Protease Toxin

"Inuzuka Ryo, what do you mean by this? Do you think I, Tejudo, am a coward who fears death?"

Tejudo shoved Inuzuka Ryo away with a shoulder charge, then stood beside Umino Sasuke, facing the approaching enemies. Though terrified, he put on a brave face.

He even chuckled and teased, "Captain, you don't think I'm too weak and in the way, do you? Are you planning to ditch your dear, capable subordinate and take all the credit points for this S-rank mission yourself?"

Umino Sasuke: ???

Damn it, how did this kid know? He was spot on.

If it weren't for the fact that the kid's knuckles were white from gripping his kunai, he might have actually given himself away.

This kid is quite cute. He's terrified to his core, yet he won't abandon his teammates. He's truly a loyal and righteous young man.

I used to think this kid was a coward who mastered the art of survival and development. It seems my judgment was biased.

Now that he can make such a life-or-death choice at a critical moment, I can re-evaluate my previous assessment of him being at the Chunin limit.

Given his performance with the Money Release Secret Technique and the combat will he's shown, becoming a Special Jonin in the future shouldn't be difficult.

"Cap-Captain, if we work together to stop the enemy, we can definitely hold out until the mobile patrol team arrives. Yes, we definitely can."

Xiao Xiao, trembling, stood beside Umino Sasuke, her voice a little shaky as she tried to encourage everyone.

Despite being terrified and her legs shaking, she forced herself to be strong and encourage her teammates.

What a pure and kind chubby girl. She's so scared herself, yet she's still thinking of comforting others.

It's a shame she can't learn Medical Ninjutsu. Otherwise, with the disposition this chubby girl is showing right now, she would surely be a good Medical Ninja.

"Ha! Ha! Ha..."

Umino Sasuke burst into hearty laughter, his eyes involuntarily moistening.

Looking at the three youngsters standing beside him, wanting to fight alongside him, Umino Sasuke felt a surge of emotion and an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

No matter how cruel and heartless this Ninja World might be, there will always be those who believe that this world is also filled with affection and righteousness.

That, is already enough.

Umino Sasuke felt a purification and sublimation of his spirit, and even the Chakra within him flowed more smoothly.

It wasn't an awakening of Ninja Will, or some damn Will of Fire, but a sense of belonging to this world, giving him a more comprehensive and clear understanding of this world he felt alienated from.

From a cognitive level, a heartfelt recognition, thus leading to a spiritual sublimation.

"Good, good, good! Today, I'll lead you in a beautiful ambush battle."

Umino Sasuke waved his hand grandly, exuding immense heroism.

He even felt a heroic aura of invincibility wherever his sword pointed.

Infected by this powerful aura, the three youngsters gradually calmed down, becoming more steady and reserved.

"Tejudo, stop being sentimental about your tool-wives. Bring them all out."

"Yes, Captain!"

Tejudo, who always prioritized his tools over friends, finally made a choice between sentiment and righteousness in the face of this crisis.

Tejudo immediately pulled out several stacks of Explosive Tags, his paper wife, and many other tool-sized wives from his Ninja Tool Bag, quickly strengthening the Heavenly Net trap.

Umino Sasuke added calmly, "Remember to mark the traps with emergency escape signs and codes."

Tejudo was a little confused, but thinking that the captain was always meticulous, he didn't dwell on it.

"Here!"

Umino Sasuke nodded, pulled out a large bottle of potion, and tossed it to Tejudo. "Smear all of this on."

"Got it!"

Tejudo caught the potion bottle and looked at the full bottle of green liquid. It was undoubtedly a powerful poison.

Tejudo was overjoyed. The captain was rarely so generous. He was even taking out his prized possession to "decorate" his tool-sized wives. He had to perform exceptionally well this time and not let down the captain's deep affection and friendship.

Tejudo quickly smeared these poisons on his tool-sized wives, giving them beautiful green outfits. If his paper wife, the Explosive Tags, could get wet, he wouldn't have spared them either.

Umino Sasuke shook his head. This bottle of poison, while called a prized possession, wasn't actually a deadly poison that killed on contact.

Deadly poisons that target ninjas are rare, and even in the Black Market, they are extremely expensive.

On the front lines, the poor can't afford to use poison, except for Sunagakure, which produces a lot of it.

This bottle of poison was just a biological protease toxin he cultivated by feeding snake venom, minerals, and poisonous herbs to Water Bats.

This biological protease toxin is somewhat similar to Hanzo's Salamander Toxin, but its toxicity is far inferior.

For ordinary civilians, it would definitely be a deadly poison that kills on contact, but for ninjas with Chakra, the toxicity isn't that terrifying.

If he could truly cultivate a deadly poison like the Salamander Toxin, he wouldn't be here on the front lines as cannon fodder. He would have already returned to Konohagakure and quietly stayed in Konoha's Logistics Department.

The Logistics Department is not only safe but also offers just as many mission credit points.

After the Ninja Wars ended, he might even be able to get into the Logistics Department's Poison Squad and become a glorious Special Jonin.

It has to be said that Chakra is unreasonable and almost omnipotent. Unless it's a special poison specifically targeting Chakra, the effect is generally mediocre.

However, although his Water Bat's biological protease toxin can't match the terror of the Salamander Toxin, it is still a biological protease toxin specially cultivated using a summoning beast, and it has a miraculous effect in paralyzing limbs.

Because it's a biological protease toxin, conventional detoxification pills in the Ninja World have little effect. Only the corresponding antitoxin serum can take rapid effect.

Although this biological protease toxin isn't difficult to crack, without a sample, it's hard to develop a targeted detoxification method.

Therefore, as long as it's not misused and the sample isn't exposed, once poisoned, there's almost no cure in a short period.

While not extremely poisonous, this biological protease toxin is a brand-new toxin specifically targeting cellular activity. After poisoning, cells, tissues, and limbs lose their activity and fall into a state of paralysis.

Because the toxicity isn't potent enough, far less than Salamander Toxin, paralyzed areas can still be suppressed using Chakra, although the required Chakra consumption seems a bit high.

Though Chakra is almost omnipotent, ninjas are not. Without Chakra, if cells, tissues, and limbs are paralyzed, one is no different from a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

After a flurry of activity, Inuzuka Ryo and Xiao Xiao's tools were also coated with poison, just as Tejudo finished strengthening the Heavenly Net trap.

"Conceal yourselves!"

Umino Sasuke ordered Inuzuka Ryo and Xiao Xiao to hide behind the large tree near the riverbank.

Then, he nodded to Tejudo. As if sharing an unspoken battlefield understanding, the two started moving simultaneously, distributing Chakra to their feet. They climbed the giant tree side-by-side, eventually stopping in a corner of a branch.

This giant tree was at least large enough for three to four people to embrace. The branch they stopped on could easily block more than half of the forward view even with two people hidden there.

After hiding, Umino Sasuke raised his hand and pressed it downwards towards Inuzuka Ryo and Xiao Xiao below him.

Inuzuka Ryo and Xiao Xiao quickly suppressed their killing intent, concealing their figures and auras.

Tejudo, an old subordinate, was a veteran of the battlefield and required no further guidance; he had already concealed his aura.

Tejudo was a genius with traps, and he had his own unique skills in concealing himself.

In an instant.

The sounds of various flying insects and birds suddenly became clearer.

Cicada calls stretched long, vibrating notes in the muggy air, carrying the dampness rising from the decaying soil as they drifted through the forest.

Under the layer of rotting leaves, the light crackling of mycelium could be heard, like the footsteps of tiny microorganisms crushing sporangia.

In the forest, it appeared to be a scene of peace and nature.

But in the shadows, danger lurked everywhere.