Protease Toxin

"Inuzuka Ryo, what did you mean by that? Do you think I, Tejudo, am some coward afraid of death?"

Tejudo slammed Inuzuka Ryo aside with an Iron Mountain Lean and stepped up beside Umino Sasuke. He faced the incoming enemies, terrified inside but putting on a calm front.

He even grinned and joked, "Captain, don't tell me you think I'm too weak and in the way, so you want to ditch your dear, capable subordinate and hog all the merit points from this super S-Rank Mission?"

Umino Sasuke: ???

Damn it, how did this kid know? He had actually hit the nail on the head.

If not for the fact that the kid's knuckles were already white from gripping his kunai little wife, he might really have given himself away.

The kid was actually pretty cute. He was scared to death, yet he refused to abandon his teammates. He seemed like a loyal little man after all.

He had previously thought the kid was greedy for life and afraid of death, deeply versed in the secret art of lying low and growing stronger. It seemed that judgment had been biased.

Now that he could make such a life-or-death choice at a critical moment, Umino Sasuke could raise his previous assessment of the kid's Chunin limit a little higher.

With the performance of his Money Release Secret Technique and the fighting spirit he had displayed today, becoming a Special Jonin in the future should not be difficult.

"C-Captain, if we fight the enemy together, we can definitely hold out until the Mobile Patrol Unit arrives. Y-Yes, we definitely can."

Xiao Xiao trembled as she stepped beside Umino Sasuke, her stammering words trying to encourage everyone.

Though she was terrified, her legs shaking nonstop, she still forced herself to be strong and encouraged the teammates around her.

What a simple, kind-hearted chubby girl. She was scared senseless herself, yet she could still think to comfort others.

It was a pity she had no way to learn Medical Ninjutsu. Otherwise, with the character she had shown now, she would surely have made a fine Medical Ninja.

"Ha! Ha! Ha..."

Umino Sasuke laughed heartily, and the corners of his eyes could not help growing moist.

As he looked at the three youngsters standing beside him, ready to fight at his side, Umino Sasuke felt moved and was also filled with an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

No matter how cruel or heartless this ninja world was, there would always be some people who believed this world still held affection and loyalty.

That alone was enough.

Umino Sasuke suddenly felt as though his soul had been cleansed and elevated. Even the chakra within him flowed more smoothly.

It was not the awakening of Ninja Will, nor any bullshit Will of Fire. Rather, he had gained a certain sense of identification with this world, allowing him to see the world he had once felt distant from in a fuller, clearer light.

Starting from his understanding, he had begun to accept it from the bottom of his heart, achieving a spiritual elevation.

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

Umino Sasuke swept out a hand, brimming with heroic spirit.

He even carried an imposing air, as though wherever his blade pointed, nothing could stand against him.

Inspired by that powerful presence, the three youngsters gradually calmed down, becoming steadier and more reserved.

"Hall, stop being reluctant to part with those bladed-tool wives of yours. Set them all up."

"Got it, Captain!"

Tejudo, who usually valued beauty over friends, finally chose righteousness over beauty in the face of such a desperate situation.

Tejudo immediately pulled several stacks of Explosive Tag paper-figure wives and numerous large and small bladed-tool wives from his Ninja Tool Bag, rapidly reinforcing the heavenly net trap.

Umino Sasuke quietly added, "Remember to mark the traps with emergency avoidance signs and passcodes."

Tejudo was somewhat puzzled, but knowing that his captain had always been meticulous, he did not think much of it.

"Catch!"

Umino Sasuke nodded, took out a large bottle of medicine, and tossed it to Tejudo. "Coat everything with it."

"Sure thing!"

Tejudo caught the bottle and looked at the full bottle of bright green liquid. It was undoubtedly a bottle of strong force poison.

Tejudo was overjoyed. His captain was being unusually generous this time, actually taking out one of his treasured little goodies to put makeup on Tejudo's large and small bladed-tool wives. He had to perform beyond his limits this time and could not let down his captain's profound kindness.

Tejudo hurriedly smeared the poison over all his large and small bladed-tool wives, giving them beautiful green makeup. If his Explosive Tag paper-figure wives could have gotten wet, he probably would not have spared them either.

Umino Sasuke shook his head. This bottle of poison could be called a treasured item, but it was not actually some lethal poison that killed at the sight of blood.

Poisons capable of targeting ninja were rare goods. Even on the Black Market, they were extremely expensive.

On the front lines, poor bastards were not qualified to use poison. Of course, Sunagakure, which produced poison in abundance, was an exception.

The bottle before him was merely a Biological Protease Toxin he had cultivated and refined by feeding Water Bats snake venom, minerals, and poisonous herbs.

This Biological Protease Toxin was somewhat similar to Hanzo's Salamander Toxin, though its toxicity was far inferior to Ibuse's.

For ordinary civilians, it was certainly a lethal poison that killed at the sight of blood. But for ninja who possessed chakra, its toxicity was not necessarily all that frightening.

If he had truly managed to cultivate poison as potent as Ibuse's, he would not be here on the front lines serving as cannon fodder. He would have returned to Konoha long ago and quietly stayed in Konoha's Logistics Department.

The Logistics Department was not only safe, but its mission merits were not lacking in the slightest.

After the ninja war ended, he might even be able to worm his way into the Logistics Department's Poison Squad and become a glorious Special Jonin.

It had to be said, chakra was an unreasonable thing, nearly omnipotent. Unless a special poison specifically targeted chakra, its effects were generally mediocre.

However, although this Biological Protease Toxin from his Water Bats could not match Ibuse's terror, it was still a Biological Protease Toxin deliberately cultivated through a Summoning Beast. It had an exceptional effect on paralyzing living limbs.

And because it was a Biological Protease Toxin, ordinary Antidote Pills in the ninja world were basically ineffective against it. Only the corresponding Antidote Serum could work quickly.

Though this Biological Protease Toxin was not difficult to counter, without a sample, it was hard to develop a targeted antidote.

So long as it was not overused and no sample was exposed, once someone was poisoned, there was practically no solution in the short term.

Though this Biological Protease Toxin was not a deadly poison, it was a brand-new toxin specifically targeting Cell Tissue activity. Once poisoned, Cell Tissue and limbs would lose activity and fall into paralysis.

Because its toxicity was still not strong enough and far inferior to Ibuse's, poisoned and paralyzed areas could still be suppressed with chakra. It was just that the chakra consumption seemed rather high.

Chakra might be nearly omnipotent, but ninja were not. Without chakra, if their Cell Tissue and limbs were paralyzed, they were little different from lambs awaiting slaughter.

After a flurry of activity, Inuzuka Ryo's and Xiao Xiao's bladed tools were also coated in poison, while Tejudo had just finished reinforcing the heavenly net.

"Hide!"

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

Then he nodded at Tejudo. As if sharing some unspoken battlefield understanding, the two moved at the same time, spreading chakra across the soles of their feet and climbing the giant tree side by side. They finally stopped in a corner of one branch.

The giant tree was at least wide enough for three or four people to wrap their arms around it. Even with two people hidden on the branch where they stood, it could easily block most of the view ahead.

Once they were hidden, Umino Sasuke raised a hand toward Inuzuka Ryo and Xiao Xiao below and to the side, pressing it downward.

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

Tejudo, his old subordinate, was a battlefield veteran and needed no further instruction. He had already concealed his aura.

Tejudo was a little genius at traps to begin with, and naturally possessed his own unique aspect when it came to concealing himself.

In an instant.

The sounds of insects and birds abruptly became clear.

Cicadas dragged out long, trembling calls through the stifling air, carrying the damp vapor rising from humus soil through the woods.

Beneath the layer of rotten leaves came the faint crackle of fungal threads bursting, like the footsteps of tiny organisms crushing spore sacs.

The forest appeared peaceful and natural.

Yet danger lurked everywhere in the shadows.