Could Saburoh Toyomi's one thousand ryo be accepted? Could Veigar accept it?
Of course—not.
If Veigar accepted the one thousand ryo, he would surely lose the opportunity to work at the slaughterhouse.
"Boss, I can't take this money."
"I'll earn money through hard work, so what I need is a job, not charity."
"I'm already six years old, and I'll become a ninja in the future to protect the village's peace."
At that moment, Veigar seemed to transform into a light illuminating the darkness, filled with a righteous sense of mission.
Seeing that Saburoh Toyomi was about to interrupt him, Veigar hurriedly continued, "I chose to come here not only because I want to work and earn money, but also because I feel this place is very suitable for my training."
"So please give me a chance to work."
Veigar's forceful words left Saburoh Toyomi rooted to the spot.
After a while, Saburoh Toyomi finally came back to his senses and said gently to Veigar, "Come to work after school tomorrow. Is that all right?"
Hearing Saburoh Toyomi's words, Veigar instantly beamed and answered loudly, "No problem. Thank you, Boss."
"I'll work hard and take it seriously."
Veigar bowed deeply to Saburoh Toyomi once again.
Saburoh Toyomi's rough, broad hand gently came to rest on Veigar's head. He ruffled Veigar's short blue hair and said, "Take this one thousand ryo, too. It's your pay for today's work."
This time, Veigar did not refuse Saburoh Toyomi. He reached out and accepted it.
After returning home with light steps, Veigar went to bed early for the first time in a long while.
First, cleaning the slaughterhouse had left him utterly exhausted. Second, he needed to get up shortly after three in the morning.
Work at the slaughterhouse began at four in the morning. Before dawn, some of the livestock had to be slaughtered and sent to the market for sale.
Although Veigar only needed to go to the slaughterhouse after school, by then there was basically no livestock left to slaughter.
Going at that time would also mean Veigar had lost the main reason he insisted on working at the slaughterhouse.
Three-thirty in the morning.
Veigar, sound asleep, woke to the alarm. After washing up, he left home full of energy.
Crossing Konoha's streets shortly before four in the morning, Veigar arrived at the entrance of the slaughterhouse, which had just opened.
"Boss, I'm here for work."
The moment he saw Saburoh Toyomi, Veigar quickly came before him and spoke softly.
At this hour, aside from Saburoh Toyomi, none of the other workers had arrived yet. Seeing Veigar standing before him, Saburoh Toyomi said with a stern expression, "You don't need to come in the morning. Just come here to clean after school."
"Go to school without worrying."
Veigar shook his head and said, "Don't worry, Boss."
"I won't let it interfere with school. I'm already awake and training at this time normally anyway. I've only changed my training location starting today."
"Once the sun comes up, I'll go to school."
"I'm going to work."
With that, Veigar dashed into the slaughterhouse, cutting off Saburoh Toyomi before he could tell him to leave.
Before long, all the slaughterhouse workers had arrived and were preparing to begin work. They also noticed that Veigar had already arranged the tools in the slaughtering area.
After a while, the workers tied a nearly three-hundred-pound Big Fat Pig to the Slaughter Platform. Veigar ran over when he saw it, eager to watch.
"Hello, uncles. I'm Veiga Koshima. Please take care of me from now on."
The workers present had also learned from Saburoh Toyomi that Veigar was an orphan, and that their slaughterhouse had gained a little odd-job worker.
"Hmm, I'm Yuya Osako. We're about to start working, so step back a little."
The leading worker held a slaughtering knife and spoke to Veigar.
The other workers standing beside him and assisting with the slaughter also spoke up. "I'm Ritsu Ito. Little Veigar, move aside for now."
"I'm Sho Yoshida."
"I'm Takuya Asano."
Veigar knew he could not help for the time being, so he stepped aside.
Before long, several workers had joined forces to slaughter the nearly three-hundred-pound Big Fat Pig. Once they finished dealing with its hide, hair, and organs, it could be sold.
Watching the lifeless Big Fat Pig from the side, Veigar secretly felt it was a pity. Since he had not indirectly or directly participated in the slaughter, he had not seen any Source of Life on the Big Fat Pig that he could absorb.
For three days in a row, Veigar came to work at the slaughterhouse before and after school each day. In those short three days, he became familiar with the more than ten workers there.
They had also grown accustomed to having a little odd-job worker named Veigar at the slaughterhouse.
It was dawn again. Normally, Veigar would already have been getting ready for school at this time, but today he was still working.
"Little Veigar, it's already daylight. Aren't you going to school?"
Yuya Osako, who was processing pig organs, shouted at Veigar, who was helping nearby.
"Uncle Osako, today is a day off for the Ninja Academy, so I don't need to go to school."
Veigar shouted back.
At that moment, Saburoh Toyomi walked over and said to Yuya Osako, "Yuya, we still need to slaughter another pig and send it to the Hokage Building later, so I'll have to trouble you."
"No problem. Leave it to me!"
Yuya Osako thumped his chest and promised.
Before long, Sho Yoshida drove a Big Fat Pig out of the pigpen to be slaughtered.
The pig had perhaps already sensed its fate. When Sho Yoshida prepared to tie it up with a rope, it suddenly went berserk and charged toward where Veigar stood.
"Damn it."
"Veigar, watch out! Get out of the way!"
Seeing the rampaging Big Fat Pig, Sho Yoshida cursed inwardly. When he saw it charging toward Veigar, he hurriedly shouted, "Veigar, move! That pig's gone mad."
"Get away from there, Veigar!"
Hearing Sho Yoshida's panicked cries, the others also shouted at Veigar at the same time.
Yuya Osako had originally been waiting for the Big Fat Pig to be placed on the Slaughter Platform. Holding his knife, he cursed Sho Yoshida inwardly, then charged toward Veigar while shouting, "Little Veigar, run toward me!"
For Veigar's safety, Yuya Osako intended to put himself between Veigar and the Big Fat Pig and fight it in a life-or-death struggle.
However, when Veigar saw the Big Fat Pig charging toward him, his first reaction was not to flee, but to prepare to kill it himself.
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