The Wolf, Is Coming!

After hearing Veigar's words, Takeuchi Joji suddenly looked up. His bright eyes were filled with gratitude as he hurriedly bowed to thank Veigar.

"Thank you, thank you!"

At this moment, besides expressing his gratitude, Takeuchi Joji didn't know what else to say.

Then, Minato Namikaze looked at Kakashi Hatake. Seeing him nod, Minato said to Takeuchi Joji, "Mr. Joji, the Minato Squad has unanimously agreed to your request."

"I will head to Yamagō Village first to complete the mission."

"Your safety will be ensured by my two students, who will protect and escort you back to the village."

Seeing that Minato Namikaze had personally agreed, Takeuchi Joji hurriedly bowed to the three of them again. "Thank you!"

"Lord Minato, I leave everything to you."

Minato Namikaze replied, "I am simply fulfilling your mission request; there is no need to thank me."

Subsequently, Minato Namikaze turned to Veigar and Kakashi Hatake. "In that case, the task of protecting and escorting Mr. Joji is now in your hands."

Veigar and Kakashi Hatake replied in unison, "Yes."

Nodding at the two of them, Minato Namikaze spoke once more to the man. "Mr. Joji, I will be waiting for your arrival at the village."

With that, Minato Namikaze used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the spot instantly. At his speed, if he departed now, he would be able to reach the mission site before dawn.

After Minato Namikaze left, only Veigar, Kakashi Hatake, and Takeuchi Joji remained in the camp.

Immediately after, Kakashi Hatake said to Takeuchi Joji, "Mr. Joji, Teacher Minato has already departed. Please rest assured, we will definitely escort you back safely."

"Please go back and get some rest. We need to travel tomorrow to rendezvous with Teacher Minato as soon as possible."

After bowing to Veigar and Kakashi Hatake once more, Takeuchi Joji's eyes welled up with tears. He choked out, "Thank you, I've really caused you a lot of trouble."

Veigar and Kakashi Hatake nodded simultaneously, and Takeuchi Joji turned and returned to his tent to rest.

Gazing at the flawless night sky, a faint sense of melancholy stirred in Veigar's heart.

After discussing the watch schedule and travel plans with Kakashi Hatake, Veigar also turned and returned to his tent to begin resting.

As Minato Namikaze hurried along, he seemed to sense something and glanced back at the place he had just left, silently speaking to Veigar and Kakashi in his heart.

Good luck, Kakashi, and you too, Veigar.

Minato Namikaze's choice to leave could be considered a test for both Veigar and Kakashi Hatake.

Or perhaps, it was a test primarily aimed at Kakashi Hatake.

After all, although the six-year-old Kakashi Hatake had already become a Chunin and was qualified in terms of strength, execution, and tactical intelligence, he was still quite lacking when it came to interpersonal conduct.

Furthermore, Kakashi Hatake hadn't carried out many missions as a Genin, and since becoming a Chunin, he hadn't yet executed a mission alone or as a team leader. This was the perfect opportunity for him.

In the silent, dark night, the chirping of insects was constant. With Minato Namikaze no longer by his side, Kakashi Hatake hid in the tree branches, suppressing his presence and observing his surroundings with extreme vigilance.

Deep into the night, Veigar awoke from his slumber. Just as he stepped out of his tent to take over the night watch from Kakashi Hatake, he suddenly noticed points of green light appearing all around the campsite.

Wolves!

Upon seeing these green lights, Veigar immediately thought of wild wolves, pack animals that inhabited the forest.

At the same time, Kakashi Hatake, hidden in the trees, also discovered the pack of wild wolves that had suddenly and silently appeared nearby.

In the forest, besides dangers like venomous insects, one had to be wary of various nocturnal predators, such as wild wolves, tigers, and leopards—carnivorous beasts.

Leaping down from the canopy, Kakashi Hatake appeared beside Veigar and said, "Veigar, go protect Mr. Jōji."

Kakashi Hatake's original intention was to handle the wolf pack himself while having Veigar protect Takeuchi Joji to prevent him from being ambushed by the wolves.

However, Veigar stepped forward before Kakashi Hatake could act, standing in front of him and saying, "Kakashi, leave this pack of wolves to me."

"This is my first mission outside the village, and I don't want to just coast through it."

Although Kakashi Hatake didn't know the potential meaning of "coasting through," he could guess that Veigar wanted to create a memory for his first mission outside the village.

Back in the day, I was like that too!

Kakashi Hatake thought as he looked at Veigar's back.

Subsequently, Kakashi Hatake nodded and said, "Then I'll leave it to you."

After speaking, Kakashi Hatake instantly stood in front of the tent where Takeuchi Joji was, pushing his sensory perception to the limit to keep an eye on the surrounding movements.

As for whether Veigar could handle this pack of wolves, Kakashi Hatake had no worries at all. If Veigar couldn't even deal with a pack of forest wolves, he wouldn't be worthy of being the super genius in the village who stood on equal footing with him.

In Kakashi Hatake's mind, Veigar was currently an existence whose strength and talent were no less than his own.

The flickering firelight dispersed the surrounding darkness. Led by the Wolf King, the entire pack slowly emerged from the forest still shrouded in darkness, coming into view before Veigar's eyes.

"1, 2, 3..."

Veigar looked at the wolf pack in front of him and counted silently. There were seventeen in total, but he couldn't rule out the possibility of others hiding in the darkness, preparing for an ambush.

"Awooooo..."

The unusually large Wolf King in the pack suddenly tilted its head and let out a long howl. The wolves beside it immediately sprang into action, charging toward Veigar in an orderly fashion.

At the same time, Veigar also moved. He instantly drew the Ninja Sword from his back and, meeting the wolves' charge, rushed straight toward the howling Wolf King.

The greatest difference between humans and beasts is the crushing advantage of intelligence. With the Ninja Sword in hand, Veigar moved quickly; the blade flashed across the throats of the lunging wolves, causing warm beast blood to spray into the night sky.

In just half a breath, four wolves lay at Veigar's feet.

However, seeing the blood spraying from their companions did not make the pack fearful. Instead, they became even more ferocious, baring their fangs and snarling as they all lunged at Veigar.