A Visit

Satoru had expected it long ago. With Orochimaru's discerning eye, he would soon notice Satoru's unusual nature.

And Satoru, who had no choice but to continue researching Arcane Power, would inevitably be exposed to Orochimaru's scrutiny.

His old man, Mitokado Homura, could no longer provide him with effective cover at this time.

"I believe that ninja are those who master ninjutsu, and the more ninjutsu they master, and the stronger those ninjutsu are, the stronger the ninja!"

"And my goal is to learn every ninjutsu, thereby grasping the truth of this world!"

Orochimaru's understanding of ninja was simple and brutal.

Or rather, plain and direct.

His ideal was also so grand that... it was suffocating.

Perhaps ninja really did possess some lofty, grandiose qualities, but judging by the state of the Shinobi World War, Orochimaru was not wrong.

The strongest ninja did indeed wield the strongest techniques, and analyzing powerful techniques truly required broad knowledge.

Just like mages—not everyone capable of casting magic was a mage.

A mage had to be a learned scholar, and wise individuals were even more common among them.

The extent of one's knowledge largely determined the power of one's spells, as well as the upper limit of the spells one could cast.

To put it bluntly, mage was a research-oriented profession. Combat was only a side job.

Just as Satoru was now a ninja but was actually a mage, it was all merely a side job.

And how could he ensure his survival? Naturally, by analyzing The Book of Medivh and strengthening himself.

Any ninjutsu had to be analyzed through Arcane Power and completely made his own before Satoru dared use it without worry.

Even when using Chakra-based ninjutsu, Satoru would only use Arcane Power to convert into Chakra rather than generate it through mental and physical energy.

There was no other reason. Others might not know or understand, but Satoru did...

There was still the progenitor of Chakra in the moon overhead.

Who knew what strange things might be hidden in the Chakra passed down by that being? What if it decided to reclaim it whenever it pleased? That would be disastrous.

The Book of Medivh had already been analyzed to nearly 40%. The vast ocean of arcane knowledge within it had gradually allowed Satoru to understand more of the differences and connections between Arcane Power and Chakra.

His control over Arcane Power, along with his various application techniques, was steadily improving.

This did not delay his ninja training, because the Chakra converted from Arcane Power improved in tandem as well.

Therefore, Satoru's research could not stop.

Even if Orochimaru might notice something amiss.

That day, after the three of them had just become proficient in the sustained Chakra control required for tree climbing and water walking, Orochimaru received a visit from his friend.

Dan Katō.

Dan Katō was a very unusual jonin. His signature ninjutsu was a forbidden technique that no second person had ever displayed: the Reincarnation Jutsu.

This highly unusual ninjutsu could transform its user into a living soul, allowing him to travel across any distance and kill enemies. It could control another person's body and enter another person's spiritual world.

It was simply the ultimate technique for assassination, reconnaissance, and even long-range killing—though naturally, the target's spiritual will could not be stronger than the caster's.

Relying on this unique ninjutsu, Dan Katō had earned a tremendous reputation.

At the same time, he was a character who appeared rarely but was extraordinarily important.

He was Tsunade's first love, the man she would never forget for decades, and his tragic death would become the final straw that drove Orochimaru into darkness.

But now, Dan Katō and Tsunade clearly only knew each other, while Nawaki had little impression of him.

"This is another person whose Will of Fire burns fiercely and unwaveringly."

Satoru secretly shook his head. Yet people like that always came to bad ends.

"Hey, Nawaki!"

After remaining silent for a while, Satoru glanced at Orochimaru, who was discussing something with Dan Katō, and quietly asked Nawaki:

"What do you think of Lord Dan?"

"Hmm, he's handsome, graceful, and a good person."

Nawaki's answer made Satoru's mouth twitch. This guy...

Glancing once more at Mikoto, who was putting away the practice tools, Satoru hesitated before saying to Nawaki:

"Don't rush off after we're dismissed. I have something to tell you."

"Okay!"

Nawaki did not ask what it was. Over the past few days, Satoru had naturally become the core of the three genin in their squad.

If Satoru said there was something, then there was something. He would find out when the time came.

Orochimaru and Dan Katō did not speak for very long. It seemed that Orochimaru had explained something to Dan, and Dan looked quite serious as well.

After Dan Katō left, Orochimaru fell silent for a while before another visitor arrived.

"Another handsome white-haired guy? Why are so many people visiting Orochimaru today? Is he really that popular?"

"Dan Katō has white hair, Jiraiya has white hair, and now this guy has white hair too... Could having friends like that make his long black hair look younger?"

Satoru silently mocked him. He had absolutely no impression of this white-haired jonin, who was probably some background character.

Yet Orochimaru treated him no differently than Dan Katō, appearing very familiar with him.

In other words, this white-haired jonin was probably also Orochimaru's friend. When dealing with other people, even jonin, Orochimaru generally could not be bothered to waste words on them.

Mage Eye!

Satoru remained alert, but unfortunately, Mage Eye could only see for the time being. It could not hear.

Lip-reading sounded great, but Satoru was not skilled at it. He could only barely make out a few words.

Before long, Satoru noticed a particular term in their conversation.

"Root"!

"This guy was sent by Danzo? Judging by his clothing, he doesn't look like a Root ninja..."

Satoru frowned. But regardless, anything involving Root was trouble that Satoru could least afford to touch right now.

Orochimaru had once joined Root as well, but that would happen much later.

However, the term Root only came up once. From the fragments of their later conversation, it seemed that their topic had shifted to research into ninjutsu.

"Oh? Looks like he's another research type."

The three of them trained off to the side. In truth, Satoru's growing control over Arcane Power had long surpassed the level of his current training.

He appeared to be training now, but in reality, Satoru was reevaluating Orochimaru's relationships.

After finishing his conversation with the white-haired jonin, Orochimaru watched the man's departing figure and lightly shook his head.

This time, Orochimaru seemed to be talking to himself. Satoru could only make out words such as "impatient," "failure," and "experiment."

"Could that guy be another dark scientist?"

Satoru saw Orochimaru fall silent for a while before walking toward them, so he quickly gathered his thoughts, dismissed Mage Eye, and focused on training with Nawaki and Mikoto.

"Satoru, come here."

Orochimaru beckoned. Satoru raised a brow, stopped training, caught his breath, glanced at Nawaki and Mikoto, and walked over to Orochimaru.

"Sensei."

"Satoru, just now, two old friends came to see me and spoke with me about some matters."

Orochimaru seemed somewhat downcast, but Satoru became wary—why tell him about such things alone?

"The first to come was Dan. He has already received orders to head to the front lines—the situation there has finally reached the point where jonin must be permanently stationed."

"You understand what that means, especially for a jonin like him who specializes in long-range assassination. It means the situation is close to spiraling out of control."

Satoru nodded. Dan truly was the sort of person who liked to visit acquaintances and plant flags before heading to the battlefield. This time, he had come to see Orochimaru.

"So, Sensei, are you going to the battlefield too?"