Chapter 72: Picking Up My Sister from School
The two walked to the corner of the stairwell.
"Kael! You brat, you finally decided to come see me!" Inoshita Rino punched Kael on the chest, his face full of pleasant surprise.
"Hahaha, of course I had to come see my favorite teacher, Rino-sensei," Kael laughed, brushing it off.
"You brat... it's only been a few months, and you're already taller and stronger!" Inoshita said, looking at him with a sigh.
At fourteen, Kael was already 175cm (5'9") tall. His features were handsome, his build lean and solid. He was a far cry from the scrawny, malnourished kid who had first arrived in the Hidden Hot Water Village.
"Eating well, sleeping well, and not having to go on exhausting missions... unlike some people who have to prep lessons and teach all day. Of course I'm going to grow!" Kael couldn't help but show off to the man who was both his teacher and his friend.
"Hey! You and that mouth of yours! Be careful, or no girl will ever want you!" Inoshita glared at him.
They chatted for a while longer. Even as the school day was about to end, they both felt they hadn't had enough.
"I heard Lord Leader formed an ANBU squad and wants you to lead it, taking on high-risk missions. Are you confident, kid?" Inoshita asked, a note of worry in his voice.
He was truly fond of Kael's personality, and Kael was the most brilliant student he had ever taught, mastering six years of curriculum in less than one. He didn't want to see this rare genius, the first the Hidden Hot Water Village had produced in a long time, get snuffed out before he could even blossom.
Everyone else only cared about how high he could fly; only Inoshita worried if he was cold up there.
A warmth spread through Kael's chest. He smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. Lord Leader knows my current strength. If you don't trust me, don't you at least trust him?"
Inoshita paused, then nodded, relieved. "That's true. You've always been an old soul in a young body. You never take a risk you're not sure about... except for hiding in the back and throwing shuriken, hahaha!"
He suddenly remembered the image of Kael, high up on his Wind Eagle, relentlessly pelting the Jashinist Jonin with shuriken while he and Watanabe Musashi were locked in a desperate battle. The memory made him burst out laughing.
"Hey, hey! That's enough! That was ages ago, why are you still bringing that up?" Kael's face darkened. He had been weak back then, and he had resorted to some cheap shots from the sidelines, but he didn't need it brought up as his defining legacy...
"Hehehe... Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, you're about to become one of the most powerful figures in the village. Sigh... Alright, I have to go dismiss the students. You should head out," Inoshita said, smiling at him.
"Yeah." Kael nodded, watching him turn and walk back to the classroom. He waited until Inoshita's figure disappeared before turning and heading downstairs.
Ring, ring, ring...
The bell rang, and the quiet campus instantly erupted in a cacophony of chatter. Swarms of students poured from the hallways on every floor, forming a human tide that flowed toward the school gate.
Kael didn't wait more than two minutes before he saw the person he was looking for.
"Kael-nii-san!"
A sweet, happy cry rang out. A small, beige-colored figure darted out from the gate and ran straight into his arms. Kael was instantly enveloped in a faint, sweet scent. He smiled, stroking Rei's small head, and teased, "When you're a young lady, I bet you'll be too embarrassed to ask for hugs anymore."
Rei looked up, her face flushed crimson, her big eyes sparkling. I might be blushing, she thought, but I have to stake my claim. Other people don't know we're brother and sister. They'll just think we're... This way, no one will try to get close to Kael-nii-san...
Who would have thought? An eleven-year-old girl already knew the importance of striking first. If Kael had any idea what was going through her mind, he would have been floored. "I see you as a little sister, and you're trying to get in my pants?!"
Just then, gasps of astonishment rose from the school gate.
"Whoa! Look at that giant yellow dog!"
"I want one so bad..."
"Who's that guy? The dog is just sitting there so obediently next to him. It must be his Summoning Beast!"
"I know who he is! That's Kael Cross!"
"THAT's Kael? The monster who graduated early and already made Chunin?"
"Just looking at his summon makes my heart stop... He really is the legendary genius of our academy..."
The crowd at the gate grew quiet, their burning gazes fixed on Kael. He suddenly found it hard to suppress a grin. Since when did I become a legend at this school?
"Captain Kael!" a surprised voice called out from the crowd.
Kael looked over and saw one ofhis old classmates. He smiled and waved. "Murakami Rin."
Murakami Rin and the other classmates with him exchanged excited glances. "See! I told you! There's no way Captain Kael would forget us! We've been through life and death together!"
Rei and Kael looked at each other, both smiling.
Main street, Hidden Hot Water Village.
"Let's get something to eat first. What do you want?" Kael asked.
"Hmm... tri-color dango!" Rei said after tilting her head in thought.
"Tri-color dango..." Kael murmured, a wave of nostalgia washing over him. He thought of Itachi Uchiha from the original story, a man who loved sweets but lived a life of bitterness. That's the price of fame at a young age, I guess. Or maybe it's just an Uchiha thing, always going to extremes...
Kael took Rei on a tour of the short main street. They tried almost everything from the food stalls: sweets, oden, and grilled snacks.
"I'm so full!" Rei rubbed her stomach, her face beaming. She hadn't been this happy in years, not since her parents had passed away.
"Then let's walk slowly. We need to buy some supplies for Goldie and the others next."
"Okay!" Rei loved shopping, especially when she had company. She looked over at Goldie, who was strutting beside them with a majestic, model-like gait, and shrank back a little. "I didn't even recognize him at first! He's not cute at all anymore..."
The pedestrians on the street were all giving Goldie a wide berth. He held his head even higher with pride, but at Rei's words, his regal stride faltered. A look of pure agony crossed his face. She had hit him right where it hurt.
"Heh... What's the point of being cute if you're useless?" Kael added, glancing at him and shaking his head.
THUD.
Goldie collapsed onto the pavement, looking like he wanted to die. That's it! I'm done! Whoever wants to walk this stupid street can walk it! Just let the world end!
"Pfft... hehehe... Kael-nii-san, look at him!" Rei tugged on Kael's sleeve, pointing at Goldie, who was now refusing to move, and doubled over in laughter. "By the way, what are we buying?"
"A few extra-large dog beds."
"Why so many, Kael-nii-san? Don't you only have Goldie?"
"Heh, you'll see. At this point, what's the difference between those guys and a bunch of giant dogs?"
The silhouettes of the two, and their one dramatic dog, slowly faded into the distance, the warm glow of the setting sun casting long, orange shadows of their youth behind them.