Veigar Koshima watched as Yuya's lifeless body was sent flying backward, crashing into a group of his own comrades. Yet, in Veigar's heart, there was no fluctuation of emotion. The unease that had lingered before the fight was now completely gone.
At that very moment, he discovered something that shook him to his core.
But there was no time to dwell on it now—Daiji Kawamura had already ordered his men to launch a full assault on Veigar.
Seeing his subordinate killed so effortlessly, Kawamura's eyes widened in sheer terror. But his desperate will to survive forced him to suppress his fear, and he instead roared, "All of you, attack! All of you, now!"
"They're just two kids! If we kill them, we might uncover the secret to becoming shinobi and obtaining unimaginable power!"
"Kill them!"
Kawamura no longer denied that Veigar and Kakashi Hatake were shinobi. Instead, he attempted to lure his men into action with the promise of power.
They were bandits—ruthless, self-serving criminals who knew that survival required both brutality and strength.
They no longer cared how Yuya had died. The sight of a child wielding overwhelming power was enough to ignite their greed.
Hearing Kawamura's bellowing, the bandits who had been paralyzed by Veigar's display of power suddenly found their blood boiling, pushing past their fear.
"Attack! Kill them!"
"If we become shinobi, we can have everything!"
"Kill! Kill them both!"
However, as they charged like madmen toward Veigar, none of them realized that their leader, Kawamura, was already preparing to flee.
His feet slowly inched backward, as though making way for his men—when in reality, he was positioning himself to slip away unnoticed.
Yet Veigar remained unfazed.
His gaze, devoid of fear, swept over the incoming horde as if he were staring at a mass of corpses.
Then he moved.
With lightning speed, Veigar shot into the enemy ranks. He didn't even draw the ninjatō on his back—he simply raised his hand and unleashed a Phenomenal Evil Power: Rasengan, slamming it into the ground. The explosion of dark energy sent bandits flying, bodies crumpling under the force.
As Veigar carved through the horde, Kakashi Hatake locked onto Kawamura, who was attempting to escape.
"Aagh—!"
"My arm—!"
"Don't be afraid! We have numbers on our side!"
The battlefield was filled with screams. Veigar's young face was cold and emotionless as he mercilessly cut through the enemy ranks. The bandits wailed, cursed, and screamed for their lives. Some, driven to madness, charged at him in desperation.
But soon, their cries were silenced.
In less than a minute, all eighty bandits lay motionless on the ground, their lifeless bodies sprawled across the cratered earth—victims of Veigar's dark power.
Panting heavily, Veigar stood amid the carnage, his eyes closed as he focused inward, sensing the changes within his body.
Only now did he truly understand why the Life Essence he had absorbed earlier hadn't significantly increased his chakra reserves.
It wasn't that the Life Essence had lost its potency.
Rather, it had been consumed by the Phenomenal Evil Power emblem, which had been using it to merge with his body.
"So that's why, no matter how much I eat, my body keeps consuming everything at an accelerated rate?"
Finally comprehending the reason behind his recent bodily changes, Veigar stood still, lost in thought.
Previously, his relationship with the Phenomenal Evil Power had been akin to that of a landlord and a dissatisfied tenant. The power, unhappy with its host, had been using the absorbed Life Essence to improve Veigar's body—strengthening his chakra reserves.
But now, the Phenomenal Evil Power had deemed his body suitable and had begun merging with him.
Before this, it had always been the dominant force, and Veigar had merely been a vessel. This prevented him from actively wielding its full potential.
But now, he had fused it with the Rasengan—a clear sign that he was transitioning from a passive host to an active wielder of its power.
"Eight percent, huh?"
"I'll complete the fusion soon."
Calculating his fusion progress, Veigar estimated that he had integrated about eight percent of the Phenomenal Evil Power so far.
To fully merge with and control it, he would need to absorb the Life Essence of at least ten thousand more people.
Even after killing over eighty men and absorbing their essence, he had only reached eight percent.
Not far from where Veigar stood, Kakashi Hatake had already finished dealing with Kawamura. Looking at Veigar standing motionless amid the sea of corpses, Kakashi called out in concern.
"Veigar, are you alright?"
Receiving no response, Kakashi calmly walked toward him, stepping over the lifeless bodies without hesitation.
However, someone else reached Veigar first.
A flicker of motion—
"Swoosh!"
Using Teleportation Jutsu, Minato Namikaze appeared beside Veigar in an instant. Worried that the boy might be struggling after experiencing his first kill, Minato placed a reassuring hand on Veigar's shoulder.
"Veigar, you did an excellent job completing the mission."
The warmth of Minato's hand and the sincerity in his voice pulled Veigar out of his thoughts.
"Hahh…" Exhaling deeply, Veigar slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Minato.
"Thank you for your guidance."
Then, turning to Kakashi, he added, "I'm fine. Thank you, Kakashi."
With their combined efforts, the eighty corpses were swiftly dealt with, buried deep beneath the earth.
As they arrived at the entrance of Yamago Village, they saw Ryouji Takeuchi pacing anxiously at the village gate, waiting for their return.
Spotting them from afar, Minato called out.
"Ryouji-san, sorry to keep you waiting."
Hearing Minato's voice, Ryouji immediately turned toward them. Seeing Minato, Veigar, and Kakashi return unscathed, he rushed forward in relief.
"Lord Minato! You've returned!"
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