Chapter 64: A New Appointment
Kael's words left both men unsure how to respond. Was he going to tell them, "I have a cheat system"? But he didn't want to outright lie to them, either. He frowned, choosing his words carefully.
"You can think of it as an ability I have. I can combine the properties of certain materials with my summons to enhance their strength."
Even though Watanabe Musashi and Jade had their suspicions about Kael's abilities, they were still stunned. A power that bizarre was easily on par with some of the most powerful Kekkei Genkai. What they didn't know was that the upper limit of Kael's Synthesis System was far, far higher than any mere Kekkei Genkai.
Kael had no intention of explaining further. Whether they believed him or not was one thing; the system was his ultimate trump card, and he had to keep some secrets.
He turned to Watanabe Musashi. "Captain Watanabe, if you're free later, could you come by my place and help me with something?"
Watanabe paused, then nodded. "But from now on," he said with a small smile, "don't call me Captain Watanabe. I'm not your captain anymore."
Kael froze, confused. "Then who's leading the squad?"
"Didn't I tell you before? I'm just here to get you familiar with the mission process. After this, Tanabe Kaze and Toneri will be assigned to your command," Watanabe said flatly.
Jade chimed in with a smile. "Not only that, I'm also assigning fifteen Chunin to you, enough to form a full division. We're establishing an ANBU squad, and you're in charge. Our village may not compare to the Five Great Nations, but we should still have the proper infrastructure."
"So... I'm the ANBU Commander? The commander of a seventeen-man ANBU squad?" Kael's expression was strange, and then he frowned. "Pulling most of the village's Chunin into this one squad... isn't that a bit of an overkill? And who will handle the village's regular missions?"
Jade shook his head, his voice grave. "You don't understand. The number of missions the village receives has been dwindling. The Shinobi World is growing more unstable, and fewer clients are coming to us. With this chaos brewing, establishing a dedicated ANBU squad is a necessity. This is also to give you management experience for when you eventually take my place as Leader, and to earn you the respect of the village's core shinobi."
Although Kael had suspected Jade intended to make him his successor, hearing it stated so plainly felt completely surreal.
"You've only met me twice. Why would you make such a decision? To hand over the village you worked so hard to build to me?" he asked in disbelief.
"Rino is a man I trained myself. In all his years of teaching, he has never recommended a student with such high praise. I trust Rino, and I trust my own judgment," Jade replied softly, a gentle smile on his face.
Kael fell silent. It was a comfortable feeling, being trusted. But when that trust came bundled with such immense responsibility, he felt overwhelmed. He needed to go home and clear his head.
He turned to Watanabe Musashi. "Uncle Watanabe, don't forget to come by later."
Watanabe Musashi gave a curt nod. Kael stood up to leave.
"Lord Leader, I'll take my leave then."
Jade smiled and stopped him. "The chakra metal... I already had Saburo fetch it. He's a reliable ninja, and he's waiting for you right outside the door. He'll give it to you when he sees you. It's not a large amount, I'm not sure if it will be enough. If you need more, just let me know, and I'll have someone purchase it from the black market."
Kael could only nod silently, his heart heavy with a complex mix of emotions. He didn't know that his reaction only made Jade's approval of him grow stronger. Fearlessness meant nothing. It was Kael's understanding of responsibility, his capacity for gratitude, that made him worthy of being entrusted with the entire village.
Kael suddenly remembered something. "Lord Leader," he said, looking up, "I have something very important I need to do for the next little while. It will consume a great deal of chakra, so I might not be able to go on any missions..."
"How long?" Watanabe Musashi frowned at him.
After the long conflict with the Jashinists, the village had a significant backlog of missions. Now, they were about to pull most of the Chunin squad leaders into this new ANBU. They desperately needed to clear those missions before things got even busier. He had been counting on Kael and his Wind Eagle to burn through them, both to temper Kael's lazy streak and to give him more mission experience.
"About a month," Kael replied after a moment's thought.
He had eight summons, and most of them could undergo a secondary synthesis to improve their strength. But his chakra reserves were still low. Each synthesis would require several days of recovery, so he estimated the entire "upgrade" process would take some time.
"Do you still think you're an academy student?" Watanabe glared at him. "The village shinobi are being run ragged, and you want to take a vacation?"
Kael just turned his head away, ignoring him. His dismissive expression made Watanabe's blood boil, his face flushing red.
"It's fine. Let him do what he needs to do. He's a mature shinobi; he knows what's important," Jade said, placidly taking Kael's side.
Watanabe was aghast. "Big Brother, you're spoiling him! The brat is already disrespectful as it is. With you backing him up, he'll be completely lawless! Aren't you afraid he'll run the village into the ground?"
Kael pursed his lips. You think I'm Naruto or something?
Ignoring Watanabe's complaints, Jade smiled warmly at Kael. "Very well. In one month, you will officially take command as the ANBU Grand Captain. I will have your squad members report to you then. You may go."
"Yes, sir!" Kael bowed slightly, then turned and shot a bright, sunny smile at the fuming Watanabe Musashi. He then strode out of the room.
"Big Brother, look at him!" Veins pulsed on Watanabe's forehead.
"Alright, alright. You're a grown man, and you're still injured. Why are you getting as fired up as a kid?" Jade chuckled. He then turned his head toward the door. "Has the medical-nin been called?"
"She's here, Lord Leader."
"Send her in."
"Yes, sir!"