There's no such thing as a free lunch—Veigar had learned that lesson well.
Now, with Kakashi handing him a valuable ninjutsu scroll, Veigar couldn't help but question his true intentions.
And he wasn't wrong to be suspicious. Kakashi had deliberately stopped him at this moment and even proposed a sparring match, clearly with an objective in mind.
That objective was simple: to gauge Veigar's strength.
Ever since their first encounter at the ninja tool shop, Kakashi had noticed something different about Veigar. The boy carried a level of maturity far beyond his years.
Moreover, Kakashi could tell even then—Veigar wasn't weak.
After observing him in secret for some time, Kakashi's suspicions were confirmed.
When Veigar had demonstrated the Three Basic Jutsu at the academy, he had achieved the same results as others while using even less chakra than Kakashi himself had. That alone convinced Kakashi that, despite Veigar's civilian background, he was nothing short of a genius.
Adding to his frustrations, Kakashi had already graduated from the academy, yet he still had no assigned team or teacher. The Third Hokage had simply told him there wasn't a suitable squad for him yet, instructing him to train on his own for the time being.
For someone like Kakashi, who had graduated early precisely to gain experience and quickly rise through the ranks, this was unacceptable.
As a newly minted genin without a team, he was unable to take on missions. This was completely contrary to his ambitions.
So Kakashi came up with a plan.
If there wasn't a suitable team for him yet…
Then he would find one himself.
Having watched Veigar for several days, Kakashi set his sights on him. But before taking action, he needed to confirm Veigar's strength firsthand.
If Veigar had the skills to graduate, then Kakashi would convince him to apply for early graduation—so he could finally have a teammate.
As for the sensory ninjutsu currently in Veigar's hands? It was nothing important to Kakashi. Consider it a graduation gift.
"I think you're strong. That's why I want you to graduate early."
"That scroll is a gift from me."
Veigar blinked, momentarily stunned. He pointed at himself in disbelief.
"I'm strong?"
"How come I didn't know that?"
"But, well… I'll take the gift."
Without hesitation, Veigar tucked the scroll into his ninja pouch. Then, disregarding any so-called ninja code of honor, he lunged straight at Kakashi, drawing a kunai as his weapon.
A preemptive strike? A sneak attack?
No. Veigar simply decided to be shameless.
A single fight for the price of a ninjutsu? How could he pass that up?
Close-quarters combat was the go-to strategy for most genin.
It wasn't that they didn't want to use ninjutsu—it was that civilian-born ninja simply didn't have any techniques beyond what was taught at the academy.
Besides, genin had very little chakra to begin with.
As Veigar charged forward, Kakashi swiftly raised his tanto, deflecting the incoming kunai with precision.
Realizing he was no match for Kakashi at this stage, Veigar aimed every strike at his vital points, hoping to gain the upper hand. But Kakashi easily parried each attack with his Hatake kenjutsu.
After exchanging over a dozen blows, Veigar flipped backward, using the momentum to create distance. Mid-air, he hurled his kunai toward Kakashi.
But he didn't stop there.
He immediately followed up by pulling out three shuriken, launching them in a triangular formation toward his opponent.
Swish!
Kakashi, however, dodged effortlessly with the Teleportation Jutsu, disappearing from sight.
Before Veigar could react, Kakashi had already reappeared at his flank.
"I lost."
Feeling the cold steel of a blade at his throat, Veigar admitted defeat without hesitation.
Kakashi frowned slightly as he withdrew his weapon. He was unimpressed with Veigar's performance.
The boy hadn't even attempted to use the Three Basic Jutsu before surrendering.
"Since we're done here, I'll be going now."
Without giving Kakashi a chance to respond, Veigar turned and bolted.
Graduate early? No way.
The academy was great—his classmates were friendly, the teachers were responsible, and he had time to quietly build his strength. That was the key to survival in future battles.
After Veigar left, Kakashi finally realized—Veigar had never actually agreed to graduate early.
And yet, Kakashi had just handed him a free ninjutsu scroll.
...
Time passed quickly.
Back home, Veigar pulled out the scroll he had obtained from Kakashi. As he unrolled it, he found a relatively simple but meticulously recorded technique.
"Chakra Sensory Technique."
A mere C-rank sensory ninjutsu—yet to Veigar, it was invaluable.
He immediately memorized every detail, imprinting the technique into his mind. Just in case Kakashi had second thoughts and tried to take the scroll back, he would still have it.
...
Unbeknownst to him, nearly a year had passed since he entered the Ninja Academy.
The final exams had concluded. This time, the ninjutsu assessment was the Transformation Jutsu, which Veigar aced effortlessly.
And in the written exams? He was confident he had secured a perfect score.
After a year of quiet preparation, the now seven-year-old Veigar decided it was time to reveal his talent—or rather, his potential.
Keeping a low profile had allowed him to avoid excessive attention and build a solid foundation.
But staying hidden forever wasn't wise.
Eventually, he would have to graduate from the academy. When that time came, secrecy would no longer be an option.
As a civilian-born ninja, remaining too mysterious might invite suspicion from Konoha's upper echelons—pressure he wasn't yet ready to handle.
Instead, it was better to gradually display his growth.
Revealing what he had learned over the past year would attract some attention, but it would eliminate unnecessary doubts.
Even if people investigated him, he could prove that his skills were a result of hard work and dedication.
That way, no one would accuse him of "hiding his true strength with ulterior motives."
After all…
He was still just a seven-year-old kid.
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