[New Quest Available: The Price of Betrayal (C-Rank)]
Merchant Hikaru Sato, an influent merchant from the lands of rain, has recently turned to Tanigakure for escort missions and miscellaneous errands. The Dark Hall Tower sees it as a betrayal, and decided to use his death as a deterrent for others. Due to the belligerant nature of this mission, there will be conflict with Tanigakure shinobi. You have been assigned command of three genin cells: Team 11, 41 and 42
Objective: Eliminate Merchant Hikaru Sato, destroy the primary convoy cargo, and recover his trade ledgers
Rewards: 3000 EXP, 50 Dark Hall Promotion Points, 30,000 Ryô, +50 Reputation with the Dark Hall Tower, +50 Reputation with Team 11, 41 and 42, +20 Reputation with the Council of the Rain]
[Accept? Y/N]
It was late in the night. Ryugo held the scroll given to him by Mumei.
His words: "I will not be around for the next few weeks. Personal assignment by Kosuke, who needs trustworthy chunins. In the meantime, he wanted you to complete a C-rank mission. Dangerous, but with you in charge, I am not too worried"
Tanigakure was the village hidden in valleys, and represented the shinobi forces of the lands of rivers. From his family's books, he knew that there were only six shinobi clans in Tanigakure, a number even smaller than in Amegakure.
However, they were not weak by any means. The first Kage of Tanigakure had survived the first shinobi war, but he was struggling to have a descendant. As for talents, none could handle the responsibility of Kage, yet.
Ryugo remembered the five registered players.
'This will be an opportunity for them...If they play their cards well, they could even become the second Tanikage...'
Then there was the allies.
With Mumei gone, Kosuke had given him the captain position for this mission. In total, he would be in charge of three genin cells.
Team 41 and 42 were academy students three years older than they were on average. They were not Dark Hall Tower material, but they were not weaklings either. Otherwise, they would not have been assigned an assassination mission. The genin cell captains even came from Amegakure clans.
Team 41 Captain was a Haribako, with a strong mastery of senbonumbrellas, their signature weapon.
Team 42 Captain was a Hakkō, a poison master who used concoctions to spread disease and toxins on the battlefield. A true farter of the rain.
Ryugo could not help but smile. C-rank missions likes these only came once in a while. Most of the missions he had completed in the past month had been quick-and-dirty money. Assassination of a bandit group, assassination of a deserting genin, tracking and investigation of merchants doing tax invasion and their elimination...Only half of those missions had included fighting against fellow shinobi.
However, this mission clearly indicated a Tanigakure escort.
This meant two things: Higher payout, as per the scroll's rewards, and more combat experience.
After two months in this world, Ryugo realised that levels were not as important as he initially thought. They did provide additional attribute points, but without skills with high proficiency, those attributes were meaningless on the battlefield.
Mumei was a good example. His physical attributes were inferior to most chunins, yet he had managed to single-handedly defeat the Jotaki monk, who was almost eight levels higher than he was originally. His skill arsenal, combat experience, and tactics all played a role.
That's why Ryugo valued the combat aspect of the mission, more than the EXP gain itself. Any combat would result in higher proficiency gains, and more importantly, reveal any weakness he may have.
Plus, a merchant would not hire anything but genins for long-term protection. Hidden villages shinobi were too expensive.
After this analysis, he returned to his work. In the past month, he had invested his earnings in research. Training ninjutsu and his physique had their limits. Overtraining would only stunt his growth.
But research? He could do on his spare time. Just like reading, he could raise proficiency in his skills.
And tonight, he was finishing his first experiment.
[Research Project: Salamander Venom Adaptation]
Progress: 87%
Hypothesis: Controlled microdosing combined with Raikōgan monitoring can induce acquired immunity without permanent damage
Required: Final ingestion trial (Calculated lethal dose: 0.3ml | Proposed test dose: 0.05ml)
Ryugo took out his medical kit: sterilized syringe, antivenom (purchased at ruinous cost from a discreet Amakawa official), chakra monitoring seals, and a journal.
He activated his Raikōgan.
The world shifted into gradients of electrical potential.
The venom sack became a pulsing constellation of violet-and-black energy nodes—each representing a different neurotoxic compound. His own body appeared as a network of blue-white channels, with his heart glowing particularly bright. In the past month, he had leveled up enough times to be at the peak of the genin rank, level-wise. At this point, it was only a matter of time before he would get promoted. He was only lacking promotion points, a testament to how fast he and his team were growing
He loaded the syringe with exactly 0.05ml of venom, the thick fluid shimmering with malevolent light in his enhanced vision. The scent was acrid, like ozone and rotting citrus.
"There is no turning back", he whispered, and injected it into his forearm.
Fire.
It wasn't pain. His Raikōgan vision flared crimson as the venom's electrical signature invaded his pathways. His chakra system convulsed, trying to expel the foreign agent. Sweat beaded on his forehead as his muscles locked.
[Status Alert: Poison Detected]
[Chakra Control: -40%]
[Motor Function: -25%]
[Cellular Breakdown Detected in Injection Site]
Ryugo focused, breathing through the agony. He watched in fascinated horror as the violet tendrils spread through his meridians, attacking the junctions where nerves met chakra pathways. This was why Hanzo's toxins were legendary—they didn't just poison the body; they poisoned the chakra networks.
It was not the first time he injected poison in his vein. He had done it on a daily basis. But at this dosage? Never.
He grabbed the antivenom, ready to administer it if his heart rhythm faltered.
But then he saw it—the adaptation.
Tiny clusters of his own cells, those repeatedly exposed to trace venom over the past weeks during his skin-absorption trials, were fighting back. They'd developed thicker membranes, different electrical charges. They were resisting.
"Come on," he growled through clenched teeth. "Adapt."
Minutes passed like hours. His vision blurred at the edges. The venom reached his heart channel, and for one terrifying second, his pulse stuttered.
[Warning: Critical System Failure Imminent]
He reached for the antivenom—
—and stopped.
Because in that moment of near-failure, his body's defense mechanisms went into overdrive. Stem cells in his bone marrow, stimulated by the crisis, flooded his system. His chakra, initially disrupted, began to rotate in a new pattern
The violet venom met this new chakra pattern and... hesitated. Then it began to break down, its complex molecules unraveling into harmless components that his liver could process.
[Breakthrough Detected]
[Venom Neutralization Rate: 12% → 48%]
[Cellular Adaptation Accelerating]
[New Chakra Pathway Forming: Toxin Filtration Node]
Ryugo collapsed back in his chair, breathing ragged but steady. The fire receded, replaced by a strange, humming clarity. He looked at his arm—the injection site was an angry red, but the black necrotic streaks that should have formed were absent.
He took another blood sample. The diagnostic seal glowed a different shade of green—brighter, with subtle gold flecks.
[Research Project: Salamander Venom Adaptation - COMPLETE]
[Congratulations! You have developed a unique physiological adaptation]
[Perk Unlocked: Poison Immunity (C)]
Effect: You are immune to C-rank poisons and toxins. B-rank poisons have reduced effectiveness (-50% potency, duration, and damage). A-rank poisons are resisted (-25% effectiveness). Your chakra now carries subtle venom-neutralizing properties.
[Additional Effect: Salamander Affinity Unlocked]
Poison immunity.
A perk that was as valuable as a bloodline release.
Something that he had created, absorbed in a crude laboratory with genin resources.
'Soon, the Second Shinobi War will begin. The lands of rain will become a battlefield for Konoha, Iwa and Suna. Poison Immunity will prove extremely valuable against puppeteers of Suna', Ryugo's eyes flashed with anticipation.