Chapter 30: Collecting Venom

Amidst the Canopy

Swish—swish—

The sound of rustling leaves echoed as Umino Yoru and his three teammates leaped between towering trees, swiftly making their way back to their assigned patrol zone.

"Captain, we finally had a chance to build some rapport with Torifu-sama and the others. Why rush back so soon?"

Shukudō, a shinobi from a weapon merchant family, frowned in confusion. Having grown up surrounded by business dealings, he was naturally skilled in social interactions. This had been a rare opportunity to establish connections with an Akimichi jōnin, yet their captain's odd behavior had ruined it.

"I already told you—we need to return to patrol duty."

Yoru smacked the back of Shukudō's head, nearly knocking him off the branch.

The truth was, Yoru wasn't in a hurry to patrol—he was desperate to leave. His earlier stunt of stimulating his tear ducts with chakra had backfired, leaving his eyes watering uncontrollably. Staying any longer would risk exposing his act, not to mention how embarrassing it looked.

"Shukudō, you three head back first. I need to restock supplies."

"Captain, no! What if Suna-nin attack our sector while you're gone?"

"Relax. Aburame Shibi sent kikaichū to monitor our area. We'll know if there's danger."

After convincing his team, Yoru took off with a storage scroll of spoils, leaping through the forest toward the rear of their defense line.

Five kilometers later, he abruptly changed direction, veering toward a hollowed-out giant tree.

Activating his Sonic Radar Technique to its limits, he confirmed no shinobi—or Aburame insects—were nearby before scaling the tree and slipping into a hidden cavity.

The hollow trunk led downward, widening into a subterranean chamber roughly the size of a living room.

Zzzzt—zzzzt—

The moment he entered, the cacophony of water bats filled the air.

This underground cave served as his makeshift lab—crude, poorly equipped, but undeniably hidden.

Without earth-release jutsu, finding such a concealed spot on the frontlines was rare. If not for his water bat summoning contract, he'd never have discovered it.

Originally, this den likely belonged to burrowing serpents before their natural predators—the bats—took over.

The "Lab" (If You Could Call It That)

More like a bat farm than a proper research facility.

At the center stood a wooden workbench cluttered with dissection tools, three iron cages holding water bats, and a dozen saline bottles.

No Sharingan. No Hashirama cells. Just low-tier summon organs—mostly from bats.

"Impressive. You're still alive."

Yoru glanced at the caged bats, noting their vigor before storing the bisected summon (courtesy of the spiky-haired jōnin) in a saline solution for future study.

Loot Inspection

"They say Suna puppets are worth a fortune. Wonder what these'll fetch?"

Unsealing the spoils, he assessed the damage:

1 Chūnin-tier "Black Ant" puppet (mostly intact). 3 others (heavily damaged). 1 Jōnin-reserve puppet (smashed by a giant hammer—now scrap). 1 Special Jōnin-tier "Red Scorpion" puppet (cleanly bisected by a Fūma shuriken—rare and valuable). 1 Chūnin-tier puppet (25% blown apart by explosives).

"Keep the Red Scorpion. Sell the rest."

High-tier puppets were hard to come by, and this one only needed repairs.

Packing the damaged puppets into a scroll, he moved to the cave's far end, shifting a wooden shelf to reveal a wired grate.

Beyond it lay a narrower, upward-sloping tunnel riddled with fist-sized vents. Dim light seeped through cracks near the ceiling.

The walls? Teeming with water bats—most ordinary, but over a hundred pulsed with chakra.

The moment he stepped in, the swarm attacked.

Countermeasure: A sealed scroll unleashed a downpour of freshwater fish.

Zzzzt—CRASH!

The bats diverted instantly, descending on the fish like locusts.

Yoru snatched the largest fish and retreated, slamming the grate shut and barricading it with the shelf.

THUD-THUD-THUD!

The bats rammed the barrier for ten minutes before silence fell.

Venom Harvesting

While waiting, Yoru:

Fed the caged bats. Extracted venom samples.

"Their toxin resistance improved again. Took several extra minutes this time."

Pushing the shelf aside, he surveyed the unconscious bats.

The ninja world's biology was ridiculous. Without constant venom potency tests, these bats would've out evolved his methods long ago.

Final Tally:

500mL of "Strain-7" bat venom (harvested from chakra-infused specimens).

Mission Complete.

(For now.)