exceeds two.

By this point in the fight, he was fully serious, casting the notion of "this being a test" aside.

Nevertheless, for each of his attacks, Qimu Chao simply adjusted the Tachi's position and flawlessly blocked every strike.

He also thought inwardly, "Truly the future teacher of Kakashi; this speed, this strength, this technique are far more interesting than a duel with Kakashi."

Come to think of it, it seems ages since he last fought his father.

He should find a time to duel his father; his father now must be stronger than Shuimen, and a duel with him would be far more interesting.

At that thought, Qimu Chao increased the force with his right hand on the Tachi; the resulting recoil from the Kunai‑Tachi clash was stronger, nearly throwing Bofeng Shuimen off balance.

Normally, short‑weapon versus long‑weapon is a disadvantage; for someone like Qimu Chao, whose great strength makes handling a long weapon even more of a drawback.

It can only be said that Shuimen, not yet having mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique to perfect his combat system, is still not strong enough.

In Qimu Chao's view, Shuimen's strength now exceeds that of the Cloud Ninja spy he killed months ago, yet that alone is still insufficient.

Another attack came, but this time, as Shuimen thrust his left‑hand Kunai, his right thumb hooked the front ring of the Kunai, rotated it, and with a lift of his hand the Kunai flew straight toward Qimu Chao's head.

That move made Qimu Chao raise an eyebrow; the Tachi flashed, drawing a curved arc in midair that deflected the incoming Kunai.

Seizing the moment, Bofeng Shuimen widened the gap, quickly forming a Seal Formation with both hands; in less than a second, the technique materialized.

A pale‑blue arc over a foot in diameter, accompanied by a whistling sound, flew toward Qimu Chao at near‑sonic speed.

Wind Release: Wind Blade.

Since the opponent employed a Jonin Technique, Qimu Chao met it head‑on: he flicked his five fingers across the void, and five pale‑blue threads traced his finger paths, slicing the air to block Shuimen's Wind Blade.

"Hm?"

Shuimen furrowed his brow. "What technique is that? I've never seen it before. Is it a hereditary Ninjutsu of the Qimu family?"

"Watch out, Shuimen."

The next moment, Qimu Chao's words reached his ears; when he looked up, he saw Qimu Chao's finger again slash the void.

Something's coming!