“Inuzuka Ryo, what is that supposed to mean?
Do you think I, Tekudo, am some coward who fears death?” Tekudo shoved Inuzuka Ryo aside with a shoulder check and stood next to Sasuke Umino, facing the direction of the approaching enemies.
Though he was terrified to his core, he put on a front of calm determination.
He even grinned and teased, “Captain, you don’t think my strength is too low and that I’ll get in your way, do you?
Are you trying to ditch your beloved, capable subordinate just to hog all the merit points from this ultra-S-rank mission?” Sasuke Umino: ???
Damn, how did this brat know?
He actually hit the nail on the head.
If he hadn’t noticed that the kid’s knuckles were white from gripping his kunai “mistress” so tightly, he might have actually let it slip.
The kid was actually quite endearing.
Terrified of dying, yet refusing to abandon his comrades—he was a loyal and righteous young man after all.
My previous assumption that this kid was a coward who had mastered the art of playing it safe was apparently a bit biased.
Since he could make such a life-and-death choice at a critical moment like this, my previous evaluation of his limit being a Chunin could be bumped up a bit.
Given his performance with the Money Style secret technique and the combat will he was currently displaying, becoming a Special Jonin in the future shouldn’t be too difficult.
“C-Captain, if we hold the enemy back together, we can definitely hold out until the mobile patrol arrives to reinforce us.
Yes, we can definitely do it.” Koshino shakily stood beside Sasuke Umino, her voice stuttering slightly as she tried to cheer everyone on.
Though she was scared out of her wits and her legs were trembling, she forced herself to be strong and encourage her teammates.
What a pure and kind-hearted chubby girl.
Terrified to this extent, yet still thinking of comforting others.
It was a pity she had no avenue to learn Medical Ninjutsu.
Otherwise, with the temperament she was displaying now, she would surely make an excellent medical ninja.
“Ha!
Ha!
Ha…” Sasuke Umino laughed heartily, his eyes growing slightly moist.
Looking at the three kids standing beside him, ready to fight shoulder-to-shoulder, Sasuke Umino felt deeply moved, and a wave of unprecedented exhilaration surged within his chest.
No matter how cruel and heartless this Ninja World was, there would always be people who believed that warmth and loyalty still existed in this world.
And that was more than enough.
Sasuke Umino felt his soul undergo a cleansing sublimation, and even the Chakra in his body began to flow with greater fluidity.
It wasn’t that he had awakened a Shinobi Will or some bullshit Will of Fire.
Rather, he had found a sense of belonging in this world, giving him a clearer, more comprehensive understanding of a world he once felt so detached from.
From the cognitive level, a genuine sense of identification had bloomed from his heart, resulting in a spiritual sublimation.
“Good, good, good!
Today, I will lead you all in a magnificent ambush!” Sasuke Umino waved his hand, radiating immense pride and ambition.
He even exuded an indomitable aura, as if his blade could pierce through any obstacle.
Infected by this powerful aura, the three kids gradually calmed down, their expressions becoming steadier and more composed.
“Tekudo, stop hoarding those weapon ‘wives’ of yours.
Bring them all out!” “Understood, Captain!” Tekudo, who usually prioritized his ‘wives’ over his friends, finally chose duty over desire in the face of such peril.
Tekudo immediately pulled out several packs of Explosive Tag paper-doll “wives” and various other ninja-tool “wives” from his tool pouch, rapidly reinforcing the strength of the Heaven-and-Earth Net trap.
Sasuke Umino calmly added, “Make sure you don’t forget to mark the emergency safety zones and signals within the traps.” Tekudo was a bit puzzled, but knowing his captain was always meticulous, he didn’t give it much thought.
“Catch!” Sasuke Umino nodded and took out a large bottle of liquid, tossing it to Tekudo.
“Coat all of them with this.” “On it!” Tekudo caught the bottle.
Looking at the vial full of green liquid, there was no doubt it was a potent poison.
Tekudo was overjoyed.
It was rare for the captain to be so generous as to bring out his prized hidden stock to “make up” his beloved ninja tools.
He had to perform exceptionally well today and not let his captain’s kindness go to waste.
Tekudo quickly applied the poison to each of his ninja-tool “wives,” giving them a beautiful coat of green.
Had his Explosive Tag paper-doll “wives” not been susceptible to water damage, he probably wouldn’t have spared them either.
Sasuke Umino shook his head.
While he called it his prized stock, it wasn’t actually some instant-kill lethal poison.
Poisons that could effectively target shinobi were rare commodities, and even on the black market, they were extremely expensive.
On the front lines of the war, poor bastards couldn’t afford to use poison—except for Sunagakure, of course, which was famous for producing them.
The poison in the bottle was merely a biological protease toxin he had developed by feeding snake venom, minerals, and poisonous herbs to his Water Bat.
This protease toxin was somewhat similar to Hanzo’s Salamander venom, though its toxicity fell far short of the Salamander’s.
To ordinary civilians, it would certainly be a fatal poison, but to shinobi who possessed Chakra, its toxicity wasn’t necessarily terrifying.
If he could truly cultivate a venom as potent as the Salamander’s, he wouldn’t be serving as cannon fodder on the front lines.
He would have returned to Konoha long ago to sit quietly in the Konoha Logistics Department.
The Logistics Department was not only safe, but it also offered plenty of mission merit points.
Once the Shinobi War ended, he might even be able to squeeze into the Logistics Department’s Poison Division and become a proud Special Jonin.
It had to be said that Chakra was an incredibly illogical, almost all-powerful force.
Unless a poison was specifically designed to target Chakra, its effects would generally be mediocre.
However, while his Water Bat’s protease toxin was nowhere near as terrifying as the Salamander’s, it was still a biological protease toxin cultivated using a summoned beast.
It worked wonders when it came to paralyzing a target’s limbs.
Furthermore, because it was a protease toxin, standard antidote pills in the Ninja World had very little effect on it; only a corresponding antivenom serum could work quickly.
While this protease toxin wasn’t difficult to neutralize, it was very hard to formulate a targeted cure without a sample.
Thus, as long as he didn’t abuse it or expose a sample, it was practically incurable in the short term once contracted.
Although this protease toxin wasn’t highly lethal, it was a brand-new toxin specifically targeting cellular activity.
Once poisoned, the victim’s cellular tissues and limbs would lose their vitality, falling into a state of paralysis.
Because its toxicity wasn’t potent enough—falling far short of the Salamander’s—the paralyzed areas could still be suppressed using Chakra.
However, the amount of Chakra required to do so seemed rather substantial.
Even if Chakra was nearly omnipotent, shinobi were not.
Once their Chakra ran out, if their cellular tissues and limbs were paralyzed, they would be no different from lambs led to the slaughter.
After a flurry of work, Inuzuka Ryo and Koshino also had their weapons coated in the poison, just as Tekudo finished reinforcing the Heaven-and-Earth Net.
“Take cover!” Sasuke Umino signaled Inuzuka Ryo and Koshino to hide behind the large tree near the riverbank.
Then, nodding to Tekudo with a tacit understanding forged on the battlefield, they both sprang into action.
Channeling Chakra to the soles of their feet, they scaled a giant tree side-by-side, eventually settling into the crook of a thick branch.
This giant tree was at least several arm-spans in circumference.
The branch they landed on was large enough to easily conceal both of them, blocking most of the view from the front.
Once they were hidden, Sasuke Umino looked down at Inuzuka Ryo and Koshino below and pressed his hand downward.
Inuzuka Ryo and Koshino quickly suppressed their killing intent, concealing their bodies and presence.
As a veteran subordinate, Tekudo was an old hand on the battlefield.
He required no instruction and had already concealed his presence.
Tekudo was a minor genius when it came to traps, so he naturally had his own unique tricks for hiding his presence.
In an instant, the sounds of chirping birds and buzzing insects suddenly grew distinct.
The drone of cicadas dragged out in long, warbling notes through the muggy air, carrying the damp, rising steam of the humus soil through the woods.
Beneath the layer of rotting leaves came the faint popping sounds of bursting mycelium, like the footsteps of some microscopic creature crushing spore sacs.
The forest appeared completely peaceful and natural.
Yet beneath the surface, deadly peril lurked everywhere.