Naruto: Veigar the Ninja

Corpses of Konoha shinobi lay scattered at Regan's feet. The battle between him and Soichiro had left him thoroughly exhilarated.

After a long while.

When Takuya finally collapsed beside Regan, he became the last of his unit still standing.

"Takuya…"

Regan's voice cracked as he cried out, ready to retreat a step, but waiting for him was Soichiro, kunai in hand.

"Move, and I'll kill you."

Bloodied and utterly battered, Regan had become a prisoner of war.

With the battle over, the hexagonal Wind Wall conjured by the Suna-nin began to dissipate, revealing the vast number of Sand shinobi encircling Shimura Rigen.

Chiyo and Ebizō approached slowly.

"Chiyo-baasama. Ebizō-jiisama."

Holding Regan at knifepoint, Soichiro bowed respectfully toward the two elders.

"You've done well, Soichiro," Ebizō praised him.

Beaming with pride, Soichiroreplied humbly, "Thank you for your praise, Ebizō-sama."

Ebizō then turned his gaze from Soichiro to Shimura Regan, stepping forward until he stood directly before the calm-faced prisoner.

"What's your name?" he asked.

But just then, from a distance where he had been spectating, Veigar hurled his Flying Raijin kunai.

And if anyone thought his intent was only to rescue Regan, they were gravely mistaken.

Veigar's motives went far beyond simple heroism.

He wasn't here out of any noble compassion. No, he was here to earn glory. A massive, irreplaceable, indelible military achievement.

Three Flying Raijin kunai whirled through the air at incredible speed, piercing into the crowd of Sand shinobi, all aiming toward Regan.

One targeted Regan.

Another aimed for Soichiro.

The last went straight for Ebizō.

Swish. Swish. Swish.

"Watch out, ambush!" Chiyo was the first to spot the incoming kunai, her voice ringing with urgency.

Ebizō instinctively stepped back half a pace. One of the kunai landed at his feet, while the other two embedded themselves, directly into Shimura Regan.

Thud. Thud.

"Gah—!" Regan groaned lowly in agony. The kunai meant for Soichiro had struck Regan instead, as Soichiro had instinctively used the prisoner as a shield.

Every Suna-nin turned toward Veigar's location.

Flying Raijin Slash.

Flying Raijin: Guiding Thunder.

In a flash, Veigar activated both the first and second phases of the Flying Thunder God technique.

Swish!

Veigar appeared directly in front of Ebizō, his blade already mid-swing, a lethal surprise.

With one swift cut, Ebizō was sliced clean in half, as if he had no time to react.

At the very same instant, Regan, who had been in Soichiro's grasp, vanished.

He had been extracted.

But nobody had time to care whether Regan had been saved. Soichiro's severed body had already hit the ground.

"Ebizō!"

"Ebizō-jiisama!"

"Ebi—!"

Cries of rage burst from both Chiyo and Soichiro as they lunged toward Veigar.

Super Rasengan: Revolving Heaven.

They were fast, but Veigar was faster. The moment he killed Kaigozou, he activated his ultimate defense.

A massive Rasengan erupted around Veigar like a shockwave, forcing Chiyo and Soichiro to leap back.

Boom!

Several Suna-nin caught within the blast were hurled into the air before crashing back to earth, broken and unconscious.

When the energy finally faded, there was no trace of Veigar, only the devastated battlefield and Ebizō's mangled corpse in two bloody halves.

"Ebizō…" Chiyo stared at her brother's remains, then threw her head back in a howl of grief.

Moments later, her grief turned to fury as she bellowed:

"AFTER HIM! I WANT THAT MURDERER TORN LIMB FROM LIMB!"

Her face twisted into a mask of rage, eyes bloodshot like a specter risen from the depths of hell.

Ebizō's death had shattered Chiyo's reason.

"Yes, Chiyo-baasama!"

Soichiro flinched inwardly at her roar, a chill creeping through his bones.

He understood, Chiyo was beyond reasoning now. Any who defied her would be shredded without mercy.

"All of you, go! Find the one who killed Ebizō-jiisama!"

He gave his own order in a hoarse shout. Even as the words left his mouth, he vanished, bolting toward the borders of the Land of Fire.

He didn't know where Veigar had gone, but one thing was clear: dressed in the uniform of the Anbu, the assassin had to be a Konoha shinobi.

Why else would he have taken Shimura Regan?

Still, even in his fury, Soichiro kept his wits. He had no desire to face Chiyo directly, not now.

That would be suicide.

"Aaaargh!"

With a portion of the Suna-nin, Soichiro gave chase. Those who remained glanced from the howling Chiyo to Ebizō's ruined corpse on the ground.

A quiet terror began to seep into their hearts.

"E-Ebizō-jiisama … was assassinated…"

Far ahead in the direction of the pursuit, Shimura Regan, recently rescued, stumbled through the wilderness.

He had been pulled from danger without even knowing how.

Still impaled by the Flying Raijin kunai, he grimaced and yanked it from his abdomen.

As he was about to flee, a shadow appeared beside him—Veigar, holding a ninjato in one hand and another kunai in the other.

"Give that back," Veigar rasped.

Startled like a spooked animal, Regan stared and asked, "Who… who are you?"

Veigar didn't answer. He simply snatched the kunai from Regan's hand.

"If you don't run now, the Sand shinobis will catch you."

And with that, Veigar vanished once again.

Regan knew better than to waste time with questions, but he was already forming suspicions.

That outfit Veigar wore… he recognized it all too well.

It belonged to the former members of Root.

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