So, could Tomiyasu Saburo's offer of one thousand ryo be accepted?
Could Veigar accept it?
The answer was—no.
If Veigar took the money, he would undoubtedly lose his chance to work at the slaughterhouse.
"Boss, I can't accept this money."
"Money is something I will earn through hard work. What I need is a job, not charity."
"I'm already six years old. One day, I will become a shinobi and protect the peace of this village."
At that moment, Veigar seemed to transform into a beacon of light shining through the darkness, filled with a righteous sense of duty.
Seeing Tomiyasu Saburo about to interrupt him, Veigar quickly continued, "The reason I chose to come here, aside from earning money, is because I believe this place is an ideal environment for my training."
"So please, grant me the opportunity to work."
Veigar's words, firm and unwavering, left Saburo momentarily stunned.
After a brief pause, Saburo regained his composure and, in a gentle tone, said, "Come to work after school tomorrow. Is that acceptable?"
Hearing these words, Veigar's face lit up with joy, and he responded loudly, "No problem! Thank you, boss!"
"I will work hard and do my best!"
Veigar bowed deeply once again to Tomiyasu Saburo.
With a rough but kind gesture, Saburo placed his calloused hand on Veigar's head, ruffling his short blue hair. "Take the thousand ryo as well—it's your pay for today's work."
This time, Veigar didn't refuse. He reached out and accepted it.
Returning home with a light step, Veigar, for the first time in a while, went to bed early.
One reason was that cleaning the slaughterhouse had left him exhausted. The other was that he needed to wake up at around three in the morning.
The work at the slaughterhouse started at four AM. Before sunrise, a portion of the livestock had to be slaughtered and delivered to the marketplace for sale.
Although Veigar only needed to work after school, by then, there would be no more livestock left to slaughter.
If he only worked in the evenings, he would miss out on the true purpose of being in the slaughterhouse.
3:30 AM.
The alarm rang, pulling Veigar from his sleep. After quickly washing up, he left the house, energized.
He walked through the dimly lit streets of Konoha, heading toward the slaughterhouse, which had just opened for the day.
"Boss, I'm here to work."
The moment he spotted Tomiyasu Saburo, Veigar stepped forward and spoke in a steady voice.
At this hour, aside from Saburo, none of the other workers had arrived yet. Seeing Veigar standing in front of him, Saburo frowned and said, "You don't need to come in the morning. Just come after school to clean up."
"Focus on your studies."
Veigar shook his head and replied, "Don't worry, boss."
"I won't let this interfere with my education. I always wake up early to train anyway. From today onward, I've just changed my training location."
"After sunrise, I'll head to school as usual."
"Now, I'm off to work."
Without giving Tomiyasu Saburo a chance to argue, Veigar dashed into the slaughterhouse, cutting off any further objections.
Not long after, the other workers arrived, ready to begin the day. When they entered, they saw that Veigar had already prepared the tools in the slaughter area.
Soon, a large pig, nearly three hundred pounds, was tied down on the slaughter table. Seeing this, Veigar rushed over to observe.
"Good morning, everyone! My name is Veigar Koshima. Please take care of me from now on!"
The workers had already heard from Tomiyasu Saburo that Veigar was an orphan and that the slaughterhouse had taken on a new helper.
"Hmm, I'm Osako Yuya. We're about to start working, so step back a bit," said the lead worker, holding a slaughter knife.
The others assisting with the process also introduced themselves.
"I'm Itou Ritsu. Step aside for now, Veigar."
"I'm Yoshida Shou."
"I'm Asano Takuki."
…
Knowing he couldn't help yet, Veigar obediently moved to the side.
Before long, the large pig was slaughtered with the coordinated effort of the workers. All that remained was to process its skin, organs, and meat for sale.
Watching the pig's lifeless body, Veigar felt a sense of regret. Since he hadn't directly or indirectly participated in the slaughter, he couldn't absorb any of its Life Essence.
For three consecutive days, Veigar worked at the slaughterhouse both before school and after. In that short time, he had grown familiar with the ten or so workers.
They had also gotten used to the presence of the young assistant.
Dawn.
At this time, Veigar was usually preparing for school. However, today, he was still at work.
"Veigar, the sun's already up. Aren't you going to school?"
Osako Yuya, who was handling pig intestines, called out.
"Yuya-ojisan, today's a rest day at the academy, so no school!" Veigar shouted back.
Just then, Tomiyasu Saburo approached and said, "Yuya, we need to prepare a pig for the Hokage Residence delivery. I'll leave it to you."
"Got it! Leave it to me!"
Osako Yuya pounded his chest in assurance.
Soon, Yoshida Shou herded a large pig from the pen, preparing it for slaughter.
Perhaps sensing its impending fate, the pig suddenly went wild. Just as Yoshida Shou was about to tie it up, it broke free and charged straight toward Veigar.
"Damn!"
"Veigar, watch out! Move!"
Yoshida Shou cursed under his breath, his heart sinking as he saw the pig barreling toward Veigar. Panicked, he shouted, "Veigar, run! That pig's gone mad!"
"Get out of there, Veigar!"
…
The other workers, hearing Yoshida Shou's alarm, shouted in unison.
Osako Yuya, who had been waiting to prepare the pig for slaughter, grabbed his knife and rushed toward Veigar. Cursing Yoshida Shou under his breath, he yelled, "Veigar, run toward me!"
For Veigar's safety, Osako Yuya was ready to put himself between the boy and the raging animal, prepared for a life-or-death struggle.
But—
When Veigar saw the pig charging at him, his first instinct wasn't to run.
It was to kill it.
-----------------------
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