Chapter 62: Surprise!
"Whoosh!"
The fierce wind rattled the doors and windows. Kael's Wind Eagle landed in its designated "parking spot" in his courtyard.
The moment they returned to the Hidden Hot Water Village, Watanabe Musashi prepared to report the mission's details to Jade. Normally, a simple B-rank escort mission wouldn't require such urgency, but this one had dragged Konoha's Root into the picture—a terrifying organization that could annihilate their village. Watanabe had to treat this with the utmost seriousness.
"Are you coming with me?" he asked, turning to Kael.
Kael shook his head. "You go. It's just a mission report, I'll sit this one out." They had already discussed the countermeasures. Now, all they could do was wait for things to develop.
Watanabe Musashi nodded and headed straight for Jade's residence.
"Alright, all of you, be good! No running around the village. Little Dragon, stop taking the others out to dig tunnels! You're going to undermine the whole village's foundation!" Kael turned and warned the Earth Dragon, who was "lovingly" surrounded by the other summons.
A wolf and a dog were jumping and nipping at the Earth Dragon, begging their "big brother" to take them out to play. The Earth Dragon, in turn, nuzzled both of them affectionately.
Only the Wind Eagle held its head high, too proud to join in such childish games. But its large, bowl-sized cyan eyes kept darting toward the playful pile of the Earth Dragon, Earthen Beetle, Little Gray, and Goldie.
"Chirp! —Little Shell, be careful they don't step on you! Come up here and play on my back..."
"So jealous," Kael chuckled, overhearing the Wind Eagle's thoughts.
He hadn't taken the Earth Dragon and the other E-rank summons on this mission. Their combat abilities were now of minimal help to him. They were better off staying home as guard dogs.
"Haven't seen each other in half a month, and they're more affectionate with each other than with me..." Kael grumbled, feeling a little left out. "Mocking me for having no friends, are we..."
Kael went back to his room.
Though he acted calm and confident in front of the others, he actually felt a strong sense of urgency. His summons weren't fully developed yet. Little Gray, the C+ rank summon he had such high hopes for, was still a pup and couldn't unleash its true elite-Jonin-level potential. At a normal growth rate, it would take at least a year for it to reach maturity.
Kael hadn't been in a hurry before. He also needed time to grow. But this escort mission had unexpectedly exposed a traitor and, by extension, the monster that was Konoha's Root. He said he didn't care, but he was anxious.
A ruthless, ambitious politician like Danzo wasn't the type to take a hit and not retaliate. He was an old bastard who would devour his own people without spitting out the bones, a man who controlled all of Konoha's dark underbelly. For the Hidden Hot Water to clash with Root was like an egg hitting a rock. Kael's only hope lay in his summons.
The recent battles had also exposed one of his own major weaknesses: his combat style was one-dimensional and lacked offensive power.
He had a decent number of summons now.
The Earth Dragon was the "big brother," but it had been relegated to a simple, recreational tunnel-digger.
The Earthen Beetle and Ironclad Hedgehog were even worse; Kael usually just left them at home to freeload. The beetle was small and easy to carry, so he'd occasionally bring it along. As his only defensive summon, its Earth Wall ability might be useful in a pinch.
The Blazing Ant Queen was a hardworking egg-layer, but it required a massive amount of protein and was inconvenient to transport.
So, when he went out, he usually only brought Goldie and Little Gray. Their abilities could be decisive, but they were more support-oriented and couldn't be relied upon for frontline combat.
The Wind Eagle was his main damage-dealer and transport, but its moveset was limited. Even a third-rate fighter had a few tricks, but the Wind Eagle only had two attack skills.
As for the Explosive Flies, Kael used them purely for reconnaissance. He had given up hope that their "1% of an exploding tag" power would ever evolve into Konan's extravagant 600-billion-tag technique.
"Next time, I should bring some Blazing Worker Ants. Against an unsuspecting ninja, they can be terrifyingly effective," Kael mused. No one would be on guard against a chakra-less ant. But once the enemy was alerted, the ants were useless, easily wiped out by a single jutsu. It was an all-or-nothing tactic.
He needed summons that could provide raw, reliable combat power.
Kael suddenly remembered that the fertilizer sack with all his synthesis materials was still with the Earth Dragon. He wanted to do another synthesis, but he was worried the overgrown worm had already run off to play.
He yelled out the door, "Little Dragon! Bring me your fertilizer sack!"
He opened the synthesis panel, intending to re-check the materials he'd found in the dump; he'd forgotten their quality.
Before long, the Earth Dragon slithered through the door with the bag, obediently dropped it, and began to turn.
"L...eaving..." A very faint, weak thought entered his mind. Kael had to strain to catch it.
"Whoa, you can talk now?" Kael asked, pleasantly surprised. He patted its head, feeling a surge of joy. Even the simple-minded Earth Dragon was learning to communicate. It was a good sign; his summons were all evolving.
"Go on, go play," he said with a smile, picking up the bag.
The moment his hand touched the fertilizer sack, his synthesis interface flashed. The screen lit up from its transparent standby mode, the bright white light instantly catching his attention. He leaned in to look, but the page immediately went dim again.
Kael was baffled. What, is it playing hard to get?
He turned and saw the Earth Dragon, which had just left his hand, heading for the door. A flash of inspiration hit him. He called the Earth Dragon back.
"Little Dragon, come here a second."
He took a deep breath, a flicker of anticipation rising within him. The Earth Dragon, though desperate to go play, couldn't refuse its master. It returned and nuzzled its head against Kael.
The moment his hand touched the Earth Dragon, the synthesis panel lit up again. Kael's eyes widened, and he stared at the screen.
[Fertilizer Sack]+[Earth Dragon]= ???
[Compatibility]50%
[Material: Fertilizer Sack, Quality (White)]
[Creature: Earth Dragon, Rank (E)]
[Synthesis Success Rate]70%
[Synthesize?]
"My summons... can be synthesized a second time!"
Kael's mind reeled, and he gasped out loud.