Two days passed in a flash.
Though Veigar had stayed inside his home the entire time, he was far from ignorant of the situation outside.
The bustling streets of Konoha's busiest district were alive with foot traffic, yet there was a subtle heaviness in the air, an unshakable weight brought on by the looming threat of war.
Veigar strolled the street, eyes scanning left and right. Despite the crowds, a tension simmered beneath the surface.
A rich aroma wafted through the air, halting Veigar's steps. He looked up.
He had arrived at Ramen Ichiraku.
His stomach had already begun to protest, which was what prompted him to head out in the first place. With his current wealth, Veigar could easily afford to gorge himself on every item on the menu without worry.
So, that's exactly what he intended to do.
Upon entering the ramen shop, he greeted Teuchi, the old man behind the counter, placed his order, and settled into a quiet corner.
From his seat, he glanced around the room, five or six tables, a handful of scattered patrons. Only he sat alone.
Soon, steaming bowls of ramen began arriving at his table, and Veigar dug in while observing the others in the shop.
In times like these, caution was never excessive.
"Have they not found me yet… or…?"
He chewed thoughtfully, suspicion rising in his chest.
Then the bell above the door jingled. Another customer entered.
Veigar made no outward reaction, but inwardly, his senses flared.
A thin young man in his twenties with sharp, sinister features took a seat near the entrance. He ordered casually, but Veigar caught the subtle, repeated glances aimed his way.
He's verifying my identity.
His clothes and behavior were unremarkable, designed not to draw attention. But while he was watching Veigar, he failed to realize that Veigar was watching him in return.
Veigar didn't care who the man was. What mattered was simple:
This was the one sent to kill him.
The enemy had finally arrived.
"Let's start with you."
This man was Kakiu, an A-rank rogue ninja from Amegakure. His target was Veigar, and the bounty on the black market was more than enough to tempt assassins into Konoha's very heart.
He wasn't the only one who had come. But he was the first Veigar had encountered.
"So this is Konoha?"
"Pathetic. I got in so easily. These people are far too relaxed."
Kakiu sat at the table by the door, radiating calm disdain. His eyes locked onto Veigar, and a sense of triumph stirred within him. This payday was all but his.
Soon, his ramen arrived.
He slurped at his noodles as he continued watching both the street outside and the lone figure in the corner.
If anything felt wrong, he would flee instantly. That was the survival instinct of a rogue ninja.
After about thirty minutes, Veigar finished his meal. He paid, stood up, and made his way out.
Kakiu followed almost immediately.
The chase began.
The two walked through a dense copse on the edge of town. The noise of the village faded behind them. No one else was around.
Veigar stopped. He narrowed his eyes. Though he hadn't seen Kakiu trailing him, he knew exactly where he was hiding.
"Come out," he said calmly. "Weren't you here to kill me?"
There was no hostility in his tone, no visible killing intent, yet Kakiu felt a crushing pressure settle over him.
"Is he bluffing… or did he really sense me?"
Kakiu's pulse quickened. The bounty was astronomical, far too tempting to let go.
"Kill."
Without hesitation, Kakiu lunged.
Fwoosh.
A shadow materialized behind Veigar. A blade sliced through the air and stabbed clean through his torso.
Schhk.
The blade burst out of Veigar's chest, yet not a drop of blood followed.
Kakiu's mocking voice drifted to Veigar's ear.
"Stupid brat. You're too soft."
"One hundred and thirty million ryō… it's mine."
"If all bounty targets were this worthless, life would be too easy."
But Veigar's voice was calm, quiet.
"You think you've won?"
He hadn't turned around. He hadn't moved at all.
Poof.
Smoke erupted, and Veigar vanished.
"Hmph."
"Just a Shadow Clone?" Kakiu chuckled coolly. "So what? You detected me. Big deal."
"You can't catch me. You can't kill me. You've already lost your shot."
"Konoha brat."
But even as the words left his mouth, Veigar reappeared, behind him this time.
And his ninjatō drove straight into Kakiu's back.
An eye for an eye.
Blood welled around the blade's edge. It wasn't a fatal strike, but it hurt.
Excruciatingly so.
Kakiu's body jerked involuntarily, pain convulsing through his limbs. Sweat dripped down his temples.
"Let's see who dies here."
Veigar's voice was icy as he yanked the blade free.
"Ungh!"
Kakiu let out a muffled groan, staggering. Blood splattered the ground.
Drip. Drip.
Veigar stood over him.
"That wound won't kill you."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Kakiu flipped upright, grabbing something from his ninja pouch—a pill.
He swallowed it in one gulp.
A sudden surge of chakra erupted from his body, raw and violent. He had gone all-in.
"Damn you…"
Power roared through Kakiu's veins. His wounds still bled, but it was as if the pain had been swallowed by rage.
With a snarl, he launched himself like a predator, blade drawn, streaking toward Veigar in a blur of motion.
His chest still gushed blood. His form looked monstrous, frenzied.
"Let's go!"
The distance between them vanished in an instant. Their blades clashed.
Kakiu's face twisted into a feral grin. "Come on, brat!"
He locked eyes with Veigar. One of them would die here.
Schhk!
Veigar was stabbed again, but this time, instead of recoiling, he surged forward, slamming into Kakiu and tackling him to the ground, arms wrapping around him in a tight embrace.
"What the hell?!"
Kakiu had never encountered anything like it. No technique. No formation.
Just insanity.
He struggled to throw Veigar off.
Schhhk!
But it was too late.
Veigar brought his blade down, and severed Kakiu's head from his shoulders.
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]