Before he could finish his sentence, Hyuga Kyo realized the absurdity of his remark and immediately felt embarrassed, muttering to himself, “That creature is a pig, after all!”
The poison sacs in the snake carcass were lethal to animals without chakra. The mottled wild boar had no chakra flow within its body, so if it ate the snake carcass, it would undoubtedly die!
However, whether the snake’s venom killed the boar or the boar ate the snake, it was all part of the natural cycle.
Hyuga Kyo didn’t have the leisure to worry about such trivial matters. After storing the poison sac, he continued his search for other poisonous creatures.
After a morning’s effort, Hyuga Kyo managed to collect venom sacs and glands from over ten different poisonous creatures.
Feeling accomplished, he also bought some white mice from the market on his way back.
Creating a compound poison is not as simple as mixing all the poisons. Different poisons have different properties; random mixing could neutralize some of the toxins, reducing the poison’s lethality.
Therefore, developing compound poisons often requires extensive live testing to gather the necessary data for proper formulation.
Formulate…
Test…
Record…
Hyuga Kyo spent almost the entire afternoon meticulously working through these steps.
Unfortunately, the results were not satisfactory.
The toxins from the creatures in the Forest of Death were somewhat weak. They couldn’t instantly kill the test mice, let alone pose a significant threat to a ninja with chakra.
However, Hyuga Kyo did discover that a certain moth’s toxin had a strong paralyzing effect, while another scorpion’s toxin accelerated blood circulation.
If these two toxins were mixed, they could almost instantly paralyze the test mice.
The challenge was how to seamlessly combine these two toxins, a task Hyuga Kyo hadn’t figured out yet. Moreover, questions remained about the compound poison’s limits and its effectiveness against strong ninjas, which required further testing.
In the evening, Suzune arrived at Hyuga Kyo’s house with steaming hot food.
Seeing the floor littered with dead and dying white mice, she asked in surprise, “Kyo, what are you doing?”
Hyuga Kyo, engrossed in recording the mice’s reactions, casually replied, “I’m researching poisons!”
He hadn’t hidden his activities that day, from collecting toxins in the Forest of Death to buying mice at the market. The entire process was conducted openly.
Squatting beside him, Suzune whispered, “Do these poisons really work?”
Like traditional Hyuga clan members, Suzune had a natural aversion to poisons. However, as a ninja who had experienced war, she understood that any means necessary to win on the battlefield were valid.
Hyuga Kyo smiled, “Of course they work. These poisons might save my life on our next mission.”
After finishing his records, Hyuga Kyo tidied up a bit and joined Suzune for a meal.
Besides bringing food, Suzune also conveyed a message from Hyuga Hizashi, requesting a meeting with Hyuga Kyo.
Hyuga Hizashi held significant influence within the Hyuga clan and was responsible for daily communication between the clan and the village. Hyuga Kyo naturally couldn’t refuse his request.
That night, at an izakaya.
Hizashi looked at Hyuga Kyo with a warm smile, “Why did you want to meet here?”
Hyuga Kyo casually lied, “I’m now a direct subordinate in the ANBU under the Hokage, so I need to keep some distance from the clan. It’s better for both the clan and me.”
The real reason, of course, was to avoid exposing his Tenseigan. In the clan’s territory, with people coming and going, there was always the chance someone might activate their Byakugan and see something they shouldn’t.
Meeting in a public place like an izakaya for a private chat minimized the chances of Hizashi using his Byakugan, significantly reducing the risk of exposure.
These precautions were likely unnecessary. In reality, because of the Byakugan’s penetrating vision, Hyuga clan members usually refrained from using it within the village, as it was considered intrusive.
Hyuga Kyo’s casual lie, however, was taken seriously by Hizashi, who nodded in agreement, “You’re right. The village’s leadership is very wary of the great clans.”
The village’s recent actions towards the Uchiha clan had also made the Hyuga clan uneasy.
Hyuga Kyo didn’t dwell on this sensitive topic and got straight to the point, “Hizashi-sama, what do you need from me?”
Hizashi requested, “Next month, the village will hold a trust vote for the promotion to Jonin.”
In normal circumstances, when a Special Jonin is promoted to Jonin, a small-scale trust vote is required. So Hizashi’s meeting with Hyuga Kyo was essentially a campaign for votes.
Hizashi continued, “A very experienced Special Jonin from our clan is participating in this promotion. Since you’re now directly under the Hokage in the ANBU and have voting rights, I hope you can support our clan.”
Hyuga Kyo smiled warmly, “Rest assured, I’ll do my best.”
At that moment, he deeply felt the change in his status. As a wartime Chunin, he wasn’t even qualified to be involved in such matters. Now, as a Special Jonin, even the prestigious Hyuga clan sought his assistance.
Of course, he agreed so readily for personal reasons as well.
Unlike the domineering Uchiha clan, the Hyuga clan was much more low-key and stable, giving them a better reputation in the village. Many Konoha ninjas were willing to team up with Hyuga members for missions. Thus, the clan was not a burden to Hyuga Kyo but rather a powerful asset he could leverage.
After a brief chat, the two left the izakaya, each having gained what they wanted.
The next morning, just as Hyuga Kyo was about to head to the Forest of Death to collect more poisons, a figure blocked his path.
The person coldly asked, “Hey, kid, are you Hyuga Kyo?”
Hyuga Kyo nodded.
The person, playing with a kunai, said, “I’m Uchiha Shinichi. I heard you recently beat Shisui. I came here today to challenge you and show you that the Uchiha name isn’t something you can trample on!”
Hyuga Kyo’s face darkened, “Sorry, I’m busy.”
Uchiha Shinichi sneered, “You don’t have a choice!”
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