Mitokado Satoru took out a notebook and began jotting things down.
The principle behind Scorching Swiftness was correct, but how to cast it depended on him. The book merely explained the casting principles; there was no ready-made spell.
Perhaps it was because Archmage Khadgar no longer needed incantations to cast this kind of spell...
First came control over Arcane Power.
The Book of Medivh was not merely a spellbook that recorded magical knowledge; it was also a powerful magical artifact.
Satoru's successful acquisition of Arcane Power had been inseparable from its help—
In this world, where Arcane Power had not manifested, it was practically impossible for Satoru to comprehend Arcane Power on his own—even living beside the Well of Eternity, the elves had taken tens of thousands of years to produce true Arcane Mages.
Raw Arcane Power was difficult to control, especially in the early era without a systematic magical inheritance.
According to the book, after the Well of Eternity exploded, the elves relied on the World Tree and became far more adept at wielding Arcane Power.
The World Tree worked by using immense life force to guide Natural Energy, regulating the Well of Eternity's violent Arcane Power and allowing spellcasters to use it safely.
Like the Moonkin's Starfire and Moonfire, for instance.
And the Magic Net that later spread across the world was the fundamental reason magical apprentices could quickly master Arcane Power.
Now, Satoru was finally able to see this part of the book—
It was part of magical history.
"Heh heh, there's no Magic Net here, nor is there a World Tree, so this book will take its place..."
Satoru's hand suddenly stopped moving, a cold bead of sweat seeping from his forehead.
"No... World Tree..."
"But... there is a God Tree..."
The God Tree, the Ten-Tails, the Chakra Progenitor.
Chakra was a special energy formed by combining the body's physical energy and spiritual energy. But humans had possessed physical and spiritual energy since ancient times.
Why had Chakra only appeared after the God Tree emerged?
The God Tree absorbed a planet's life force and bore Chakra Fruit. This...
The Book of Medivh clearly recorded that Arcane Power was Titan Power—Star Soul Power, the manifested power of a world soul.
The Well of Eternity was the manifested Arcane Power of Azeroth's star soul, the source of magic and Natural Energy.
Here, in the Shinobi World, Arcane Power could also be harnessed.
In other words, did this planet possess a star soul as well?
Chakra... was it a brand-new form of energy, distinct from Natural Energy, created after Arcane Power had been "processed" by the God Tree?
Perhaps even the environmental changes over a thousand years had affected the creatures of the Shinobi World, allowing them to wield Chakra!
Just as, after the Well of Eternity appeared, Azeroth had produced all kinds of bizarre magical plants, animals, and minerals over tens of thousands of years.
"If that's really the case..."
No longer caring about Scorching Swiftness, Mitokado Satoru immediately tried using Arcane Power to perform ninjutsu.
If his speculation was correct, Arcane Power should be able to replace Chakra, or at the very least, the two should be convertible...
"Ram—Snake—Tiger—Ninja Art: Clone Technique!"
"Poof!"
"This is..."
Mitokado Satoru stared at the strange lump he had created, his face darkening.
It was not the illusory clone produced by the E-rank Clone Technique. It had gained some physical substance, meaning the technique's effect was stronger—but what was with this damned appearance...
He had already mastered the Clone Technique long ago, all right?!
"Arcane Power can activate ninjutsu, but it's much harder to control."
"And Arcane Power can also be converted into Chakra before activating ninjutsu, and the Chakra it produces is more unusual than normal Chakra..."
A faint purple glow flashed in Satoru's eyes. It was a phenomenon caused by unstable mental state, which led to Arcane Power leaking out.
"Sure enough, my hypothesis makes sense. As for the deeper principles, perhaps I'll only understand them once my arcane knowledge becomes more extensive."
"But now, I'm much more confident about surviving safely in this world!"
Mitokado Satoru was terrified. His father, Mitokado Homura, held no small position and no little fame throughout Konoha. Even in the Shinobi World, he was hardly an insignificant nobody.
But who had ever heard of Mitokado Homura having a son?
Utatane Koharu, another advisor, was so old her teeth had fallen out, yet she had not changed her surname. That suggested she had either never married or married a civilian, and no one knew who her descendants were...
The old pot king was also an oddity, so he would be ignored for now.
Among Homura's friends, even Kagami Uchiha, who had died young, had descendants like Shisui. Not to mention the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Torifu Akimichi of the Akimichi clan. But what about Mitokado Homura...?
Satoru reached a horrifying conclusion—
If Homura had originally had a son, then either he was a complete loser, or he was dead.
And being a loser clearly did not fit the level of ninja talent Satoru currently possessed...
At last, there was hope.
Satoru composed himself and let out a long breath. The arcane radiance in his eyes faded.
A mage's degree of control over Arcane Power was inseparably linked to knowledge and mental strength.
Only with abundant knowledge and a powerful mind could one efficiently control Arcane Power and achieve one's goals.
Looking at it this way, the existence of Chakra made spellcasting in this world easier by more than one level. Even children only a few years old could perform ninjutsu.
The God Tree was practically an enhanced version of the World Tree. It not only absorbed the star soul's Arcane Power, but also used life force to harmonize it. It seemed the various Nature Transformations of Chakra were related to this process as well.
"The richer one's arcane knowledge, the stronger one's spiritual power and affinity for Arcane Power become, making it less taxing to control. And the stronger one's spiritual power, the more Arcane Power one can control. Guardian-level figures like Medivh and Khadgar basically never have to worry about mana."
Mitokado Satoru returned to the desk, took up his notebook again, and began summarizing the casting principles of Scorching Swiftness:
"This sort of research is also one of the effective ways to train arcane affinity..."
"Satoru! Are you there?!"
A familiar child's shout came from downstairs outside the window.
"..."
Satoru put down his pen and lay across the desk, lowering his head beneath the windowsill...
"Hey! Satoru, stop hiding! Since we were kids, when have I ever come looking for you and not found you squatting at home?"
"Whoosh!"
A sound came from outside the window. Satoru helplessly bared his teeth, then raised his head and saw a chubby little boy hanging outside the window.
Slitted eyes, a round face—he looked rather amusing—
Choza of the Akimichi clan, the son of Mitokado Homura's friend, Torifu Akimichi. He had been born a little over ten days before Satoru.
"You say that like you've grown up or something..."
Satoru got up and opened the window. Choza jumped inside. The Book of Medivh sat right on the desk, but Choza could not see it at all; he only saw Satoru's notebook.
"What strange new thing are you researching again?"
Choza expertly pulled out a bag of chips, opened it, and handed one to Satoru. He could not help complaining:
"I say, Satoru, you're more than ten days younger than me, so why do I always feel like you're much older?"
"My dad always tells me to learn more from you too... but reading is something I really can't get used to!"
"...That's probably because you're from the Akimichi clan."
Satoru took the chip Choza offered and popped it into his mouth, muttering softly. Then he grew somewhat excited.
"Choza, you came at just the right time. I just came up with a few new ideas. Let's go test them by the river!"
"Huh?"
Choza bit his finger and shuddered, recalling what had happened the last time Satoru had said that...
"You haven't invented some technique that turns me into a sheep again, have you?!"
"No, no. This time, it's a technique I'll use on myself. I just need you to help prevent any accidents~"
"Really?"
"Really, really. Come on, let's go! I'm sacrificing precious stay-at-home time to leave the house, you know!"
Half an hour later, Choza watched Satoru vanish from before his eyes in an instant, screaming as though his butt were on fire, before plunging headfirst into the river. His mouth fell open, and the chips slipped from his hand.
"Was that... the Body Flicker Technique...?"
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