Chapter 29: Test Completed, Victory Decided

Be careful, Shui Men.

It was just a simple sentence, yet it instantly disrupted Bofeng Shuimen's thoughts; before he could even realize what kind of Ninjutsu it had been, the invisible, formless, silent sword light had already closed in beside him.

Qimu Chao wasn't deliberately suppressing his power, but even so, this Vacuum Sword Blade of his was not something an ordinary ninja could handle.

The blade slash instantly tore through the grass, scattering green turf in all directions; the speed was such that Bofeng Shuimen, unable to dodge, could only raise a Kunai to block. Yet the Kunai in his hand barely deflected three slashes, while Qimu Chao had five fingers.

As a ninja who could be called battle‑hardened, Bofeng Shuimen twisted his body and leapt in that instant, then strained to tilt his posture in the air, trying to evade the ensuing attack.

However, relying only on instinct, Shuimen was still injured; his calf was torn open by the invisible sword slash, and blood spurted instantly.

"The wound isn't deep, I can treat it. This move was unseen and silent—hard to deal with."

Bofeng Shuimen frowned, quickly formed a Seal Formation with both hands, then exhaled a massive cloud of dust and mist, completely obscuring the area within dozens of meters, and the whole person vanished from the spot, hiding.

He didn't know that all his movements were fully exposed under Qimu Chao's cheat‑like Magnetic Field Sense.

Hidden in the shadows of the forest, Shuimen bandaged his wound and began to contemplate a countermeasure.

He could also be considered a perceptive ninja, so while gathering chakra, that previous move should have been perceivable, though it required constant high alert.

And the two different Ninjutsu Qimu Chao just used seemed to have no Seal Formation, just a flick of a finger—were they the No Seal Ninjutsu created by Mr. Shuo Mao, or a family secret of the Qimu Family?

No, there's another possibility.

That is, he invented it himself.

Even Bofeng Shuimen was startled by this sudden idea.

Self‑created Ninjutsu—how old is he!

If it truly is his own invention, then his genius pales compared to the genius others speak of.

By now, Bofeng Shuimen treats this as a Jonin‑level duel; the opponent might be stronger, and with insufficient intel, winning requires a risky gambit.

"Have you finished thinking? Can we continue?"

The sudden voice from behind startled Bofeng Shuimen; he drew a Kunai from his waist at the fastest speed of his life and thrust it back, but his wrist was firmly seized by Qimu Chao.

What he saw next was Qimu Chao's radiant smile.

"Heh..."

A sudden heavy blow struck his neck; Bofeng Shuimen's whole body tilted and was flung outward.

He saw that after Qimu Chao grasped his wrist, he swung the sword sheath back at him.

He had never seen anyone use a sword sheath to strike.

After crashing into the trunk of a large tree, Bofeng Shuimen clutched his neck and slowly stood up.

That was really harsh; he was still dazed and couldn't speak.

Qimu Chao instantly teleported back to the spot, drew the Tachi he had just planted in the ground, and sheathed it.

"Shall we continue?"

Brandishing his sword, Qimu Chao walked up to Shuimen and asked.

"No need."

Shuimen covered his neck, his voice faint: "I almost forgot this was a test; by the way, can you sense Ninjutsu?"

"Hmm."

"Magnetic Field Sense... I guess so."

Qimu Chao nodded in response.

"No wonder you found me so quickly."

Shuimen laughed, but the smile was strained: "I've already seen your strength, truly..."

"Based on your current strength, I'd guess you already had the level of an ordinary Genin before even entering the Academy."

Qimu Chao thought for a moment: "Pretty much. I didn't want to go to the Ninja Academy back then, but my father thought I should stay a few years, since becoming a ninja directly means having to take missions and not being able to play around."

"Mr. Shuo Mao was right."

Bofeng Shuimen nodded: "If I had my own child, I'd probably arrange it the same way."

Speaking of children, Shuimen thought of something else.

Qimu Chao also knew what he was thinking, yet he felt no remorse, after all he was the one being chased.

Nevertheless, he patted Shuimen's shoulder: "Let's go, as compensation for injuring you, I'll treat you to barbecue."

"Then it's on you."

Bofeng Shuimen also laughed, feeling the conversation with Qimu Chao was quite pleasant; their personalities seemed to get along well?

The noon barbecue deepened their mutual understanding, and the lingering awkwardness vanished.

Perhaps I'm not the one destined for Jiu Xin Nai.

Just like Jiraiya and Gongshou.

If I told this to Jiraiya, he'd probably laugh, pat my shoulder, and say, "Sigh, we're both suffering the same fate, you and I."

Then he'd take me to experience the adult world, drinking flower wine.

After leaving the shop, Shuimen smiled at Qimu Chao and said, "That's it for today. We've gotten to know each other, let's rest for a day, and from tomorrow start our official Ninja Career."

After saying goodbye to Shuimen, Qimu Chao returned home; at that time Qimu Shuomao and Qimu ChunNai were both at home. Seeing Qimu Chao return so quickly, Qimu Shuomao put down his newspaper and asked, "Back so early, Little Chao, who's your leader?"

"It's Shu Men."

Hearing Qimu Chao's answer, Qimu Shuomao was stunned; the whole village had only one Jonin named Shu Men.

He was stunned also because he knew Shu Men had a bit of a feeling for Jiu Xin Nai, so why did the third generation place Little Chao under Shu Men?

Seeing his father's expression, Qimu Chao understood what his father was thinking, and he sat opposite his father: "Dad, what are you thinking? Shu Men isn't that petty, and besides he never confessed to Jiu Xin Nai before; Jiu Xin Nai confessed to me, so what can I do?"

"Hey, you youngsters handle your own affairs; just be open, don't let things get too tense. There's no Chunin exam in the village now; to become a Chunin you still need to complete a period of missions under Shu Men before you can apply for an extra assessment."

Qimu Shuomao said while spreading the newspaper flat on the table: "Anyway, don't let this matter cause any unpleasantness between you two."