Chapter 17: The Ambush
To Kael's surprise, despite taking a long detour, they were still ambushed.
"Stop!"
Inoshita Rino's sharp, uncertain command brought the group of more than a dozen to an abrupt halt. The forest was dead silent. Even the chirping of insects and birds had vanished. It was this unnatural quiet that set everyone's nerves on edge.
At the rear of the group, Kael's expression changed, and he cursed his luck. All he wanted was to lay low and power up, to synthesize a hundred or so Summoning Beasts before taking on the world. The last thing he wanted was a life-or-death struggle with these inhuman Jashinist fanatics. The entire Hidden Hot Water Village was powerless against them; what could he, an academy student who wasn't even a Genin, possibly do?
But fate had other plans.
Kael drew his kunai, holding it in a reverse grip, his sharp eyes scanning the surrounding trees and underbrush. He slowly moved behind a large tree, using it as cover against any incoming shuriken or ninjutsu. The other students, seeing his actions, shamefully followed suit, hiding behind trees and rocks. Their instructors had taught them these basic combat survival tactics, but in the heat of the moment, their nerves had made them forget everything.
Kael crouched behind the tree, his ears straining to catch any sound in the oppressive silence.
Finally, the stillness was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps. The sound grew from a faint rustle to a clear, determined march, heading straight for them. In the space of a few seconds, the wind picked up, and figures began to flicker between the treetops.
Kael heard nervous gulps from around him and knew without looking that it was his inexperienced classmates. A moment later, the leaping figures came into view.
"One, two... twenty-eight of them!"
Kael's eyes darted around, quickly counting the enemy. His pupils constricted in shock. Twenty-eight people, nearly double their own number.
I wonder how many of them are actual shinobi... he thought, his heart sinking. He pushed the thought aside and focused, steeling himself for the fight.
Two figures, who seemed to hold a higher rank, stepped out from the surrounding cultists. They glanced at the forehead protector on Inoshita's head, then at each other, the killing intent in their eyes practically radiating from their bodies.
"A Hidden Hot Water shinobi?"
"And you look like an academy teacher. What, is the village so desperate now that they have to send an old geezer and a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears brats to cause trouble for us?"
Inoshita didn't bother to answer, his face grim. He shot a quick glance at Kael. The meaning was clear: You take one, I'll take the other.
No one would ever suspect a ten-year-old kid. These Jashinists were about to die with their eyes wide open in disbelief. That was Inoshita's plan.
And Kael, having been underestimated, was determined to teach these annoying fanatics a lesson.
"Not talking? You think staying silent will save you? I'll..."
Before the Jashinist could finish his taunt, the sound of something tearing through the air came from behind him.
WHOOSH! SWISH!
He reacted instantly, his feet tapping lightly on the ground as he blurred out of the Ironclad Hedgehog's "A Thousand Arrows" attack range.
So fast! He's definitely a Chunin!
Kael's heart finally sank. He had known his E-rank summons wouldn't be very effective against a Chunin, but he hadn't expected them to be completely useless. The attack had covered a five-meter radius with over a hundred iron quills, and it hadn't even scratched the man. It was a testament to his skill.
However, while the Jashinist Chunin had dodged the attack, his followers weren't so lucky. The seven or eight regular cultists within the attack's range were instantly turned into human pincushions.
"Rino-sensei, he's a Chunin!" Kael yelled, then immediately charged toward the other Jashinist leader.
"You persistent bastards!" he roared, raising his kunai and slashing at the man's throat.
"A brat who doesn't even know ninjutsu dares to challenge me?" the masked man sneered. He casually swung his scythe, effortlessly deflecting the attack and sending Kael flying. Kael was completely outmatched in both speed and strength.
"Let's end this in one blow, you pitiful little whelp!" the Jashinist Genin shouted, his hands flying through a series of seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive, blazing fireball shot toward Kael. The air temperature skyrocketed, and Kael, his eyes fixed on the approaching inferno, could feel an intense, searing heat.
It was almost on him.
Though he couldn't see Kael's face, the Jashinist Genin could already imagine the terror and despair. Certain of his victory, he relaxed completely.
"Bwahahahahaha! What an ignorant little brat! Is this all the Hidden Hot Water Academy teaches its students? A bunch of overconfident morons? Ha—"
Shick, shick, shick...
The cultist's maniacal laughter was cut short as countless half-meter-long iron quills erupted from the ground, impaling his entire body.
As the flames from the fireball's explosion died down, they revealed a meter-high brown earth wall. It had blocked the full force of the blast. The side facing the fireball was scorched black and covered in cracks, the moisture within it completely evaporated.
Kael stepped out from behind the wall, his expression calm, but a trace of fear still lingered in his eyes. He glanced at the battlefield where the ordinary cultists were fighting his classmates and sneered.
"Is this all you Jashinists are capable of?"
The cultists instinctively turned their heads. Their eyes widened in horror as they saw their squad leader's corpse, riddled with holes.
"No! The captain is dead!"
"That kid can use ninjutsu!"
They cried out in shock. One of the cultists who had witnessed the fight stammered in disbelief, "H-he didn't use any hand seals! I didn't see him make any hand seals!"
The remaining Jashinists were even more terrified, their movements becoming frantic and disorganized. Kael had no time for their chatter. Having shattered their morale, he pressed his advantage.
SHING!
His kunai flashed, slitting the throat of a regular cultist. In the next moment, his figure vanished again.
Against a seasoned Genin, Kael was hopelessly outmatched. But against these ordinary followers who didn't even have chakra, he was more than enough.