The Anbu's Movements

A crescent moon hung high in the sky. In the otherwise silent Konohagakure, figures were leaping across the rooftops. From their attire and gear, it was clear that these individuals were Anbu ninjas of the village.

One by one, hand signals were exchanged, passing information between them.

It seemed as though they were searching for or pursuing something.

Veigar, who had grown accustomed to waking up at four in the morning, had come to the riverbank where he usually set his fishing traps for the third day since quitting his job at the slaughterhouse.

Walking slowly onto the surface of the river, Veigar had just drawn the Ninja Sword from his back and prepared to train when he suddenly became alert.

"Who's there?"

An unfamiliar presence had intruded into his sensory range. The turbulent Chakra within that person told Veigar that this individual had seemingly just come from a battle.

He turned quickly, standing his ground with his sword drawn.

Veigar saw an adult man wearing a black conical hat that obscured his face, with a shoulder bag slung across his waist, standing on the riverbank.

Upon seeing Veigar on the riverbank, the man observed his surroundings with great vigilance, as if suspecting there might be danger nearby.

"Who are you?"

Veigar stared at the man on the bank with extreme caution. From the man's rapid breathing, Veigar judged that he was on the run.

A fugitive? A spy? Or a Rogue Ninja?

There was too little information for Veigar to know for sure, but he could be certain that the person before him was a dangerous individual, and one with ill intent.

"Kid, you can only blame your bad luck!"

After confirming there were no ambushes in the vicinity, the man secretly made his decision.

The killing intent he had been concealing erupted at the same time, and he began forming Hand Seals.

"Not good!"

Seeing the man forming Hand Seals and being enveloped by the killing intent erupting from him, Veigar felt a chill run through his body, and he became completely certain that the man was an enemy, not a friend.

"Wind Style: Gale Palm."

The low syllables were spat out from the man's mouth. Having completed the Hand Seals, he struck out with a palm toward Veigar, sending a powerful gust of wind surging straight at him.

Although Wind Style: Gale Palm was only a C-rank Ninjutsu, Veigar did not dare to take it head-on. Instead, he quickly leaped to the side to dodge, simultaneously executing the Clone Technique he had prepared in advance.

At the same time, Veigar did not dare to let the man's figure leave his sight, keeping his eyes fixed on the man's movements.

The attack missed.

The man quickly formed Hand Seals again, preparing to cast another Ninjutsu.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets."

This move was a killing blow, intended to end the fight quickly. The bullet-like air projectiles shot straight through Veigar's head.

"Bang!"

However, the Veigar by the riverbank was merely a clone.

Seeing that he had only struck a clone, the man did not panic. Instead, he quickly drew a kunai, gripping it in a reverse hold while scanning his surroundings for any trace of Veigar.

From the fact that Veigar could easily stand on the surface of the water, he understood that Veigar was not some defenseless child, but a qualified ninja.

Coupled with the Ninja Sword in Veigar's hand, the man categorized him as a swordsmanship-style ninja.

"One-Sword Style: Iai Slash."

Using the Clone Technique to submerge himself in the water, Veigar approached the man rapidly. He leaped out from beneath the surface, swinging his blade directly at his opponent's heart.

This was Veigar's first time using swordsmanship in actual combat, but that did not hinder the power he was able to unleash with this technique.

"Clang..."

The collision between the Ninja Sword and the kunai sparked bright stars in the night air.

After blocking Veigar's counterattack, the man used the momentum to flip backward and retreat.

Great strength, powerful swordsmanship.

I cannot engage in close-quarters combat.

After just one exchange, the man had gathered significant intelligence on Veigar's strength, which showed that he possessed a wealth of combat experience.

Before even landing, the man had already formed hand seals, once again unleashing the Gale Palm.

"Wind Style: Double Gale Palm."

A current of air, even more intense than the previous one, rushed toward Veigar. Veigar, who had intended to press his advantage, was forced to pull back in the face of the powerful gust.

Seeing Veigar forced back, the man flipped three kunai into his hand and threw them at him.

The kunai pierced through the gale, aiming straight for three vital points on Veigar's body, forcing him to dodge desperately. He had completely fallen onto the defensive.

Even if Veigar wanted to counterattack, he could find no opportunity to do so.

In the distance, the Anbu ninjas who had been conducting the search noticed the commotion coming from Veigar's direction and hurried over.

At this moment, the man realized he could not take down Veigar quickly. He began to grow anxious; after all, being pursued by Konoha Anbu, he could not afford to stop his escape. Otherwise, the only thing waiting for him was death.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

The man, now harboring thoughts of retreat, pulled out all the shuriken he carried and hurled them at Veigar in one frantic burst.

"Brat, I admit you're strong, but I will definitely kill you."

At this moment, Veigar couldn't spare a thought for what the man was saying. The dozen or so shuriken whistling toward him forced him to retreat again and again.

He couldn't dodge two of the shuriken in time. Veigar could only shift his body to avoid his vitals, resulting in cuts to his left forearm and right thigh.

Landing on the surface of the river and steadying himself, Veigar felt incredibly anxious. He didn't dare to launch an offensive because he knew it would be difficult to close the distance.

Right now, Veigar was trying to figure out how to escape or stall for time, how to save his own life.

The former was self-rescue; whether he lived or died would depend entirely on himself.

The latter was being rescued; whether he lived or died would depend on whether there were Konoha pursuers behind his opponent.

However, choosing to stall for time carried a massive risk for Veigar, who had no idea if his opponent was actually being pursued.

If he guessed wrong, or if he was killed before the pursuers arrived, it would all be meaningless in the end.

Therefore, Veigar chose the former.

"I have to save myself."

Veigar's expression remained unchanged, but his mind was racing, desperately searching for a way to escape.

For a moment, the two of them, both looking for a way to escape, just stared at each other in silence, neither moving an inch.

Time seemed to stand still for a heartbeat.

Five seconds later.

"Poof!"

The man in Veigar's sight suddenly vanished with a "poof." It was only then that Veigar realized the enemy who had been spouting threats had long since disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a clone.

At the same time, an Anbu ninja wearing a boar mask appeared behind Veigar in a flash, holding a kunai to his throat.

"Don't move."