Choza looked at Satoru, who was dejectedly crawling out of the river, with pure admiration and nodded earnestly.
"Satoru, you haven't even attended the Ninja Academy, yet you developed such a powerful Body Flicker Technique. You're incredible!"
"Uncle Homura has really been teaching you well. When I get back, I should learn more from my dad too!"
"I..."
Mitokado Satoru bared his teeth at Akimichi Choza's genuinely admiring little face and felt his butt hurt even more.
It was burning hot.
"Did I get scammed?"
As he viciously recalled the casting principles in the book and the feeling of casting the spell just now, Satoru gained a profound appreciation for the wicked sense of humor of those senior mage bigshots.
Still, judging by Choza's reaction, Satoru really couldn't say that the spell's effect was bad.
At not even six years old, he had successfully developed such a powerful Body Flicker Technique... It was just that the effect was a little too embarrassing.
"It really pushes me to the limit... but it can't be used in battle, can it? It'd be better for running away!"
Satoru rubbed his chilly butt. This spell...
"Let's go back! It's almost lunchtime... I need to change my pants before the old man gets home!"
Choza: "..."
At lunchtime, Mitokado Homura scrutinized his son suspiciously. He had the distinct feeling that the confidence written all over Satoru's face that morning—his "I hold the truth in my hands" expression—had vanished without a trace.
"Don't tell me you really tested that technique according to what you had in mind this morning!"
Seeing Satoru's embarrassed expression, Homura helplessly covered his forehead.
"You actually didn't get hurt... It seems that, as your father, I need to teach you the dangers of using techniques recklessly!"
Homura tapped the table and looked at Satoru sternly.
"Satoru, I'll say it again. Having ideas is good, but developing a new technique isn't that simple. You haven't even attended the Ninja Academy yet. If you take too big a step, you'll hurt yourself!"
"Yeah, yeah..."
Satoru stuffed lunch into his mouth haphazardly, thinking that he would have to be more cautious when reading spellbooks in the future—
The things that old bastard Medivh had written to mess with Khadgar were not something his little body could simply endure.
The target of that book's prank had been an Archmage who had already become a Guardian!
"Hey! You weren't listening at all!"
Homura sighed, adjusted his glasses, and pressed a hand onto Satoru's head.
"Kid, developing a ninjutsu is very difficult. After lunch, come with me to the river. Your old man will help you assess the technique you want to develop."
Rubbing his nose with his other hand, Homura said confidently,
"After all, I'm Hiruzen's advisor. I personally witnessed him earn his title as the 'Professor of Ninjutsu'!"
"So you're not the Professor of Ninjutsu..."
"Hey! That's not the point! You little brat! Hurry up and eat, then come with me! Other people would beg for this chance!"
"Wait for me to grab a pair of pants..."
"???"
At the riverbank Satoru and Choza had visited that morning, Satoru, now wearing fresh pants, spread his hands helplessly.
"So, this technique's effect is pretty good... but it uses up clothes."
Mitokado Homura stared wide-eyed at the faintly smug Satoru. He truly had not expected the technique to actually work.
"Burning clothes is a minor issue..."
Homura rubbed his chin and carefully estimated the speed granted by the new technique Satoru had named Scorching Swiftness.
"This is already close to the speed of a Chunin-level Body Flicker Technique. Even for a Genin, it's extremely suitable as a life-saving move. On the battlefield, I don't need to tell you which matters more: clothes or your life."
"And as you improve it further, you should be able to keep it from burning your clothes."
Homura's face lit up. Was his son actually a genius?
"So all those ideas you mentioned before have been put into practice?"
Thinking of the strange questions Satoru had raised in the past, Homura couldn't help feeling expectant.
"Come on, try those techniques on me. How many have you developed?"
"Old man, are you sure?"
Satoru's expression turned strange. His father, who was nearly Kage-level, was actually volunteering to be his target...
"What, do you think you can hurt me?"
Homura smiled and waved at Satoru.
"Come at me!"
"All right, then..."
Satoru took a long breath and began demonstrating.
"First, regarding the use of repeatedly forming the same hand seals to increase a technique's power..."
Satoru began forming hand seals, very slowly.
Homura was already shocked. His eyes widened.
"Satoru! You can already use Fire Release of this level?!"
Unlike Scorching Swiftness, which merely used a little heat to stimulate the body, the hand seals Satoru was forming now had, in Homura's eyes, already reached C-rank difficulty!
"Fully forming the hand seals and successfully casting ninjutsu are two different things. C-rank ninjutsu are usually techniques used by Chunin..."
A faint smile appeared on Homura's lips. In his view, Satoru's idea was to use slow, repeated hand seals to increase the success rate of casting ninjutsu, but it had no practical value in real combat—
By the time you were done, the enemy could kill you several times over with shuriken!
"Fireball Technique!"
After repeating the hand seals several times, Satoru shouted, and a fist-sized fireball formed and flew toward Homura.
"Hm?"
Homura keenly sensed the difference.
Was this C-rank Great Fireball Technique? Fireball Technique? Normally, fireballs were spat from the mouth, weren't they? Why had this fireball appeared out of thin air?
But that wasn't important. It was indeed a fireball.
"It actually worked... Though its power is pitiful, you truly cast a C-rank ninjutsu. Impressive!"
With a wave of his hand, Homura dispersed the fireball as it reached him and nodded in delight.
This fireball was far, far weaker than a normal C-rank ninjutsu. Otherwise, even he could not have dealt with it so casually.
Other than young geniuses from great clans, anyone who could use an alternative method to cast C-rank ninjutsu at this age would bring honor to him, advisor Homura!
"But Satoru, this has absolutely no value in actual combat..."
Homura felt that he should still persuade his son to focus on building a solid foundation. Being steady was never wrong.
"Mm, maybe the next technique will have practical value!"
Satoru grinned and gestured for his father to get ready before beginning to form hand seals.
This time, he formed the seals very quickly while muttering under his breath—
Both hand seals and incantations could be used to activate magic. At their core, they were merely ways to focus one's mind; anything that suited the caster was fine.
Powerful mages could cast high-level magic with simple gestures, a few words, or even a thought, but supreme magic often still required lengthy incantations or even the aid of magic arrays.
And for now, using hand seals was clearly better for concealment.
"Regarding the feasibility of casting the Transformation Technique on an enemy..."
"Deformation Technique: Sheep!"
Seeing the flash of arcane light over Satoru's hands, Homura instinctively felt that something was wrong.
However, it was too late. The technique had already been completed—
To his horror, Homura discovered that his body had been turned into a sheep beneath his son's strange smile!
And he could not control his body at all. He could only watch helplessly as he wandered around in circles!
"What kind of technique is this?!"
Homura wanted to roar, only to discover that the sound he made had become:
"Baa—!"
"Hehehe..."
Watching the bewildered sheep spin in circles, Satoru excitedly rubbed his hands together.
"What should I do after turning someone into a sheep?"
With several gestures, a fist-sized fireball rapidly formed before Satoru and gradually grew to the size of a basketball!
Homura was still turning around in place, considering whether to burst out with Chakra and break free, yet also wanting to see how long this technique could last.
Until—
A basketball-sized fireball smashed into Homura's sheep face as he pondered.
"Pyroblast!"
"Boom—"
"Ahhh!!!"
"Satoru! You bastard!!"
"Hahahaha! Old man, going bald can make you stronger!"
Before you continue