Flame Shield

Magic Shield was one of the defensive spells most commonly used by mages.

Unlike armor spells that enhanced the caster's own condition, shield spells usually formed a protective zone around the mage, blocking damage from the outside.

Satoru had never heard of anything like this in the ninja world...

Ninjas did not seem to pay much attention to personal defense. Their barrier ninjutsu was also very powerful, but it focused more on collective protection and required dedicated personnel to maintain it.

Or rather, ninjutsu all had this flaw: they required the caster to continuously supply Chakra in order to remain effective.

This was also one of the key factors restricting the development of personal defensive ninjutsu.

But magic was clearly also very adept at sustained enhancement effects.

Although Magic Shield only lasted a minute, it did not need to be maintained!

"Three types of shields: Arcane's Prismatic Shield, Flame Shield, and Frost Shield."

Satoru had been studying defensive spells for some time. The principles behind the three advanced shield spells were largely similar, but depending on the element forming the shield, they had different effects.

Besides, forming an eggshell-shaped protective barrier was not very practical—it blocked too much of the view!

The transparent eggshell-shaped protective zone, whose outward manifestation was defensive spheres, was the shield's true form.

Prismatic Shield was a shield formed from Arcane Power. It appeared as three magnificent Arcane Orbs. Not only was it beautiful, but it also increased resistance against all kinds of techniques.

Flame Shield was a shield formed by gathering Fire Elementals. It appeared as three burning fireballs, incredibly dazzling, and could burn enemies in close combat.

Frost Shield was a shield formed by gathering frost. It appeared as three icy spheres that radiated a chilling aura. It was also beautiful and could frostbite enemies in close combat.

The three spheres revolving around him reminded Satoru of Truth-Seeking Orbs...

For the same reasons as before, Satoru could only temporarily seal away Prismatic Shield and Frost Shield and focus on practicing Flame Shield first.

Moreover, he needed both a magic version and a ninjutsu version.

At the very least, he had to make sure his dad, his protective umbrella, could learn it, right?

This is so hard...

As an outsider, Satoru was going all out mentally to survive properly in the disaster-ridden Shinobi World!

Finally, a month later, just as Might Duy became so excited that he nearly beat an elite Chunin from the Anbu to death and successfully obtained authorization for special missions, Satoru's first defensive spell was completed!

The magic and ninjutsu versions of Flame Shield looked identical, but their underlying principles still differed.

By using the continuous Chakra-output method of Water Walking, Satoru successfully incorporated Nature Transformation into it and developed the ninjutsu version of Flame Shield.

But the difficulty of practicing it was somewhat beyond Satoru's expectations.

Water Walking itself was not a skill everyone could master. Even among Genin, one had to be outstanding and undergo extensive training to achieve it.

Now, with the addition of Fire Nature Transformation, the difficulty had shot straight up to C-rank.

As for directly forming spheres with Chakra...

Heh. Simply hanging three spheres around oneself did not make it a shield. That transparent eggshell-shaped protective zone was the essence of defensive spells.

As usual... I can just dump the task of developing the technique on the old man.

Satoru was very glad to have his dad as someone who could vouch for him.

With arcane knowledge, the mysterious connection between Arcane Power and Chakra, and the aid of The Book of Medivh itself, Satoru possessed a natural advantage in analyzing ninjutsu.

But he could not be too conspicuous. There were precedents for someone his age learning a C-rank technique, but developing one would be far too shocking.

Mitokado Homura spent some time learning the technique, but as for its practicality...

"Satoru, I have also noticed that compared to others your age, your Chakra reserves are far too great."

With fireballs revolving around him, Homura carefully experienced the technique before speaking seriously to Satoru:

"But for ordinary ninjas, this kind of continuous Chakra output is too much of a burden."

"To maintain a certain level of defensive power, the Chakra output cannot be too low. But excessive output wastes Chakra."

"Although this Flame Shield is a C-rank ninjutsu, to truly bring out its value, one needs at least the Chakra reserves of a Jonin. However..."

After thinking it over carefully, Homura suggested:

"The concept of a 'maintenance technique' is very good. It can be modified somewhat. Normally, activate the technique with an extremely low amount of Chakra. The fireballs do not need to appear—sparks will do."

"When needed, instantly increase the Chakra output to form fireball protection. That would raise its practicality by a level. Even Chunin and Genin could use this technique to save their lives."

"Wow..."

Satoru opened his mouth in surprise.

The old ginger was indeed spicier.

The issues Mitokado Homura raised struck right at the heart of the matter. They were all practical problems Satoru had never considered when using the technique.

"What I lack most is indeed real combat. The valuable experience in using techniques accumulated through actual combat is indispensable when developing a practical technique."

The fact that he had never truly been on a battlefield was the greatest problem Satoru faced.

Rich combat experience was the foundation of whether a ninja could be called an "elite," not combat power.

This was also the fundamental reason why Mitokado Homura and the Third Hokage insisted that Duy, whose combat power crushed ordinary Jonin, had to accumulate merits through actual missions.

If he got instantly taken out by Genjutsu, traps, ninjutsu, or something else the moment he went out, what use would a powerful attack be?

"As expected of the old man. Then I'll leave the credit for this technique to you too... I'm off to improve it!"

Watching Satoru disappear at once, Mitokado Homura helplessly adjusted his glasses.

"This brat... not only is he smart, he's humble enough too. He's just still a little immature."

Remembering that Satoru was only a child under eight, Homura gave a wry smile and shook his head.

"Honestly... before I knew it, I kept overlooking that fact."

"Especially these past few years. I had gradually become accustomed to Satoru's way of thinking, which rivaled that of an adult."

After submitting the ninjutsu version of Flame Shield to his dad, Satoru received official certification to use the magic version.

Although all sorts of strange techniques emerged endlessly in the Shinobi World, Satoru still had to act cautiously until his strength reached a certain level.

After gaining a defensive spell, Satoru made the young Ino-Shika-Cho trio suffer greatly.

Its dazzling appearance also became one of Satoru's trademarks.

The side effect was that whenever he used Flame Shield, the swirling fireballs always made Satoru's thoughts wander:

I always feel like there's something I need to make fun of...

That guy's three balls... were green, if he remembered right.

But regardless, by the start of the new school year, Satoru had finally deciphered 30% of The Book of Medivh.

Through this, Satoru came into contact with content from arcane transmutation magic that he had long been anticipating.

The principles behind transmutation spells involving space.

First came the pride of mages and the most widely used spell of all—Blink.

"Blink can be used to swiftly escape an enemy's pursuit, or to keep careless mages from falling off a cliff. Unless absolutely necessary, do not attempt to use Blink to avoid the danger of falling to your death. A mistake in such a little trick is enough to cost you your life."

The Book of Medivh's explanation of Blink's applications was full of teasing.

That was probably why the description of Slow Fall followed immediately afterward.