Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts

"Our cooperation these past few days has been getting better and better. And Shangguan Mo's summons have had some unexpected effects. Although it's been tiring, if we can keep up this pace, we'll be able to solve a great deal of the village's troubles..." Watanabe Mousse said, his voice a little lighter.

"They're just a disorganized rabble. The teachers and Big Brother Mo's summons can scatter those Jashinists with a single charge," Li added with a smile, thinking the captain was talking about the trouble the cult was causing.

Inoshita Rino and Shangguan Mo exchanged a look but said nothing. They had understood the hidden meaning in their captain's words.

"Trouble... he must be talking about the trouble from the Daimyo!" A cold arc formed on Shangguan Mo's lips. His instructor had already told him that the Daimyo had been pressuring the Yugakure leader multiple times to resolve the unrest caused by the cult as soon as possible. "Daimyo... hehe, doesn't he use his brain? How could Yugakure, with its limited ninja, possibly drive out the entire Cult of Jashin, let alone eliminate it? The captain and us can see this, so can the Daimyo really not? He just doesn't care about the lives of the Yugakure ninja at all. He really does just see us as tools!" A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he gritted his teeth.

"Mo! How can you be so disrespectful to the Daimyo!" Inoshita Rino said in a low, stern voice, shaking his head at him.

Seeing the atmosphere had become a bit tense, he quickly changed the subject with a smile. "Shangguan Mo, how come that eagle of yours hasn't brought back any food yet? We haven't had meat in a week!"

Hearing this, he suppressed his anger and rolled his eyes. "It's the middle of winter. Why don't you go find some game?"

"Hahaha, Rino-sensei, this kid talks to you so disrespectfully. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to stand it!" Izumi, who was on good terms with him, teased.

"Sigh, I don't know when it started, but this kid has always been like this," Inoshita Rino said with a mock sigh of helplessness, which made the others laugh.

"It's because you guys wouldn't let me lie low and develop. I'm not pretending anymore! The cards are on the table!" Shangguan Mo thought, but a smile was on his lips. He felt comfortable with these people. They didn't have the strict hierarchical structure he had expected from ninja. "Maybe this is just a characteristic of a small village, or maybe just Yugakure..."

Before long, the Windhawk returned, carrying a black-haired wild boar in its talons. Seeing this, everyone's eyes lit up. After days of dry rations, their mouths were watering.

"Who's going to do it?" Shangguan Mo asked, taking out tools and salt from Li's large backpack.

The others looked at each other, then all turned to look at him.

"My summon was the one that caught it, so that counts as my contribution! Besides, I don't know how to butcher an animal!" he said, tilting his head up.

That made sense. They then turned their gazes to the good-natured Inoshita Rino.

"Fine! You all just want to bully this old man, don't you!" he said, raising an eyebrow. But his hands moved quickly. He drew his kunai and, in a few swift motions, skinned the boar and cut it into platter-sized pieces.

Everyone quickly skewered the meat on branches and placed them over the fire. Li had already prepared the oil, salt, cumin, and chili powder.

"Little Dragon, go get more firewood!" Shangguan Mo said, patting the Earth Dragon Beast, which was obsessed with the fire. The creature immediately slithered off to find more wood.

A dozen minutes later, Shangguan Mo finally had his first taste of meat in days. After eating his fill, it was time for sleep. They had been on the move almost non-stop and were all exhausted. But with the current situation in the country, someone had to stand watch.

"I'll take it. You all go and rest," he said, seeing the fatigue on his instructor's face. Just as the group wouldn't let the young girl Li do the butchering, they wouldn't let her stand watch either. He knew that if he didn't volunteer, the old man Inoshita Rino would have. He couldn't bring himself to let a man in his forties with old injuries stand watch all night.

"This kid, he's finally taking some initiative. It's not easy!" Izumi teased a fellow teacher.

"Yeah, he's a cunning one, never one to take a loss. He must be opening up..." the other teachers agreed with a laugh, then found a clean spot to lie down.

Only Inoshita Rino looked at the quietly sitting Shangguan Mo with a smile in his eyes. He walked over to him and said softly, "Staying up all night is too tiring. You can't handle it. Let me take the second half of the night."

"Go to sleep. If I can't handle it, I still have Li. Young people can stay up later than you old guys!" Shangguan Mo said impatiently.

Inoshita Rino: "..." His face twitched slightly. "Alright then..." He turned and went back to his spot, letting out a comfortable sigh as he lay down.

The cold wind blew, waking him from his drowsiness. It was already the latter half of the night. The bonfire had shrunk, but it was still burning. "How did you wake up?" he asked, looking at Li, who had come to his side.

"Big Brother Mo, you should go to sleep. I'll take the second half of the night..." she squatted down and said softly, close to him.

He was taken aback. Looking at the concern in her eyes, he suddenly didn't know what to say. The words he had said to his instructor were just to brush him off; he had no intention of making Li stand watch with him. But he didn't expect the girl to have heard him and taken him seriously. Looking at the girl, who was as well-behaved as a little kitten, he smiled warmly and ruffled her soft, long hair. "I was just tricking him. I didn't expect to trick a silly girl like you... I don't need you to take over for me. I couldn't bear to make my little sister do something as boring as standing watch."

"Big Brother Mo..." her eyes grew red as she murmured his name. Since her parents had left her, she had never felt such care from anyone.

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