As he checked the time, Veigar realized it was almost time for the team to depart. After finishing off another bowl of ramen, he stood up and said:
"That's enough for today. I'll stop here."
"Check, please. Thank you."
Hearing Veigar ask to settle the bill, Teuchi stepped out from the back of Ichiraku Ramen and smiled at him.
"No need, this one's on me."
"Thanks for your support."
Teuchi had noticed the way Veigar lingered over the flavor, clearly enjoying it. Moved by this, he made the decision to cover the meal.
"Are you serious, old man?" Veigar asked, surprised. "That was a lot of ramen!"
With a calm and genuine look, Teuchi replied:
"Absolutely. You're my first customer of the day, this one's free. And from now on, any time you drop by, you'll get thirty percent off."
Veigar didn't argue further and gave a polite nod.
"In that case, thank you kindly."
"Name's Veigar. I'll be back often."
"I've got somewhere to be, so I'll take my leave."
As Veigar stepped out of Ichiraku, he caught sight of Minato scanning the area, clearly searching for someone. Veigar was just about to call out when he saw Jiraiya sneakily approach and pull Minato aside.
Curious, Veigar quietly followed.
...
In a Back Alley.
Jiraiya stood before Minato, grinning with pride.
"Minato, watch this."
Zzzzzzzzz...
With a dramatic flair, Jiraiya extended his right hand. A swirling chakra sphere formed in his palm, the Rasengan.
"Well? Surprised?"
"You spent three years developing this jutsu, and I've already mastered it," Jiraiya boasted, practically beaming.
Minato, distracted, replied absentmindedly:
"Is this why you called me here, sensei?"
"Sorry, but I have something else to take care of."
As he turned to leave, a mischievous Veigar suddenly leapt out and shouted:
"Rasengan!"
Startled by the voice, both Minato and Jiraiya turned toward him.
Minato instantly recognized Veigar. When he saw the younger man rushing toward Jiraiya with a Rasengan in hand, he called out:
"Sensei, watch out!"
But Jiraiya had already guessed Veigar's identity. He saw the incoming attack and made his decision without hesitation.
"Rasengan!"
Jiraiya met Veigar head-on, both wielding Rasengan. But—
Boom!
A surge of force erupted as Veigar's Rasengan shattered Jiraiya's. Shocked, Jiraiya was sent flying into a wall.
Crash!
"Sensei, are you okay?!" Minato rushed to him.
He turned to Veigar, about to speak, but Jiraiya cut him off as he stood and brushed off dust.
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
Veigar grinned.
"Jiraiya-sama, your Rasengan is still miles behind mine."
Jiraiya blinked, stunned by the cheeky remark.
"So you're the Veigar Minato keeps talking about."
"How's your Rasengan so powerful?"
"Take a guess!" Veigar replied with a smug smirk.
Jiraiya stared at him in disbelief.
Minato stepped in quickly, trying to smooth things over:
"Sensei, I apologize on Veigar's behalf. Please don't take it personally."
"We have something urgent to attend to. Let's go, Veigar."
With that, Minato pulled Veigar away, leaving Jiraiya behind, still pondering the mystery of Veigar's overwhelming Rasengan.
...
Outside Ichiraku, Later.
Back at the ramen stand, Veigar rejoined the group that was gathering for the upcoming mission.
Kakashi stood in line, idly chatting with Might Guy. When he spotted Minato approaching with a determined look, Kakashi stepped forward.
"Sensei, were you looking for me?"
Minato nodded, wasting no time.
"Kakashi, we've got a mission. Prep for departure."
Without hesitation, Kakashi answered:
"Understood."
...
A few days later.
Minato, Shibi Aburame, Chōza Akimichi, Kakashi, and Veigar moved swiftly across the border, covertly slipping past the Land of Rivers and into the Wind Country.
The group paused atop a ridge, gazing at a distant city of tall towers.
Minato spoke:
"That's our target."
"Rōran."
"Veigar, Kakashi, you'll scout the perimeter."
"Shibi, Chōza, you're with me. We'll infiltrate the city and investigate from within."
All four nodded in unison.
"Understood."
Minato gave the order:
"Move out."
The five vanished from the hilltop, darting toward Rōran with practiced stealth.
Shff-shff-shff-shff-shff...
The team entered the city like shadows, quickly dispersing to avoid detection.
As Veigar stepped into Rōran, something strange happened. The Phenomenal Evil Power within him flared up, pulsing with energy.
"What... is this?"
He didn't understand the sudden reaction. Even after studying the sensation in isolation, the cause eluded him. For now, he forced himself to push it aside and focus.
Their mission was clear: Investigate Anrokuzan, a mysterious minister who had appeared in Rōran six years ago. Intelligence from Hiruzen suggested that Anrokuzan might be plotting something catastrophic against the Hidden Leaf.
If proven true, the team had full authority to eliminate or apprehend him discreetly.
Veigar and Kakashi's job was to recon the outer sectors, gather intel, assess risks, and be ready to support the main infiltration.
Meanwhile, Minato, Chōza, and Shibi were already inside, tasked with uncovering Anrokuzan's secrets and true intentions.
Meanwhile, in the Future Timeline...
Genin Naruto Uzumaki had just received a mission to track down and eliminate the rogue ninja, Mukade. Accompanied by his teammates, Naruto had chased the target all the way to the ruins of Rōran…
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]