As Samui's lifeless body was carried away from the Konohagakure arena, Veigar Koshima, Shōgetsu Uchiha, Roy, and Darui stood shoulder to shoulder on the battlefield, listening to Hiruzen Sarutobi drone on from the high platform with an utterly uninspired speech.
Shōgetsu, Roy, and Darui weren't paying any attention to the Third Hokage's words. Their minds were clouded with killing intent.
Their enemies were right in front of them—and yet they couldn't lift a finger. The helpless frustration gnawed at them.
If Veigar had known what Roy and Darui were feeling, he would've only offered one cold retort:
"Good. Let that frustration build. Don't like it? Come fight again."
Veigar, like the others, wasn't focused on Hiruzen. His attention was elsewhere—searching for the figure who had been staring at him ever since Samui fell by his hand.
So distracted was he that he missed even the official end-of-exam declaration from the Hokage.
Because finally, he found the one he was looking for.
A Cloud shinobi, donning the Kumogakure forehead protector, his features strikingly similar to Renchi Furuyama's—down to the eight-shaped mustache on his face.
"So it is the Furuyama clan after all..."
At the sight of Renchi Furuyama, Veigar sharpened his focus. This was clearly a high-ranking Cloud jonin—one here for revenge.
As the dignitaries and spectators departed one after another, Roy and Darui were escorted away by Laki. Veigar and Shōgetsu, meanwhile, followed Izuma Shiranu toward the Hokage Residence.
There, the Third Hokage himself would determine whether they were worthy of being promoted to Chūnin.
As for Roy and Darui, their fate would be decided back in Kumogakure, under the judgment of the current Raikage.
Though Konoha hosted the exams, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no authority to appoint shinobi from another village to official ranks.
Promotion to Chūnin wasn't determined by victory or defeat in the final round—it depended on the judgment of the Hokage and an assessment of each ninja's overall qualities.
Even those who lost their final battles could be promoted.
Inside the Hokage Residence, Veigar and Shōgetsu waited a long while before finally being summoned.
As they entered the chamber, they saw Hiruzen Sarutobi seated in the Hokage's chair, his conical hat perched atop his head.
Flanking him on either side stood their respective jōnin mentors: Minato Namikaze and Masahi Yūhi.
Without missing a beat, both Veigar and Shōgetsu bowed low and called out in unison:
"Lord Hokage!"
Tap... tap...
Hiruzen took two puffs of his long pipe, then studied the two genin carefully before finally speaking.
"I'm deeply grateful for the way both of you fought with your lives just now. Thanks to your efforts, the prosperity of Konoha continues."
At the praise, both Veigar and Shōgetsu quickly responded:
"It's what we, as shinobi of the village, are meant to do."
For that brief moment, a rare sense of camaraderie passed between the two.
Seeing their unity, Hiruzen allowed a faint smile to surface. Minato and Masahi exchanged satisfied looks, as if all three shared a well-kept secret.
Then Hiruzen's expression turned solemn.
"Veigar Koshima. Shōgetsu Uchiha. Hear your orders."
The two immediately dropped to one knee before him, answering with firm voices:
"Yes, sir!"
With heads bowed, they listened as the Third Hokage delivered the long-awaited verdict.
"Due to the outstanding performance of Veigar Koshima and Shōgetsu Uchiha in the Chūnin Exams, I, the Third Hokage of Konohagakure, hereby promote both of you to the rank of Chūnin."
It was exactly what Veigar had wanted to hear.
From this moment forward, he was officially one of Konoha's Chūnin.
And he was only seven years and nine months old.
"Yes! Thank you, Lord Third!" the two shouted again in perfect sync.
"Congratulations, both of you!" said Minato warmly.
"From today on, you're officially Chūnin," Masahi Yūhi added with a proud smile.
"Yes! Thank you for your guidance, sensei!"
From the moment they received Hiruzen's decree to the time they left the Hokage Residence, nearly the entire afternoon had passed. As the sun neared the horizon, the two newly appointed Chūnin said their goodbyes outside the main gates.
Watching Shōgetsu walk away, Veigar didn't leave.
Instead, he found a quiet bench in the small park just beyond the entrance and sat down, silently waiting.
It wasn't that he didn't want to go home. It was that, for now, he couldn't.
That Cloud shinobi he saw in the arena had set every alarm bell in his mind ringing. Veigar wasn't about to take any chances.
He wasn't foolish enough to think he could take on a veteran Cloud jonin.
So he'd chosen to lay low until every last Cloud shinobi had left Konoha.
Until then, he had a place in mind where he could wait things out.
The sun dipped further toward the horizon, painting the sky in shades of amber. The light dimmed.
"Veigar."
A familiar voice called out from the entrance of the small park.
Minato Namikaze.
Veigar stood up quickly and bowed respectfully.
"Sensei! You came!"
Minato walked over calmly, noting the deep concern in Veigar's expression.
"You asked me to meet you here. Is something wrong?"
For Veigar, there was only one person he could truly trust in this moment—and that was Minato Namikaze. That's why he had arranged this secret meeting.
He nodded firmly and said:
"Sensei, I think the Cloud ninja are targeting me."
Minato's expression immediately darkened. He understood the implication all too well.
He'd witnessed the treachery of the Cloud firsthand—after all, they'd once attempted to abduct Kushina Uzumaki.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
Veigar nodded again, more solemnly this time.
"Almost certain."
He recounted everything to Minato—the ambush he suffered in the Forest of Death, the menacing glare from the Kumo jonin in the arena—all of it.
Everything, that is, except for one crucial detail.
Veigar never once mentioned the appearance of Orochimaru.
Not even to Minato.
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