"I actually fell for something like that..."
Orochimaru smiled wryly.
Honestly, Satoru's string of smooth, seamless moves was beyond even the most outstanding genin Orochimaru had ever seen.
But he was Orochimaru, after all. How could he possibly fail to handle it?
That crucial moment of distraction was when Orochimaru had truly fallen into Satoru's trap.
If Satoru had said that Tsunade would meet Jiraiya at night and tell him something about Orochimaru, there was no way Orochimaru would have believed it.
But the problem was that Satoru had sneakily transformed into Nawaki and said it. If Orochimaru had not been stunned, he would not have been a man.
Though later on, he seemed to indeed no longer be... or perhaps not necessarily...
Combined with the fact that Satoru's Clone Technique had physical substance, Orochimaru had not realized that it was not Nawaki.
"This kid even thought of that. It seems he carefully investigated the three of us as well."
Satoru did not know whether Orochimaru had feelings for Tsunade.
But Orochimaru had not turned dark yet. Even if he did not, he would not be completely indifferent to news about such close comrades, right?
Satoru had seized upon that point and ended the battle in barely ten minutes!
"Well... Orochimaru-sensei, we can still have breakfast, right?"
"That's great! Satoru, we did it!"
"That's wonderful! Satoru, you're really amazing!"
Nawaki and Mikoto cheered, then saw Satoru flick his wrist and send two bells flying toward them.
The two caught them instinctively, then were immediately shocked.
"Satoru, you stole these. We..."
"That's right, Satoru. Without bells, if..."
"All right... you two take them," Orochimaru said. "Getting a bell means you passed. The two of you have passed."
"But we didn't get them ourselves!"
"You are a team. Since Satoru gave them to you, you are qualified to receive them."
"Then Satoru..."
"Hehe... when I tested him alone the day before yesterday, he had already passed."
"You saw his performance today. Even among genin, how many could be more outstanding than him?"
Orochimaru smiled and nodded, releasing Satoru's head.
"Nawaki, your application of basic ninjutsu is very proficient. Your timing with the Substitution Technique was truly excellent, and the way you adjusted the power of your Water Release also showed that you can already control it skillfully."
Nawaki scratched the back of his head bashfully and chuckled.
"Mikoto, without the full support of the Uchiha clan, you were able to train your basic ninja tool throwing and Fire Release to this level. I was right about you. Your talent truly is exceptional."
Mikoto stuck out her tongue and smiled softly.
"Thank you, Orochimaru-sensei~"
"Satoru, I thought you had already given me a huge surprise last time, but what you displayed today was even more astonishing."
Glancing at Satoru, who was kneading bread and water together to prepare breakfast, Orochimaru's eye twitched.
"This kid is not afraid of missing lunch at all..."
After a rare moment of silent grumbling, Orochimaru could only continue.
"Especially since not only is your use of ninjutsu excellent, but your tactical planning and grasp of timing are also superb. You even exploited an enemy's psychological weakness to succeed in one stroke. Very good!"
"Then I hereby announce that from this moment on, Nawaki, Uchiha Mikoto, and Mitokado Satoru, the three of you, are officially promoted to genin!"
"And Team Orochimaru is officially established! I, Jonin Orochimaru, will be your squad leader!"
"Hurrah~~!"
Nawaki's cheers rang out from the riverbank. Mikoto's face was full of excitement, but she did not shout, maintaining her ladylike composure.
As for Satoru...
"Come on, Orochimaru-sensei, Sis Mikoto, Nawaki, try my newly improved flavors..."
"This is chicken pie, and this is lemon black tea! There's lemon green tea too... though it only tastes like tea, it is not real tea!"
Although Satoru's group was the first to pass the test, they were the last to return to the village to report in.
The other teams were practically exhausted to death after their tests, while Team Orochimaru had finished in only around ten minutes.
Therefore, after eating the food Satoru made, they immediately began training.
Orochimaru's training was very comprehensive.
Chakra control exercises, such as tree climbing and water walking, were required subjects.
Satoru and the others would spend the afternoon familiarizing themselves with these techniques and beginning their practice.
Basic skills were originally meant to be practiced during routine missions, but it was now a prewar period. There were not enough routine missions for genin to train with, so the jonin instructors would begin training them directly.
As Orochimaru was proficient in all sorts of strange and unusual ninjutsu, what he taught Satoru's group naturally focused primarily on ninjutsu.
However, new ninjutsu could not be learned in a short while, so Orochimaru's instruction focused on the areas they lacked most.
"On the battlefield, knowing many ninjutsu and casting them quickly does not mean you can defeat your enemies."
Orochimaru was undoubtedly highly qualified as a teacher. What he taught Satoru and the others were techniques for surviving on the battlefield.
"You have no battlefield experience. The battlefield is completely different from ordinary sparring, combat, and drills."
"Overall ability is the key to surviving on the battlefield!"
"This includes reconnaissance, counter-reconnaissance, concealment, infiltration, intelligence gathering, sabotage, assassination, disrupting the enemy's rear, and more."
"Direct combat is what you do only when there is no alternative. Winning without fighting is the highest-priority solution."
Under Orochimaru's instruction, the eye-opening arts of ninja warfare unfolded before Satoru.
Satoru, who had spent most of his time at home, was undoubtedly rich in theoretical knowledge of ninjutsu. With the assistance of The Book of Medivh, he was the strongest of the three when it came to techniques.
But when it came to these auxiliary skills for dealing with enemies, Satoru was not particularly adept.
These were originally supposed to be taught to students in their fourth through sixth years at the Ninja Academy, once they entered the practical exercise stage.
Therefore, Satoru's combat style was still one of facing enemies head-on.
As a mage... I feel like I'm about to become a rogue.
Orochimaru's curiosity about Satoru was also gradually growing.
Satoru smoothly passed the genin test, and according to later information, around 150 students from the previous graduating class had passed the test and been promoted to genin.
Satoru's group also successfully received their ninja registration numbers as official ninjas.
"Number 005348, Uchiha Mikoto!"
"Number 005349, Mitokado Satoru!"
"Number 005350, Nawaki!"
While receiving his ninja number, Satoru quietly used Mage Eye to peek at the registration list.
"Hm? This number is..."
Satoru was stunned to find a familiar name on the list!
"Number 005200, Yakushi Nonō!"
"That woman Tsunade..."
Satoru ground his teeth. It seemed Tsunade had already acknowledged Nonō's strength as a genin in advance, in her capacity as a teacher!
The greater part of the reason was likely the scarcity of Medical Ninjas. A promising talent like Nonō was rarer than an ordinary genin.
"However, from now on, we'll have to risk our lives on the battlefield. If I don't reveal some real skill, I might not survive until the war ends!"
Satoru was becoming less confident in the "low-key start for a mage apprentice" he had planned. With Orochimaru and a war involved, how could he possibly keep it hidden?
"In that case, I need to follow another rule for mage apprentices..."
"Always have emergency spells available!"
PS: Nawaki's and Mikoto's ninja registration numbers are the numbers mentioned in the text. They really are separated by just one person~
Before you continue