Chapter 10: Protease Poison
"Ryo, what are you trying to say? That I'm a coward?"
Tekudō shoved Ryo aside with a powerful shove and stood beside Sasuke, ready to face the enemy. Though he was terrified, he feigned a calm demeanor.
He even managed a joking smile. "Captain, surely you don't think my strength is so low that I'd be a hindrance? You wouldn't abandon your dear and capable general just to keep all the merit points from a potential S-rank mission for yourself, would you?"
Damn it, Sasuke thought, how did this kid know? He's completely right.
If not for the fact that the boy's knuckles were white as he gripped his kunai, his bluff might have actually been exposed. He's still a pretty good kid, Sasuke mused. Scared to death, but he won't abandon his comrades. It seems he also values friendship and loyalty.
"Captain, Captain, let's stop the enemy together!" Chōmi trembled beside Sasuke, stammering as she tried to rally everyone. "We can definitely hold out until the mobile patrol team supports us. Yes, we can!"
Even though her legs were shaking, she was trying to be strong and encourage her teammates. Such a simple, kind-hearted girl. It was a pity he didn't have a way to get her medical ninjutsu scrolls; she would make a fine medic.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Sasuke let out a hearty laugh, a genuine warmth in his eyes. Seeing these three kids standing by his side, ready to fight, he was moved, feeling a joy he hadn't experienced in a long time. No matter how cruel this ninja world was, there were always those who believed in its warmth and righteousness. And that was enough.
He felt his soul undergo a kind of baptism, and even the chakra in his body began to circulate more smoothly. It wasn't the Ninja Will or the Will of Fire; it was a sense of identity with this world, a deeper understanding that brought about a spiritual sublimation.
"Alright, alright! Today, I will lead you all in a beautiful ambush."
Sasuke waved his hand, his voice filled with a heroic spirit. "Don, don't be stingy with your sword-wives. Prepare all of them."
"Alright, Captain!"
Tekudō, who always seemed to forget his friends for the sake of his "beauties," finally began to sacrifice his beauties for the sake of justice. He pulled out several dozen exploding tag "wives" and many more blade "wives" to reinforce the traps.
"Next!" Sasuke nodded, taking out a large bottle of potion and tossing it to Tekudō. "Apply all of this."
Tekudō caught the bottle, his eyes wide. The bottle was filled with a green liquid; it had to be a powerful poison. He was overjoyed. The captain was so generous this time, even taking out his hidden treasures. He had to perform exceptionally well. He quickly coated the blades in the beautiful green poison.
Sasuke just shook his head. This poison was indeed one of his trump cards, but it wasn't a lethal one. Deadly poisons were rare and expensive, even on the black market. The bottle in front of him was just a type of biological protease toxin he had cultivated himself by feeding his water bats a diet of snake venom, minerals, and poisonous grass. It was similar to Hanzō's salamander toxin, but far less potent.
Against ordinary civilians, it was deadly. But for a ninja with chakra, its toxicity wasn't so terrible. Its true power lay in something else. Because it was a biological protease cultivated from a summoned beast, it had a miraculous effect, paralyzing the limbs of living organisms. And since it was a unique biological toxin, the conventional antidote pills of the ninja world were basically useless against it. Without a sample to analyze, it was nearly impossible to create a specific counter-serum in a short amount of time.
After a busy while, the trap was reinforced and all their blades were poisoned.
"Hide!" Sasuke ordered.
He and Tekudō climbed into the branches of a giant tree, while Ryo and Chōmi hid behind another near the riverbank. The forest grew quiet. The cicadas chirped in the muggy air, their long drones carrying the damp, smoky scent of humus. The sound of mycelium bursting under rotting leaves could be heard, like the footsteps of microorganisms crushing spore sacs.
The forest seemed peaceful and natural. But in the darkness, killing intent was everywhere.