Frontline Command Post, Land of Fire.
After falling unconscious, Veigar slept for two days and two nights in the field hospital.
Gently opening his eyes, Veigar immediately realized where he was.
"Ugh..."
He tried to struggle up, but found himself in an extremely weakened state.
"Heh~"
Veigar Koshima showed a wry smile. He couldn't believe he had exhausted all his chakra just to save someone.
Just as Veigar was about to call a medical ninja, Genma Shiranui opened the door and walked in with Ebisu.
"Veigar!"
"You're awake!"
Both of them smiled happily at the sight of Veigar sitting on the hospital bed.
"Ebisu, Genma, long time no see."
Smiling, Veigar greeted them.
"How are you feeling now?"
Genma came to Veigar's bedside and asked with concern.
"Veigar, I'll go call the doctor right now."
Ebisu said to Veigar and then rushed out of the hospital room.
Veigar nodded at Ebisu, then looked at Genma and said:
"I'm fine now, just a little weak."
"By the way, how is Duy-senpai doing?"
When Veigar asked about Might Duy, Genma answered truthfully:
"The doctor said that although Duy-senpai is out of life-threatening danger, he won't be able to be a ninja anymore and will be confined to bed."
Speaking of Might Duy, Genma's eyes reddened. Although Might Duy was primarily there to save Might Guy, it was an undeniable fact that Genma and Ebisu also survived because of Might Duy.
Moreover, both of them were teammates on the same squad as Might Guy. Seeing Might Guy's father in his current state, honestly, their moods were quite heavy.
Veigar nodded, indicating he understood.
Given the current situation, it was already quite remarkable that Might Duy had survived, as activating the Eight Gates Formation came at the cost of one's life.
If not for the combined efforts of Veigar and the Samehada, no one in Konoha could have saved him.
It was a bit late, but as long as he wasn't dead, there was still hope.
What Veigar didn't know at this moment was that the news of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist suffering heavy losses at the Land of Fire border, with only two surviving, had already spread throughout the entire ninja world.
As one of the protagonists of the event, Might Duy earned the title of Konoha's Blue Beast. The one who gave Might Duy this name was Hōzuki Kari, whom Might Duy had kicked to death, and it then spread throughout the ninja world through Ameyuri and Jūzō's accounts.
Might Duy's reputation in the ninja world was unparalleled at the time. Everyone marveled that Konoha truly lived up to its name as the strongest ninja village, possessing a depth of power that no other village could match.
Of course, the news also returned to Konoha, and Hiruzen disseminated Might Duy's deeds, eliciting gasps of astonishment from the villagers.
The weary, war-shadowed Konoha Village also saw some of its gloom dispelled by Might Duy's emergence.
Under Hiruzen's promotion, Might Duy also became one of Konoha's heroes.
Times created heroes, and Hiruzen did this because the current situation indeed required heroes to emerge.
"What about Guy? How is he doing now?"
After learning about Might Duy's condition, Veigar then asked Genma about Might Guy.
"Guy..."
Speaking of him, Genma stammered, unsure how to answer for a moment.
However, without much thought, he answered truthfully:
"Guy is also currently unconscious."
Unconscious?
Veigar looked at Genma with great confusion.
Genma explained:
"Ever since he saw Duy-senpai's condition, he started training like a madman, crying as he trained."
"He didn't stop during the two days you were unconscious."
"Ultimately, it was Hiashi-sama himself who knocked him out, stopping his frenzied training."
Genma's explanation reminded Veigar of Might Guy's personality; he indeed was capable of such actions.
However, Veigar still noted the name "Hiashi" from Genma's words.
'So, that person two days ago was Hiashi Hyuga, not Hizashi Hyuga!'
Recalling instinctively calling out Hizashi's name before he fainted, Veigar now knew he had been mistaken.
About ten minutes later, the doctor Ebisu had called finished examining Veigar. Finding no other issues, he instructed:
"Jōnin Veigar, your body is fine. You'll recover with just a few days of rest."
The medical ninja who examined Veigar was also a Jōnin. Veigar's physique and recovery speed greatly astonished the well-experienced ninja.
Nodding, Veigar said to the medical ninja:
"Thank you, I appreciate your trouble."
No sooner had the medical ninja left than Hiashi, having learned of Veigar's awakening, hurried over and entered Veigar's hospital room.
"Hiashi-sama!"
In the room, Genma and Ebisu immediately greeted Hiashi respectfully.
"Hiashi-senpai."
Veigar also smiled and called out.
Hiashi, usually stern and unsmiling, now had a faint smile on his face as he said:
"Jōnin Veigar, you didn't get it wrong this time."
By playfully teasing Veigar a little, Hiashi instantly drew closer to him.
Veigar also nodded in acknowledgment, responding with a smile:
"Yep, next time for sure."
Veigar's response pleased Hiashi. After a hearty laugh, he turned to Genma and Ebisu in the room and said:
"Could I ask you two to step outside for a moment?"
"I have something I need to discuss with Jōnin Veigar."
Genma and Ebisu, of course, had no choice but to comply with Hiashi's command. The fact that Hiashi used a polite request to ask them to leave was entirely out of respect for Veigar.
"Yes, sir."
The two respectfully responded to Hiashi, then turned to Veigar and said:
"Veigar, we'll be going now."
"Get some good rest."
Veigar nodded at Ebisu and Genma, watching them leave.
Only after the hospital room door closed again did Veigar look at Hiashi and ask:
"Hiashi-senpai, do you have something important to tell me?"
Even if Veigar hadn't asked, Hiashi would surely have said it; otherwise, he wouldn't have dismissed Ebisu and Genma.
Looking directly into Veigar's eyes, Hiashi slowly said:
"Veigar, is it alright if I address you as such?"
Veigar smiled and nodded, saying:
"Of course, Hizashi-senpai also calls me that."
Words truly were the easiest way to bridge the distance between two people. Hiashi then proceeded to get down to business with Veigar.
"Veigar, Hokage-sama has sent a command, hoping you can hand over the Samehada, the sword from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
Hiashi's words instantly caused Veigar's expression to darken.
"Hiashi-senpai, did Lord Third state a reason?"
Veigar looked directly at Hiashi, his expression quite unpleasant. Hiruzen wanted to so easily take the spoils of war that he had obtained by killing enemies on the battlefield?
He wasn't dead yet!
Veigar, who already had little affection for Hiruzen, felt his opinion of him plummet to freezing point after this stunt, trying to claim the Samehada with just words.
Did he have no shame?
His goodwill towards Hiruzen had now dropped to absolute zero.
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]