Chapter 24 Chance Encounter
"Qingming, this way!"

Inside the Konoha Village, on a street, Ryosuke waved at Qingming from afar, with Mizutani Shizuko standing beside him.

Upon hearing this, Qing Ming walked over slowly.

When Qingming approached, Liangjie said dissatisfiedly: "Qingming, you are too slow. We agreed to go shopping together, why can't you arrive earlier?"

Qingming knew that Liangjie was not really dissatisfied, but just complained out of habit, so he did not explain anything, but just asked: "Where are we going first?"

Originally, according to Qingming's personality, it was impossible for him to waste time shopping.

There's not much to see in Konoha.

But considering that this period of time has been too tense, after some hesitation, he finally accepted the invitation of Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko to come and relax.

At this time, half a month had passed since the effectiveness of the "Art of Reflecting the Heart" declined.

During this half month, Furukawa took them on another C-level mission.

However, it was not to suppress bandits, but to protect the caravan.

Although we encountered some troubles during this period, they were all within the scope of the mission and we did not encounter any danger.

This made Qing Ming sigh again that it’s good not to have the halo of the protagonist.

"Let's go over there. There's a new meatball shop over there. It's delicious."

Ryosuke pointed and said so.

Hearing this, Qing Ming looked in the direction of the other party's finger, and sure enough, there was a newly opened shop there. There was a long queue in front of the door, and the food must be good.

Just as he was thinking this, Qingming suddenly heard a few "familiar" names.

"Kakashi, hurry up, we need to make up for Lin's missed birthday today."

"Ah, Obito, stop it."

"No, I have to make up for it. I know there's a new meatball shop up ahead. It's delicious. I'll treat you later. Kakashi, don't compete with me."

'Kakashi Obito Rin.'

Mumbling silently in his heart, Qingming looked in the direction where the voice came from.

At the other end of the street, I saw three small figures walking together, one in front and two behind.

The person in front of him had his back to him, and the back of his clothes had the same Uchiha clan emblem as his. If nothing unexpected happened, it should be Uchiha Obito.

The other party was saying something excitedly at this moment, and didn't seem to care about the gazes of the people around him.

The two people behind him, a man and a woman, were facing him, so he could easily see their faces.

Well.
No, there is one person who can't see clearly.

He is about eleven or twelve years old, with silver hair, a short sword on his back, a mask on his face, and a cold expression. He is none other than Kakashi Hatake, who has not yet gotten over the shadow of his father's death.

Because of the mask, Qing Ming couldn't see his full appearance even when they were face to face.

Just as Qingming was observing the other person, the other person also looked over.

"What a keen sense!"

Qingming was still sighing, but the moment their eyes met, a chill surged into his heart.

It was a strange feeling, as if being stared at by some ferocious beast, making one's heart tremble.

Qingming quickly looked away.

"Qingming, what's wrong?"

Seeing Qingming suddenly stopped and looked a little unhappy, Mizutani Shizuko asked with concern.

call--

Qing Ming exhaled a breath of foul air and slowly said, "Nothing."

After saying that, he moved his feet and continued to walk forward, and his eyes inevitably met Kakashi's again.

However, this time, he did not have the fear he had just now.

That’s right, when they looked at each other just now, he was afraid.

It is true that he had killed people, but they were only some "powerless" bandits and robbers. Kakashi was different.

The other side has actually been on the battlefield and fought in mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The two sides are not on the same level at all.

Therefore, it is not a big deal to have fear, as long as you can overcome it.

Uchiha Obito saw Kakashi looking behind him and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

As he spoke, he also looked back.

At just one glance, he recognized Qing Ming's identity.

There's no way, that 'ping-pong racket' is too conspicuous.

"Younger generation in the clan?"

Thinking this in his heart, Obito withdrew his gaze and asked Kakashi: "What's wrong with him?"

Judging from Qingming's attire and age, he is most likely a graduate this year.

Uchiha Obito couldn't understand why such a person was worthy of Kakashi's attention.

Hearing Obito's question, Kakashi just shook his head and didn't say much.

Soon, both parties arrived in front of the meatball shop.

Kakashi, Obito and Rin were in the front, while Qingming and his two companions were behind.

In the team, Obito and Ryosuke kept talking about something, Rin and Mizutani Shizuko echoed them, while Kakashi and Aomine said nothing.

A few minutes later, Kakashi and the others bought the meatballs and left together.

Qing Ming stood in the team, watching the three people leaving, and muttered to himself: "They should be back to take part in the Chunin Exam."

That's right, after thinking for a while, he had roughly guessed why Kakashi and the others appeared in the village.

Konoha holds the Chunin Exams twice a year, once in early January and once in early July.

It is now the end of November and the new Chunin Exam is about to begin. Considering their age, it is not difficult to guess the purpose of their return at this time.

A month is a long time, but it is also a short time.

If it were peacetime, it would be no big deal, a month would be enough to get back, but in wartime, this time would be a bit short.

Although most Genin are cannon fodder on the battlefield, this definitely does not include those guys who are recommended by the leading Jonin to take part in the Chunin Exam.

This type of Genin usually has certain tasks on the battlefield.

To gather these people together, it is naturally impossible to just give an order like transferring those cannon fodder Genin. At the very least, people have to be arranged to take over their jobs.

In addition, for the safety of these people, special escorts have to be sent.

To some extent, these Genin are the future of the village. If something happens to them on the road, the village might be extinct.

Therefore, to be safe, they will definitely not return at the same time.

That way, it wouldn't be unusual to see them a month in advance.

If his guess was correct, the three opponents should be the first group of Genin to return to the village, and more would probably come back in the next month.

As for whether the guess is accurate, we just need to look at the number of young Genin in the village in the next month.

but
'Chūnin Exam'

Qingming had a hunch that after the Chunin Exam, this group of rookies might be sent to the battlefield.

In other words, he doesn't have much time left.

When he thought of this, Qingming wanted to go home and practice immediately.

But after looking at the two teammates in front of him, he finally suppressed the restlessness in his heart.

Now that you have decided to relax, you can't give up halfway.

As the saying goes, sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood.

The short rest now is for more diligent practice later.

"Qingming, what flavor do you want?"

Just as Qingming was lost in thought, Ryosuke turned around and asked.

“Spicy.”

Qingming replied casually.

(End of this chapter)