Chapter 29: Setting Sail
Kael dispatched all his Explosive Flies to patrol a several-mile radius. To keep himself from dozing off again, he began to extract chakra.
His personal chakra reserve was only average, nothing like the vast oceans of power possessed by the Senju or Uzumaki clans. By his own estimation, his chakra was far less than a single "Kakashi unit."
While chakra capacity wasn't the only measure of a shinobi's strength, a truly powerful ninja would never be lacking in it. Therefore, whether it was for his own growth or to meet the 200-point requirement for synthesizing D-rank summons, he had to work hard on his chakra cultivation.
The night passed without incident. The darkness began to recede, and the first light of dawn broke over the horizon.
Kael had trained for the entire night. Although the non-stop travel and lack of rest left him looking a bit haggard, his expression was pleased.
[Host: Kael Cross]
Race: Human
Summoning Beasts: ...
Life Force: 221
Chakra: 155
A full night of training had increased his system's chakra reading by one point. He didn't know how much "one point" of chakra really was, but he knew that if he kept this up, he could reach 200 points within half a year. Then he could synthesize his next D-rank summon without sacrificing any life force.
And a D-rank summon was, in terms of power, definitely above an average Chunin.
"Speaking of which, I was planning to do another synthesis before, but then Rino-sensei drafted me, and I forgot. The main issue is that my chakra isn't at 200 yet. If I synthesize a D-rank summon now, I'll have a period of weakness..."
He stopped his training and began to think, his brow furrowed. As their mission continued, the Jashinist shinobi they faced would only get stronger and more dangerous. Kael was tempted to synthesize another D-rank summon immediately to boost his strength.
But to do so, he would have to sacrifice 45 points of his life force. It might not seem like much—less than a quarter of his total—but Kael, who had experienced this drain multiple times, knew the truth. That 45-point loss would cut his personal strength in half and require at least a week to recover.
He was in the middle of a critical mission. He couldn't afford to make such a trade. In a weakened state, a single careless mistake could cost him his life.
"Besides, I don't even have a clear idea for my second D-rank summon yet..."
The wind-nature chakra he could now transform was considered a "Green" quality material by the system. After learning the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, his Fire Style, with a bit more practice, could probably also be classified as "Green." Other than that, he had no other green-quality materials, which clashed with his desire to experiment.
Ideally, he wanted to find a D-rank creature that had the highest possible compatibility with a green material, something that would push the success rate over 100%. That was how he could get a D+ rank summon, a creature with the power of an elite Chunin. The gap in both strength and potential between a D-rank and a D+ rank was massive.
"I'll wait. I don't have any D-rank creatures on hand right now anyway. If I find a suitable one and I have no other choice, I'll just have to go through with the synthesis then..." Kael decided.
"What are you daydreaming about, Kael?"
A steady, middle-aged voice pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see Watanabe Musashi standing beside him.
"Nothing," he said with a faint smile, not elaborating.
Watanabe looked at him with keen interest, his eyes scanning him up and down. "More than your endless supply of summons, I'm curious about you. You're only fourteen, yet your mind is this mature. Even after experiencing a few hardships, it shouldn't have made you this composed in every aspect. You have a clear and definite idea about how you handle things, and even about your future path."
Kael tensed for a moment before relaxing. He's just curious. It's not like he can cut my head open to look inside. Besides, the Hidden Hot Water Village doesn't have any bizarre Yin Style jutsu for reading minds. What's there to be afraid of?
Seeing him remain silent, Watanabe Musashi mistook it for suspicion and quickly added, "It was about that early graduation request Rino brought to me. Don't misunderstand, I don't mean anything by it. I'm just very curious."
"It's fine, Captain Watanabe," Kael smiled faintly. His expression suddenly grew distant. "Perhaps... I just have the soul of a past life living in my body," he murmured.
"Hehehe... you!" Watanabe let out a helpless, bitter laugh and shook his head. He turned to leave, his voice trailing behind him. "Call your eagle back. Let's pack up. It's time to move out."
After a quick breakfast of rations and a bowl of freshly made mushroom soup, the group once again mounted the Wind Eagle and continued their patrol along the designated route. To ensure the Hidden Hot Water Village could survive the Feudal Lord's anger, they had to continue working, even in the dead of winter.
Even if he and Rei were still just academy students...
The Wind Eagle soared at two hundred meters, its wings cutting through the sky. The eight-person squad and Kael's summons sat securely on its back. Two hours had passed since they set out.
Kael's eyes were closed, his breathing slow. He had finally dozed off. After being up all night, the warm soup and the quiet, wind-shielded ride were the perfect lullaby.
Suddenly, Watanabe Musashi, who had been staring intently at the ground below, tensed. He leaned his head over the side of the eagle, then whipped his head back.
"Kael!"
"Hm?" Kael was jolted awake. His eyelids were heavy as he groggily looked in the direction of the voice.
"We've got a situation! Get your summon to descend!" Watanabe commanded.
Hearing the urgency in his voice, Kael's sleepiness vanished. He slapped the Wind Eagle's back. "Little Wind, down!"
"Chirp!"
The Wind Eagle gave a low cry. Its massive, sky-blotting wings instantly snapped from a horizontal to a vertical position.
Its speed dropped dramatically. A perfect air-brake. It had gotten very good at this maneuver over the past few days.
Kael drew his kunai, his eyes scanning the rapidly approaching ground. As they descended, he spotted a squad of five black-robed figures running at high speed. Judging by their pace, they were not ordinary people.
He turned to Watanabe Musashi. "Captain, can you sense them?"
Watanabe's expression was grim. "They're Jashinist shinobi," he said slowly. "Their chakra levels are high. Two of them are on my level."
"Two Jonin?" Inoshita and Kael exchanged a look, their expressions changing.
"I can only handle one of them. I can't deal with the other," Watanabe said, then looked directly at Kael. "With your summons, are you confident you can take on the other Jonin?"
He had just handed the decision to fight or flee over to Kael.
"Captain!"
"Captain Watanabe! He's still just a kid! How can you let him decide?"
"That's right!"
The three instructors who didn't know Kael as well protested, their faces pale with shock.
Watanabe waved them into silence, his gaze fixed on Kael.
Kael looked down, his mind racing. Two enemy Jonin and three enemy Chunin. On our side, one Jonin, five Chunin, one Genin... and Rei, who's a non-combatant medical-nin. That means... the other enemy Jonin will have to be faced by me, two of the Chunin-senseis, and my summons...