A/N: relatively short chapter, more info related.
[ ?????????? ]
Long before time had a name, I, Gardinon existed.
I was born of an Oni father and a Dragon mother, in a realm where war and death plagued its lands.
The realm of Oni and Dragons.
For centuries before my birth, and for centuries after my birth, this endless war has violently torn this ancient land and its inhabitants completely apart. And the cause; the war between the oni and dragons.
The terrifying Oni were monstrous, shape-shifting creatures and demonic beings of pure madness that stood as a constant, looming threat to the delicate balance of this world. Their corrupted, dark blood only truly thrives on generating absolute chaos and harbouring deep, unyielding hate.
They are completely destructive by their very nature, existing as a lethal threat to not only their own world but to anyone unfortunate enough to exist around them. Whenever they marched to war, they brought a suffocating, purple miasma that choked the very life out of the soil. Their dark, jagged forms were practically indistinguishable from the terrifying, bottomless nightmares they actively wrought upon the land.
The Dragons, celestial beings born of the sources, beings that possess powers that create and shape the world in their image, they soar through the sky's and through realms for it is their birth right. Attempting to bring order and stability to the realm.
But as one could guess, this would not bode well with the oni. The oni craved on chaos and destruction and thus, order was their antithesis.
The two sides see the other as only threats to their realm.
And so, the war waged for centuries even after I had been born. Both sides eager to bring me to their cause, believing that I would be the change needed to bring the end to the other.
The dragons insisted that the continuous existence of the oni would only lead to an endless cycle of death and chaos, forever plaguing the lands with destruction. They hoped that I would aid them in the war to truly help order and stability reign.
The oni were different, they believed that the true nature of the realm was chaos, and that chaos was a primordial concept that could not be contained or controlled but only be followed. They believe that their actions were simply following the will of chaos and the impulses of their very blood.
I could understand the two sides, my dragon-blood for order and stability across the lands, so that this millennia worth of blood feud could end. But that was not all, it also wished for the complete annihilation of the Oni, because of their relations to primordial chaos and destruction, believing it was justice and the way to true peace.
My oni-blood boiled in satisfaction and grim glee, it craved for more destruction, causing me to supress my destructive impulses.
Born of both, I will eventually be forced to choose a side.
But….
What if both sides are wrong?
What if I believe that both their philosophies are wrong?
What if in wiping out destruction and chaos, we only breed chaos from within the order we enforce?
As it stands, I believe that both sides are too stuck in their ways, for those are the philosophies that guide their existence.
A change is necessary.
If complete destruction leads only to more destruction, and complete order leads to forced order and destruction, could there be a balance per chance?
Could there be a way to make they two sides coexist with one another?
Would that not be a better option as opposed to the complete annihilation of one species in order to uplift the other?
My gaze shifted, focusing on the small soul listening to my personal internal monologue.
"Wouldn't that be the better option…., don't you think so, young lord?" I asked softly, my voice echoing slightly before violently severing the connection with the youngling.
[ JINICHI WATARU ]
Gasp!
I jolted violently awake with a loud, desperate gasp for air, my body thrashing aggressively against the soft, unfamiliar sheets. My lungs burned furiously as I panted heavily, sucking in for air greedily.
' WHAT THE HELL!!!!!'
I sat upright, breaking out in a cold, clammy sweat completely drenched my clothes, causing the thin fabric to stick uncomfortably to my violently shivering body.
It took several long, agonizing minutes for my wildly racing heartbeat to finally slow down to a somewhat normal rhythm within my chest.
I slowly forced my heavy eyelids open, squinting against the harsh, fluorescent lighting.
"Ack!"
The sharp, overwhelming smell of strong antiseptic and freshly bleached linens was completely intoxicating.
As my blurry vision finally began to clear, I immediately noticed a familiar, glowing purple interface hovering perfectly in the air just a few inches from my face. I ignored it, I was still trying to calm myself down.
my panic slowly subsided, as I slowly turned my heavy head, my gaze finally locking onto the glowing purple screen that had been patiently waiting for my undivided attention.
The sleek, holographic interface was significantly brighter than I remembered, projecting a crisp, highly detailed message.
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NINJAGO SYSTEM
[ Updated!]
[New features available! ]
[ PATCH NOTES ]
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'Okay…. What the hell?'
Before I could even open the [ PATCH NOTES ], my body felt weaker and I was forced to lie back down on my bed.
'It seems I'm still pretty exhausted, on the good side, my body feels good, better than when I was in the grotto.
But still what happened? Last, I remember I was knocked out by oni and then I woke up here.'
"Sigh…"
'Close'
the screen instantly shattered into harmless pixels before fading completely from my sight. I painfully shifted my sore body into a sitting position, ignoring the sharp, lingering ache in my muscles to get a better, comprehensive view of the hospital room. It was a standard medical ward, featuring three identical beds and a wooden chair near the door.
'If I'm here, then what happened to sensei and the others?'
A brief, terrifying spike of paranoia flared within my chest, making me wonder if the Oni-masked assassin had somehow successfully managed to capture me and take me to his base.
Looking around the room is spotted a familiar Ninja pouch near one of the legs of the beds, hidden in between a wooden drawer and the leg of the bed; it was Kisuke's pouch, looking around some more, I noticed more familiar belongings; Aoi's shoes and sensei's pillow.
'Oh thank God, I haven't been kidnapped.'
My teammates and sensei had likely just left the room to stretch their legs. The profound silence of the empty ward was suddenly broken by the soft, metallic click of the heavy door's latch slowly turning from the outside corridor.
I instinctively tensed. The door gently pushed open, revealing a young, professional-looking medical kunoichi dressed in a pristine white coat, holding a detailed clipboard securely against her chest. She stepped into the room with a practiced, quiet grace, her expression immediately shifting from slight boredom to surprise the moment she saw me sitting up.
The medical kunoichi, whose name tag clearly identified her as Saori, let out a soft, relieved gasp as she quickly hurried over to the side of my bed.
" OH! You're finally awake; we were beginning to seriously worry that you had slipped into a permanent, irreversible coma," Saori said with a warm, genuine smile. She immediately began checking my vitals.
"Your physical injuries healed days ago, but you hadn't woken up, completely baffling our most experienced medical staff,"
she explained as she worked. I simply nodded in quiet acknowledgment.
"Where exactly is the rest of my squad?" I croaked, my voice sounding incredibly raspy and foreign after being completely unused for what must have been several days. Saori offered me a reassuring, gentle smile, expertly pouring a cup of fresh water from the bedside pitcher before handing it carefully to my trembling hands.
"Your sensei and your two teammates stepped out about an hour ago to grab some food from the cafeteria downstairs," she answered, completely easing my lingering anxiety.
"Aoi and Kisuke woke up a few days before you did, and they have been practically glued to this room ever since, refusing to leave your side for long." a comforting, feeling bloomed in my chest.
Saori quickly finished scribbling down her medical observations onto her clipboard, looking completely satisfied with my rapid, seemingly miraculous neurological recovery from the deep, unexplained coma.
"You should rest and drink plenty of fluids; I will immediately go and notify your sensei that you have finally rejoined the waking world," she instructed politely. With a final, encouraging nod, she turned gracefully on her heel and exited the hospital room, the heavy door clicking securely shut right behind her.
I was left alone once more, the silence of the medical ward providing the perfect environment for me to finally process my thoughts.
'The two groups of attackers from the grotto we're clearly not working together. If they had been they original group would not have changed their objective from capture to assassination the moment oni entered the grotto.
But who do they fall under? The hyuga? Could my Spinjutsu really prove to be such a threat to their Kaiten?
But I have no relations with them and as far as I know, none of my family members are related to the hyuga clan.
But what about Oni? He clearly works for a third party. Who could his benefactor be?
Theres too many people to suspect...'
"Sigh…."
'System?'
[ Yes [ Young Lord ]? ]
????????
'Why are you calling me young lord??'
[ because that is your title, would you prefer another name [ Young Lord ]? ]
'.... No, I think the name is fine, but also what do you mean by title?'
[ I believe it would be best if [ Young Lord ] checks the [ PATCH NOTES ] ]
'Okay then, open [ PATCH NOTES ].'
[ Understood ]
The screen instantly materialized before me, the interface looking significantly sleeker and far more complex than it had been a few days ago. The standard edges of the digital window were now beautifully accented with greenish purple swirls at each corner of the screen.
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NINJAGO SYSTEM
[ PATCH NOTES ]
Updated system menu for [ player ]New mechanics, such as;
● CORE SKILLS
Core Skills are the fundamental pillars of the [ player's ] development and combat prowess. They represent broad, foundational abilities that dictate the user's overall potential in a given field—such as Chakra Control, Taijutsu/ Spinjutsu, Ninjutsu. A Core Skill acts as the primary level scaling for everything beneath it. As the user levels up a Core Skill, the baseline power, efficiency, and execution speed of all related abilities also improve, although levelling up a core skill is a bit harder in comparison to levelling up a sub skill . Unlocking a new Core Skill often represents a major milestone or a fundamental shift in the user's understanding of their own body and energy.
● CATEGORIES (SKILL TREES)
Categories act as the structural branches branching off from a Core Skill. They are specialized subsets designed to intuitively organize the user's growing arsenal. For example, under the Core Skill of Chakra Control, a user might find Categories such as Shape Manipulation or Nature Transformation or Chakra augmentation.
Categories prevent the System interface from becoming cluttered and allow the user to easily track their progression down specific combat styles or utility paths.
● SUB SKILLS
Sub Skills are the specific, actionable techniques within a Category. If Chakra Control is the foundation and Chakra augmentation is the Category, then Tree Walking or Chakra enhancement would be the Sub Skills.
Sub Skills are highly specialized and often require active grinding or repetitive use to level up. Crucially, the mastery of these Sub Skills directly feeds back into the user's progression; successfully levelling up a Sub Skill grants experience points (XP) that increase the overall mastery of its parent Core Skill.
● COLLECTIONS
The Collections tab acts as a comprehensive, omniscient compendium and inventory tracker. It is a highly organized database that logs every weapon, piece of armour, artifact, and significant item the user has either bought from the system shop, encountered or obtained on their journey.
Beyond just a list, Collections provides deep lore for each item. It can also act as an achievement tracker, occasionally granting the user buffs or special rewards when they complete specific gear sets or gather rare materials.
● ATTRIBUTES
Attributes are innate, passive perks derived directly from the user's genetics, soul, or Bloodline Limit.
Unlike Skills, which must be actively learned and practiced, Attributes are intrinsic to who the user is—such as the volatile nature of the Oni or the radiant energy of the Dragon.
These traits fundamentally alter the user's base statistics, elemental affinities, or physical resistances. Attributes might grant accelerated healing, immunity to certain types of genjutsu, or a naturally massive chakra reserve, setting the user completely apart from ordinary shinobi.
● TITLE
A Title is a prestigious mantle bestowed upon the user by a predecessor or unlocked through monumental feats of physical and spiritual growth. It is much more than a simple cosmetic name; it is a symbol of legacy.
When a Title is recognized by the System, it often projects an aura or grants massive passive modifiers that reflect the nature of the achievement.
Earning a Title signifies that the user has successfully inherited a piece of ancient will, acting as a true bridge between the predecessor's era and their own.
● ELEMENTAL PERKS
These are subskills and perks that the [ player ] gains after reaching a certain level of mastery in an element. The player must reach level 100+ in an element to obtain the perks associated with specific elements.
Levelling up speed has been restored to original pace, stat point rewards will be given when levelling up now.+3 stat points will be given when levelling up.Exp gotten from quests will increase with [ player ] level.Stat points gotten from quests will still scale to difficulty of quest.[ Player ] must still do Level quest in order to reach next rank.The level caps/ ranks have been increased;
1 to 33 — [ Genin ]
34 to 66 — [ Chunin ]
67 to 99 — [ Tokubetsu Jonin ]
100 to 132 — [ Jonin ]
133 to 165 — [ Sanin ]
166 to 200 — [ Low Kage ]
201 to 225 — [ Mid Kage ]
226 to 250 — [ High Kage ]
251 to 350 — [ God of shinobi ]
350 to 450 — [ Sage of six paths ]
451 to 600 — [ Celestial/Otsutsuki ]
601 to 800 — [ First Lord ]
801 to 1000 — [ Primordial chaos/ Primordial order ]
1000+ — [ Source dragon ]
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'Uhm...okay….wow that's a lot to take in….uh….system, open menu.'
[ Understood ]
MENUSTATUSQUESTSHOPINVENTORYINBOX
[ DING! ]
[ DING! ]
'New notifications... I'll check them later.
Status!'
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
[STATUS]
[Name] — Jinichi Wataru
[Level] — 25
[Exp Bar] — 600,750,255 / 838,860,800
[STATS]
Strength — 33 [High Genin]
Constitution — 33 [High Genin]
Speed — 33 [High Genin]
Dexterity — 33 [High Genin]
Intelligence — 33 [High Genin]
Chakra Capacity — 33 [High Genin]
[Stat Points] — 104
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
[SKILLS]
< CHAKRA CONTROL [Lvl 40 ] >
●[ CHAKRA AUGMENTATION ] [Lvl 24]
Chakra enhancement [Lvl 32] ( previously known as chakra augmentation)
Tree walking [ Lvl 15 ]
●[ SENSORY ] [ Lvl 19 ]
Chakra sonar [ Lvl 28 ]
< NINJUTSU [Lvl 25 ] >
● [ EARTH STYLE ] [ Lvl 14 ]
Hiding like a mole jutsu [ Lvl 16 ]
Earth dome[ Lvl 12 ]
● [ YIN STYLE ] [ Lvl 27 ]
Transformation jutsu [ Lvl 30 ]
Clone jutsu [ Lvl 28 ]
Substiution jutsu [ Lvl 29 ]
Image Training [Lvl 30]
Scan [ Lvl 17 ]
● [ YANG STYLE ] [ Lvl 34 ]
Shadow Clone jutsu [ Lvl 32 ]
Body flicker technique [ Lvl 35 ]
< ELEMENTS >
● METAL [ Lvl 70 ]
< TAIJUTSU [ Lvl 14 ] >
●[ NIN-TAIJUTSU ] [ Lvl 16 ]
Spinjitzu/Spinjutsu [ Lvl 29 ]
< BUKIJUTSU [ Lv 15 ] >
● SHURIKENJUTSU [ Lvl 30 ]
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●