Evening – Training Ground
"Huff… Huff… I'm tired, Johan," Naruto groaned, sweat dripping from his brow as he circled his brother, kunai in hand. "But I'll beat you today!"
Johan smiled calmly, brushing dust from his sleeves. "You can try."
Then, in the middle of a pivot, Johan froze.
He sensed it.
Chakra. Familiar. Heavy like ancient wood.
The Third… he's here.
A blur of motion, Body Flicker.
The wind rustled as Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared on a nearby branch, robes billowing, eyes soft behind his aged face.
"Old man!" Naruto called out, waving. "Why're you here?!"
Hiruzen chuckled. "Hello to you too, Naruto."
Naruto flushed. "Ah, sorry, hello old man."
Johan dipped his head respectfully. "Good evening, Grandpa Hokage."
Hiruzen smiled warmly. "So… training hard, I see. That's good. Very good."
Naruto pointed his thumb at his chest. "You bet! I'm gonna take your hat someday! Believe it!"
The old Hokage laughed, full of life. "Hahaha! I'll be waiting for you, Naruto."
He stepped forward. "How about some ramen?"
Naruto's eyes sparkled. "Really?! You're the best, old man!"
Hiruzen turned to him with a smirk. "Go on and order. I need a word with Johan first. We'll join you soon."
Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You're not giving him some super flashy jutsu, are you?"
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Have you mastered the Three Body Techniques yet?"
"Hmph! That's for babies!" Naruto puffed his cheeks. "I'm hungry. Johan, come fast, okay?"
Johan smiled. "I will."
After Naruto left-
Hiruzen looked at Johan with soft, thoughtful eyes, the warmth of a grandfather flickering beneath the weight of a leader's gaze.
"I saw your spar against Sasuke today…" he said, his voice steady but kind. "You handled yourself with clarity, control… You're doing really well, Johan."
Johan bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Grandpa."
A moment of silence passed. The leaves rustled in the trees behind them. Then, Hiruzen's expression shifted, less gentle, more serious.
"You've always been different," he said slowly. "More observant. More mature than those around you. You understand things most children your age don't even notice." He paused, then added, "And I believe you also understand... this village needs people like you. People who can carry a heavier burden, even when it's not fair."
Johan's smile faded. He nodded. "Yes. I understand."
Hiruzen nodded back, then placed a hand behind his back, walking a few paces, as if weighing the next words carefully.
"I'd like to ask something of you," he said gently, turning back to Johan. "Not as Hokage… but as someone who's watched you grow up.
I'm considering offering you a place in ANBU."
Johan's eyes widened slightly.
ANBU?
He had only hoped to graduate early. Be placed on a team. Walk the normal path. But this… this was something else entirely. This was the path of the unseen, the elite.
Hiruzen's voice was calm but firm. "I know it's not an easy path. There's danger… sacrifice. But it would help you grow. Sharpen your skills in ways the Academy never could. And more than that…" His tone softened, "It would help you protect your brother and the village."
Johan's mind swirled on the last part.
"Protect the village."
Those words… how often had he heard them? From teachers, elders, shinobi, always with the same reverent tone, like a prayer. Like something holy. Sacred.
But to him, they felt… hollow.
No one had asked him if he wanted to protect it. No one cared if the village had protected him first. The phrase wrapped itself around his heart like wire, tight, cold, cutting.
Protect the village…
Even if it means burying the parts of you that still feel.
Even if it means killing what's left of your innocence.
Still… Hiruzen hadn't demanded it. That was the strange thing. The old man hadn't ordered. He'd asked, with the tired eyes of someone who had seen too much and still hoped anyway.
Johan clenched his fist.
There was something inside him, something sharp and burning, that needed this. Not the kindness. Not the belief. The path. The fire. He needed to walk into it, to let it shape him, destroy the weakness that clung to his bones like rot.
So he looked up.
His voice was steady, but behind it was a storm no one could see.
"I'm ready."
It wasn't loyalty.
It wasn't hope.
It was survival, dressed as a promise.
Hiruzen smiled, gently, proudly. A tired smile, but real. "I'm glad to hear that. I have great expectations from you, Johan... but more importantly, I trust you."
Johan only nodded.
Then Hiruzen chuckled, the old man returning for a moment. "Now come on, before Naruto eats every last bowl of ramen. I doubt even the chef can stop him."
Johan laughed softly. "Yeah. Let's go."