An "accident" is called so because it defies expectations—because something wholly unforeseen happens before the story's end is set in stone.
Just like... now.
Veigar's Shadow Clone thought victory was his. Samui was sure death awaited her. Izuma Shiranu assumed Samui was about to perish at Veigar's hands and that he could finally call the match.
But then, in that instant teetering on the edge of life and death, the unexpected struck.
From the spectating platform, the leading jōnin of Kumogakure suddenly appeared mid-air—and with a brutal kick, shattered Veigar's Shadow Clone.
The clone burst apart with a concussive force mid-air, and the Kumogakure jōnin landed squarely in front of Izuma Shiranu.
The abrupt turn of events left the entire stadium in uproar.
"You've violated the rules, Jōnin Laki," Izuma said coldly.
In a flash, he drew a kunai, placing it behind Laki's back and pressing it firmly against his neck—prepared for any further misconduct.
"We forfeit. Kumogakure has lost this match," Laki declared.
Even as Darui and Roy let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding—and Shōgetsu Uchiha's rage erupted—Samui, lying on the ground, felt no pain. Confused, she whispered:
"Am... I not dead?"
She hadn't yet processed what had just occurred.
But the next moment, a sharp pain struck her neck—and her head was severed from her body.
"Ittō-ryū: Teleportation Iai Slash."
As consciousness faded into the endless dark, the last thing Samui heard was Veigar's demonic whisper.
That moment marked the beginning of a rewritten fate.
The pride of Kumogakure's aesthetics, Samui, fell to ruin at Veigar's hand.
For a heartbeat, time itself seemed frozen in the arena.
The audience's roar was suspended. Shōgetsu Uchiha's crimson Sharingan eyes glinted with grim satisfaction. Darui and Roy stared in disbelief. Laki, immobilized by Izuma Shiranu, trembled with fury, veins bulging at his temple.
From the shadows of the viewing stands, Furuyama Renchi locked eyes on Veigar with a surge of murderous intent. After witnessing that final slash, he finally confirmed it—Veigar was the one who had slain Furuyama Renbu.
"Clack."
Veigar sheathed his ninjatō with a metallic snap and turned, catching Samui's still-warm head in his left hand.
And with that, time resumed its flow.
"You don't get to decide," Veigar said coolly to Laki.
"Samui!"
Darui cried out in anguish, the pain cutting deeper than any blade.
But Samui would never hear him again.
Veigar approached her headless corpse, carefully placing her head back atop her body.
Then, with a quiet inhalation of dark energy, he consumed Samui's Life Essence—and the exhaustion from battle vanished from his body.
Aside from the chakra he had expended, Veigar now stood not merely restored, but stronger than ever—his bloodlust unbroken.
His words landed like a slap across Laki's face, stoking the man's fury.
"You—"
"Do not move, Jōnin Laki."
Izuma Shiranu's voice was ice.
Veigar held nothing but disdain for the cloud jōnin who had interfered in the match.
Fortunately, he had anticipated foul play. After deploying Wind Release: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, he had prepared that final, lethal strike in secret—to ensure Samui had no chance to counter or escape.
But instead of some hidden trump card from Samui, it had been Laki's intervention that arrived.
"This is Konohagakure."
"The rules you follow... are ours."
Once again, Veigar's words slapped Lakyi across the face, his meaning unmistakable:
Laki's surrender on Samui's behalf meant nothing.
In this match, the proctor hadn't called it. Samui hadn't yielded.
The battle wasn't over until Veigar made it so—just as Roy's killing of Hoshino Sarutobi had stood unchallenged, Veigar's was no different.
This was a battlefield. A place where shinobi gave their lives without hesitation.
"Veigar Koshima… I'll remember you."
Laki's eyes narrowed, the chill in his gaze hiding a storm of vengeance.
"The results, proctor."
Veigar's voice was calm as he addressed Izuma.
Seeing that Lakyi no longer resisted, Izuma finally removed the kunai from his throat and declared, in a voice that echoed through the stadium:
"Samui of Kumogakure is confirmed dead. The match is over."
"Victor: Veigar Koshima."
The audience erupted. Cries of celebration filled the air. Nobles from the Land of Fire looked smugly toward their counterparts from the Land of Lightning.
Their expressions seemed to say: This is the strength of a Konoha genin. You can't compare.
Having secured his victory, Veigar leapt back onto the viewing platform, landing beside Shōgetsu Uchiha.
"They don't exactly fight fair," Veigar said with a shrug, "but I still won."
Something in Veigar's presence gave Shōgetsu a faint warmth. Though pride prevented him from openly showing it, he managed a quiet:
"...Thank you."
Veigar waved it off—but that thanks, he accepted.
After all, he had just avenged the one Shōgetsu couldn't.
This was the second time Veigar had helped him.
The first had been during the Forest of Death—when they'd slaughtered a Kumogakure team together.
With Veigar and Samui's match concluded, the third phase of the Chūnin Exams had finally reached its end.
Shōgetsu's eyes locked on Darui and Roy, now kneeling beside Samui's body.
Despite the tournament's close, the hatred between them was far from over.
In Shōgetsu's eyes, Roy—the one who murdered Hoshino Sarutobi—had yet to meet his deserved end. And Darui, his comrade, was just as culpable.
And for Darui and Roy, it was the same.
Veigar, the one who killed Samui, was now etched into their memory.
Only in Veigar's death would they find peace for Samui.
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