Once Kisame Hoshigaki departed, Yuki Minazuki followed without hesitation. She didn't spare even a glance at the lifeless body of Itō Uto before dashing off in the same direction as Kisame's retreat.
Seeing her withdraw, Nanaki Hyuga, Shikatsu Aburame, and Jun Inuzuka made no move to stop her, simply watching as she disappeared into the distance.
From their perspective, Yuki Minazuki's swift exit was actually a preferable outcome. Although they were confident they could defeat her three-on-one, their objective in this Chūnin Exams wasn't to rack up kills—it was to become Chūnin.
If they exhausted themselves too much in a fight with her, the coming days would only be tougher to survive.
After Kisame and Yuki vanished, Veigar Koshima stepped forward, tucking away the Heaven and Earth scrolls before approaching the trio from his village.
"I'm Veigar. Thanks for earlier," he said, sheathing his ninjatō and offering a polite nod.
Sensing no hostility from him, the three visibly relaxed. Jun Inuzuka responded casually, "No worries. We're from the same village, after all."
"Oh right—I'm Jun Inuzuka. And this is my partner, Benimaru."
At his side, the medium-sized red ninken barked softly, as if introducing itself.
"Woof."
"Whine… whine…"
Startled by Benimaru's low whimpering, Jun glanced down at his companion, a bit confused. But his words weren't wrong—fighting amongst themselves when they shared a village made little sense.
Veigar gave a nod of acknowledgment to both Jun and Benimaru.
"I'm Shikatsu Aburame," came a calm, measured voice.
A moment later, Nanaki Hyuga stepped up beside Jun and spoke evenly, "I'm Nanaki Hyuga."
"I've heard of you, Veigar Koshima—the prodigy said to be on par with Kakashi Hatake."
"Meeting you today, I can see the rumors weren't exaggerated."
Veigar gave a small, humble smile. "I'm no genius. I've just worked a little harder than most."
Then, he added, "The scrolls from those two—take them. I don't know if they match your own set, but you're welcome to them."
Jun blinked in surprise. "Aren't those your spoils? Don't you need them?"
Before Veigar could respond, Nanaki cut in, "We appreciate it."
"He's a bit slow on the uptake, but he means well."
"No offense."
Veigar gave a light nod before clarifying, "I already have both the Heaven and Earth scrolls I need. The extras are all yours."
Jun scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh, I see. Well—thanks, Veigar."
With introductions made and words exchanged, Veigar took a step back and said, "Well then, I'll be on my way."
"I hope you all pass the exam without issue."
Nanaki nodded. "Thanks. Same to you."
The moment he finished speaking, Veigar vanished in a blur—Teleportation Jutsu.
As he disappeared, Shikatsu Aburame moved closer, glancing down at the insects crawling along his fingertips. "Nanaki, Jun," he said in a flat tone, "if we run into him again during the exam, let's avoid a fight if possible."
"My bugs... reacted oddly to him. They wanted to consume his chakra, yet they were... afraid."
Jun's eyes widened. "Your bugs too?"
"Benimaru just told me that Veigar felt dangerous. I thought he was just being overly cautious—he seemed like a good guy."
As soon as he said that, Benimaru growled in protest, then lunged down to bite Jun's pants leg.
"Woof! Woof!"
"Whiiine..."
"Ow! Benimaru! What was that for!?"
Jun yelped as the ninken tugged at his pants, prompting exasperated looks from both Shikatsu and Nanaki.
This wasn't the first time Jun got bitten by his own partner—neither of them found it surprising anymore.
Elsewhere, Yuki Minazuki caught up to Kisame and asked bluntly, "Was that guy really that strong?"
"Even you couldn't beat him?"
Kisame glanced at her and replied without hesitation, "Veigar-san is indeed powerful."
"Konohagakure truly lives up to its reputation as the cradle of geniuses."
His response left Yuki silent, already thinking through what she would do if she ever encountered Veigar again.
As for avenging Itō Uto—not even a flicker of that thought crossed their minds.
They were shinobi of Kirigakure. Emotional bonds meant little. What mattered was surviving.
Meanwhile, Veigar had found a massive tree and carved out a hollow in its trunk to shelter inside. Only now did he finally have a moment to examine his condition.
Earlier, when his fusion with the Phenomenal Evil Power reached 5%, he'd noticed more than just an increase in his chakra quantity and quality—his body itself had changed.
But the exact nature of that change? He had to investigate further.
They had entered the Forest of Death in the afternoon. By the time Veigar had finished examining himself and fully restored his condition, night had already fallen.
A faint crescent moon hung high in the sky as Veigar slowly opened his eyes, unable to hide the delight gleaming within them.
Only now did he truly understand: the Life Essence he had absorbed from those he'd defeated—it didn't just boost his chakra.
The essence that leaked from their dying bodies was composed primarily of spiritual origin and vital energy.
After fusing it through the Phenomenal Evil Power, the spiritual component enhanced his mental strength, while the vital energy increased the total volume of his chakra.
In other words, the Life Essence he absorbed fundamentally bolstered both his mind and body.
Chakra was merely the visible manifestation of those deeper gains.
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