Veigar found himself inexplicably thinking of one particular phrase as he looked into Orochimaru's sinister, alluring smile.
"Is this still the Orochimaru I remember? This guy's basically a child trafficker now!"
If Orochimaru could read Veigar's thoughts at that moment, one could only wonder how he'd react.
But to be fair, Veigar wasn't entirely to blame for thinking that way!
The way Orochimaru had just spoken was no different from those shady men who lured children with candy, saying things like, "Hey kid, I've got something cool over here!"
Yeah. No difference. None whatsoever.
"Orochimaru-sama, if I pass the Chūnin Exams, I'll consider it," Veigar replied respectfully, though it was a tactful rejection.
Then he asked, "Was there something else you came to find me for, Orochimaru-sama?"
Orochimaru looked down at Veigar's small face, still unbothered by being turned down again. Instead, he let out a soft chuckle.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he pulled a scroll from within his robes and tossed it toward Veigar.
"Veigar-kun, you're still not qualified to call yourself a true shinobi."
Catching the scroll mid-air, Veigar looked back toward where Orochimaru had been standing—only to find the Sannin had vanished without a trace.
"Still not qualified…?"
The words left Veigar stunned. He frowned, gazing down at the scroll in his hands.
Not yet fully understanding Orochimaru's intent, Veigar shook his head and turned to enter the house.
Once inside, he didn't immediately open the scroll. Instead, he headed straight for the fridge, pulled out some ingredients, and treated himself to a hearty meal. After cleaning up and changing out of his battered clothes, he finally returned to his room, ready to see what Orochimaru had given him.
"Release."
Veigar undid the seal on the scroll with ease, then unrolled it open.
The moment his eyes scanned the contents, they widened in disbelief.
What he saw left no room for doubt.
The scroll was packed—start to finish—with detailed intelligence.
And not just any intel... it was all about the Furuyama Clan of Kumogakure.
As he read through it, the meaning behind Orochimaru's earlier words became abundantly clear.
He had been referring to that moment in the Forest of Death when Veigar killed Furuyama Renbu.
At the time, Veigar had only made a mental note of the threat from Pachira, but now, he realized just how deep the implications went.
Even from the information in Orochimaru's scroll alone, Veigar could feel the sheer power and influence behind the Furuyama Clan.
"The Furuyama Clan…"
Veigar lowered his head, falling into deep contemplation.
And in that moment, he finally grasped the deeper meaning behind Orochimaru's message—this wasn't just about strength.
It was a warning.
As a shinobi, you must always cover your tracks. Never leave behind loose ends for your enemies to follow.
"Looks like... I really am not qualified yet."
A wry smile crept across Veigar's lips.
...
As the third stage of the Chūnin Exams approached, notable figures and dignitaries from across the ninja world were arriving in Konohagakure.
Naturally, this included influential guests from the Land of Lightning.
Among them, disguised among the escorting shinobi, was Furuyama Renchi, a Jōnin of Kumogakure—and Renbu's father.
He had come not only to guard the Land of Lightning's elites but also to personally investigate his son's murder.
His target? Veigar Koshima.
Though Renchi hadn't confirmed it yet, all signs were pointing toward Veigar.
The political tension between Konoha and Kumogakure added even more weight to this examination. The outcome of this contest would be more than a battle of genin—it would be a show of strength between nations.
Victory, for either side, would become a matter of national pride.
And defeat… well, no one wanted to be on that end.
A few days before the final stage began, Renchi entered the village with his entourage, under the guise of escort duty.
As he walked the bustling streets of Konoha, his mind raced—he was already plotting how to locate Veigar and confirm whether he was truly the one who had slain Renbu.
And the reason he had focused in on Veigar was quite straightforward.
First, the list of all participating genin in this year's Chūnin Exams was hardly a secret to clans like the Furuyama.
Then, by narrowing it down to those who wielded swords during the second trial, Veigar immediately stood out as a prime suspect.
...
Training Field #44, Konoha.
"Rasengan: Revolving Heaven!"
With a quiet but focused murmur, Veigar triggered the jutsu.
In an instant, a swirling sphere of chakra erupted around him, forming a spiraling shield—the Rasengan: Revolving Heaven.
"I did it!"
As the technique stabilized around his body, Veigar's heart swelled with joy.
A month of relentless training had finally borne fruit—he had mastered the upgraded Rasengan.
...
At the same time...
With an influx of outsiders in the village, many of the Konoha Jōnin, including Minato Namikaze, were busy managing affairs.
But with the final exam nearing, Minato found a rare pocket of free time—and decided to check in on Veigar's progress.
He arrived just in time to witness the culmination of Veigar's training.
And what he saw left him utterly speechless.
"Absolute Defense…"
In all of the shinobi world, only a handful of jutsu could rightfully be called "absolute defenses." Minato could count them on one hand.
And yet here he was—watching with his own eyes as a new technique worthy of that title emerged before him.
Even more shocking—it was a powerful evolution of a jutsu he himself had created.
Without realizing it, Veigar had grown to a level that could impress even Minato the Yellow Flash.
And in his heart, Minato quietly admitted something even more humbling:
Even I might not be able to break through that jutsu head-on…
He could feel it—Veigar's chakra was denser and purer than his own by several magnitudes. With his current arsenal, it would be difficult to deal any real damage to Veigar while the Rasengan: Revolving Heaven was active.
After sustaining the technique for a while, Veigar finally dropped it, panting heavily, hands resting on his knees.
Was Rasengan: Revolving Heaven strong?
Absolutely.
But right now, the chakra cost was immense—Veigar couldn't maintain it for long.
Still, as a hidden trump card… it would serve him perfectly.
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