Chapter 38: The Second D-Rank Summoning Beast
Watanabe Musashi clapped Kael warmly on the shoulder and introduced the two young Hidden Hot Water shinobi in their early twenties standing beside him.
"Kael, these are members of a squad I used to lead. I wanted you to meet them. You're all talented young people, and the future of the village rests on your shoulders."
He pointed to a plain-looking, black-haired young man on his left. "This is Tanabe Kaze, a Chunin of the Hidden Hot Water Village. He excels in Earth Style and is pretty decent at taijutsu."
Then he looked at the young man on his right, who shared his brown hair color. A touch of pride appeared on his naturally stern face. "This is Watanabe Toneri, my son. He's also a Chunin."
"Watanabe Toneri?" Kael paused, studying him with curiosity. The young man did indeed resemble Watanabe Musashi, with the same brown hair and serious expression.
He gave them both a slight nod and a smile. "I'm Kael Cross, a fourth-year student at the Ninja Academy."
Hearing his introduction, both Tanabe Kaze and Watanabe Toneri's mouths twitched. They exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.
The honest-looking Tanabe forced a smile. He looked at Kael, who was just as tall as him, and asked doubtfully, "Uh... are you really still in the academy? You're not pulling my leg, are you? You don't look that much younger than me!"
Kael's smile froze. He looked into Tanabe's sincere eyes and realized the man wasn't joking. But looking at Tanabe's face, which seemed older due to his earnest features, he couldn't help but curse inwardly. What do you mean, 'not much younger'? Do I really look that old?
"Haha, Kaze, Kael really is still in the academy. He's only fourteen this year. He does look a bit older, I'll admit, and his personality is very mature. Add his Summoning Beasts to the mix, and his strength might even surpass the two of you combined," Watanabe Musashi chuckled.
"Hm?" Hearing his father's words, Watanabe Toneri couldn't stand still any longer. He stepped forward and looked Kael up and down. "Kael Cross, you certainly seem remarkable to have earned my father's praise. How about we spar sometime?"
"There will be opportunities," Kael replied with a faint smile.
Watanabe Musashi suddenly remembered why he had called Kael over. "Kael, send your summons into the city to pinpoint the Jashinists' exact location. We don't want to be caught unprepared."
"Yes, sir!"
"Over five hundred Jashinist followers? And possibly five Jonin?" Watanabe Musashi's brow furrowed tightly. He looked at Kael, his expression grave.
Kael nodded. "My summons can share their vision with me. From what I observed, the Jashinists are hiding in an underground space within the city. There are at least five hundred of them. Five individuals appeared to hold high positions, likely Jonin."
"Five Jonin... If that's true, this is going to be tricky," Watanabe muttered grimly. "We'll have to wait for the Village Leader to arrive with the rest of the village's elite forces before we make a move. Many of those followers are probably ordinary people without chakra, so they shouldn't be too much of a concern."
Hearing his murmuring, Kael narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "How long until the Village Leader arrives?"
Watanabe turned to Tanabe Kaze, who had been the last to communicate with the village. "The Leader set out yesterday. At his speed, it will likely take another full day to reach Freyal City from the village," Tanabe replied immediately.
"Alright, I understand." Kael nodded at him.
With the final battle looming, Kael made up his mind. He would synthesize another D-rank Summoning Beast.
Against hundreds of enemies, his own strength was negligible. But another D-rank summon could significantly boost his overall combat power.
Weakness be damned, he thought. Judging by Watanabe Musashi's expression, he's not entirely confident about winning this fight. One more D-rank summon might actually help the village.
He didn't have many options for materials right now. He could only hope his luck was good.
[Fire-Nature Chakra]+[Gray Wolf]= ???
[Compatibility]30%
Too low. If the synthesis fails, it's a huge waste, he thought, shaking his head. He signaled for the Wind Eagle to dispose of the wolf, which he hadn't had high hopes for anyway.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!" The Wind Eagle looked slightly dejected before swallowing the wolf whole. It then eyed the lizard the Earth Dragon had brought back, hoping Kael wouldn't choose that one either. It was bad for its image.
[Fire-Nature Chakra]+[Lizard]= ???
[Compatibility]40%
"Sigh. This is also too low. The success rate probably won't even hit fifty percent. And this lizard is only white quality too? This is getting frustrating..." Kael felt annoyed. He turned his attention to the last candidate, already losing hope. The larger creatures had all been white quality, so this thing the Earthen Beetle had found, which was barely bigger than the beetle itself...
"Hm? Is that... an ant?" Kael's interest piqued. He placed his foot gently on the somewhat bloated-looking ant and checked the system prompt.
[Fire Ant Queen]
Rank: D
He stared at the rank for several seconds, making sure he wasn't seeing things. "It's really D-rank!" His face filled with disbelief. "Is it because of its status as a queen? If the compatibility is over 50%, I'm definitely taking this gamble!" he gritted his teeth.
It was rare to find a D-rank creature, and with a large-scale battle imminent, he desperately needed more powerful summons.
[Fire-Nature Chakra]+[Fire Ant Queen]= ???
[Compatibility]70%
[Material: Fire-Nature Chakra, Quality (Green)]
[Creature: Fire Ant Queen, Rank (D)]
[Synthesis Success Rate]90%
[Chakra Required]200
[Synthesize?]
"Hiss!" Kael sucked in a breath. A 90% success rate! The Earthen Beetle had really come through for him this time.
Without hesitation, he selected [Confirm Synthesis].
The fiery chakra in his left palm slowly dissipated. The Fire Ant Queen beneath his foot began to glow with crimson flames. Black, phantom-like wisps erupted within the fire, as if impurities were being burned away and its body reforged.
After about twenty seconds, the flames died down. Kael eagerly checked the synthesis system panel.
[Summoning Beast: Blazing Ant Queen]
Rank: D
Species: Formicidae Solenopsis Insect
Attribute: Fire, Poison
Abilities:
Rapid Reproduction (Passive): The Blazing Ant Queen can continuously and rapidly produce Blazing Worker Ants. (Worker ants are approximately 5mm in size, highly aggressive, and carry a deadly fire-poison. The poison contained within a single worker ant is enough to kill an adult human in seconds. However, they are fragile and easily destroyed.) (The Blazing Ant Queen feeds on high-protein organic matter. The more abundant the food, the faster the reproduction.)
System Evaluation: I have returned... for those who could not!