Relics of the Departed

School's out, the Ninja Academy is out!

Veigar, holding his report card, left the Ninja Academy with a smile.

Just as he had expected, he had received a perfect score in all subjects.

Veigar had other plans for today, so he had already taken leave from Saburoh Toyomi.

Returning home, Veigar, report card in hand, headed straight for the second floor. He stood before the door that hadn't been opened in over a year and took a deep breath.

"I've kept my promise, and I got all perfect scores."

Veigar flashed a bright smile and continued.

"I'm coming in!"

Although Veigar had taken over, he had completely inherited everything from Vega Koshima.

Creak~~

As soon as he pushed the door open, the room, which hadn't been opened in a long time, was covered in dust. But Veigar didn't seem to mind at all. All he wanted at this moment was to get that one item.

It was the keepsake left behind by Viking Koshima, Vega Koshima's deceased father, which his mother had kept hidden.

Before Vega Koshima's mother passed away, she had told Vega Koshima that Viking Koshima had left a keepsake for him.

However, Vega Koshima's mother had made a promise with him: he could only open this room and take the keepsake after completing his first year at the Ninja Academy.

Over the past year, Veigar had countless opportunities to retrieve the keepsake, though he didn't know what it was.

But Veigar had always kept his promise.

Following his memory, Veigar found the keepsake left by Viking Koshima in a hidden compartment of the dusty wardrobe.

It was a rectangular wooden box sealed with a sealing technique.

Having obtained the item, Veigar returned to his room and placed the box on the table.

"Release."

The sealing technique on the box was a very basic one, taught at the Ninja Academy, and the method to undo it was simple.

Using the unsealing technique, Veigar easily opened the box and saw what Viking Koshima had left behind.

It was a ninja sword, about sixty centimeters long with a blade length of around 45 centimeters, two scrolls, and a yellowed notebook bearing Viking Koshima's name.

Veigar couldn't judge the quality of the ninja sword, but he could tell it was very sharp when unsheathed.

Setting the ninja sword aside, Veigar picked up the yellowed notebook. After flipping through it, Veigar understood that it was Viking Koshima's training journal from his school days.

It fully documented his progress in practicing the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques, and Veigar even found the Body Flicker Technique, which was only taught in the second year of the Ninja Academy.

Putting down the notebook, Veigar's eyes lit up with infinite surprise as he opened the first scroll.

"Secret Technique: Body Strengthening Art."

This was a Ninjutsu, and more importantly, a secret technique.

Only after reading the entire introduction to the Ninjutsu did Veigar let out a long sigh of relief.

"This technique is practically tailor-made for me."

The Body Strengthening Art was a secret technique that used Chakra to enhance the body. Although it was only a C-rank Ninjutsu, its effects were god-tier for Veigar.

The strength of the Chakra directly influenced the effectiveness of the Body Strengthening Art. The higher the quality of the Chakra, the better the results of the technique.

If this technique were in the hands of other ninjas, it might only enhance their physical abilities significantly, allowing them to stand out among ninjas of the same rank, but only to a limited extent.

For example, Viking Koshima was able to become a Chunin partly due to this secret technique he stumbled upon, but becoming a Chunin was the limit of his potential.

It was difficult for other ninjas to unleash the true potential of this secret technique because it was not easy for them to increase their Chakra strength.

However, Veigar, possessing the Superior Evil Power, had no such trouble. As long as he had enough Source of Life, he could infinitely enhance his Chakra strength.

In other words, Veigar and the Body Strengthening Art were a perfect match.

Perhaps no Ninjutsu could be more suitable for Veigar.

Gently setting the scroll for the Body Strengthening Art aside, Veigar opened the last scroll.

After reading the contents of the last scroll, Veigar didn't feel overwhelming joy, but he wasn't disappointed either.

After all, he had already obtained a secret technique that perfectly suited him.

The last scroll recorded a swordsman's technique.

"One-Sword Style: Iaido Slash."

This scroll gave Veigar's ninja sword a purpose.

Looking at the few heirlooms placed beside him, Veigar devoutly placed his report card into the box. Then, he put in the two scrolls and closed the lid again.

"Don't worry! I will definitely live a good life."

"And I will stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world."

This was Veigar's promise to his deceased parents and the goal he set for himself.

As for why he put the two scrolls back, it was because Veigar understood the principle of "possessing a treasure brings trouble." The hidden compartment in the room was the only place he could think of to hide them.

If a thief were to break into his home, he'd truly have no one to cry to.

Besides, he could just take out the items when he wanted to train.

Seeing the dust in the room, Vega immediately gave his entire home a thorough cleaning, working until deep into the night.

After sleeping for a few hours, Vega woke up, glanced at the ninja sword in the corner, stuffed the yellowed notebook under his pillow, and then headed out into the thick night.

After working at the butcher shop for most of the morning, Vega used his breakfast break to inform Saburoh Toyomi that he would be training at home during the day and wouldn't be at the butcher shop all day just because it was a holiday.

Saburoh Toyomi readily agreed.

During this time, Saburoh Toyomi, the owner of the butcher shop, was extremely satisfied with Vega's work ethic.

Despite his young age, Vega's willingness to work hard without complaint, unafraid of dirt or fatigue, had earned him great favor.

The rising sun illuminated the entire village, but Vega, on his way home, was troubled by one thing.

The Source of Life he obtained from the livestock he slaughtered at the butcher shop had become less effective in increasing the strength of the Chakra within his body.

From the moment he started working at the butcher shop until now, the strength of Vega's Chakra had increased threefold.

While the Source of Life from ordinary livestock still had an effect, Vega was not satisfied with it.

Therefore, Vega was considering whether he should seek out higher-quality Source of Life to absorb and further enhance his Chakra.