The spell extended from Veigar Koshima's hand instantly locked onto the location of Mount Myōboku, summoning forth a massive toad.
The sudden change in scenery caught Gamajay completely off guard. He froze, eyes wide in confusion.
"One try and you nailed it, Veigar!"
Minato Namikaze's tone brimmed with genuine praise.
"M-Minato-sama?"
"Finally… I've been acknowledged…"
The moment he heard Minato's voice, Gamajay snapped out of his daze and shouted excitedly.
"Wait—who are you again?"
Although Minato could summon toads from Mount Myōboku, that didn't mean he knew every single one of them by name. There were quite a few toads up there, after all.
"Me? Uh…"
"Minato-sama, I'm Gamajay! I've wanted to visit the ninja world for ages!"
"It's truly an honor to meet you!"
Upon hearing Gamajay's self-introduction, Minato finally recalled who he was—he'd heard Gamago mention his younger brother, a toad who dreamed of one day being summoned.
"So you're Gamajay. I've heard your brother talk about you!"
Minato's face lit up with a kind smile.
"Hello there. You're called Gamajay, right?"
"I'm Veigar—I'm the one who summoned you this time."
"Nice to meet you. I hope we get along."
Noticing that Gamajay seemed… a little dense—and apparently hadn't even realized someone was standing on his head—Veigar quickly interrupted.
"Hey!!!"
Suddenly, Gamajay looked even more confused.
"Wait, weren't you the one who summoned me, Minato-sama?"
Gamajay froze like a statue.
Even Minato couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. "Nope."
Meanwhile, Veigar—still standing atop Gamajay's head—groaned and smacked his own forehead in disbelief. His image of Mount Myōboku toads just completely shattered.
"Oh my stars…"
Veigar cried out in despair inside his head.
What kind of karmic disaster had he suffered in a past life to summon such a hopelessly dumb toad?
"Do you not want to be my summoning beast?"
"Because if not, I'll just send you back."
With that, Veigar leapt down from Gamajay's head and stood before him, ready to cancel the summoning and call for another toad.
But the moment Gamajay heard that, he snapped back to life like he'd been struck by lightning.
No way—after finally being summoned and stepping into the ninja world, was he just going to get sent back?
Gamajay immediately refused.
"No, wait! Please don't send me back, Veigar-sama!"
"I do want to be your summoning beast!"
"I really, really do!"
His head bowed low, his froggy eyes filled with pleading. Veigar hesitated, fingers mid-seal.
"Veigar, let him stay," Minato interjected.
"He's waited a long time for this moment."
Seeing that pitiful look on Gamajay's face, even Minato couldn't help but plead on his behalf.
"…Fine."
Veigar dropped his hands with a sigh, then reached up to gently pat Gamajay on the head.
"You can stay a bit longer."
"But…" Veigar added, "I'm still going to summon a different toad."
Gamajay's heart soared at first… then crashed to the floor like a shattering mirror. He was seconds away from bawling.
This was emotional whiplash.
"No, Lord Veigar, please don't switch! I'm begging you!"
"I'm strong, I swear! I can even beat my brother now! I'll be a huge help to you!"
"If you don't believe me, let me prove it!"
With that, Gamajay started preparing to show off in front of both Veigar and Minato.
"Stop."
"If you don't stop right now, I'm sending you back."
Veigar raised his voice sharply, halting Gamajay's antics.
Gamajay froze, confused. His big round eyes turned toward Veigar, full of sorrowful confusion—as if to say, "Why…?"
Minato, off to the side, couldn't stop smiling at their dynamic. To him, it looked like they were getting along quite well.
"Ugh…"
Veigar sighed deeply.
If you summon a toad, you're the one who has to deal with it in the end.
Resigning himself, he turned back to Gamajay.
"Answer my question. If I like your answer, you'll officially become my summoning beast."
Gamajay's eyes lit up like twin suns. He nodded rapidly, like a chick pecking rice.
"Yes, Lord Veigar! Ask away!"
"I'll definitely become your summoning beast!"
Veigar narrowed his eyes. "Why do you want to be my summoning beast so badly?"
Gamajay opened his mouth without thinking.
"I don't—"
Mid-sentence, he realized what he'd just said. Panic struck, and he changed course instantly.
"Wait! I mean—I do, I do!"
"I want to be your summoning beast because… because I want to leave Mount Myōboku and explore the ninja world more often!"
"I'm hoping you'll summon me out regularly!"
Three black lines dropped over Veigar's forehead. He was not amused.
He could tell plain as day that Gamajay didn't truly want to be his summoning beast—he just wanted out of Mount Myōboku.
Right then, Veigar silently decided: he would never summon Gamajay again.
A toad that didn't truly want to be his partner wasn't a toad worth keeping.
You can't force happiness.
"If you don't really want to be my summoning beast, then let's just forget it."
"Our time's up anyway. You can head back."
Veigar had no interest in continuing the conversation. In his heart, he thought:
Once Gamajay's gone, I'll just summon another toad. There are plenty of toads on Mount Myōboku. One of them is bound to genuinely want to be my summoning beast.
For a ninja, having a compatible summoning beast can be a tremendous asset. But the opposite is equally true.
What Veigar needed was a toad he could bond with—one he could summon regularly, fight alongside, and grow with.
Otherwise, if he summoned a stranger in a crucial moment and they refused to cooperate, what then?
Veigar didn't have a protagonist's plot armor.
He couldn't afford to make this choice lightly.
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