Chapter 42: The Solution
As Kael approached the gathered Hidden Hot Water shinobi in the underground cavern, he was immediately sensed. But most of them had seen him during the past few days of assembly and knew he was the village's exceptionally talented genius with incredible summons, highly regarded even by the Jonin Watanabe Musashi. After a brief glance, they returned their focus to the main battle.
Only Inoshita Rino, standing at the outer edge, walked over to him. "What are you doing here? Weren't you injured from contracting a summon?" he asked, frowning, his face grim.
"I think I know the weakness of this guy's immortality," Kael said directly, wasting no time.
"Are you serious?" Inoshita's eyes widened in shock.
"Yeah," Kael nodded.
"Hah... hah..." Inoshita's breathing grew ragged. He looked down, his expression shifting rapidly, then looked up, gritting his teeth. "Alright, I'll go with you!"
Knowing he was just worried, Kael didn't refuse. "Okay."
CLANG!
BAM!
The sounds of relatively subdued combat grew closer as Kael pushed his way to the front of the crowd, finally getting a clear view of the fight. Just as he had seen through the Explosive Flies' eyes, Watanabe Musashi and the other two Jonin were fighting defensively, unable to go all out.
Jizo, having somehow acquired another massive scythe, was swinging it wildly with manic excitement. The heavy weapon seemed weightless in his hands, its blade a blur of cold light that kept the three Jonin at bay.
Seeing Watanabe and the others forced back again by Jizo's attack, Kael narrowed his eyes. Now! He issued a command to his summons.
"Little Spike, fire!"
The Ironclad Hedgehog on his head seemed to puff up for a second. Then, a torrential downpour of iron quills shot toward Jizo, completely engulfing the five-meter area around him.
"What?"
"Who threw those senbon?!"
The surrounding Hidden Hot Water shinobi looked over in surprise. Kael ignored them, his eyes fixed on Jizo, who now resembled a pincushion. His pupils suddenly contracted. The quills embedded in Jizo's body began to wobble as he moved.
It only pierced his skin!
Seeing Jizo shake the quills off and turn to look in his direction, Kael cursed inwardly. He quickly melted back into the crowd.
"Looking to die?!" Jizo roared at the surrounding shinobi. "But don't worry, once I'm done with these three annoying bugs, I'll squash all you ants!"
The Hidden Hot Water shinobi glared back but dared not speak. They knew that with their strength, joining the fight would be suicide and would likely only burden their Jonin leaders.
Kael frowned from within the crowd. The Explosive Flies' blasts are too weak to be of any use here... That leaves only the Blazing Worker Ants!
Without further hesitation, he began to gather the remaining worker ants in the cavern.
One minute later.
Only three hundred left. Seems like their poison is deadly, but they're incredibly fragile. Looking at the swarm of red ants gathered at his feet, a flicker of hope ignited within Kael. It all comes down to you little guys now.
Although the Blazing Ant Queen's attributes are Fire and Poison, unlike the Wind Eagle, which evolved wind-nature chakra, she doesn't actually possess chakra. She had poison glands before the synthesis; the system just amplified their potency exponentially. And poison isn't energy; it's more like... a neurotoxin!
Cells that are fatal to the human body!
As the Blazing Worker Ants scurried through the crowd toward Jizo, Kael felt a knot of tension in his stomach. Neither he nor the other Hidden Hot Water shinobi had the power to dismember Jizo. If the ants' poison was also ineffective, then he was out of options.
A single Blazing Worker Ant crawled onto Jizo's foot.
Jizo, reveling in the intoxicating power of his immortality, felt a tiny prick on his foot but paid it no mind.
But the next moment...
"Argh!"
An excruciating pain, like acid burning through his organs, ripped through him. He screamed, doubling over. But the agony lasted only two seconds before receding like a tide. He gasped for breath, shaken, and looked down at his foot, finding no wound. It was as if the searing pain had been an illusion.
Was that... a genjutsu? Jizo's face darkened. A genjutsu this realistic? Could a ninja from a small village like the Hidden Hot Water really cast such a technique? He couldn't believe it.
Nearby, Watanabe Musashi and the other two Jonin, who had Jizo surrounded, exchanged surprised glances and shook their heads, indicating that Jizo's sudden outburst wasn't their doing. This only deepened the astonishment in their eyes. Given Jizo's immortality, ordinary attacks were useless. Even the few wounds they had managed to inflict were already closing. They were tiring rapidly, but they couldn't retreat. If they couldn't stop Jizo, all the shinobi behind them would perish.
Only Watanabe Musashi glanced uncertainly in the direction Kael had retreated, a thoughtful look on his face.
"It worked!" Back in the crowd, Kael slapped his thigh in excitement, then quickly calmed himself.
The Blazing Worker Ants' poison is effective, but it only incapacitated him for two or three seconds before his immortality neutralized it. But if we can dismember him during that window, his immortality will be useless!
He drew his kunai, ready to charge forward, but hesitated, his expression flickering.
No! I'm still too weak. What if Jizo can still attack even while poisoned? It's too dangerous! No, no! I've done my part. The rest is up to Watanabe Musashi and the others. A wise man doesn't stand under a crumbling wall.
Having found a convenient excuse for his cowardice, Kael nevertheless walked back to the front lines.