Taking a Master

The atmosphere was completely different when Tianyi stepped into the command center's main tent for the second time; it was no longer solemn as before.

The tent was brightly lit, filled with a relaxed yet invigorated air.

Several people sat around the long table in the center. Besides Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru,

there were also several main squad captains from this campaign, as well as Nara Shikaku.

Most of them wore smiles as they spoke quietly among themselves.

Clearly, the victory on the Land of Rain front had allowed everyone to breathe easier.

When Tianyi and Nawaki lifted the tent flap and entered, the conversations inside paused slightly.

Then all kinds of gazes turned toward them at once—friendly, grateful, and even faintly curious.

"Yo! Our great hero is here!" a hearty voice called out first.

Jiraiya rose straight from his seat and strode over.

Without ceremony, he threw an arm around Tianyi's shoulders and gave him a hard pat.

"Kid, that was amazing! Who knew you had that kind of skill? Hahaha... I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

He laughed without restraint, his booming voice making Tianyi's ears buzz.

Just then—

Bang!

At the familiar muffled sound, Jiraiya seemed to reflexively shrink his neck.

Tsunade withdrew her fist and shot the grinning Jiraiya a fierce glare.

"Jiraiya! Watch the occasion! He hasn't fully recovered yet!"

Jiraiya sheepishly released Tianyi, rubbed his nose, and muttered, "I was just happy..."

A few suppressed chuckles sounded through the tent. Clearly, everyone was already used to the way the old partners got along.

Only then did Tsunade turn her gaze to Tianyi.

"Hinata Tianyi, you did very well in this battle.

Not only did you disrupt Hanzo's backup poison-mist tactic, but through your own efforts,

you also bought the front lines crucial rescue time and saved the lives of nearly a hundred Leaf Village comrades."

As she spoke, her gaze swept across several squad captains seated nearby. "You lot

should thank him properly this time. If he hadn't dealt with that beast spreading poison,

the casualty lists under your command would have been much longer."

The captains who had been addressed all nodded, their gazes toward Tianyi becoming even more fervent.

A brawny captain with a scar on his face rose directly and said in a gruff voice,

"That's right! Hinata kid, several of my brothers were saved by you!

I, Yamashiro Ao, will remember this favor! If you ever need anything, just say the word!"

The other captains also voiced their agreement, their words filled with sincere gratitude.

Faced with such straightforward praise, Tianyi felt somewhat unaccustomed to it and could only bow slightly.

"You're giving me too much credit, Captains. I only did what I should have done."

At that moment, Nawaki, who had followed Tianyi inside, could no longer hold himself back and jumped forward.

His face carried a hint of smugness, along with a touch of childish pleading.

"Big Sis! Kaede and I were there too!

We risked our lives rescuing people inside the poison mist! We saved lots of people too!"

Tsunade looked at her younger brother, and the coldness on her face instantly melted away.

A doting smile appeared as she reached out and ruffled Nawaki's hair.

"Yes, yes, my Nawaki has grown up too. You were very brave this time.

You can stand on your own now. Kaede worked hard too."

Having received his sister's praise, Nawaki immediately beamed and scratched his head bashfully.

He chuckled foolishly, and the little interruption made the tent's atmosphere even more relaxed.

At this point, Orochimaru slowly spoke.

"Indeed... an outstanding performance."

Everyone followed the voice and saw that Orochimaru had somehow already left his seat.

He had silently approached them. His golden vertical pupils studied Tianyi with keen interest.

"Especially..." Orochimaru's tongue lightly swept across the corner of his mouth.

"Those serums you used against Hanzo's potent poison.

As far as I know, Salamander poison is a mixture of composite neurotoxins and cell-corrosive toxins.

It is extremely complex and deadly. Even specialized antidotes require a long period of targeted development.

Yet you... seemed to have prepared a considerable quantity of anti-poison agents shortly after the previous skirmish?"

The atmosphere in the tent grew subtly delicate with his question.

Several captains also revealed curious expressions. This had indeed been one of the most astonishing details in the battle report.

Everyone's eyes focused on Tianyi again.

Tianyi's heart tightened. He knew he could not avoid this question, and he had long prepared an explanation.

An explanation that fit the logic of the Naruto World and could account for his actions.

He raised his head to meet Orochimaru's probing gaze, his expression turning fervent.

"Lord Orochimaru is right. Salamander poison is indeed complex.

After I barely escaped the poison mist during the first skirmish, I realized it would become a major threat in the battles to come."

He explained steadily, "So I asked Senior Aoi from the Medical Corps

to help collect samples of the poison mist left behind on the battlefield.

After returning to camp, I immediately diluted the samples heavily, and then..."

He paused, as though organizing his thoughts.

"I injected them in batches and at different concentrations into several wild rabbits and mountain rats near the camp."

The tent fell quiet. Even Tsunade listened with a serious expression.

"Most of the test animals died quickly," Tianyi said in the calm tone of a researcher.

"But two or three rabbits, after receiving the lowest concentration of diluted solution,

struggled for a long time... and survived."

"Oh?" Orochimaru's eyes visibly brightened, and he leaned forward slightly.

"I believed that their bodies might have produced some kind of substance capable of countering the poison."

Tianyi continued.

"So, with Senior Aoi's permission and the Medical Corps' assistance,

I attempted to isolate and extract any anti-poison factors that might exist in the blood of those surviving rabbits.

After repeated attempts and purification, I finally obtained some... something that could tentatively be called 'anti-poison serum.'

Before this battle, I further purified and stabilized it, turning it into those ten injections."

He added at last, "The method was crude, and the results might have been unstable, but the situation was urgent.

I could only take the risk. Fortunately, it seemed to work."

After speaking, he quietly waited for a response. The explanation was half true and half false; he really had asked Aoi to collect samples.

He had also genuinely conducted animal experiments, but the true driving force behind the anti-poison serum's development

had been the experts from an entire biological laboratory in the real world.

Still, to the medical ninja of the Naruto World, this explanation

was bold in concept, but not entirely impossible.

Especially when combined with the unique medical ideas he had demonstrated before.

The silence lasted several seconds.

"A genius concept..." Orochimaru slowly said.

His voice carried undisguised appreciation and a trace of... regret?

Excited light flickered in his golden pupils.

"Skipping the tedious complete analysis of the toxin's components,

and directly seeking the antidote in the organism's own immune response...

The method is aggressive, but the underlying idea is exceptionally ingenious and efficient.

Your understanding of the interaction between living organisms and toxins is truly unique."

He shook his head slightly, looked at Tsunade, then back at Tianyi. For once, a hint of regret showed in his tone.

"Unfortunately... I have already taken a disciple.

Otherwise, I would truly like to discuss these... interesting ideas with you in depth.

Hehehe..."