call out!
Just then, a cold light flashed out; it was a Kunai that sliced straight across the Aoda's neck, and the snake's head was suddenly separated from its body.
One hit kills!
That Kunai was thrown by Jiraiya!
"That scared me to death."
Jiraiya patted his chest, staring at the Aoda before him with lingering fear, his eyes still filled with horror.
"Is this snake... very powerful?"
Kushina asked tentatively. She had witnessed everything that had just happened. Actually, she still thought Minato could cut the snake in half, but seeing Araki and Jiraiya-sensei's reactions piqued her curiosity.
"Yeah, what's the deal with this snake? Why are you all reacting so strongly?" Minato asked, puzzled. Araki had just thrown out the Flying Thunder God Kunai, which puzzled him greatly, but at the last moment, he still chose to believe Araki.
"Call..."
Jiraiya hearing this question, Jiraiya seemed to have thought of something. He involuntarily took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Araki and asked, " Araki, do you know about this snake?"
"Yes, it's a highly venomous snake called the Red-tailed Green Bamboo Snake. It often hangs or coils around tree branches and is extremely aggressive. Its distinctive features are a large, triangular head, a thin neck, a short, coiling tail, and a green back with a reddish tail tip." Araki explained simply. He had seen this snake in an encyclopedia of snakes when he was studying with Orochimaru, but this was the first time he had ever seen a real snake.
"..."
The group, including Jiraiya, fell silent, each staring at Araki with a look of astonishment, their eyes filled with curiosity and doubt.
Is this really the knowledge of medical-nin?
Do medical-nin need to know these things?
Even snakes understand?
Isn't this a bit beyond the scope of the curriculum?
"Ahem, I don't know what this snake is called. What I remember most is its tail. However, I was bitten by it once. If Tsunade hadn't been there, I'm afraid I would be dead..." Jiraiya gently broke the awkward atmosphere. He just wanted Araki to give a brief explanation, but after Araki finished speaking, he didn't know how to continue.
"That's why I understand the Red-tailed Green Bamboo Silk!"
Araki's eyes lit up slightly. He was just wondering how to explain it, Jiraiya had offered him a reason.
"After treating you, Tsunade-sensei deeply realized the threat that snake venom poses to ninjas. Therefore, she summarized many types of snake venom and their possible effects in order to study corresponding antidotes," Araki quickly said.
"Approximately how many types of snake venom are there?" Curiosity shone in Minato's azure eyes as he asked again, "Why is this Aoda so dangerous? Is its venom special?"
"Yes, special."
Araki nodded, not wanting to say anything more, but after he finished speaking, everyone present looked in his direction, waiting for him to continue.
That's enough.
If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way.
Since I've already spoken up, and even tried to shift the blame to the medical-nin, I might as well explain it from the perspective of medical-nin.
"According to Tsunade-sensei's records, there are approximately 220 species of snakes in our ninja world, of which 67 are known to be highly venomous. For snake venom to be absorbed, it must enter the body through broken skin; otherwise, it will have no effect."
Araki began to explain, and when he got to this point, he noticed that everyone was listening with great interest, so he continued.
but...
This information was not recorded in the medical-nin's book.
It was Orochimaru who personally summarized it.
"After many experiments, Tsunade-sensei discovered that snake venom alone, without penetrating broken skin, is ineffective even when simply applied to the body. This is because human skin has the ability to protect against toxins. However, conversely, even without a snake bite, if snake venom comes into contact with an open wound, poisoning can occur. This allows weapons to be coated with venom to achieve the effect of poisoning the target."
Araki gave a simple explanation, and after he finished, he found that everyone was still very serious, even Jiraiya's attention was extremely focused.
It seems this is a blind spot in their knowledge.
They only knew that snakes were venomous, but they didn't understand how snake venom worked. Or, they knew that poisoning weapons was effective, but they didn't understand whether it was necessary to pierce the skin or whether there were other methods.
Being able to hear Araki's explanation now is, in a way, quite good for them.
In an instant.
Everyone listened with great interest.
" Araki, you just said there are over 200 kinds of snakes, but only 67 kinds. Does that mean the other snakes are non-venomous?" Jiraiya asked when he saw Araki stop.
"That's right." Araki nodded and said, "The remaining snakes aren't venomous, but their fangs still have considerable piercing power. You still can't be careless when you encounter them. Right now, I can't say which snakes are venomous and which aren't, so if you encounter a snake in the future, just treat it as if it were a venomous snake."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.
That makes perfect sense!
It's better to be cautious than to gamble with your life.
"Let's get back to the point. You just asked me how many kinds of snake venom there are, and why that Aoda, the red-tailed green bamboo snake, is so venomous."
Araki raised his right hand, revealing three fingers.
There are three types of snake venom.
"The first type of venom primarily affects the nervous system; this type of venom is called a neurotoxin, which paralyzes the central nervous system and blocks neuromuscular transmission."
"The second type of venom primarily affects the cardiovascular system; this type of venom is called hemotoxic venom, and it inhibits cardiac function, leading to bleeding."
"The third type is a hemolytic venom that can cause paralysis of striated muscles, leading to myoglobinuria and potentially causing acute renal failure."
"The first type of nerve venom is the most potent!"
"When a person is bitten by a venomous snake with neurotoxic venom, numbness will immediately appear at the site of the wound, accompanied by mild redness and swelling. The numbness will then spread towards the heart, gradually leading to systemic symptoms."
"Systemic symptoms include headache, dizziness, drooling, nausea, abdominal pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath, blurred vision, and loss of sensation, among others."
"If Jiraiya-sensei has ever been bitten, he should understand what I mean!"
As Araki finished speaking, he immediately looked in Jiraiya's direction, and at the same time moved towards Minato and Kushina.
In fact, even he himself didn't realize that at this very moment, while he was popularizing science to these people, he felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction, a feeling of being needed.
It was this feeling that made Araki, after experiencing all these things, still willing to share what he knew.
but...
He felt these were all trivial matters that were inconsequential to him.
He didn't truly reveal his strength; at most, he could only prove that he was quite diligent in learning Medical Ninjutsu. It didn't have much else to do with it.
"Um..."
Jiraiya's face turned pale, especially the symptoms Araki had mentioned. If he hadn't been reminded of them, he would have forgotten some of them, but once they were mentioned, they immediately came back to him vividly, and the feeling resurfaced as if it had happened just yesterday.
"I just mentioned neurotoxins and hemotoxicants, which are the most common. Hemotoxicants are relatively rare. Although hemotoxicants are not as potent as neurotoxins, their lethal effects are equally powerful."
Araki spoke again, a confident smile playing on his lips. He was now putting to use everything he had learned in Orochimaru's laboratory.
"The initial symptoms of hemotoxic venom are redness, swelling, and pain at the bite site, followed by tissue necrosis, and the skin turning purple and black. It can also spread towards the heart, gradually causing systemic poisoning symptoms, mainly including chills, fever, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, palpitations, etc..." Araki looked at Jiraiya and said with a smile, " Jiraiya-sensei, do you have these symptoms too?"
"Yes... yes..." Jiraiya asked in confusion, "Why?"
"Because the Red-tailed Green Bamboo Snake isn't just a simple neurotoxic snake, nor is it simply a hemotoxic snake; it's a mixed venomous snake that possesses both neurotoxicity and hemotoxicity. However, its venom is primarily hemotoxic, so your physical symptoms after being poisoned are quite strong, but you still have enough time to receive treatment." Araki's smile faded, and he continued, "If you encountered other neurotoxic snakes, or mixed venomous snakes with neurotoxicity as the primary culprit, you would be in danger, Lord Jiraiya!"
"Hiss..."
Jiraiya hearing these words, Jiraiya gasped sharply, his hair standing on end, and he felt as if he had just narrowly escaped death.
At the time, after being rescued, he didn't have such a strong feeling; he just felt that the snake was too vicious, and that its bite hurt so much.
But after Araki's explanation...
He then truly realized what kind of venomous snake had bitten him. He knew very well that if he hadn't happened to be in the same squad as Tsunade, he might already be dead.
Chapter 29 Night Watch
"Hybrid type..."
Everyone, including Jiraiya, had their pupils shrink sharply as they looked once more at the headless Aoda on the ground.
The snake didn't look very big, and apart from its bright green color, it wasn't particularly remarkable. However, it possessed such terrifying venom that it left them all feeling somewhat apprehensive.
"But..."
Araki's eyes flickered slightly. As he spoke, he kept sensing the surrounding energy. After the green Aoda was killed, a series of sounds rang out and entered his ears.
"The Red-tailed Green Bamboo Snake has a gregarious nature, which is relatively rare among snakes. Often, if you find one, you can find many more. This is one of the reasons why it is so terrifying, because once one snake targets you, it's as if many others are targeting you, and you will be surrounded by this venomous snake in a very short time."
Araki had already heard the snakes' movements, but he didn't sense them immediately. It was only after the Aoda was severed that the sounds began to appear, starting from the middle of his explanation, and gradually increasing in number.
Of course, this was also recorded in Orochimaru's snake encyclopedia. However, Araki was not sure at first because he did not hear the sound, so he did not say it and wanted to wait and see. Now it has been found that Orochimaru's record was not wrong.
As expected, Orochimaru is the one who understands snakes the most!
"..."
Upon hearing Araki's words, everyone's expression changed drastically, including Jiraiya's. Their faces darkened, and their lips trembled uncontrollably. Although they felt nothing, they seemed to see the green leaves of the surrounding trees teeming with these blue venomous snakes.
" Araki, why didn't you say this from the beginning?!" Jiraiya the saying goes, once bitten by a snake, twice shy, let alone after almost losing half his life to this snake. He immediately shouted, "Rest is over! Let's set off immediately and get out of this dangerous place at full speed!"
"Yes!"
Minato and Kushina responded almost without hesitation. They were already terrified after hearing Araki describe the characteristics of the venomous snake, and now that they knew there might be many more like it, they had no desire to stay any longer.
In an instant, everyone picked up speed and ran quickly towards the border in the forest. Araki, carrying the wooden box, was at the very back of the group. By this time, no one was paying attention to the formation anymore.
"Hiss hiss hiss--"
Just as Jiraiya and his companions left, the sound of hissing filled the air, and many green Aoda coiled and slithered down from the branches, their scarlet eyes fixed on Jiraiya retreating figures. Now, even if they wanted to chase after them, they couldn't catch up.
"Don't Ueki, run on the ground as fast as you can, and be careful not to get bitten!"
Jiraiya shouted loudly, and as he ran forward, he could see Aoda peeking out from the branches from time to time.
This Aoda was the one that had bitten him before.
The more I looked, the more horrified I became.
Half an hour later.
After a frantic run, Jiraiya and his group of four stopped, their faces covered in beads of sweat, including Araki's.
Such rapid running is extremely taxing on physical strength, even Araki would find it exhausting. However, he did not feel as tired as the others because green Chakra continuously surged from his heart, dispelling his fatigue and keeping his body in peak condition to deal with any potential danger.
If this were inside Konoha, when carrying out a mission so close to Jiraiya, he might try to control his green Chakra to avoid being discovered. However, since they were outside the village, anything could happen, so he had to be in peak condition.