Chapter 47: Forming a Squad
Kael graduated just like that, in a daze. The next day, a graduation certificate and a Hidden Hot Water forehead protector were placed in his hands. Nothing else.
"No cool combat uniform like I imagined? No anxious waiting to be assigned to a Jonin leader? It all happened so suddenly, yet so... ordinarily..." Kael thought, feeling a bit disconnected in his room.
"Right," he quickly rationalized. "Konoha is a major village; of course, they have practical tactical gear. How could a small village like the Hidden Hot Water afford that? I should be glad I even got a forehead protector." Remembering that none of the Hidden Hot Water shinobi he'd seen wore standard combat uniforms either, he quickly let it go.
"So, does this mean I'll finally get a proper squad leader and teammates? The thought of going out on missions every day... is actually kind of annoying..."
That afternoon, Kael went to a designated clearing in the village forest to report as instructed. When he arrived, he found a figure already waiting, likely for some time.
Watanabe Musashi glanced at the footprints he'd left earlier, now slowly being covered by fresh snow. He looked up at Kael, a rare smile touching his stern face.
"Surprised?"
Kael shook his head and walked over. "Not really. The moment I received the graduation notice, I guessed you'd be my Jonin leader, Captain Watanabe."
Watanabe paused. "You're as sharp as ever, kid."
"Where are my other two teammates?" Kael asked, looking around curiously.
"They went to pick up a mission. They should be here soon," Watanabe replied calmly. He turned his gaze to the gently falling snowflakes, his expression growing somewhat somber. "I'll only be leading you for a short while. The village is still too short-handed, and I can't spare more time. Once you're familiar with the mission process, I'll hand the squad over to you."
Kael was stunned. "What? But I'm just a Genin who just graduated..."
"I've never met a Genin who could kill a Jonin!" Watanabe countered, his voice flat as the wind. "Setting aside Jizo, who was incapacitated by your summons, didn't you also wear down and kill that other Jashinist Jonin before we reached Winterfall City, riding your Wind Eagle?"
That was a Jonin you had already injured! Besides, what I did was nothing. You haven't seen Naruto or Sasuke! Now those are the strongest Genin in the world! Kael grumbled internally, pursing his lips.
Watanabe knew Kael had a lazy streak – always preferring to sit rather than stand, avoiding the spotlight, and shirking responsibility. But after the prolonged battle against the Jashinists, the village's manpower and strength were severely depleted. Adding to that, the Leader's declining health and the rising tensions between nations meant war felt imminent. As one of only three remaining Jonin in the village, Watanabe was under immense pressure.
He had no choice but to force Kael's growth. He knew that Kael's mature mind, combined with his powerful summons, meant that pressure would forge him quickly into the pillar the village needed.
Neither spoke for a while. Watanabe was lost in thought, while Kael finally felt a faint sense of urgency creeping in.
Making me a squad leader right after graduation... that's not exactly a wise decision, he thought. But he knew his carefree days were finally over.
They didn't wait long before two figures emerged from the snowstorm, dark shapes moving swiftly against the white landscape, creating an almost poignant image. When Kael saw who they were, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. He had expected two Genin.
Whoosh!
The wind swirled as the two young men arrived before them. Watanabe Musashi nodded at them.
"From now on, the three of you are a squad. Do I need to reintroduce you?"
The two young men shook their heads.
But Kael spoke up seriously. "Let's do proper introductions. Can't skip the ceremony!" Ignoring the exasperated, twitching faces of the other three, he began.
"My name is Kael Cross, fourteen years old. My specialty is raising Summoning Beasts. My hobby is enjoying life. Dreams... haven't got one yet! My favorite foods are seaweed rice balls, tri-color dango, steamed sea bass, braised pork ribs, spicy pig trotters..."
"Stop, stop!" Watanabe interrupted, looking exasperated. But Kael ignored him and turned to his new teammates. "Tanabe Kaze, your turn!"
Tanabe Kaze: "..." You already know my name, why do I need to introduce myself? He suddenly had a feeling that his future days were going to be very... interesting.
"My name is Tanabe Kaze, twenty-one years old. I specialize in Earth Style. My dream is for the Hidden Hot Water Village to become a major village in the Shinobi World!"
Naive kid, Kael thought, but he couldn't suppress a grin. Seeing Tanabe's sudden burst of passion, he found himself liking this earnest, slightly clueless young man. Making the Hidden Hot Water Village into something like Konoha... even Kael didn't dare dream that big. Caught between major nations, surrounded by only a few small countries, with territory barely visible on the map... how could the Hidden Hot Water possibly develop?
Shaking his head inwardly, Kael turned to the other serious-faced young man. The man's mouth twitched, clearly finding it embarrassing to introduce himself at nearly twenty years old. But remembering his father's instructions, and considering that this somewhat unreliable-looking kid was the village hero... his dark face flushed slightly.
"My name is Watanabe Toneri, nineteen years old," he said stiffly. "I specialize in Lightning Style. My dream is to become a strong shinobi renowned throughout the world, like Konoha's White Fang!" As he spoke, his voice grew louder, and a fierce fire ignited in his eyes.
Chunibyo teen, Kael mentally labeled him.
Around twenty, Chunin level... even with room to grow, these two will probably max out at Jonin level, and average ones at that, unless something drastic happens.
Having quickly assessed them, Kael felt no contempt. If he didn't have his system, he'd likely end up at a similar level. Jonin would probably be his limit too. While the Synthesis System didn't directly enhance his own abilities, his summons gave him limitless potential.
"By the way," Watanabe Musashi interjected curiously, "didn't Rino-sensei get you some ninjutsu scrolls? I saw you use them a few times. Aside from your hand seal speed being... uh, painful to watch... your progress with nature and shape transformation seems quite fast. Aren't Wind and Fire Style considered your specialties?"
Compared to synthesizing summons, ninjutsu really isn't my strong suit, Kael thought, but outwardly he just shook his head silently.