Still a Child

There's no such thing as a free lunch; Veigar understood this deeply from his past experiences.

Now, Kakashi Hatake was giving him a precious Ninjutsu scroll. This made Veigar question Kakashi's motives.

Veigar's concerns weren't unfounded. Kakashi Hatake stopping him at this moment and proposing a spar indeed had his own agenda.

At the same time, his objective was simple: to test the strength Veigar possessed.

Some time ago, during their first meeting at the ninja tool shop, Kakashi Hatake had noticed something different about Veigar. Veigar carried an air of maturity that was clearly inconsistent with his age.

Moreover, Kakashi Hatake had sensed back then that Veigar's strength didn't seem weak.

After secretly observing Veigar for a period, Kakashi Hatake became even more certain that Veigar indeed possessed considerable strength.

When Veigar demonstrated the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques taught at the Ninja Academy, using less Chakra than him to achieve the same results, Kakashi Hatake concluded that despite Veigar being from a civilian background, he was a genius no less than himself.

Furthermore, Kakashi Hatake had graduated from the Ninja Academy several days ago but still hadn't been assigned a team leader. The Third Hokage's response was that there wasn't a suitable squad yet, and he should continue his training alone for now.

This was unbearable for Kakashi Hatake, who had just graduated and was still basking in the joy of being praised. He had graduated early to become a ninja with the aim of quickly accumulating experience and becoming a Chunin, or even a Jonin, in the village.

As a newly minted Genin, Kakashi Hatake temporarily had no team leader and thus couldn't accept missions, which completely contradicted his desires.

Therefore, Kakashi Hatake developed an unusual idea.

Don't have a suitable teammate for now?

So, Kakashi Hatake decided to find one himself.

Veigar, who had been observed by Kakashi Hatake for days, immediately became his target. But before that, Kakashi Hatake decided to first test Veigar.

If Veigar possessed the strength to graduate, Kakashi Hatake decided he would persuade Veigar to apply for early graduation, and then he would have a teammate.

And now, in Veigar's hands, a sensing Ninjutsu that was of little importance to Kakashi Hatake was the graduation gift he had prepared for Veigar.

"Because I think you're strong, I hope you can graduate early."

"That's the gift I prepared for you."

Hearing Kakashi Hatake's reply, Veigar was momentarily stunned. He pointed at himself and said:

"I'm strong?"

"How come I don't know?"

"However, I accept your gift."

With that, Veigar put the Ninjutsu scroll into his ninja tool pouch. Without bothering with ninja etiquette, he immediately charged at Kakashi Hatake, pulling out a Kunai as a weapon.

Taking the initiative? A surprise attack?

Neither. Veigar was prepared to throw all pretense of honor aside.

Wouldn't it be great to get a Ninjutsu just by having a spar?

Close-quarters taijutsu combat was the best option for many Genin.

It wasn't that they didn't want to use Ninjutsu, but rather that ninjas from civilian backgrounds simply couldn't use any beyond what was taught at the Ninja Academy.

Coupled with the fact that Genin didn't have much Chakra to begin with, this was also a contributing factor.

Seeing Veigar charging at him, Kakashi Hatake swiftly swung his blade, accurately blocking the Kunai in Veigar's hand.

Believing he couldn't defeat Kakashi Hatake at his current level, Veigar's attacks all aimed for Kakashi Hatake's vital points, but each was blocked by Kakashi Hatake's sword techniques.

After clashing for over ten moves, Veigar used the momentum to retreat. At the same time, he threw the Kunai in his hand at Kakashi Hatake.

Not only that, Veigar also pulled out three Shuriken and shot them at Kakashi Hatake in a triangular formation.

"Swoosh!"

However, Veigar's attack was effortlessly dodged by Kakashi Hatake using the Body Flicker Technique. Before Veigar could react, Kakashi Hatake had already appeared beside him.

"I lose!"

In an instant, Veigar, with Kakashi Hatake's sword at his throat, surrendered.

Kakashi Hatake frowned slightly and sheathed his sword, feeling very displeased with Veigar's performance during the fight.

Apart from taijutsu, Veigar surrendered before even using his Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques.

"Since the spar is over, I'm leaving now."

Without giving Kakashi Hatake a chance to speak, Veigar said it and ran.

Early graduation is impossible. The classmates at the Ninja Academy are so nice, and the teachers are so responsible. I need to keep a low profile and develop in secret so I can survive in future battles.

After Veigar left, Kakashi Hatake finally realized that Veigar had never agreed to early graduation from the beginning, and he had even lost a Ninjutsu scroll in the process.

A day passed quickly.

Returning home, Veigar took out the Ninjutsu scroll he received from Kakashi Hatake. Upon opening it, he saw a not-too-complicated Ninjutsu recorded in detail on the scroll.

"Chakra Sensing Technique."

This was merely a C-rank sensing Ninjutsu, but to Veigar, it was incredibly precious.

Then, Veigar deeply imprinted everything about this Ninjutsu into his mind. If Kakashi Hatake suddenly went back on his word and took the scroll back, he wouldn't be afraid anymore.

Quietly, almost a year had passed since Veigar entered the Ninja Academy.

The final exams at the academy had already concluded. This time, the ninjutsu assessment was the Transformation Technique, and Veigar easily scored full marks.

Furthermore, Veigar was confident he would also get full marks on the cultural subject exams.

After a year of secretly developing, Veigar, now seven years old, intended to reveal the talent, or rather, the potential he possessed to the village.

Although maintaining a low profile would prevent Veigar from attracting too much attention and allow him to accumulate more reserves, it wasn't wise.

Because eventually, Veigar would graduate from the Ninja Academy, and then he wouldn't be able to hide it anymore.

As a civilian ninja, if he were to be suspected by the village's higher-ups because of it, the still-developing Veigar wouldn't be able to bear it.

It would be better to reveal everything he had learned at the Ninja Academy this past year, just like he was doing now.

While this might attract attention, it would reduce the risk of suspicion. Even if investigated, Veigar could prove that his current strength was the result of diligent study and hard training.

This way, he wouldn't be labeled as "hiding his strength with impure intentions."

After all, he was still just a seven-year-old child!