Just as they had left Yamago Village and were making their way up the mountain, Veigar Koshima turned to the silver-haired shinobi beside him and asked, "Kakashi, have you ever killed someone?"
Without breaking stride, Kakashi Hatake glanced at Veigar and responded calmly, "I have."
Hearing Kakashi's flat, emotionless tone, Veigar felt a shudder run through him. But he quickly composed himself and forced a casual demeanor. "I haven't!"
Kakashi gave him a questioning look, his lone eye narrowing slightly. "Hm?"
Veigar continued, "Kakashi, do you know?"
"I've killed fish. I've killed pigs. Just a couple of days ago, I even killed a wolf. But I've never killed a person."
Killing people was against the law.
This belief was ingrained in Veigar's soul from his previous life, a principle so deeply rooted that even in this world, it still influenced him.
Yet, the moment he stepped into the Ninja Academy, he knew—one day, he would have to kill. And once he killed the first, the second would follow. Then the third... and perhaps countless more after that.
But now, standing on the precipice of his first kill, he realized that all his mental preparation had been utterly useless.
His hands still trembled.
"If you're afraid," Kakashi said matter-of-factly, "I can handle it alone."
He didn't offer comfort. Kakashi had never experienced Veigar's hesitation himself, so he simply stated the reality.
Taking a deep breath, Veigar asked again, "Kakashi, bandits deserve to die, don't they?"
His words were phrased as a question, but his tone left no room for doubt.
Kakashi gave a small nod. "Mm."
Veigar clenched his fists. "Then, Kakashi—"
"Let me take this one. If you see me hesitate, then you can step in."
Kakashi considered for a moment before nodding firmly. "Alright."
Before long, the two arrived at their destination.
Contrary to their expectations, they didn't even have to search—their targets were right in front of them.
Standing at a distance, Veigar and Kakashi revealed themselves. Veigar took a step forward and spoke clearly, "You must be Daiji Kawamura's men."
"I am Veigar, a shinobi of Konoha. I ask that you leave this place and never return."
Upon hearing the words "Konoha shinobi," Daiji Kawamura instinctively tensed. But when he turned and saw that his supposed threats were merely children, his fear turned into fury.
"Konoha shinobi? Are you kidding me? Does Konoha send kids like you as shinobis now?"
He sneered. "Those forehead protectors must be stolen or picked up off the ground."
"You brats are playing pretend. Shinobis aren't something kids can just impersonate."
If age was a woman's secret and scars a man's shame, then to a child, suspicion from those ignorant of the truth was inevitable.
Daiji's men had initially been wary. Their leader's unease had made them fearful of the name "Konoha shinobi."
But after hearing their boss dismiss Veigar and Kakashi as frauds, their fear turned into anger.
After all, they were bandits.
"Boss, let me gut them!" one of the larger men, wielding a massive cleaver, grinned viciously. "It's been too long since I've killed someone."
Daiji Kawamura chuckled darkly. "Go ahead, Yuya."
"Don't kill them too quickly, though."
Though he had denied their legitimacy, Daiji was no fool. He knew that Konoha did have young shinobi—just none as young as these two.
His words were mostly for his men. If Veigar and Kakashi were fakes, then Yuya would deal with them. If they were real, then Kawamura was already prepared to run.
He had no loyalty to his subordinates. If they died, so be it. His own survival was all that mattered. A mere civilian like him stood no chance against a true ninja.
And if these two really were frauds, then he would be the first to step forward and show them the cruelty of a bandit leader.
As Yuya stepped forward, the other bandits jeered.
"Yuya, don't kill them too fast. Have some fun!"
"Yeah, make sure they regret trying to scare us."
"Go on, Yuya! Teach them what happens when you play shinobi!"
With the sound of laughter behind him, Yuya strode toward Veigar and Kakashi, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
"Run!" he taunted. "If you run, this will be more fun for me!"
Then he lunged.
But as Daiji watched Veigar and Kakashi remain utterly calm, a gnawing sense of unease crept into his chest. Instinctively, he took half a step back, already preparing to flee.
If these two were real shinobi, he would disappear immediately.
Yuya's massive cleaver swung toward Veigar's shoulder.
Veigar barely moved.
"Too slow."
With a slight sidestep, he effortlessly avoided the attack. In the same moment, his gaze locked onto Yuya's chest.
"Phenomenal Evil Power: Rasengan."
A sphere of dark energy swirled into existence in Veigar's palm, and with a single, precise motion, he pressed it against Yuya's torso.
Pain—unimaginable, soul-wrenching pain—consumed Yuya instantly.
His eyes bulged, his mouth opened in a silent scream, and before he could even process what had happened, his consciousness was dragged into an abyss of endless darkness.
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