Battling the Venomous Snake

The dense forest stretched for who knew how many kilometers, like a sheet of green jade set into the earth. A gentle breeze stirred rows of trees, making them sway like rolling waves. Such a sight could only be seen in the Land of Fire.

Of the present Five Great Nations, the Land of Wind was mostly deserted desert, while the Land of Clouds and the Land of Earth were largely barren wastelands. The Land of Rain spent half its time under a fine drizzle.

The Land of Fire had the greatest area of the Five Great Nations, with the most land and resources. Those were precisely what the other four nations coveted, and what had sparked the first two Shinobi World Wars.

The Shinobi World Wars were hardly conflicts between ninja villages; they were struggles over interests and resources. The Land of Fire had the best land and resources, while the other four nations could only live on barren soil. Naturally, they looked on with envy.

But Konoha was powerful and had emerged victorious from every Shinobi World War, not only preserving its territory but also reaping the spoils of victory.

Deep in a primeval forest without a trace of human habitation, sunlight struggled through the leaves and fell on ground covered in dead branches and fallen leaves. Yemo leaped nimbly through the trees like an ape.

He gathered medicinal herbs about once a week. He had usually come with his older sister before; this was his first time coming alone.

As for why Yemo gathered herbs, necessity had forced him to it. Yemo and Kushina were both members of the Uzumaki Clan who had come to Konoha from the Land of Whirlpools. At first, they had no relatives or friends, only each other to depend on.

The two needed money to live. Although Konoha High Command gave them a monthly allowance, it was only enough for their usual food and clothing, nowhere near enough overall. Gathering herbs was one way Yemo earned money.

Things were much better now, though. His older sister Kushina had graduated from the Ninja Academy and become a Genin, going out on missions to earn money.

Of course, gathering herbs was also a good way to earn a living. A fine medicinal herb could fetch a very high price.

Yemo moved quickly. By the end of the morning, the herb basket on his back was already about two-thirds full. A few more herbs would fill it.

Seeing that he still had plenty of time and the basket was nearly full, Yemo decided to spend a little longer looking for valuable medicinal herbs.

Unfortunately, Yemo wandered around the dense forest and saw plenty of herbs, but not a single particularly valuable one. He felt deeply disappointed.

As he searched, Yemo came to a mountain stream and waterfall. The stream plunged straight down from a height of over ten meters, crashing into the water like a heavy hammer and producing a series of deafening roars.

A small pool lay beneath the waterfall. It was exceptionally clear; Yemo could even make out the gravel on the bottom and the little fish swimming in it.

The pool was so clear, and Yemo was thirsty after wandering all morning, that he gave it no further thought. He walked to the edge, scooped up a handful of the icy water, and drank.

The world of Hokage was nothing like Earth. Pollution was not even a word in Hokage. The mountains and waters were pristine, and water from streams could be drunk directly. The pool water was so cold that it felt like a piece of ice in his mouth, refreshingly pleasant.

Yemo drank several handfuls, then scooped up more water to wash his face. Wiping the water from his face, he looked up at the sun.

Suddenly, something caught his eye, and his eyes lit up. It was something good. There, on the edge of the high cliff beside the waterfall, stood a green plant, fresh and lovely.

"I searched high and low without finding one, and now it's fallen right into my lap. I didn't expect to find a good herb here," Yemo said excitedly.

Wiping the water from his face, Yemo walked beneath the cliff. Although it was only a little over ten meters high, it looked very tall and steep from below.

That height would have been extremely difficult for an ordinary person, but it was a small matter for a ninja. Yemo leaped up, tapped his feet against several protruding rocks, and reached the top of the cliff in the blink of an eye.

The herb was right in front of him. Yemo carefully took the little hoe from his basket, located the herb's roots, and prepared to dig.

Suddenly, he heard something cutting through the air behind him. His expression changed, and he darted to the side, grabbed a vine, and swung away, evading the attack from behind.

"What the hell was that?"

Yemo planted both feet on a rock and stopped. Turning to look back, he saw a large red snake as thick as the mouth of a bowl coiled around the herb. Its head was triangular; it was clearly a highly venomous snake.

"So that's what it was. A snake. If I hadn't reacted quickly just now, I'd probably have ended up in its jaws," Yemo said calmly.

Seeing the venomous snake coiled around the herb, Yemo immediately understood that it had been guarding the plant all along. His attempt to take it had drawn the snake out.

The venomous snake raised its body high, flicking its red tongue as it watched Yemo warily.

Whoosh!

Yemo waved his left hand, and a shuriken appeared in it. "Looks like I can't take this herb without dealing with you first."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yemo used the Body Flicker Technique. His figure flashed out of sight, and when he reappeared, he was already behind the snake. He raised the shuriken in his right hand and stabbed fiercely at the vulnerable spot just behind its head.

But the venomous snake reacted quickly too. It twisted out of the way, causing Yemo's attack to miss, then turned and opened its gaping maw, biting at him amid a foul, fishy gust.

The snake attacked at lightning speed. Less than a meter separated them, and it reached Yemo in an instant. Gripping the shuriken tightly in his right hand, Yemo slashed back at it.

Clang...

The shuriken struck the snake with a sound like steel clashing. Yemo felt a jolt run through his arm, and the tremendous force of the impact nearly knocked the poisoned shuriken from his hand.

"Fuck, this beast's skin is damn hard," Yemo cursed.

Seeing that it could not bite Yemo, the venomous snake opened its mouth and spat two streams of green venom at him like arrows loosed from a bow.

While fighting the snake, Yemo had already prepared for it to spit venom. He turned and dodged the streams.

The venom struck a rock, which immediately began to melt, hissing and giving off white smoke. It showed just how potent the venom was.

Seeing how potent it was, Yemo could not help feeling a trace of relief. Good thing I was prepared. If that venom had hit me out here in the wilderness, I'd have died for sure.

"But this snake's skin really is tough. Even ninja tools can hardly pierce it. Looks like I'll have to use Ninjutsu." Yemo thought it over. Ninjutsu was the quickest and best way to deal with the snake.

Flicking its tongue, the red venomous snake slithered swiftly among the steep rocks, its body several meters long. It came to kill Yemo, the human trying to steal its herb. Only then could it protect its herb.

Yemo was delighted to see it charging at him. If the snake had stayed beside the herb, he would not have known what to do; it would have been bad if his Ninjutsu damaged the herb. Now that the snake was coming at him, it gave him just the opportunity he needed.

Yemo put the ninja tool into the small pouch at his waist and began moving both hands. They moved too fast to see clearly, like a blur of shifting shadows.

In an instant, Yemo rapidly completed six Hand Seals: "Snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse, tiger." After practicing these past few days, he could form seals more than twice as fast as before.

Bringing his hands together by his lips, Yemo shouted, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

As his words fell, Yemo opened his mouth and spat out a stream of blazing flames. They rolled together into a fireball several meters wide, radiating terrifying heat and light. It surged forward, bearing down on the venomous snake.

Seeing the fireball coming, the snake sensed the threat of death and hurriedly turned to flee, but it was already too late.

The fireball bore down with the force of a spreading wildfire. Every vine on the cliff face in its path was reduced to ash, and even the rocks glowed red in the flames.

The fireball finally caught up with the fleeing snake, and the raging flames engulfed it in an instant. Although the snake's skin was tough enough to withstand blades, it could not defend against the scorching heat of the flames.

A tremendous bang rang out, as though several kilograms of explosives had detonated at once. The huge fireball burst apart, scattering countless flames in every direction. Still more flames rushed into the falling waterfall.

The instant the flames touched the water, they produced a boiling hiss. White steam rose high like a long dragon, soaring straight into the sky.

"What a great sight!" The cascading waterfall, the burning flames, and the white steam formed a beautiful scene.

A black mass suddenly shot out of the steam and fell straight into the water with a splash, sending spray several meters into the air. It was clearly the venomous snake from before, but the flames had reduced it to a lump of charcoal.

With the snake dealt with, Yemo finally felt safe approaching the herb. He took out his herb hoe and carefully lifted the plant from the soil with all its roots, then placed it in the basket on his back.

Pleased to have obtained the herb, Yemo did not know that the enormous commotion caused by his Ninjutsu had alerted some people in the forest.