Poisoned

"Not bad."

Looking at the effects of the Heavenly Lightning Slash, Ryōken nodded calmly. It was within his expectations.

There was just one minor flaw.

Ryōken looked at the bizarre, twisted longsword in his hand. It was clearly unusable now.

He could not help feeling frustrated.

Ordinary longswords really could not withstand such an intense sword technique.

Still, it did not matter.

A faint smile appeared on Ryōken's lips. He had not forgotten that the Rain Ninja jonin had a fairly decent ninja blade.

In the Naruto World, there was no clear distinction between swords and blades. As long as it was not a short blade like White Fang's, Ryōken could wield it as a sword.

Moreover, this move consumed quite a lot of chakra.

Unlike pure sword techniques, which consumed very little, this sword technique Ryōken had created by incorporating ninjutsu principles consumed a comparatively large amount of chakra.

After sensing it carefully, he estimated that it had consumed roughly as much chakra as a B-rank ninjutsu.

Ryōken revealed a satisfied smile. Using the chakra of a B-rank ninjutsu to unleash a sword technique comparable to an A-rank technique—or perhaps even stronger—

That was quite a bargain.

And although this move required a little time to build momentum, it was still much faster than forming hand seals for ninjutsu.

Ryōken stepped forward and picked up the ninja blade that had fallen to the ground.

Holding the blade horizontally, he inspected it closely.

A hazy cold gleam radiated from its blade, like twinkling stars in the sky. The moment it entered his hand, Ryōken understood that it was an exceptionally fine ninja blade.

Perhaps it did not possess strange built-in abilities like the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist, but such a pure sword was more suitable for Ryōken instead.

Of course, if he had the chance, he would still collect divine weapons like the Kusanagi Sword whenever possible.

The Seven Ninja Swords were no exception.

Even if he did not use them, collecting them would still be interesting.

Besides, Ryōken was very curious about the unique abilities of those weapons.

The regeneration of the Kubikiribōchō, the soul sealing of the Sword of Totsuka, and so on.

They all filled Ryōken with longing. It felt as though abilities had been sealed within the swords themselves, ready to be unleashed whenever he wished.

It was similar to Ryōken's sword techniques. Both used swords to unleash moves akin to ninjutsu.

"Very good. You're mine now."

Ryōken casually swung it. The sharp blade sliced through the air, fitting his hand perfectly.

"As expected, it's far better than those casually forged longswords."

"I should give it a name."

Ryōken nodded in satisfaction, raising a hand to his chin as he pondered.

Then he suddenly slapped his hand.

"Got it. I'll call it Starry Night."

Holding Starry Night up, Ryōken could barely put it down. Then he lowered his head to look at its battered scabbard and suddenly found it utterly inadequate.

It seemed he would need to have a better scabbard custom-made.

Following the charred path forward, Ryōken saw the Rain Ninja jonin lying there, twitching from time to time.

At this point, Ryōken hesitated.

Judging from the strength he had displayed, he was at most a jonin, right?

And an ordinary jonin at that, certainly not an elite jonin.

Ryōken did not want to kill such weak prey and waste a chance at an inheritance.

Fortunately, that strike just now had not killed him outright.

"Hmm, since my strength has already been exposed, there's no point in having those three genin continue following us. I might as well have them take this jonin back. Maybe we can obtain some intelligence."

A captured jonin was undoubtedly worth more than a dead one.

Having made up his mind, Ryōken stepped forward to seize the Rain Ninja jonin.

Just as Ryōken was about to grab him, the Rain Ninja's eyes suddenly flew open, a flash of madness crossing them.

He naturally knew what would await him if he were captured alive and taken back to an enemy village. It would be worse than death.

Sensing danger, Ryōken was about to swing his sword. It did not matter if he lost the inheritance; his life was more important.

There were too many strange things in the ninja world. He had no intention of being undone by a hidden trap.

But before Ryōken could draw his sword, the Rain Ninja jonin suddenly opened his mouth.

Whoosh!

In an instant, a cloud of dark purple poison mist spewed from the Rain Ninja's mouth.

"Poison!"

Ryōken's pupils shrank sharply. He forcibly stopped himself from drawing his sword, immediately held his breath, and prepared to retreat.

But it was too late.

Some of the poison mist had already entered Ryōken's body with his breath.

Ryōken staggered, feeling dizzy.

Yet he did not dare stop. Enduring the numbness constantly spreading through his body, he flickered away several times in succession, retreating far into the distance.

Even as he retreated, he did not forget to tell the others to fall back.

"Fall back! It's poisonous gas."

The dark purple poison mist churned, and one glance was enough to tell it was highly toxic.

The grass around it had visibly withered. The sheer toxicity made Ryōken's expression change.

He had inhaled some of it just now.

Damn it.

Could this dark purple poison mist be Ibuse's poison?

If so, this was bad.

Tsunade had yet to develop an antidote for it.

Ryōken felt a trace of panic, then quickly calmed down.

After retreating to a safe place, he sat cross-legged.

He closed his eyes.

"Meditation."

This was one of the skills included in the Sword Saint inheritance. It could increase the vitality of his body's cells and achieve rapid recovery.

However, it required his body to enter a state between sleep and wakefulness.

At present, Ryōken could only use this move to delay the onset of the poison. Combined with his resilient physique, perhaps there was still hope.

Ryōken thought uncertainly.

As he thought, he entered a meditative state.

The matters of the outside world no longer concerned him.

After all, the Rain Ninja jonin was neither Ibuse nor the poison master Hanzo. The poison he carried was at most enough for him to commit suicide.

Thus, after spreading a certain distance, the poison mist gradually dispersed.

Everyone hurriedly gathered around, looking at Ryōken anxiously.

Qing Zang wore a worried expression on the surface, but inwardly, he was secretly delighted. He had long found Ryōken displeasing, but Ryōken was too strong, so Qing Zang did not dare say a word.

Even though Ryōken had saved their lives, he would not feel grateful. For all he knew, this jonin had been drawn here by Ryōken.

Yet his guess was actually correct.

If it had not been for Ryōken, this Rain Ninja jonin would never have appeared here.

Tetsuki frowned as she examined Ryōken's complexion, weighing things in her mind for a moment.

Then she made up her mind and abruptly spoke.

"A few of you, carry Ryōken into the carriage. We're returning to Konoha to find medical ninja."

"What?"

Qing Zang immediately objected. "Wouldn't that mean going all the way back? What if it delays our original journey?"

Qing Chuan also nodded in agreement and began trying to persuade Tetsuki.

"Yeah, Tetsuki."

"No. Ryōken saved our lives. His life is more important than our journey."

Tetsuki spoke without hesitation, her tone firm and decisive. She understood clearly how important Ryōken was to the samurai.

Seeing that the matter could not be changed, Qing Zang's face immediately darkened.

As Tetsuki and the others carried Ryōken into the carriage—

Kouichi Uchiha and the other two finally came back to their senses.

Nai Inuzuka muttered, "Did she just say Ryōken? I didn't hear wrong, did I?"

Her face was full of disbelief. Ryōken had disappeared after winning the championship several months ago.

She had never expected that he would now reappear with the strength of a jonin.

What terrifying talent.

Nai Inuzuka secretly glanced at Kouichi Uchiha. She knew what had happened during the practical examination.

It was said that Kouichi Uchiha's whole family had been left unable to hold their heads up. Kouichi Uchiha had often mentioned Ryōken before, always wanting revenge.

Kouichi Uchiha's expression was exceedingly ugly. Anyone who learned that the person they had always wanted revenge on had suddenly become so powerful would feel awful. It made him seem like a clown, hopelessly overestimating himself.

Nawaki Senju suddenly said, "No wonder Ryōken seemed a little familiar when I saw him earlier."

Ever since learning that Ryōken had made a comeback and won the practical examination, Nawaki had admired him somewhat. Now that Ryōken had displayed such astonishing strength, Nawaki revered him even more.

Nawaki clenched his fist and said firmly, "My sister is the best at medical ninjutsu. With her there, Ryōken definitely won't be in danger."

Kouichi Uchiha's expression grew even uglier.