After the battle ended, Allen was in no hurry to leave. Instead, he sat down on the ground, waiting for the arrival of the so-called "reinforcements."
In less than a minute and a half, the elite Root squad led by Torune Aburame arrived first. Before he could even open his mouth to inquire about the situation, another support unit dispatched by the Third Hokage, consisting of Kakashi, Might Guy, Kiriko, and others, arrived right on their heels.
Looking at the team composition, it was obvious that Hiruzen Sarutobi was trying to play the emotional card. Most of them were people Allen knew and with whom he shared a decent relationship.
However, Allen did not hesitate for a single second. He walked directly up to Torune Aburame and threw a string of headbands onto the ground. "All members of the Iwa ambush squad, including Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi, have been eliminated by me."
"Well done!"
Staring at the headbands, each representing an elite of Iwagakure, Torune's face broke into a look of undisguised joy and admiration.
While ten ninjas might seem insignificant to a village like Iwagakure that could mobilize tens of thousands, in terms of quality, this was a devastating blow to their already scarce elite forces. More importantly, the consecutive deaths of a son and a granddaughter would surely leave even a man as resilient as Onoki in deep grief. If this caused him to lose heart and step down as Tsuchikage, or perhaps die prematurely from sorrow, it would be a massive strategic advantage for Konoha.
"Everything for the will of Danzo-sama and Root!" Allen lowered his head slightly, clearly signaling his allegiance.
Seeing this, Kakashi immediately issued a loud warning: "Hey! Do you have any idea what you're doing?"
"Yes. I am perfectly aware. From this day forward, I have no name, no emotions, no past, and no future. There is only the mission in my heart. Compared to a Third Hokage who preaches the Will of Fire while secretly betraying and selling out ninjas from his own village, I find Danzo-sama's philosophy far more agreeable."
Allen deliberately feigned a look of extreme disdain and loathing toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Torune nodded with satisfaction. "Well said! We are the 'Root' that delves deep into the earth to silently support the great tree that is Konoha. As for the weak and corrupt upper management of the village, Danzo-sama will deal with them sooner or later. Come, follow me back to report to Danzo-sama. You will surely become a pillar of Root."
"Understood!"
With that, Allen followed the Root support squad and departed, leaving the people sent by the Third Hokage standing stunned on the spot.
It wasn't until the members of Root were completely out of sight that Kakashi sighed helplessly. "Sigh, I knew it would turn out like this. It seems the Lord Third has made a grave mistake."
"What do we do now?" Might Guy asked, scratching his head.
"What else can we do? We go back to the village and report this. As for the rest, it's not something you or I can get involved in."
Kakashi glanced at the valley's terrain, destroyed beyond recognition, and the massive amount of blood staining the ground. His entire aura radiated a certain darkness. As someone who had once had close contact with Danzo, he knew better than anyone how attractive that man's philosophy could be to a member of the new generation who felt betrayed.
If Allen truly joined Root, he would undoubtedly become the sharpest blade in Danzo's hand, capable of delivering a massive shock to the village's existing power structure.
...
After several days of travel, Allen and the Root support squad finally returned to Konoha.
Normally, he should have gone to the Hokage Residence first to report on the mission before attending to private matters. But this time, under the watchful eyes of countless people, he went to Root's territory first.
As he stepped into the pitch-black underground chamber, Danzo, who had been waiting for a long time, slowly stood up from his chair. He said with a smile, "I am glad to see you returned alive!"
"Danzo-sama, he didn't just return alive; he wiped out the Iwa ambush team. This includes the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, Kurotsuchi, his personal guard, Akatsuchi, and eight other Jonin of considerable strength. After this battle, Iwa probably won't dare cause trouble for a long time," Torune hurried to present the headbands.
"Oh? It seems you are even more exceptional than I imagined. Tell me, how did you kill these Iwa elites in such a short amount of time?" Danzo asked, somewhat surprised.
"Speaking of which, I have to thank you for the welcoming gift you sent earlier, specifically the Lightning Release Armor. If you don't mind, I can demonstrate it here."
Allen narrowed his eyes, sizing up the old man who had essentially taken the blame for ninety percent of the dark deeds in the Naruto world. He wasn't quite what Allen expected. At first glance, Danzo didn't look sinister or cruel; he actually radiated a calm aura. Yet, the things he did were increasingly more brutal than the last.
Perhaps, as the saying goes, the truly ruthless people appear kind on the surface but show no mercy when they act.
"Of course! Please, demonstrate it for me," Danzo made a gesture of invitation.
Without a word, Allen immediately activated the Lightning Release Armor. Instantly, blinding lightning-natured chakra enveloped his body. Even from several meters away, one could feel the frantic, terrifying destructive power.
"I see! Truly unbelievable talent! You actually mastered this Nintaijutsu invented by the Raikage in just two days," Danzo couldn't help but marvel.
Back when he first obtained this technique, he had assigned people to train in it, but without exception, they all suffered permanent physical damage due to their inability to control the violent lightning chakra. Ultimately, this dangerous and powerful Ninjutsu had to be shelved.
Thinking of the Third Raikage's terrifying feat of facing ten thousand Iwa ninjas head-on with the Lightning Release Armor, a fire named ambition began to roar in Danzo's heart. With such a powerful subordinate's loyalty, he was only one step away from the seat of Hokage.
"No. That's not all. I've also made a small modification to this Ninjutsu. For example, like this..."
The next second, Allen released the terrifying lightning chakra into the air, turning the entire room into a massive electric field. As he manipulated the current to interfere with nervous system signals, everyone present found they couldn't move.
The appreciative smile on Danzo's face instantly froze. If Allen hadn't remained standing still without any further aggressive movements, Danzo would have surely activated Izanagi to escape this state of being controlled by another.
After a few seconds, the electric field was withdrawn, and everyone's paralyzed bodies gradually returned to normal. Having personally felt the terrifying power of this technique, Danzo asked impatiently, "What did you just do? Why couldn't any of us move?"
"Simple! It's an electric field. I converted a large amount of lightning-natured chakra into an electric field surrounding my body. Anyone who enters this range is immediately hit by a subtle current interference, causing the brain to lose control over the muscles, leaving them at my mercy. Additionally, I have already compiled the training method for this technique. Please, take a look."
With that, Allen pulled out a scroll he had prepared. Whether others could understand or learn it was none of his business. After all, even Kakashi, who was proficient in Lightning Release, still couldn't condense a palm-sized Thunderbird, let alone have the Thunderbird rush a target and transform into an electric field in an instant.