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Chapter 24: The Offer (Bonus Chapter)
Konoha, bathed in the gentle, orange light of the setting sun.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Ragnar stood in the quiet training ground, the old master and the young enigma meeting for the first time, not as Hokage and subject, but as observer and observed. Of course, this was the result of the Hokage's incognito visit, a habit he would carry into the future, checking in on his village's most interesting souls. Ragnar was not surprised by the informality.
"Training alone out here?" Hiruzen asked, his tone light, conversational. "Why not with the other students?"
Ragnar understood the probe hidden within the casual question. He considered his answer carefully, shaping the truth into an acceptable form. "Hokage-sama, you know my background. I am a survivor. The shinobi world has shown me its cruelty firsthand. Strength is not a luxury for me; it is the only wall between myself and that cruelty returning."
"Strength only for self-preservation?" Hiruzen asked, his eyes kind but piercing.
"Of course not," Ragnar replied, his voice steady, betraying no flicker of the calculation behind his words. "Strength to protect those who become important. Strength to defend the village that saved my life and gave me shelter."
He tied his purpose to Konoha's wellbeing without a hint of hesitation or false emotion. He had no intention of making an enemy of the village, not while he was still growing, still vulnerable. But it was a conditional loyalty, a fact he kept buried deeper than any secret technique.
Hiruzen listened and nodded, a genuine warmth entering his expression. This was the balance he sought. A shinobi needed the will to fight and kill, yes, but that drive had to be rooted in something to protect, in bonds. Without that core, a ninja was merely a sophisticated weapon, a walking ghost. It was this spiritāthe Will of Fireāthat ensured Konoha's survival.
"To think that way is commendable, my boy," the Hokage said, his voice softening into a grandfatherly tone. "The village has perhaps neglected you in recent days. I hope you can understand the currentā¦ climate. The great villages posture and scheme, each vying for dominance. It makes ordinary people fearful, and they sometimes direct that fear at those from outside, like yourself. It is an unfortunate symptom of the times."
"I understand, Hokage-sama," Ragnar answered. "It is human nature." He was no naive three-year-old, nor a hot-headed youth who took every slight as a world-ending insult. Respect was not given; it was earned, through demonstrated worth and power. Until the scales were balanced, expecting open arms was a fool's errand.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's satisfaction grew. The boy was wise beyond his years, pragmatic without being cynical. Such a junior was worth investing in. His tone shifted, becoming more direct. "Ragnar. The matter with the Uchiha clan. They will not let it rest easily."
"I would hope for the Hokage's judgment in this matter," Ragnar said, clasping his hands and bowing slightly, neatly placing the problem and its solution back into the leader's lap.
"Heh." Hiruzen gave a soft chuckle. This was precisely the dynamic he sought to encourageāvillage loyalty superseding clan grievance. "The Uchiha are a founding clan. Their strength and pride are considerable. Even the Hokage mustā¦ navigate their concerns carefully."
He let the statement hang, watching Ragnar absorb the implicit warning. "However, with your current level of skill, remaining in the academy is a waste of your potential. I am authorizing your early graduation. You will report to the ANBU for training and assignment."
Ragnar bowed again, deeper this time. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Do not thank me. You have earned this with your own two fists," Hiruzen said, waving off the gratitude. "In ANBU, you will be under the direct command of the Hokage. It will offer you a measure of protection the Uchiha cannot easily bypass. More importantly, it will provide the challenges necessary to hone that remarkable strength of yours."
Ragnar took a quiet, internal breath. Joining ANBU was the safest, most logical path forward. It offered legitimacy, high-intensity missions that would translate to system experience, and a shield against clan politics. It was an ideal forge for his growing power.
His thoughts, however, drifted to the one person in the village who had shown him unasked-for, grim kindness. He looked up, meeting the Hokage's gaze. "Hokage-sama. During the tournamentā¦ I did not see my instructor, Yamada-sensei."
"Yamada?" Hiruzen's expression became professionally neutral. "He was assigned a confidential mission. He has already left the village."
He offered no details, and Ragnar knew better than to ask for any. A genināeven a graduating oneāhad no clearance for such information.
But Ragnar didn't need details. The pieces were already clear.Ā A confidential mission outside the village. The rising tension in the world. The instructor who spoke of his own deployment as a death sentence.
The Second Great Shinobi World War was no longer a specter on the horizon. It was here, its first scouts already moving in the shadows.
The great villages, restless and hungry, would never be content. The Land of Wind, with its desolate deserts and scarce resources, perpetually eyed Konoha's fertile lands with naked envy. Who wouldn't? Konoha's bounty wasn't mere luck. It was the legacy of the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, who had walked the land and with a thought, raised forests from barren soil. It was the work of the Second, Tobirama, who could summon rivers to quench droughts. They had shaped paradise with their will. Now they were gone, and every predator smelled opportunity.
Ragnar's mind worked coldly. He had to get stronger, faster. If the war turned desperate, even academy-aged genin would be thrown into the grinder. He'd seen it in the vague memories of this worldāchildren like Kakashi and Obito, born in war, fighting in war. He would not be cannon fodder.
After a few more minutes of benign conversation about his training and living conditions, the Third Hokage took his leave, melting back into the lengthening shadows of the forest with a shinobi's silent grace.
Ragnar watched him go, the friendly grandfather gone, replaced once more by the calculating Kage. He stood motionless as the last sliver of sun vanished, painting the sky in deep purples and blues. His future was now set. No more academy. ANBU. The path was steeper, darker, and far more dangerous.
Later, after a brutal final training session and a cold shower that did little to ease the ache in his bones, Ragnar sat cross-legged on the floor of his sparse room. He turned his focus inward, to the system, to tally the true spoils of his victory over Minato.
He summoned his status panel.
Host: Ragnar
Abilities:Ā Conqueror's Haki Lv2, Observation Haki Lv2, Armament Haki Lv3, Tornado (Lv2), Shave (Lv2).Ā Next level requires 10,000 EXP.
Devil Fruit:Ā Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix (Lv2).Ā Next level requires 1,000 EXP.
Experience:Ā 1,650 / 10,000
A dilemma presented itself. He had a significant chunk of experience. Should he pour it into advancing his Haki, the foundational power that had carried him this far? Or into the Phoenix Fruit, his ultimate trump card, still largely untested?
The fruit's power had remained hidden during the tournament, a card kept close to his chest. In the shinobi world, a lack of hidden techniques was a fast track to an early grave.
The answer, after a moment of cold logic, was clear. Versatility was survival. A new level of the Mythical Zoan would grant more than just power; it would grantĀ options.
"System," he commanded inwardly. "Upgrade the Phoenix Fruit."
Instantly, 1,000 experience points vanished from his reserve. The number dropped to 650. A wave of profound, alien warmth blossomed from his very core, different from chakra, more primal. It was the surge of the Devil Fruit evolving.
Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix ā Level 3.
The power settled within him, a sleeping inferno now banked higher and hotter. He flexed his fingers, feeling the potential simmer under his skin. At Level 2, his Armament Haki could shatter C-rank ninjutsu. At Level 3, it hadĀ obliteratedĀ Minato's A-rank technique (though the boy's limited chakra had undoubtedly held the jutsu back from its true, apocalyptic potential).
His assessment of his own strength was clinical. With his current arsenalāHaki, Fruit, physical prowess, and the self-created Rasenganāhe was no mere genin. His combat power sat firmly at the level of anĀ Elite Chunin, perhaps even knocking on the door of the lower ranks of the Jounin. He was a anomaly, a fact that would draw both opportunity and deadly attention in the days to come.
He closed his eyes, not to sleep, but to plan. The academy was behind him. The forest of death, a memory. Now, he stepped into the shadows of ANBU. The real training was about to begin.
(End of Chapter)
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