"Orochimaru, I once thought you the smartest among the Sannin. Now it seems Tsunade is the smartest," Ryuji said with a hint of sarcasm.
With a scarab puppet providing communication from Yashamaru's location, their situation was constantly reported.
Originally managing hospital affairs, Tsunade's whereabouts were unknown. It's the Anbu who confronted them instead.
Clearly, Tsunade didn't want involvement, deliberately hiding.
Whether to avoid offending Ryuji, hoping for future resurrection of her longed-for two, or simply despising such political maneuvering, she chose non-participation.
"Perhaps," Orochimaru replied indifferently. "You might have a complete plan, but with overwhelming power disparity, success is impossible!"
As he spoke, a thick serpent emerged from the ground behind Ryuji, lightning-fast, coiling around him. The snake's head climbed to his neck, jaws wide, fangs bared in threat.
"Ryuji-sama!"
The Sunagakure's side exclaimed in alarm.
Aka raised a hand, stopping those wanting to help. Calmly, she said, "Master isn't as helpless as you think. Keep watching."
Hearing this, the Sunagakure's side quieted.
The Konoha's side, seeing Ryuji coiled by the giant serpent, couldn't help but smile.
Though many hadn't witnessed it, his feat of defeating Setsuna with Taijutsu alone spread widely in Konoha.
Konoha's Shinobi deeply feared him.
Seeing him captured eased their minds.
Orochimaru also smiled. "Ryuji-kun, still resisting?"
"Seems you truly wish to oppose me," Ryuji said gravely.
"No, no," Orochimaru shook his head lightly. "I'm Konoha's Shinobi. You oppose Konoha, naturally opposing me. That was determined from the start."
"Is that so? A pity."
As he spoke, the ground trembled, especially beneath their feet.
Orochimaru's expression changed, immediately leaping back.
Next moment, a house-sized black salamander erupted from the earth, like a hunting giant shark opening its maw toward Orochimaru.
"Hanzo's summon!"
Orochimaru's face changed again. His right hand aimed at a roadside tree. A giant serpent shot from his sleeve, gripping the trunk tightly, pulling Orochimaru away before the salamander could swallow him.
Boom!
The black salamander's bite missed. Its massive body hitting the ground caused tremors, faint poison mist drifting from it.
Ryuji stood at the salamander's feet, immediately enveloped by the poison mist.
The serpent coiling around him, about to bite, inhaled the poison, instantly going limp, dropping off.
"The poison is stronger than before!"
Orochimaru's pupils contracted.
He, Jiraiya, and Tsunade fought Hanzo several times, suffering greatly from the black salamander's poison.
Later, he and Tsunade developed antibodies against it. Neither he nor his summons feared it anymore.
But now, his summoning serpent fell after one breath.
This was just passive diffusion from the salamander's body. If it actively sprayed venom, how terrifying would that be?
The news of Sunagakure defeating Amegakure and Aka killing Hanzo spread throughout the Shinobi World, so Sunagakure obtaining Hanzo's former summon wasn't surprising.
But this one differed from the one they faced.
Orochimaru wondered: 'Did Hanzo's salamander grow stronger, or are they different ones?'
"Kill them!"
Ryuji stood in the poison mist, coldly ordering.
The house-sized black salamander opened its maw toward the Konoha's Shinobi, spewing thick purple mist.
"Use Wind Release to blow the poison back!"
Orochimaru's expression shifted drastically. Giving orders while leaping before the Konoha's Shinobi, joining several Wind Release specialists forming seals. "Wind Release: Infinite Great Breakthrough!"
A violent hurricane spewed from their mouths, like a horizontal tornado or high-speed drill, surging toward the black salamander.
Ryuji's expression remained calm. Stepping forward, blocking the salamander, he raised his hands, palms facing forward, absorbing the violent tornado like a whale swallowing the sea.
Konoha's Shinobi's expressions changed, then returned to smiles.
Though Wind Release was absorbed, its momentum altered airflow. Wind direction blew toward Sunagakure, poison mist spreading that way.
But Sunagakure's Shinobi remained unfazed, calmly putting on gas masks.
Ryuji had long prepared for breaking with Konoha.
This evolved Ten-Thousand Poison Salamander, cloned from Hanzo's summon's cells and nurtured using Kana's ability, was one of his trump cards against Konoha.
Corresponding tactics and strategies were planned. How could he not prepare protective gear against friendly fire?
"Kill!"
At Ryuji's command, all Sunagakure's Shinobi except Aka moved.
Kana stepped forward, standing before the group.
Biting her thumb, forming hand seals, she pressed the ground. "Summoning Technique!"
Poof!
Thick white smoke billowed, a multicolored giant salamander summoned.
This one was nurtured similarly.
But using different poison types for the nurturing led to different growth directions, most visibly one black, one multicolored. Both were summons contracted with Kana.
"Use poison mist!"
Kana jumped onto the multicolored salamander's head, ordering.
The multicolored salamander opened its maw, spewing thick rainbow poison. Kana formed seals again, opening her small mouth, inhaling both the black salamander's purple poison mist like a whale swallowing the sea.
Instantly, her belly swelled round.
"Ninja Art: Thousand Purple Ten Thousand Red Poison!"
Kana spewed rainbow-colored gas.
The gas exploded at her feet, instantly covering hundreds of meters.
Whether roadside plants, trees, insects, rodents, river crabs, small fish, or birds passing overhead, even if not directly covered, just smelling a whiff, they fell from the sky, rotting to sludge.
If insects and animals met such fates, humans fared no better.
As Sunagakure's Shinobi charged, before reaching halfway, except the cunning Orochimaru who sensed danger early, using Body Replacement Technique and Earth Release: Underground Subterranean Voyage to escape, the rest, without even time to scream, all rotted to sludge.
The terror of the Charm-Poison Body was fully displayed.
The Charm-Poison Body combined with the salamander's poison was even more terrifying.
As the poison mist cleared, revealing a scene of carnage,
Sunagakure's Shinobi exchanged glances, then simultaneously looked at Kana standing on the salamander.
'This usually silly-seeming girl was this powerful?'
"Kana, Gin, you two form a separate unit. Cause destruction across Konoha, drawing enemy attention."
Ryuji's command snapped everyone back, looking at him.
"Konoha didn't anticipate such potent poison. Before they counter it, maximize its effectiveness."
Here, Ryuji's gaze shifted between Kana and Gin. "Stay together during operations. Especially you, Gin, protect Kana at all costs. Don't chase enemies."
Though Kana's poison was potent, her personal strength was only at Tokubetsu Jonin-level.
Enemies, knowing her ability, had countless ways to counter her, necessitating a strong protector.
Kuro wasn't strong enough. Aka needed to conserve strength to deal with the unknown power of the Third Hokage in his prime. Only Gin was suitable.
But considering Gin's tendency to chase and kill enemies, Ryuji specifically warned her.
"I understand," Gin nodded calmly. "I'll prioritize Kana's safety above all."
"Then go quickly!"
"Yes."
After receiving orders, both jumped onto the multicolored salamander.
The multicolored salamander opened its mouth, swallowing them, then both it and the black salamander burrowed underground, swiftly moving toward other Konoha areas.
Ryuji withdrew his gaze, looking at the others. "We proceed. Kuro, monitor Karura's situation. Report any abnormalities immediately."
"Yes!"
"Move out!"
The group continued toward the commercial street.
After everyone left, an Aburame Clan's Shinobi crawled up from the ground.
His body was extensively corroded by the poison; from his back, chest, and other areas, organs within the skeleton were visible.
But strangely, he wasn't dead.
"Symbiotic Insect, thanks to you I survived," The Aburame Clan's Shinobi said, looking through his corroded chest at his gradually normalizing heartbeat, relieved.
The Symbiotic Insect resembled a substitution doll insect, requiring strict conditions for successful parasitism.
This Aburame Clan's shinobi survived because the Symbiotic Insect took the hit for him.
Surveying the surroundings, taking in comrades' gruesome remains, his fists clenched audibly.
"Rest assured, I'll avenge you."
The Aburame Clan's Shinobi vowed silently, then released poisonous insects from his jar.
The insects numbered densely, blanketing the sky, uncountable.
Under the Aburame Clan's Shinobi's control, they swarmed over comrades' remains, feeding, then fell dead in droves.
But...
Among billions, one survivor didn't die.
Though it could only twitch a leg weakly, it didn't die immediately.
And...
"It's a queen!"
The Aburame Clan's Shinobi cradled the surviving insect, confirming its gender, sighing in relief.
Aburame Clan's insects adapted to surroundings.
This insect feeding on the poison without dying meant it developed antibodies. Using Aburame Clan's secret techniques to stimulate reproduction, through several generations, perfect antibodies could emerge.
"Within five hours, I can breed antibody-carrying insects. Then I'll kill you." The Aburame Clan's Shinobi's eyes gleamed with hatred.