Leaving Konoha Village, Allen was in no hurry to rush immediately to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth. Instead, he first went to check on Karin, who had been settled in a nearby town.
After a period of recuperation, the girl possessing the Uzumaki bloodline had thoroughly cast off the shadows of the inhumane torture and abuse she suffered under the Grass Ninja. Her face now bore a smile of confidence and joy.
When she saw her savior appear, she immediately asked with great excitement, "Allen-sama, are you going out on a mission? If you don't mind, please take me with you! I've already learned the Ninjutsu on those scrolls as you instructed; I can finally be of use to you."
"Oh? Your talent is high indeed. But don't be in such a rush; this mission isn't suitable for a novice. Just endure a bit longer. Once I've secured some authority from Danzo, I'll immediately recruit you into Root. Then you can move with me," Allen said, smiling as he patted her red hair to soothe her.
Fortunately, because of long-term malnutrition and chakra exhaustion, Karin's height had not yet seen its explosive growth spurt. Otherwise, the next time he did this, he might have to look up at her.
"Alright, then I will continue to wait here," Karin nodded obediently.
"Here! This is a Taijutsu style I've recently researched. You can try practicing it when you have the time."
With that, Allen tossed down a scroll recording his insights and techniques regarding the use of chakra in close-quarters combat, then immediately turned to leave. He knew a group of Root agents was currently tailing him, so he had to keep moving before those guys caught up.
Due to the interesting applications of chakra energy, even a Genin's movement speed could rival that of an ordinary car. The distance a shinobi could cover in a single day was beyond a normal person's imagination.
It took only about four days for Allen to travel from Konoha, located at the heart of the Land of Fire, and successfully enter the Land of Grass, the area marked in his mission scroll.
The stated objective was simple: reconnaissance to confirm whether the Iwa ninja had truly withdrawn according to the agreement. Of course, that was merely a surface task. The real mission was to jump into the trap prepared by the enemy and hold out for at least five minutes while waiting for reinforcements.
However, Allen had no intention of following the plans of the Third Hokage or Danzo. He intended to give Tsuchikage Onoki an unforgettable lesson before their people even arrived.
A lesson built out of blood, slaughter, and death! He would make that old man understand that some people are not to be provoked!
As he continuously pushed deep into the border of the Land of Earth, he finally stumbled into the ambush set by the Iwa ninja.
Accompanied by the intense light and sound of numerous exploding tags, both ends of a narrow valley were completely sealed off by falling boulders. Ten figures wearing Iwagakure headbands emerged from their hiding spots.
The one leading them was none other than Kitsuchi's daughter, Kurotsuchi, along with Akatsuchi, whom he had encountered at the negotiation site. As for the remaining few, though their names were unknown for now, the volume of their chakra made it clear they were the village's elites.
To ensure the success of this ambush, Onoki had sent out his personal guards, sparing no expense.
"Brat! You probably didn't expect that after performing such great service, you'd be sold out by your own village, did you? I swear! I will kill you here today! I will kill you in absolute agony!" Kurotsuchi said, her face twisted in rage.
"Didn't expect it? No, I think you've misunderstood something. I knew the true contents of this mission from the very beginning, and I knew I would be ambushed. But do you know why I came anyway? Because in my eyes, you idiots are the prey, and I am the hunter who will send you to attend Yama's birthday party."
As he spoke, a massive amount of lightning suddenly erupted from Allen's body, forming an armor-like shape around him.
Without a doubt, this was the result of his twenty days spent in a dungeon, a modified and enhanced version of the B-rank Ninjutsu, Lightning Release Armor, and also part of Danzo's "welcoming gift."
"Nintaijutsu? The technique used by the Raikage!"
An older Iwa ninja saw this and his face instantly filled with shock and fear. No Iwa ninja who had participated in the Third Shinobi World War would ever forget that towering figure who stood alone against the onslaught of ten thousand shinobi, fighting for three days and three nights before finally dying of exhaustion.
What was more terrifying was that even at the very last moment of his life, no one could breach the indestructible "Strongest Shield" on his body. That man was the Third Raikage, a powerhouse whom even enemies couldn't help but revere and admire. Unless they had seen it with their own eyes, they could not have imagined a single person could be that powerful.
"Heh, it seems you know your stuff. That's right! This is the technique the Raikage used. However, my Lightning Release Armor is a little bit different from the one you know. So please be careful, otherwise it won't be fun if it ends too quickly."
Allen was clearly satisfied with their reaction and began to approach slowly with composed steps.
While Lightning Release Armor was only a B-rank jutsu, it was not easy to master. In fact, after so many years of overt and covert warfare, excluding Konoha with its master of forbidden arts, the Second Hokage, the jutsus of other villages had long been mostly deciphered.
The only problem was that learning without a qualified teacher carried great risk. Even if one managed to learn it, it likely wouldn't reach the original's effect or power. Danzo had surely had his men secretly try to learn this Lightning Release Armor that had shone so brightly during the Third War, but all had failed without exception, possibly even at the cost of several lives.
However, protected by his Hunter class panel and equipped with plenty of healing potions, Allen didn't have to worry about injuries or permanent disability during the learning process. To be precise, while self-studying every jutsu of B-rank or higher, he would consume at least one or two stacks of healing potions to replenish health lost from operational errors.
If it were anyone else, the grass on their grave would already be three meters high.
"Damn it! This is trouble!" Akatsuchi couldn't help but curse under his breath.
According to the agreement signed with Konoha, they only had five minutes for this ambush. Once five minutes were up, reinforcements would immediately cut into the battlefield. But Lightning Release Armor was clearly not something that could be easily broken in five minutes!
Most importantly, Iwa ninja specialized in Earth Release, but Earth Release was countered by Lightning Release. Although there were two Wind Release ninja specifically reassigned for this mission, they still had to be able to hit him. After all, significantly increasing the user's speed and explosive power was one of the capabilities of the Lightning Release Armor.
"Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique!"
Kurotsuchi clearly had no patience left to waste valuable time. She opened with her best Kekkei Genkai Ninjutsu, Lava Release. As a special bloodline that fused the Earth and Water attributes, she spat out a massive amount of cement-like, viscous mixture in just a few seconds, attempting to trap her father's killer in place.