Rogge's Ninja Way

That afternoon, Rogge arrived at the Hokage's Office to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Knock, knock, knock..." There was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Rogge pushed the door open and entered.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated behind his desk, raised his head and looked at Rogge over the stack of documents on the desk.

"Godfather, what did you want to see me about?" Rogge met his gaze calmly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. "You killed two Uchiha today... Is there anything you want to say?"

It was hard to imagine that a child who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy at the age of seven had killed two elite ninja in succession.

This was no longer the Warring States era... but an age of relatively peaceful and stable ninja villages.

A seven-year-old child... and after killing someone, he looked utterly unconcerned, as if he had merely crushed two bugs.

Most importantly, he was only seven!

At seven years old, he had single-handedly killed an elite jonin who possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Such a monster might well become the next "God of Shinobi."

"I killed them, so what? It was they who provoked me first. I merely answered tooth for tooth and blood for blood. That is my ninja way!" Rogge said with a serious expression as he stared directly into Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.

"Tooth for tooth, blood for blood..." Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his eyelids and fell into thought.

Rogge's way of thinking... was truly a little dangerous.

That savage declaration reminded Hiruzen Sarutobi of the Warring States era he had lived through in his youth.

"It seems... you are a ninja who believes strength is supreme." Hiruzen Sarutobi rose to his feet and slowly walked toward the window, looking out at the bustling streets below.

"Rogge, what drives you to become a ninja?"

Rogge replied, "To grow stronger! Then change this world and bring it true peace. My idol is Lord Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage. I will fulfill the dream Lord Hashirama failed to achieve!"

"Oh?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was genuinely shocked this time.

He had not expected seven-year-old Rogge to possess such a grand ideal—to create a truly peaceful and prosperous age for the ninja world through his own efforts alone?

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked curiously, "Then how do you intend to achieve peace?"

"Of course, only absolute strength can uphold the rules and bring peace to the world!"

Rogge said excitedly, "When Lord Hashirama was still alive, neither the Five Great Nations nor the Five Great Ninja Villages dared start a war. That was the deterrence of absolute strength!"

"Conversely, after Lord Hashirama died, the First Ninja War quickly erupted, resulting in the deaths of countless civilians..."

"Also, Lord Hashirama's proposal at the first Five Kage Summit to distribute the Tailed Beasts was another approach. The nine Tailed Beasts were equivalent to nine powerful weapons, and their might could even destroy a small nation overnight!"

"By distributing the Tailed Beasts fairly, he balanced the military power of the Five Great Nations. Lord Hashirama preserved both the dignity and interests of the other four Kage, allowing the ninja world to maintain peace for a time!"

"But! That was only temporary peace. Human greed will always exist, and the seeds of hatred sown during the Warring States era will one day take root and sprout!"

"Therefore, after Lord Hashirama's death, war swiftly broke out! This leads to one conclusion: if true peace is to be achieved, only absolute strength can overawe all living beings and make everyone obey the rules. Reward merit, punish wrongdoing—fair and just!"

"To that end, the ninja world must be unified. Everyone must live under one unified nation. Only then can the conflicts between clans, between nations, and between ninja villages be eliminated."

Watching Rogge grow more excited with every word, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. "I understand everything you have said, but achieving it would be far too difficult."

"I truly never expected... that you, Rogge, would harbor such a great ideal of helping the world and unifying it. Heh, that is far more difficult than becoming Hokage."

"Besides, if unification is achieved through force, who knows how many people would die..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and stopped dwelling on something that was nearly impossible to accomplish.

Then he said solemnly, "Rogge, I intend to specially recruit you into the ANBU. What do you think?"

"I have no objections. Before becoming the savior, I should first set my sights on the position of Hokage." Rogge revealed a confident smile.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Good. From this moment on, you are a member of the ANBU!"

The ANBU's full name was the Assassination Tactics Special Squad. It was an elite force directly managed by the Hokage, specifically responsible for handling special missions. All information was confidential, their work was directly assigned by the Hokage, and none of their operations or achievements would ever be made public.

"All ANBU members keep their identities confidential, so outwardly, you will still be a newly graduated genin."

"I have assigned you to Team Eight, led by jonin Tsunade. She will be your jonin instructor from now on. When there are no special missions, you will study under Tsunade."

"Oh, and let me introduce one of your ANBU instructors..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi called out loudly, "Come out, Tiger!"

Whoosh~

A tall ninja appeared in a corner of the office. He wore a cat-faced mask, a black bodysuit beneath a white suspender vest, and gray trousers.

"Lord Hokage!"

Rogge recognized him. So his codename was Tiger, though Rogge did not know his real name.

That was right. This cat-masked ninja was the ANBU member who had been monitoring Rogge all along.

"Tiger is an experienced ANBU veteran. Rogge, Tiger will be your captain from now on."

Rogge smiled. "That outfit of yours looks pretty cool. When I carry out special missions in the future, do I need to find a mask to wear too?"

Tiger spoke up. "You are a new ANBU member. First, give yourself a codename. As for your mask, you may choose one you like yourself."

Rogge nodded, thought for a moment, then said, "I've got it. My ANBU codename will be Fire—the fire of Hokage. As for the mask, I'll make one myself."

"Fine. That is all up to you." Tiger nodded.

Then Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up a file from the desk and handed it to Rogge. "This is your personal file. Take a look and see whether there is anything you need to add."

Rogge accepted the file curiously and flipped through it.

The file contained a detailed record of his personal information.

It included, but was not limited to, information on Rogge's deceased parents; the people and events he had encountered from birth until now; his only friend, Kushina Uzumaki... the ninja techniques he excelled at—the Three Basic Techniques, the Shadow Clone Technique, the bloodline limit Lava Release, the Wing Chun fighting style, and the Flying Thunder God Technique.

It also recorded how he defeated Uchiha Iwa in the Ninja Academy's practical assessment, took first place in the genin-level clan rankings, was accepted as the adopted son of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, killed Uchiha Shu and Uchiha Shimizu in the dueling arena, and was assessed as possessing the overall combat strength of an elite jonin.

A string of numbers was written in the upper-right corner of the file. That was his ANBU file number.

Beneath his name were several small words as well... Sarutobi Rogge, probationary member of the Second Squad, Third ANBU Division.

"Rogge, you are a ninja of civilian birth. You have only a given name, no surname. Are you willing to take my surname?"

A smile hung on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

"No problem. From today onward, my surname is Sarutobi. Sarutobi Rogge, reporting!"

Rogge set down the file and dropped to one knee before Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his goatee with a gratified expression. "Good, good, good. From now on, when no one else is around, call me Godfather."

"Godfather!"

"Yes!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi personally stepped forward, helped Rogge up, and patted him on the shoulder. "Where leaves dance, fire burns on without end. A ninja's talent is not measured by how powerful the techniques they master are. What matters is the will to never give up!"

"Rogge, I acknowledge your Will of Fire and your love for peace! From this day onward, you are my adopted son!"

"A ninja is one who endures. To realize the ideals and ambitions in your heart, you must endure what ordinary people cannot. Before your ideal is achieved, any pain can be endured!"

Rogge replied solemnly, "I understand! A promise made is a promise kept. That is my ninja way!"