Clang, clang, clang...
Ever since the arrival of this master swordsmith from the Land of Iron, the area in Otogakure dedicated to repairing and forging weapons had been completely commandeered by him. Day and night, the rhythmic pounding of the anvil and the rasping hiss of whetstones echoed throughout the village.
While these sounds were a public nuisance, inflicting untold misery upon Orochimaru's original subordinates and the Resistance fighters who had traveled far for training and body modification, none dared to utter a word of complaint.
Kabuto Yakushi, the new leader of Otogakure, had made his stance clear: anyone who dared approach that area without permission would be executed on the spot.
Though Kabuto usually wore a gentle, smiling facade that made him appear kind and approachable, those with even a modicum of insight knew that Orochimaru's former right-hand man was a classic "smiling tiger." One moment he'd be calling you brother with a grin, and the next, a razor-sharp Chakra Scalpel would be buried in your heart.
Compared to Orochimaru, who was solely obsessed with researching Kekkei Genkai and ninjutsu, Kabuto was arguably the more dangerous of the two.
Under his deterrent, in just three short months, the fifty-year-old blacksmith had used the materials provided by Allen to forge over a dozen swords worthy of being called divine weapons. These ranged from massive odachi and greatswords exceeding 1.8 meters in length to short blades measuring only forty to sixty centimeters.
It was evident he was using these preliminary forgings to test the properties of the metals and materials he had never seen before, while simultaneously attempting to decode the Dwarven runes on the legendary hammer meant to bolster a weapon's power. Only by doing so could he ensure that when he finally transformed the hammer into a blade, its most precious attributes and characteristics would remain intact.
Naturally, all these experimental weapons ended up in Allen's private collection. After all, the materials, especially the Arcanite Bars, had been purchased at a high price through the Auction House system. Furthermore, every weapon had been enchanted using materials like Elemental Earth, Lava Cores, and the like. Beyond their innate durability and sharpness, they possessed additional "Chance on Hit" effects.
For instance, a weapon named the "Wind-Thunder Sword" had been infused with a significant amount of Breath of Wind and Air Essence. By channeling chakra into it, the blade could be encased in a layer of blinding silver lightning. Both its visual impact and its destructive potential left Allen thoroughly impressed.
Consequently, he began to look forward even more to the day the legendary hammer would be refashioned into a longsword.
However, he did not rush the blacksmith, who was now entirely consumed by his craft. Instead, Allen continued to extract the "mediums" that originally belonged to the Ten-Tails' God Tree, bit by bit, storing them within his own body and that of his Red Dragon, all while the Tailed Beasts remained blissfully unaware.
As the quantity of these mediums grew, his rate of absorbing natural energy from the environment accelerated, eventually reaching a speed that surpassed human limits. There was no doubt that these mediums were the core of the aliens' biological technology. It was precisely because of these mediums that Kaguya, after becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, could instantly recover from any wound, no matter how severe, and even continue to draw energy from the entire world to condense a second Chakra Fruit.
The Sage of the Six Paths likely realized this, which is why in his twilight years he split the Ten-Tails into nine Tailed Beasts with independent consciousness, preventing anyone else from harboring similar ambitions.
Unfortunately, in order to eventually kill and devour Kaguya completely, Allen could not drain the five Tailed Beasts sealed within him dry. He could only take about 90%. This was the result of Vaelastrasz's repeated testing and calculations. If he drew any more, the Tailed Beasts would lose their forms and collapse, instantly releasing all their gathered chakra at once.
Just as Allen was considering when to visit Amegakure to seal Shukaku, who had outlived his usefulness, into the Gedo Statue, Neji and Karin finally arrived at a small town within the Land of Lightning.
Looking at the town, which had already been occupied by the Resistance, Karin asked in an uncertain tone, "Is the Two-Tails Jinchuriki really here?"
"If the intel is correct, she should be lurking in this town, waiting for an opening to assassinate the high-ranking officers of this Resistance branch."
Neji carefully adjusted his straw hat, making sure that the physical changes caused by his Byakugan wouldn't be noticed by those around him.
"Interesting. Kumogakure actually dares to send their Jinchuriki out on missions at a time like this. I don't know whether to praise their courage or laugh at their death wish," Karin said, her lips curling into a mocking smirk.
Neji gave a casual shrug. "There's no helping it. That's just the Cloud's personality. Until they receive a thorough thrashing, they'll always be this arrogant. Though compared to the Sand or the Mist, they actually have the credentials to be arrogant, they even managed to kill the Second Hokage, who was hailed as the fastest shinobi of his era."
"Hmph! That was just low-level ninjutsu combat. Before Six Paths Power and the Truth-Seeker Orbs, their so-called strength is like a sandcastle on a beach. A single wave is all it takes to wash it away," Karin replied with intense disdain.
Having fully activated the Sage Body inherited from the genes of Asura, specifically the Wood Release fused with Yang Release, and combined it with Sage Mode, her strength was now rivaling that of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju. Barring any accidents, by the time the final plan was initiated, obtaining the Rinnegan and the complete Six Paths Power would be practically guaranteed.
Because she stood at such a height, the red-haired girl had the confidence to look down upon the powerhouses who once stood at the apex of the shinobi world.
In contrast, Neji's progress had been slightly slower. For some reason, every time his Byakugan showed signs of evolving, the process would be mysteriously interrupted. It was as if some force was preventing him from breaking through that final barrier.
Thinking of this, Neji couldn't help but sigh softly. "This world is like a canyon. Most shinobi are like people trapped at the bottom, only able to see that narrow strip of sky above. To them, whoever can climb the highest is naturally the strongest. But from the moment we met Allen, we were already standing at the rim of the canyon. We can see the vast, infinite sky, and we can also see the tragedy of those still trapped below."
"So... you pity them?" Karin asked with a half-smile.
"No. I might pity anyone else, but I will never pity Kumogakure. They are the culprits and the root cause behind my father's death. If the day comes when Allen decides to destroy that village, I will be the first to claim the mission."
As he spoke, a chilling light flickered in Neji's eyes.
Had his personality not become more mature and steady, he would have stormed into Kumogakure the moment he gained power to slaughter everyone involved in that incident, giving those martial-obsessed scum a taste of what it feels like to lose a loved one.
Hatred is a thing that does not easily vanish until death. Those who can casually preach "forgiveness" either haven't tasted true pain and hatred, or are too weak to expose their true feelings.
But Neji no longer needed to endure, nor did he need to hide his true intentions. There was only one thing he wanted: to personally taste the flavor of revenge.