Chapter 73: Meeting an Old Friend in a New Place
Inside the Hidden Hot Water Village's only pet supply store.
"My apologies, young shinobi brother, I don't have any large dog beds in stock. Hah! But how about this? You give me the exact dimensions, and I'll custom-make them for you. How does that sound?"
The shop owner followed Kael and Rei out of the store, his face wreathed in smiles. Then he saw the massive yellow dog sitting by the door, a creature taller than himself. His eyes twitched, and his sales pitch immediately changed.
A dog that big... a custom bed would probably cost a fortune!
Kael, who had been about to leave with Rei, paused, his eyes lighting up. He had wandered the streets for a while and this was the only pet store he'd found. If the owner could custom-make them, that would be perfect.
"That works. Use his size as the measurement. I'll need four of them," Kael said, pointing at Goldie.
"Yes, yes, of course! Do you have any requirements for the material? You know, its properties? Are you looking for warmth, or breathability, or something else?" The owner's face was all smiles as he nodded eagerly and pressed for details.
"Hmm..." Kael thought for a second, then said flatly, "I need them to be tough and durable."
The owner froze, wondering if he'd heard correctly. "You're sure? Just tough and durable? You don't care about... comfort?"
Kael shook his head.
The owner was baffled. He'd been in business for half his life and had never heard such an uncouth request. But he was still a professional. He quickly plastered the smile back on his face and hurried back into the shop to get his measuring tape.
"Kael-nii-san, where are we going next?" Rei asked as they left the shop, her eyes sparkling as she hinted at something. She looked both excited and nervous.
Kael already had an answer. He was about to start leading a squad, but he felt he was still missing something. With his summons, his combat power was pretty much maxed out for this stage. He had no high-quality materials and no high-rank creatures, so a direct power boost was impossible right now.
But "combat power" included many things. Information transmission and medical ninjutsu were two areas he felt he desperately needed to shore up. If he could synthesize high-performance support summons for those roles, he felt they could be just as effective as a Chunin or even a Jonin.
"To the wet market."
"Huh?" Rei blinked, her expression a mix of happiness and disappointment. She was happy he wasn't just going home, but she was a little let down it wasn't for a "date" like going to the movies.
"What's wrong?" Kael looked at her, puzzled, then realization dawned. He smiled. "Alright, where do you want to go, kiddo?"
Rei quickly waved her hands, her face flushing red with embarrassment. "No! Nowhere... I... I'm already really happy just being out shopping with you, Kael-nii-san!"
She didn't want to make any demands, afraid he would find her unreasonable and never take her out again. Those who are sensitive and insecure are often humble when it comes to love.
They soon arrived at the wet market. The moment they stepped into the crowded, open-air bazaar, they were hit by a complex smell of blood and... waste.
"Ah, the vibrant smell of life!"
With that remark, Kael led the way past the vegetable stalls, heading for the area selling live animals like chickens, ducks, and fish, hoping to get lucky.
"Communication... healing..." he muttered to himself, scanning the stalls on both sides.
"A communication-type summon needs to be small and portable. That narrows down the options... Sound... transmission... bats!"
Kael stopped, a flash of excitement in his eyes. Rei, who was following closely, also stopped, a fond smile on her face as she watched him mumbling to himself.
"If there's one small animal that's most sensitive to sound, it has to be the bat, which uses echolocation. If I synthesize a bat with the walkie-talkie, I might get some unexpected results."
He walked up to a random stall owner, a young man with bleached-blond hair who was selling ducks. Hearing Kael wasn't there to buy ducks, the owner, who was smoking a cigarette, looked annoyed. But then he looked up and saw the Hidden Hot Water forehead protector.
"You...! Ah! Ah, ahhh, my... my wife..." the young man stammered, his face going from dark to pale. He looked like he was about to cry from his own quick thinking, but he managed to point a finger toward the end of the aisle, a syrupy-sweet smile on his face.
Kael smirked but didn't press the issue. He nodded at the man and walked away.
The crowd thinned out as he and Rei reached the end of the aisle. Just as the man had indicated, there was a desolate stall that no one was paying attention to. Kael walked over and crouched down.
The stall owner immediately greeted him with a fawning smile. "Honorable ninja-sama! I caught these bats myself just last night! A unique delicacy. Would you like to buy a few?"
Even commoners had their own hierarchy, and their attitudes toward ninja varied. The pet store owner had called him "young shinobi brother," but this stall owner called him "honorable ninja-sama."
Kael smiled at him and pulled an old walkie-talkie from his coat with his left hand. "Let me take a look first."
"Yes, yes, of course! Please, take your time."
Kael reached into the cage and lightly touched the belly of one of the hanging bats.
[Creature: Bat]
Rank: E
He looked at the system prompt that followed.
[Old Walkie-Talkie]+[Bat]= ???
[Compatibility]90%
[Material: Old Walkie-Talkie, Quality (White)]
[Creature: Bat, Rank (E)]
[Synthesis Success Rate]130%
Perfect!
Kael was thrilled but kept his face neutral. He turned to the owner. "How much for these bats?"
Hearing a potential sale, the owner's face lit up. "Ten Ryo... uh, no! Five Ryo each! If you buy in bulk, I can give you a discount!" he said quickly. Seeing Kael's unreadable expression, the owner had nervously cut his own price. Very few people in the Shinobi World ate bats; he rarely got customers.
"There are almost twenty bats here, that should be enough. I only have one walkie-talkie, though, I'll have to go buy some more later..." Kael calculated mentally, then said, "Alright, I'll take them all."
"Great!" The owner was overjoyed and quickly got to work.
While waiting for the owner to bag the bats, Kael stood up and idly glanced around. He suddenly froze. A look of warm familiarity filled his eyes, and he found himself walking toward the stall directly opposite.
He was in a foreign land, yet he had run into... someone from his past.
Kael stopped in front of the stall.
Before him stood a middle-aged man in overalls.
He was selling chickens.