What is despair?
At this very moment, Gamajay could shout it loud and clear for the world to hear.
Right now, his heart was filled with utter despair!
He had finally been summoned—only to be rejected again. This emotional rollercoaster? That, right there, was despair.
And yet, Gamajay couldn't really blame Veigar Koshima, the one who had brought him into this moment of misery. After all, deep down, Gamajay himself had always been utterly opposed to becoming Veigar's summoning partner.
Acceptance, after all, should be mutual—not just one side making all the compromises.
The shinobi world was vast, and Gamajay had always wanted to see it for himself. Today, he'd finally gotten that chance.
But he didn't even know who had summoned him. When Veigar explained it was him who had performed the summoning, Gamajay's heart sank. It wasn't Minato Namikaze—the summoner he'd dreamed of.
Veigar understood all of this—and accepted it.
He even gave Gamajay a chance.
But even then, the toad still tried to have it both ways. He wanted to be summoned to the shinobi world often, but only by Minato. Not anyone else.
So, Veigar didn't push it. If Gamajay didn't want to be his partner, so be it. No need to force a bond that wasn't meant to be. Better to part ways amicably than to cling to resentment.
After all, Mount Myōboku was full of potential summoning toads. Veigar didn't need Gamajay.
"No."
"Please, wait!"
"Veigar-sama! I'm strong—and I'll get even stronger!"
"Just watch!"
With a desperate shout, the slightly scatterbrained Gamajay suddenly snapped to attention. If he wanted Veigar to change his mind, he had to demonstrate his worth—his strengths.
He hadn't trained so hard on Mount Myōboku just to be brushed aside. He wanted to make his summoner proud—even if it wasn't Minato.
"Water Style: Iron Cannonball!"
Forming hand signs with both of his froggy palms, Gamajay then spewed forth a jutsu from his mouth.
BOOM—!
The Iron Cannonball smashed into the river, releasing a massive shockwave that blasted up a column of water, soaking both Veigar and Minato in the splash.
Even Minato, not just Veigar, was stunned by the sheer power. For such a young toad to master a technique this destructive—this was no joke.
That kind of power? Easily qualified as a B-rank ninjutsu.
"You're amazing, Gamajay!"
Dripping wet, Minato wasn't even the least bit angry. Instead, he smiled warmly and praised him with genuine admiration.
In terms of age, Gamajay was essentially a peer of Veigar. To execute such a powerful Iron Cannonball at his stage? Incredibly impressive.
"You really are something, Gamajay."
That last technique had clearly pushed him to his limit. He was already on the verge of being forcibly returned to Mount Myōboku due to chakra depletion.
"Veigar-sama, from now on... will you summon me ofte—"
Before he could finish, Gamajay's body gave out. With a familiar POOF, he vanished before their eyes, returning to his home on Mount Myōboku.
After Gamajay disappeared, Minato gave Veigar a light pat on the shoulder.
"Gamajay's a hardworking kid. I think he'd make a great partner for you."
"Don't you agree?"
Both Minato and Veigar had seen it—the look in Gamajay's eyes before he left. That longing, that hope. And based on the strength he'd just demonstrated, he really was a good fit for Veigar.
Minato's words were gentle, but they nudged Veigar to consider it seriously.
"I'll think about it, sensei."
Veigar turned to Minato, eyes serious.
Then he added, "Sensei, there's a technique I want to learn."
"Oh?"
Minato raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the earnest look on Veigar's young face.
...
Three days passed in a flash.
Meanwhile, back in the Land of Lightning, within the Furuyama Clan compound in Kumogakure, the body of Furuyama Renbu had been laid out before the clan elders—Furuyama Renjou, the patriarch and Renmu's grandfather, and Furuyama Renchi, his father.
"Renchi," Renjou's voice rumbled, anger seething just beneath the surface. "Tell me. Who did this?"
Renchi, standing before his son's corpse—already stitched back together—knew all too well how deeply his father loved Renbu . And he knew exactly how furious Renjou was right now.
He answered truthfully.
"Father, Renbu was killed during the Chūnin Exams in Konoha."
"But as for the one responsible… we still haven't found out. According to the report that came back with his body, all evidence at the scene was destroyed by Konoha."
At that, Renjou's fury exploded. A sharp, resounding SLAP cracked through the mourning hall as he struck Renchi across the face.
Smack!
The sound echoed—piercing through the heavy silence like a kunai through flesh.
"KONOHA!!!"
Renjou's low snarl boiled into a roar as he pointed a trembling finger at Renchi.
"Find them. Whoever killed Renbu—find them! And when you do, make them suffer. A thousand deaths wouldn't be enough!"
Though Renchi's heart was shattered with grief, he didn't flinch. He didn't complain after being struck.
Instead, his voice rang out with determination.
"Yes, Father!"
"Rest assured. I will find the one who killed Renbu!"
Four days ago, the jōnin leading Kumogakure's exam team had seen Renbu's body. At that moment, he already predicted this exact reaction from Renjou and Renchi.
He had immediately gone to the scene of Renbu's death to investigate, but by the time he got there—it was too late. All traces of the battle had been erased.
Destroyed by Orochimaru, the proctor of the second exam.
The reason? Simple—confidentiality.
Death during the Chūnin Exams was nothing new. Orochimaru, recognizing the Furuyama clan crest on the corpse and suspecting that Veigar was responsible, had only whispered one thing to himself in that eerie, mocking tone of his:
"He killed someone and didn't even bother hiding the body... Hehehe…"
...
Back in Training Ground 44 of Konoha, Veigar was blissfully unaware of any of this.
All he knew was that for the next month—before the third round of the Chūnin Exams—this training ground would be his exclusive domain.
He had three Shadow Clones in rotation: one practicing kenjutsu, one refining Wind Style: Shuriken Technique, and one mastering the brand-new jutsu he had just learned from Minato three days earlier.
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