After giving Nawaki a thorough beating and watching with satisfaction as his senior brother regained control of his body with his help before fleeing in disarray, Satoru returned home in high spirits.
After discussing Orochimaru with his father, Mitokado Homura, the father and son basically reached an agreement.
"That works too. Orochimaru is still someone who can be trusted."
Mitokado Homura had always thought fairly well of Orochimaru, the Third Hokage's most prized disciple.
"I didn't expect him to have noticed these things so long ago, but fortunately, he doesn't seem to have any ill intentions."
Mitokado Homura knew that Orochimaru's interests would likely resonate with Satoru's, but he had not expected him to so directly ask Satoru to assist with his research.
The Advisor thought for a long time before making this decision.
Orochimaru was now Satoru's teacher, and that identity alone meant he would not harm Satoru.
Besides, he had no reason to harm Satoru. The method he proposed struck Mitokado Homura as somewhat awkward.
That was right. As a teacher, asking his student for substantial assistance—Orochimaru was probably a little embarrassed.
Normally, there was nothing strange about students participating in their teacher's research. The problem was simply that Satoru was far too young.
"Besides, just as he said, with him and me covering for you, even Danzo won't pay too much attention to you."
Mitokado Homura recalled the secret Root research project Orochimaru had told Satoru about.
"Satoru, you don't need to concern yourself with Root right now. That project really is something our village has been researching for some time, though there haven't been any results."
"Even if Danzo's methods are problematic, his loyalty to the village is beyond question."
"That experiment is also for the village, but it has recently hit a bottleneck. We were already preparing to abandon it—this is the final attempt."
With a sigh, Homura glanced at the thoughtful Satoru and cautioned him.
"Your most important task right now is getting through this war. Don't think too much about anything else."
"Fine, but Orochimaru... Teacher said today that jonin have already begun heading to the battlefield. Has the situation really deteriorated that badly?"
"Yes, it has. That's why you need to train properly under Orochimaru. You may not even have time to wait for the practical examination to end before setting out alongside the new genin."
Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses, his expression solemn.
"Routine mission commissions in the village have decreased significantly, while escort missions are steadily increasing."
"This is inseparable from the increasingly tense situation at the borders. Merchants traveling between nations have been affected the most, and they are also the people most willing to pay for safety."
"In the past, they had private guards, but private guards clearly can no longer meet their security needs. Hiring shinobi has become their best option."
"But... with the borders between nations so tense now, wouldn't missions like these basically carry the possibility of encountering enemy shinobi?"
Satoru understood. Didn't that mean...
"That's right. These missions are basically B-rank or even higher, and the village cannot possibly abandon them. That's why teams like yours, led by jonin, are the best candidates for carrying them out."
Mitokado Homura nodded and smiled.
"And we encourage you to take part in such missions. They are the best rehearsal before the war. With a jonin leading you, the enemy forces you encounter will not be large."
"In a month, the village's defensive deployments will require many chunin. By then, there will be too few hands to complete missions like these, and you will need to step in."
"Therefore, in one month, you will be entering the war ahead of schedule!"
"I see... War doesn't happen overnight. Signs from every direction need to be handled carefully."
Satoru nodded in understanding, gaining a little more admiration for his father's work.
"Old man, handling so many complicated affairs every day and finding proper responses to them... the higher-ups have it tough too."
"..."
Mitokado Homura stared blankly at his son, who seemed to have suddenly changed personality, unable to react for a moment.
"What? You're not used to me caring about you once in a while?"
Satoru's little face grew slightly hot. He hurriedly finished eating, tossed down his bowl, and ran upstairs. Homura heard him call down.
"Hurry up and eat. You're working overtime again, right... Don't stay up too late!"
"Heh... Satoru has grown up..."
His nose tingled slightly. Homura took off his fogged-up glasses and pulled over the tablecloth to wipe them.
"He knows how to care about people now. It felt like I'd raised a fake son before, hahaha..."
Back upstairs, Satoru did not sit at his desk. Instead, he threw himself onto the bed.
"Old man... Heh, I can't believe I'm getting sentimental too."
Knowing that he would truly head onto the battlefield in a month, Satoru's mature mindset—one he believed had been forged through more than thirty years of life—finally began to fluctuate intensely.
A life that had experienced war and a life that had not were completely different.
Unlike the children of the Shinobi World, who were so innocent, Satoru had experienced a longer, more comfortable peace. That was why he held war in even greater awe.
But it was not fear.
"This next month will be the final preparation. Since I'm here, war is unavoidable."
"Then I need to prepare a few more Trump Cards better suited for war!"
Satoru had already mastered most of the war techniques Orochimaru had taught them, thanks to his astonishing learning ability.
A support spell like Arcane Intellect had played a major role in that.
The current Satoru basically had spells for attacking, movement, acceleration, survival, and detection, but he still lacked one for concealment or long-distance travel.
Among the spell principles recorded in The Book of Medivh were some highly advanced concealment spells.
Invisibility—complete invisibility. But Satoru had not yet reached the casting principles for that part.
However...
Unlike ordinary mage inheritances, Satoru had inherited the lineage of the Tirisfal Guardian.
Therefore, there was a secret spell unique to the Guardian lineage that Satoru could learn right now.
And it would be Satoru's greatest trump card for a very long time.
"I've been coveting this ability for ages... Wahahaha!"
Satoru opened The Book of Medivh, which radiated an even more brilliant arcane glow. After his deciphering progress reached 40%, he came into contact with the casting principles of this spell.
"Form Change: Raven!"
"Originally, I sealed this spell inside Atiesh, but some apprentice stole it from my Karazhan, so he learned it too."
The Book of Medivh contained a long string of complaints that left Satoru speechless.
"People all believe that this Form Transformation is a secret inheritance of the Guardian lineage. In truth, this Deformation Technique merely has no duration limit, can be cast instantly, and allows unrestricted movement. It is not all that mysterious."
"As for why it is a raven, leading to some visual patent disputes with the druids' transformation spells, it is only because ravens are said to predict the future. But I tried it, and it was useless."
"If you want to become the siamese cat that Kel'Thuzad, that cat servant, likes, that is fine too. As long as you can imagine it, transform into whatever you want."
"Perhaps you plan to turn into a bear and impersonate a druid, but remember this: you are not nearly as hard to kill as they are."
Satoru: "..."
Before you continue