By the time Ryun fully recovered from his fever, it was already night.
His immune system took half a day to completely purge the salamander poison, allowing Ryun to wake up smoothly.
After a long sleep, he felt quite good, and his body had mostly returned to normal.
"As expected of the legendary medical expert. I must find time to learn the Mystical Palm Technique from Tsunade later..."
Looking at his left arm which showed no scars, Ryun couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
His medical ninjutsu was very different from the Mystical Palm Technique. The treatment effects were worlds apart, completely on different levels.
"Ryun, you're finally awake!"
Soon after, Orochimaru walked in from outside, followed by a female genin carrying food.
"Orochimaru-sensei..." Ryun greeted him with a smile, then took the food offered by the kunoichi.
He was extremely hungry at the moment, so the food came at the perfect time.
"How are you feeling? Better now?" Orochimaru asked with a smile.
"Basically back to normal..." Ryun replied while eating.
"You must have used up the antidote from before. Here, take these as backup." Orochimaru took out two tubes of green antidote from his tool pouch.
"Thank you, sensei!"
Ryun quickly accepted the life-saving antidote from his thoughtful teacher.
The reason he recovered so quickly after being poisoned was largely thanks to this antidote. This thing could truly save lives at critical moments.
"You performed excellently in the last two battles. The merits have been recorded, and the village should receive the news soon. You'll likely be promoted to chūnin."
Orochimaru shared this news with Ryun.
However, to Orochimaru's surprise, Ryun showed little interest in the upcoming promotion, merely nodding without further questions.
"Heh, you brat..."
Orochimaru let out a hoarse laugh, then directly took out two small scrolls from his pocket.
"These are two powerful high-level lightning release jutsu. With your talent, I believe you'll master them quickly."
Getting what he truly wanted, Ryun visibly brightened. His delighted expression amused Orochimaru, who now understood what this child truly sought.
Orochimaru felt Ryun was very similar to himself. Their pursuits seemed aligned.
Fame, wealth, even power—none of these could move them. Ryun's obsession with powerful jutsu appeared even more intense than his own.
Actually, their goals differed slightly, but their proximity led Orochimaru to mistakenly view Ryun as a "kindred spirit."
Ryun pursued strength—the enhancement of his own power. He wasn't limited to just ninjutsu.
Taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu, sealing techniques—he would learn anything that could strengthen him.
Currently, two powerful jutsu would significantly boost his strength, hence his excitement.
Orochimaru pursued pure ninjutsu. He wanted to learn all jutsu in the world (including forbidden techniques). Believing life was short and fragile, his quest for immortality was to gain time and energy to learn more and uncover more truths.
Just as teacher and student were chatting animatedly in the tent, faint purple smoke began drifting into the Konoha base camp.
"Enemy attack!!!"
Someone outside shouted urgently.
The moment the voice rang out, Orochimaru vanished from his spot.
Ryun also rushed out of the tent, his sharp senses immediately detecting the abnormality in the air.
"Poison smoke!!!"
Ryun quickly covered his nose and mouth, then dashed back into the tent. He put on his still-damp soft armor, grabbed his chakra blade, and hurried outside.
Boom!!!
"Kill!!!"
Explosions and battle cries now shook the heavens. The Rain-nin's retaliation had come swiftly, and this time Hanzō of the Salamander himself was leading the charge.
The destruction of the Rain-nin's strategic supplies had enraged Hanzō. He decided to directly assault the Konoha-nin's base camp in the Land of Fire, engaging them in a deadly battle.
The Konoha-nin had all reacted swiftly, clashing fiercely with the invading Rain-nin forces.
"The air contains salamander poison! Wind release users, attack at full power to disperse the gas!" roared the base commander—the head of the Yūhi clan.
His chakra-infused voice echoed throughout the camp as Konoha's wind release users began exhausting their chakra to counterattack.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!!!"
"Wind Release: Thousand Winds!!!"
"Wind Release: Wind Pressure!!!"
"Wind Release: Wind Wall!!!"
The battlefield was instantly swept by violent winds, scattering the poison gas and giving the Konoha-nin some breathing room.
However, despite their quick response, many had already inhaled small doses of the poison, soon exhibiting symptoms like breathing difficulties and trembling—signs of poisoning.
The gas wasn't lethal but drastically reduced the Konoha-nin's combat effectiveness, putting them at a severe disadvantage.
"You three wretched fools, tonight I will make you pay in blood!"
Hanzō of the Salamander stood atop a giant salamander (an upright-walking giant salamander), glaring at the Sannin with murderous intent.
"Old bastard, bring it on!" Tsunade shouted back.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The Sannin simultaneously bit their thumbs, formed hand seals, and summoned giant creatures from the three great sage regions.
Katsuyu, Gamabunta, and Manda emerged together, immediately attacking the colossal salamander.
Thus began a terrifying battle of giant beasts.
The Konoha-nin charged headlong into the overwhelming Rain-nin forces. Both sides quickly clashed, engaging in brutal combat.
The scene descended into chaos, with the darkness making it hard to distinguish friend from foe.
This battlefield had become a horrific "meat grinder," the earth gradually stained red with blood.
Ryun, wielding his chakra blade, was drenched in blood, fighting fiercely on the front lines. Genin fell to him in single strikes, while chūnin lasted only a few moves before dying.
His conspicuous performance soon drew the attention of powerful enemies.
A jōnin had already noticed him. The Rain-nin wouldn't allow Ryun to freely slaughter their lower-ranked ninja.
At this moment, the Konoha forces were at a disadvantage. Unable to eliminate the poison source, their wind release users were tiring, and the gas was slowly spreading again.
"How splendid! The scent of battle and blood is truly magnificent!"
On a towering tree not far from the battlefield, a black, monstrous figure emerged halfway from the trunk.