The river suddenly exploded.
A purple mist spread through the air under the moonlight. On both sides of the riverbank, small explosive traps released more poisonous smoke.
Boom! Boom!,a series of detonations erupted, and the entire area was soon shrouded in thick, toxic fog.
The entire Black Ape Squad was instantly engulfed in poison.
Around Hidden Rain Village, there lived a species of highly poisonous salamanders. The Rain Ninja were famous for their mastery of poisons, second only to the puppet masters of Hidden Sand Village.
Everyone in the squad immediately swallowed an antidote pill.
However, the antidote had been formulated for Hidden Stone Village's poisons, not Hidden Rain Village's. It didn't work.
When they finally burst out of the poisonous fog, coughing echoed all around.
"Cough, cough!" White Ram's voice was full of guilt. "Sorry, Captain… I didn't detect them hiding in the river."
Black Ape rasped between coughs, "It's not your fault. We wasted too much time catching those live prisoners! Cough! Fall back! Cover our retreat, just make sure the three captives get back alive!"
Their movements grew sluggish, every step uneven from the spreading poison.
Yoru felt better than most.
The Senju bloodline in his body had given him a strong resistance to toxins.
"Leaf Monkey Squad, cover the retreat!"
Without hesitation, the newly formed Leaf Monkey Squad stopped and turned to hold the line.
The others kept running as fast as they could.
Yoru glanced back, Leaf Monkey Squad lasted barely ten seconds before being annihilated by the Rain Ninja.
They died trading their lives for five or six enemy kills. The Rain Ninja kept pursuing.
Black Ape looked toward Yoru, his eyes resolute. Yoru understood instantly.
He and Black Ape were the two strongest in the unit. They would stay behind to buy time, for the others and for the captured enemy ninjas they had worked so hard to seize.
If they kept running, the spreading poison would just weaken everyone until they were all slaughtered.
Black Ape was desperate to prove he had fully recovered, to prove his worth.
Yoru gave him a small nod, then turned to the others. "You three, carry the captives and keep running! From now on, follow White Ram's orders!"
"Captain…" Purple Cat hesitated, but then swallowed her words.
The ANBU were used to such cruel decisions.
Yoru and Black Ape stopped and turned toward the approaching Rain Ninja.
Black Ape steadied his breath and pulled out a small box.
Yoru recognized it immediately, the Akimichi clan's secret Three-Colored Pills.
Black Ape said, "Fox, support me."
"Understood."
He skipped the mild blue Spinach Pill and took out the more potent Yellow Curry Pill.
Sensing Yoru's concern, Black Ape explained:
"The poison seems to be attacking my weak spots. My leg, the one that just healed, it's numb, burning, feels like the bones are rotting. I have to finish this before it gives out."
Yoru nodded. He understood.
A crushed leg was crippling for any taijutsu fighter.
"Let's go, Captain," Yoru said. "For your first mission back."
Black Ape lifted his mask slightly and swallowed the Yellow Curry Pill. "If I get injured again, I'll probably have to retire. Fox, how does it feel being acting captain?"
"Captain, Lady Tsunade's at the front lines. You won't retire even if you're hurt."
Black Ape gave no reply, his focus locked on the fight.
Steam-like chakra began to surge from his body.
"Partial Multi-Size Technique!"
His right arm expanded massively, his palm over ten meters wide, arm thick like a battering ram.
With one swing, he slapped five Rain Nin who couldn't dodge, sending them flying.
Yoru took the chance to throw kunai, killing the stunned Rain Nin midair.
Black Ape transformed into a massive Human Bullet Tank, rolling violently through enemy ranks.
"Don't panic!" the Rain Ninja captain shouted. "He's poisoned! He won't last long,wear him down!"
Under his command, the Rain Nin scattered.
The giant spinning Black Ape tore through them like a boulder, but his momentum began to fade.
The Rain Nin launched explosion tags, detonating around him.
Yoru moved along the perimeter, searching for openings.
One Rain Nin leapt back to avoid the rolling mass,landing right where Yoru waited.
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"
The Hidden Rain ninja looked down in horror as a sharp earthen spike burst from the ground, impaling his stomach.
He turned his head just in time to see the fox-masked ANBU finishing a single-hand seal.
Yoru was very satisfied with the technique. Quick seals, good range, safe and deadly.
No wonder so many shinobi shifted from taijutsu to ninjutsu once they had enough chakra.
Close-range fighters danced on knife edges, one mistake could mean death.
The battle raged on. Black Ape rolled through the Rain Nin over and over, crushing more than ten of them, supported by Yoru's precise jutsu.
But after one final charge, Black Ape collapsed, gasping, his body shrinking back to normal size.
His fingernails were turning purple, the poison was eating him alive.
Nearby Rain Nin rushed in, weapons flying.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Yoru appeared just in time, raising a wall of water to block the hail of blades.
Black Ape had a brief window to breathe, he pulled out his last pill: the Red Chili Pill.
"Captain, you're going to burn all your fat reserves…"
He was ready to sacrifice everything.
He swallowed the pill.
Immediately, violent chakra surged around him, visible to the naked eye.
His bulky frame shrank,slim and defined, radiating raw power.
His strength skyrocketed.
With a roar, Black Ape lunged forward, bursting through the water wall.
The three Rain Nin beyond had no time to react before a massive fist smashed them flat.
Yoru's heart tightened.
Black Ape was pushing himself past the limit, to prove his worth, to fulfill the mission, to defend his clan's honor.
He'd overheard whispers in the ANBU about removing him after his injuries.
But the Akimichi clan's presence in the ANBU mattered, to them and to their allies, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and the Sarutobi clan.
Black Ape refused to back down.
The battle quickly turned one-sided,he tore through the Rain Nin like a storm.
Riding the short-lived power surge, Black Ape charged straight at the Rain Ninja captain.
The captain pulled a strange umbrella-like weapon from his back.
Black Ape was too fast. Instead of blocking, the Rain Ninja opened the umbrella and swung it sideways.
Black Ape crashed into him head-on.
The umbrella spun around behind Black Ape.
The Rain Ninja, mortally wounded, gritted his teeth and snapped the umbrella shut, impaling Black Ape's back with a forest of steel spikes.
Yoru sprinted forward, but he was too late.
The Hidden Stone Village squad leader, who had been hiding all along, emerged and slashed downward at Black Ape's head.
The blade fell, Black Ape raised his only arm to block.
The sword cleaved it clean off.
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"
Yoru's jutsu pierced the Iwa captain's heart.
He finished off the shattered Rain Ninja leader and dragged the armless, bleeding Black Ape free from the weapon.
"Captain!"
Both arms gone, his back full of poisoned spikes, purple blood spilling from every wound.
Black Ape had given everything.
For his clan. For his pride.
Was it worth it?