Surrounded by seven or eight puppet soldiers, Veigar Koshima didn't retreat, he advanced.
Just earlier, when he shattered a puppet soldier, Veigar had failed to absorb even a sliver of Ryūmyaku energy. This time, his target was the chakra threads linking the puppet soldiers to their controller.
"Wind Release: Ittō-ryū – Iaigiri!" (giri = slash/cut)
With razor-sharp wind chakra and Phenomenal Evil Power surging through his ninjatō, Veigar struck down on the chakra thread at the back of a freshly reassembled puppet soldier.
Clang… Slash…
To his surprise, the chakra thread, woven from condensed Ryūmyaku energy, was incredibly tough. Even with his chakra-enhanced strength, Veigar couldn't slice through it in one blow. It took his full power just to sever it.
"It works," Veigar murmured, satisfied.
As the chakra thread snapped, he absorbed a small amount of energy that felt like Life Essence itself. It wasn't much, but every bit added up, and Veigar believed this trip to Rōran would be well worth it.
After all, Rōran was overflowing with Ryūmyaku energy.
Clang… Slash…
As Veigar engaged the puppet soldiers in fierce combat, Kakashi, who had been pursuing him, arrived just in time to witness the endless cycle of puppets being destroyed and then reassembled.
From his vantage point above, Kakashi saw that Veigar wasn't in immediate danger, so he took a moment to assess the battlefield, seeking a decisive solution.
Finally, Kakashi's gaze settled on a towering structure nearby, a chakra conduit running through it, pulsing with energy.
"Veigar! That's their weak point!"
From atop the building, Kakashi pointed to the junction of the chakra conduit where the threads were being generated, shouting down to Veigar.
Caught off guard by Kakashi's sudden appearance, Veigar's hand faltered for a second as he looked up.
In that instant, an idea struck him, a faster way to absorb the Dragon Vein's energy.
But the momentary hesitation gave the surrounding puppets the chance they needed, they closed in, surrounding him from all sides.
Clang… Crack!
Veigar slashed again, but this time, his ninjatō couldn't withstand the strain. It shattered into two pieces mid-swing.
"Damn it…" Kakashi muttered, tensing to leap in for a rescue.
But before he could move, all the surrounding puppets were obliterated in an instant.
"Wind Release. Rasengan: Revolving Heaven!"
As his blade broke, Veigar let go of the hilt and unleashed a surge of wind chakra. Combined with the ever-active Phenomenal Evil Rasengan swirling at his core, the resulting blast tore through the puppet soldiers, reducing them to dust.
Breathing heavily from the chakra expenditure, Veigar's eyes gleamed with joy.
Even in that brief moment, his bond with the Phenomenal Evil Power had deepened, his synchronization had risen by 0.5%.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
But more puppet soldiers poured into the area.
Veigar nodded at Kakashi, then retreated without hesitation.
Rustle, rustle…
Moments later, before the enemy could encircle them again, Veigar and Kakashi had already vanished from the battlefield.
Not long after, the two regrouped, hidden in the shadows.
Kakashi immediately shared what he had discovered:
"Veigar, I just realized, this city is laced with countless chakra transmission conduits. Someone's using them to divert chakra and control the puppet soldiers."
Suddenly, Kakashi drew his tantō, slashing at a nearby pipeline.
Slash…
Purple chakra gushed out, confirming his theory. Whoever was behind this was likely their mission target, Anrokuzan.
Then, right before their eyes, the severed conduit repaired itself instantly, returning to its original, seamless form.
"Kakashi, go find Minato-sensei and report this intel."
"I'll locate the source... or convergence point, of the chakra flow."
Kakashi hesitated, misreading Veigar's pause as contemplation, and nodded:
"Got it. Be careful."
Veigar turned and gave a rare, faint nod.
"You too."
As Kakashi left, Veigar prepared to move as well.
He hadn't paused because he was thinking. It was because the exposed Ryūmyaku energy had triggered a powerful reaction from the Phenomenal Evil Power within him.
And now, Veigar finally understood why he had sensed fluctuations from the evil power earlier but couldn't find their source.
The entire city of Rōran was saturated with Ryūmyaku energy. The transmission conduits isolated and dispersed it, making it nearly impossible to pinpoint.
Kakashi's strike had illuminated the truth.
That's why Veigar had sent him to find Minato.
Now, with Kakashi gone, Veigar's gaze sharpened, and he clenched his fists.
"Rōran… I'll take it."
In that moment, Veigar set his sights on the Ryūmyaku. He would bring Rōran under his control.
But first, he had something more urgent to do.
Rustle…
Veigar disappeared into the shadows.
...
Elsewhere, in one of Rōran's towering spires, Naruto had just been rescued by Minato.
After receiving treatment, Naruto slowly opened his eyes.
"Hi there… Thank you for saving me."
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a ninja from the Hidden Leaf. Who are you?"
Standing before him were Minato, Shibi Aburame, and Chōza Akimichi, all wearing animal masks. Naruto didn't recognize them as fellow Konoha shinobi.
Shibi and Chōza exchanged a glance, they'd suspected Naruto might be from the Leaf, but hearing it from him confirmed their suspicions.
Naruto Uzumaki? Since when did Konoha have a ninja by that name?
Minato, however, had no doubt.
Partly because of intuition.
But mostly, because of the Rasengan.
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