Chapter 222: The Birth of a New Jutsu
Orochimaru stood in front of Ragnar with that same calm smile he always wore, a smile that made it impossible to tell what he was really thinking.
Ragnar did not avoid him, nor did he go out of his way to get closer. He simply spoke as he always did—plainly, directly, and without fear. He treated Orochimaru as an equal.
That alone was enough to make most people feel nervous.
After all, Orochimaru was not someone ordinary shinobi could face without pressure. He was one of Konoha's greatest talents, a man with a terrifying mind and a dangerous curiosity. But Ragnar was no ordinary shinobi either.
He was already a figure who had shaken the entire battlefield.
He had fought the Tsuchikage.
He had clashed with the Kazekage.
He had even forced tailed beasts into the center of war.
His name now carried enough weight to make people think twice before trying to probe into his secrets.
Ragnar understood very well that Orochimaru was probably curious about him—extremely curious, in fact. But curiosity was one thing. Acting on it was another.
Some boundaries were better left untouched.
"In that case," Orochimaru said with a soft laugh, "when we return to Konoha, let's find time to speak properly."
Ragnar gave a small nod. "Sure."
He watched Orochimaru quietly.
In Ragnar's eyes, Orochimaru was not the strongest person in the world, but he was certainly one of the most difficult people to get rid of. He was bold, patient, and frighteningly persistent. Once he fixed his attention on something, he would chase it to the end.
A man like that was dangerous.
But danger and usefulness often walked together.
Ragnar did not particularly like Orochimaru's nature. There was always something cold and hidden beneath the man's polite words. Still, Ragnar had no reason to make an enemy out of him for no reason. The future was long, and no one could say when two powerful people might need each other.
Maybe one day, they would cooperate.
Maybe one day, Orochimaru's strange mind would become valuable.
Orochimaru seemed to notice that Ragnar's attitude was much more relaxed than before. That faint smile on his face deepened a little.
"In that case, Ragnar, I'll be leaving first."
Ragnar replied calmly, "Take care."
Only after Orochimaru left did Nawaki finally let out a long breath.
He had been holding it in the whole time.
Even though Orochimaru had always treated him kindly enough as a teacher, Nawaki still could not fully relax around him. There was always a strange chill in the air whenever Orochimaru stood nearby.
It felt like being watched by a snake resting in the grass.
The snake might not strike.
But your body still tensed anyway.
Nawaki rubbed the back of his head, then turned to Ragnar with bright, eager eyes.
"Boss, the war's over for now anyway, and you don't have anything urgent to do, right?" he said. "Why don't you teach me a move or two?"
Ragnar looked at him for a moment.
Originally, he had planned to wait until they returned to Konoha before teaching Nawaki anything. But after thinking about it, there was no real reason to delay.
Tsunade had taught him her monstrous strength technique without holding back. Ragnar was not the type to pretend not to owe that favor. As long as it was not tied to the system itself or one of his Devil Fruit abilities, he had no problem teaching others.
To him, many of the techniques he had developed were important, but not so sacred that they could never be shared.
"Alright," Ragnar said. "Let's go to the training ground over there."
Nawaki's eyes lit up immediately.
"Really?!"
His whole body nearly jumped on the spot. He raised one fist high in the air, looking so excited that he seemed more like an overgrown monkey than the younger brother of Tsunade.
Ragnar simply turned and walked toward the western side of the camp.
Nawaki hurried after him.
The open ground there had once been used by Konoha shinobi for group drills and temporary exercises during the war. Now that the fighting had paused, it had become quiet. Empty. The sound of weapons clashing and ninjutsu exploding had disappeared, replaced by the softer noise of evening wind moving through the trees.
It was peaceful in a way that almost felt unreal.
Near the edge of the training field, beneath a broad tree, stood a familiar figure.
Before they got close, Ragnar had already noticed him.
Minato Namikaze.
Young, humble, gentle, and sharp in a way that most people would only understand after standing near him for long enough.
"Namikaze!" Nawaki shouted before Ragnar could speak. He waved both arms wildly. "Over here!"
Minato turned his head. His face showed surprise when he saw them approaching.
"Nawaki... and Lord Ragnar."
He spoke politely, but Ragnar noticed the flicker in his eyes at once.
Something was off.
Ragnar's Observation Haki quietly picked up the shift in Minato's emotions. It was subtle, but it was there. Hesitation. Curiosity. A little nervousness too.
Ragnar stopped a few steps away. "Minato."
"Lord Ragnar," Minato said, straightening unconsciously. "Why are you here?"
Before Ragnar could answer, Nawaki jumped in.
"Boss Ragnar promised to teach me a powerful move!" he said proudly. "We came here to train!"
Minato blinked, then smiled helplessly. "I see."
He scratched the back of his head, but that same faint unease was still there.
Ragnar looked at him directly. "What is it?"
Minato froze for a second. "Hm?"
"You seem like you're hiding something."
Minato waved both hands immediately. "No, no, it's nothing."
But the denial came too quickly.
Ragnar did not press him.
Minato was not the kind of person who would lie maliciously. If he was keeping something to himself, there was probably a reason.
At the same time, Minato's eyes drifted toward Ragnar with unconcealed admiration.
That was normal.
Ragnar's strength had already become something close to a legend in the camp. But Minato's respect was different from ordinary awe. He was not jealous. He was not resentful. He simply wanted to understand.
Someone so young possessing such terrifying strength...
In Minato's mind, that could only mean one thing.
Behind that power had to be endless effort.
So after a short pause, Minato finally asked, "Would it be alright if I watched?"
Ragnar nodded once. "Of course."
Nawaki grinned. "See? Boss is generous."
Ragnar ignored the flattery and looked at Nawaki instead.
"How many chakra natures do you have?"
Nawaki answered immediately, "Four. Fire, wind, earth, and water."
Ragnar thought for a moment.
"I can use Fire Release, but it doesn't suit you. As for earth and water, I haven't developed them enough to teach you anything useful. Wind is the best option."
Nawaki's excitement did not fade in the slightest.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "As long as you teach me, I'll learn!"
Minato listened carefully from the side.
Wind, he thought.
But I've never seen Lord Ragnar use Wind Release before.
Then again, Ragnar had too many strange abilities. No one could say for sure what his limits were anymore.
Ragnar raised one hand slowly.
"The technique I want to teach you doesn't really depend on wind nature," he said. "But if you learn it well, adding nature transformation later will become much easier."
Nawaki leaned forward. "Then hurry up and show me!"
Even Minato unconsciously took half a step closer.
Ragnar stretched out his palm.
"Watch carefully."
The moment the words fell, chakra began to gather above his hand.
A dense, blue sphere slowly formed.
At first, it looked simple—just chakra compressed into a ball. But that feeling only lasted a second. The chakra was not still. It was rotating violently. Twisting inward. Compressing again and again while remaining perfectly contained.
The air around Ragnar's palm trembled slightly.
Nawaki stared blankly.
Minato's pupils shrank.
Something deep inside him shivered the moment he saw it.
The technique felt unfamiliar...
And yet, strangely familiar at the same time.
As if a thought that had never fully taken shape inside his mind had suddenly appeared in front of him, complete and real.
Minato had always believed that true combat should be fast.
Fast enough that the enemy had no time to react.
Fast enough that even seals became a burden.
No matter how quickly a shinobi formed hand signs, that process still took time. And on a battlefield, time could mean life or death.
That belief had always existed in Minato's heart, vague and unfinished.
But the jutsu in Ragnar's palm gave that thought a shape.
A jutsu with no hand seals.
A jutsu formed instantly.
A jutsu driven by chakra control, compression, and violent rotation.
Ragnar looked at Nawaki and asked, "Do you understand what you're seeing?"
Nawaki stared at the blue sphere for a few seconds and then answered honestly, "It's... a chakra ball?"
Ragnar almost laughed.
Minato covered his mouth lightly, but even he could not hide the amusement in his eyes.
"A chakra ball?" Ragnar repeated.
Nawaki coughed awkwardly. "A very strong chakra ball?"
Ragnar turned without another word and pressed the blue sphere into the thick trunk of the giant tree behind him.
Bang!
A deep, heavy sound exploded through the training ground.
The tree trunk shuddered.
A large hole appeared at the point of impact, drilled inward with terrifying force.
Wood splinters burst outward.
Nawaki's eyes widened. "That's amazing!"
Then he tilted his head and added, "But... it doesn't look that destructive, does it?"
Ragnar glanced at him. "You're only looking at the surface."
Minato's expression changed instantly.
He stepped forward, eyes fixed on the damaged tree. Then he lifted one finger and pointed at the trunk.
The next second—
Boom!
The giant tree split apart.
Cracks burst through the trunk from the inside, racing in all directions like spiderwebs. In an instant, the entire tree shattered into broken chunks and collapsed across the ground.
Nawaki jumped back in shock.
"What?!"
Dust and wood fragments filled the air.
Minato stared at the wreckage, his face full of disbelief and excitement. He had seen it clearly.
The outside damage was only the beginning.
The true destructive force had erupted after the jutsu had already hit.
Its power was not just impact.
It was penetration, rotation, and internal destruction.
Nawaki looked from the destroyed tree to Ragnar's hand, then back again.
His mouth hung open.
"That... that was one attack?"
Ragnar lowered his hand calmly.
"Yes."
A strange light appeared in Minato's eyes, brighter than before.
"What is this technique called?" he asked quietly.
Ragnar looked at the fading traces of chakra in his palm.
"Rasengan."
Minato repeated the name softly in his mind.
Rasengan.
The sound of it alone made his heart beat faster.
Nawaki clenched his fists. His excitement returned immediately, even stronger than before.
"Boss!" he shouted. "Teach me! I want to learn that one!"
Ragnar looked at the two boys in front of him.
One was impulsive, full of fire, and eager to become stronger no matter how hard it would be.
The other was calm, talented, and sharp enough to understand the terror and beauty of the technique after seeing it only once.
A faint breeze passed through the ruined training ground.
The broken remains of the giant tree lay scattered across the earth.
And in that quiet moment, neither Nawaki nor Minato fully realized it yet.
But both of them understood one thing.
They had just witnessed the birth of a terrifying jutsu.
(End of Chapter)
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