Chapter 8: Hunting the Jashinists
By the afternoon of the third day after the assessment, Kael and the group of more than a dozen students had been traveling for half a day, covering a good distance toward their mission objective.
Their instructor, Inoshita Rino, pulled a map from his coat and gathered the team around him. His expression was grave as he scanned the dozen or so young faces, the pressure on his shoulders mounting. His goal wasn't to complete this mission perfectly; it was to bring these children, most of whom were barely ten years old, back to the village safely.
"Our destination is Spring Meadow Town, over a hundred miles from here. We've received reports of Jashinist sightings in that area. Our mission is to track them down. This is a long journey for you all, so we need to be conservative with the supplies the village has given us."
Kael nodded in agreement, subconsciously taking stock of their mission supplies. For food, they only had some ration biscuits. Expensive items like military food pills were something the village purchased in small quantities, but they wouldn't be wasted on students who weren't even official shinobi yet. Besides the biscuits, his pack contained two bottles of water and a roll of bandages. The tool pouch on his right leg held one real, sharp kunai and a number of shuriken.
Feeling the weight of his equipment, Kael felt a little more at ease, but a wry smile touched his lips. This was the unfortunate reality of a small shinobi village; their resources were severely limited. He had never expected that they couldn't even provide a single food pill.
As the students gathered, Inoshita pointed to the map. "We need to head northwest."
Murakami Rin asked, confused, "Sensei, isn't our destination Spring Meadow Town to the north? Why are we going northwest?"
Kael, however, was studying the map with a frown. "The northern region is vast and sparsely populated. It's unlikely the Jashinists would linger there. The western part of the Land of Hot Water, on the other hand, is full of farmland. It's much more likely that's where they'll strike next..."
Hearing Kael's quiet analysis, the other students looked at him in surprise. They were all third-year academy students, yet Kael was able to think so far ahead. Still, they turned their gazes back to their teacher for confirmation.
Inoshita Rino gave Kael a surprised look and then nodded at the students' questioning faces. "Kael-kun is correct. That is precisely the reason. This route was also determined by the village. From now on, everyone needs to stay vigilant. We are far from the village, and those Jashinists could appear at any moment!"
"Yes, sir!"
For most of the students, this was their first time leaving the village. Apart from their instructor and a few of the more level-headed ones, their faces were filled with excitement and thrill. They had no idea what kind of horrors the Jashinists they were about to face truly were.
But a deep sense of dread was growing in Kael's heart. The desperate screams of the Clearwater villagers echoed in his mind like a recurring nightmare. He had personally witnessed the Jashinists' cruelty. They had slaughtered innocent people with a savage glee, as if their only purpose in life was to kill and to watch the despair and terror in their victims' eyes as they died.
This ever-present sense of danger weighed heavily on him. He had fought so hard to survive, and he cherished this second life immensely.
He decided he needed to synthesize another Summoning Beast. He didn't even know the basic Three Academy Jutsu; he had no idea how he would face those inhuman monsters.
"I have an attack-type and a support-type. For the battles to come, it's time to get a defense-type," Kael muttered to himself. "Right now, survival is the top priority. The Land of Hot Water is mostly plains, so for defense... earth, maybe..."
He glanced at Rei, who was walking beside him, her small frame burdened by a slightly faded backpack.
"Rei, what animal do you think has the best defense?"
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Rei blinked, thought for a moment, and then answered uncertainly, "Probably... a pangolin?"
Kael nodded. He had been thinking the same thing, but he wasn't sure if he could find one. If not, I'll try a beetle.
He reached out with his mind to the Earth Dragon, which was always traveling in the soil beneath his feet. "Little Dragon, find me a pangolin."
He felt the small iron nugget in his tool pouch, already planning the synthesis. Iron might offer better defense, but earth probably has a higher compatibility with a pangolin...
He decided to try iron and a pangolin first. If that didn't work, he'd use earth and a beetle instead.
While the instructor and the other students were resting, Kael quietly slipped away from the group. He walked for several hundred meters until he was completely out of sight before stopping. A faint vibration traveled up from the ground beneath his feet, but he paid it no mind. As expected, a few seconds later, the Earth Dragon emerged from the earth in front of him.
As if sensing Kael's expectant gaze, it swayed its upright body slightly. Kael immediately understood its meaning.
"No luck."
Feeling a twinge of disappointment, Kael didn't hesitate and opened the System.
[Iron]+[Beetle]= ???
[Compatibility]50%
No, the compatibility is too low. The success rate won't be high enough, he thought, his brow furrowed. He was pinning a lot of hope on this synthesis; he couldn't afford for it to fail.
He put the iron nugget from his left hand back into his tool pouch and grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground. He looked at the System again.
[Earth]+[Beetle]= ???
[Compatibility]90%
[Material: Earth, Quality (Common)]
[Creature: Beetle, Rank (E)]
[Synthesis Success Rate]100%
"A hundred percent success rate. That's a first," Kael said to himself, a bit exasperated. But he had no other choice. He immediately selected [Confirm Synthesis].
He watched as the dirt in his left hand vanished into thin air. The black beetle in his right palm was gradually covered in a brown layer, forming a small cocoon that emitted a faint yellow glow. A few seconds later, the glow faded, and a small, brown creature emerged.
[Summoning Beast: Earthen Beetle]
Rank: E
Species: Coleoptera Insect
Attribute: Earth
Abilities:
Earth Wall: The Earthen Beetle has a natural affinity for earth and possesses the ability to simply manipulate soil, allowing it to quickly gather and solidify nearby earth to form a defensive wall.
Camouflage (Passive): On the ground, it can hide its body from predators, blending in perfectly with the surrounding soil.
System Evaluation: Small and efficient!