"AAHHH!!!"
Because the attack happened so fast, it took about three to five seconds before the Iwa ninja felt the agonizing pain. Unfortunately, it was already too late. The unlucky man struggled in agony on the ground for a full two or three minutes before finally breathing his last.
"Whew… you got here just in time! Any later and you'd have been picking up our corpses."
Seeing their powerful enemy turned into two pieces of meat, Tenten sat down on the ground without a shred of decorum, looking completely exhausted. To be honest, fighting a Special Jonin for the first time was incredibly stressful for a novice like her; one mistake meant being impaled by a blade.
"Sorry, I got delayed by something for a bit."
Allen unceremoniously picked up the chakra-conductive sword from the dead man's hand and claimed it as his own. Although Epic weapons dropped in dungeons provided massive attribute bonuses and were far sharper and harder than the swords of this world, they couldn't conduct chakra. He planned to find a chance to research whether he could add chakra-conducting properties to dungeon weapons while keeping their original attributes intact.
"Heal me, quick! I feel like I'm about to pass out," Lee requested in a weak voice, his face pale from blood loss.
"Bear with it!"
Allen quickly switched to Nen mode, wrapping the wounds in Enhancement aura. Within moments, the blade wounds were mostly healed.
When he turned around to treat Neji, he found the Hyuga youth staring at him with his white eyes.
"Is there something you want to say to me?" Allen asked, sounding unsure.
"I want to know how you became so strong in such a short amount of time," Neji answered, clenching his fists tightly.
As one of the few companions who had personally watched Allen go from barely being able to refine chakra to where he was now, he couldn't fathom how the other's strength grew at such an alarming rate, even developing his own powerful ninjutsu. Combined with his unparalleled hostility and hatred toward the Main House, a burning sense of envy and jealousy smoldered in his chest.
The craving to be strong! The craving for the power to change his own destiny! This was everything Neji pursued at this stage!
Realizing this, Allen responded meaningfully, "If you want to know the truth, come find me privately after we return to the village. I will give you a satisfactory answer."
"Is that a promise?"
"A promise!"
Upon receiving the answer he wanted, the tension in Neji's face finally relaxed slightly. Soon, under Allen's treatment, his injuries were properly cared for. However, it would take a while to recover the lost blood.
As for the battles involving Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Kurenai Yuhi, they didn't need any outside interference. Before long, they returned with the bodies of their respective opponents.
At this point, the elite squad sent by Iwagakure to ambush the Konoha patrols had been completely wiped out. Even the Tsuchikage's own son had been turned into a cocoon in a red dragon's stomach, a devastating loss.
When the group returned to the camp, they were immediately treated like heroes. Allen, in particular, who had independently slain the son of the Third Tsuchikage while only being a Genin, became the absolute center of attention. Some even began to compare him to established Jonin, believing this orphan taken in by the Third Hokage had the potential to grow into a powerhouse capable of leading Konoha against foreign enemies.
...
While things were looking up in the Land of Grass, back in the office building of Konoha in the Land of Fire, the Third Hokage received the report from the front via a Summoning Jutsu.
When he saw that Kitsuchi, who had caused immense trouble for their side during the Third War, had been killed by Allen, he was stunned. He didn't even notice his pipe falling to the floor.
"What is it? Has Iwa made a new move?" Koharu Utatane asked in surprise. Since her old teammate had become Hokage, she had rarely seen him lose his composure like this.
"Hahahaha! No! Of course not! Quite the opposite, it's good news. Here, take a look. I truly can't believe that child has unknowingly grown to such an extent," the Third said, tossing the report onto the table and laughing heartily.
Despite the questionable things he did in private, he truly labored for the growth of Konoha's new generation; otherwise, he wouldn't drop all his work to give speeches every enrollment and graduation season. Furthermore, having been heavily crippled by the Nine-Tails incident and the Uchiha massacre over the years, he hoped for the rise of geniuses more than anyone.
"Onoki's son, Kitsuchi, was killed? And by that little kid! Unbelievable! What is this Thunderbird ninjutsu mentioned in the report? It can actually insta-kill a Jonin?" Koharu Utatane couldn't help but exclaim after reading the report.
"That's exactly what I want to know. Regardless, this child has become a part of Konoha. Let's go; it's time to head to the Land of Grass to negotiate with the Tsuchikage. Also, tell Shikaku to return Kitsuchi's body to Iwa first. Let that old fox Onoki understand that continuing this entanglement won't do him any good."
The Third Hokage stroked his chin and quickly assessed the current situation. The struggle between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth over the Land of Grass needed to end. During this period, aside from the Land of Water which was mired in internal strife, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind were both starting to show signs of restlessness.
"Be careful! That old man Onoki isn't easy to deal with," Koharu reminded him.
But the Third waved her off with a smile. "No. I know Onoki better than you do. He is a rational man who values his village above all else. So even if his son Kitsuchi is dead, he will never make an impulsive decision that harms the village. We won this exchange! He will gracefully concede."
Koharu nodded thoughtfully. "I hope so. But what do you plan to do about that child? Once this news spreads, he will quickly become a target. And if Onoki demands we hand him over as a condition for the exchange, what will you choose?"
"I'll say it again: the interests of the village are the absolute priority. Under that premise, there is nothing that cannot be sacrificed." The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, finally showed his side as the "Shinobi Ace."
He failed to notice that as he said those words, Danzo, who had remained silent, suddenly opened his eyes. A mocking smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
Clearly, this "Hidden Hokage" saw this as an opportunity for himself, an opportunity to recruit a powerful subordinate...
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