"This is—?!"
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed as he stared at the energy, something clearly perceptible yet utterly invisible. His entire being surged with excitement.
As a man dedicated to mastering every Ninjutsu in existence, his obsession with Kekkei Genkai bordered on the fanatical. Whenever he encountered a technique or bloodline he had never seen before, he found it impossible to suppress the thrill rising from deep within.
"This is Ken. It's an advanced application of Aura. By maintaining a large amount of Aura around the body, one can drastically reinforce their defense. My natural affinity lies in the Enhancement category. When I use Ken, mundane objects like kunai, shuriken, or even exploding tags find it difficult to penetrate this layer of protection, let alone the fangs of mere venomous snakes."
With that, Allen raised a hand and gave a casual sweep.
The snakes summoned via the Summoning Jutsu were instantly shredded, dissolving into a mist of blood that filled the air.
In essence, Chakra is also a form of life energy, and it can be mutually converted with Aura. Therefore, as a Hunter who devours shinobi to seize their Chakra, Allen's Aura was also continuously growing in strength.
"Fascinating! Utterly fascinating! Danzo truly has sent me a magnificent gift!"
Once again, Orochimaru flicked his snake-like tongue to lick his lips in agitation. Without a moment's hesitation, he lunged forward to initiate a personal assault.
As a veteran powerhouse, his understanding of combat and his experience were refined to an incomparable degree. He expertly wove Taijutsu and Ninjutsu together, leaving no openings for his opponent to exploit.
However, using only basic and advanced Nen techniques, Allen easily parried the majority of the attacks. Several times, he struck out with a fist reinforced by Ko, instantly causing Orochimaru's body to explode.
That's right. Not sent flying, but blasted on the spot into a haze of blood and mangled flesh.
Had Orochimaru's mastery of the Substitution Jutsu not reached a level of divine perfection, he likely would have been beaten to death right then and there.
Fortunately, neither of them truly intended to decide a winner or fight to the death. After clashing for a while, Orochimaru voluntarily stopped, stroking his chin.
"I believe I have a general understanding of this power called Aura now. I must say, it is quite intriguing, far more so than most Ninjutsu. If you don't mind, would you be willing to cooperate with me on some research?"
"Of course! That is precisely why I came to find you. To be honest, my presence here doesn't entirely represent Danzo or Root; I represent myself," Allen replied with a smile, making his stance clear.
"Yourself?!"
Orochimaru, sharp as ever, instantly caught the subtext. His smile widened. "Hahaha! I didn't expect Danzo to lose his eye for talent like this! In that case, why don't you join the Hidden Sound Village? Whatever Danzo promised you, I can double it."
Allen shook his head gently. "No, the time isn't right yet. Danzo still holds quite a few things I'm interested in. I won't be leaving Konoha until I've squeezed every last bit of utility out of him. But rest assured, that doesn't hinder our cooperation."
"Oh? What exactly does Danzo have that you want?" Orochimaru asked, his curiosity piqued.
"A Mangekyo Sharingan," Allen answered nonchalantly.
"A Mangekyo Sharingan? Ah! I remember now, the eye that belonged to Shisui Uchiha. I didn't expect you to be interested in the Sharingan as well," Orochimaru murmured, looking thoughtful.
"How could I not be? Not just the Sharingan, the Byakugan is also of great research value and possesses the potential to evolve into a higher stage. Orochimaru, the world is much larger and far more dangerous than you imagine. If our partnership continues, I guarantee you will obtain things unheard of and unseen," Allen hinted meaningfully, revealing vital information.
A glint of brilliance flashed in Orochimaru's eyes upon hearing this. "The Byakugan has the potential to evolve further? You seem to know many secrets of the shinobi world. It seems you aren't some war orphan at all, are you?"
"Clever! I just happened to be picked up by Konoha ninjas after losing consciousness. Furthermore, regarding that 'Konoha Crush' plan, you'd better start showing some results soon, or I won't be able to give Danzo a proper report."
In front of Orochimaru, Allen made no effort to hide his intentions. He knew the man was a sophisticated egoist, focused solely on his own fields of interest and research, such as immortality, or how to seize the Uchiha bloodline to obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan he dreamed of.
Now, he could likely add Nen to that list. The drive to explore the unknown and forbidden is an innate human instinct, and it was perfectly embodied in this snake-like man.
"Hehe, don't be in such a rush; I've already prepared everything. For now, let us continue our discussion regarding Aura. You didn't suddenly display such an interesting power without a purpose, did you?"
Orochimaru was clearly captivated by Aura and was impatient to learn more. Most importantly, he was trying to figure out what exactly this mysterious young man wanted from him.
"Since both Chakra and Aura essentially fall under the category of life energy, Aura cannot exist while Chakra is present, and vice versa. I hope you can help me break this boundary and find a way for both energies to coexist simultaneously," Allen said, openly stating his goal.
As for whether Orochimaru would cause a new upheaval once he mastered this power, that was none of Allen's concern. As a modern soul, he never minded sharing knowledge or power.
Besides, Orochimaru wasn't nearly as dangerous as the rest of the world thought. Compared to Nagato wanting the world to "feel pain," Obito and Madara planning to trap everyone in an illusion with the Eye of the Moon Plan, or Black Zetsu trying to release his alien mother, Orochimaru was practically as harmless as a bunny.
"Coexist?"
Orochimaru was stunned for a moment by the request, but soon broke into a laugh. "I see! You are trying to break through the ceiling that limits your growth. No problem! I believe our cooperation will be most pleasant. If you don't mind, once you seize that Mangekyo Sharingan from Danzo, could you let me study it first?"
"Deal! To be precise, I could even give you a hundred identical eyes. After all, the power of Nen isn't just what I showed you earlier. Its truly incredible aspect lies in the abilities born from each person's unique personality and history. For instance..."
Allen reached down, picked up a stone from the ground, and instantly activated his duplication ability. In the blink of an eye, an identical stone appeared in his other hand.
"Unbelievable! Is this also a Nen ability?"
With just one look, Orochimaru realized the immense value of this ability for research. Bloodline ninjas were exceedingly rare. Since his defection, two-thirds of his time had been spent traveling the world to scout children with Kekkei Genkai, while only the remaining third was spent on research. In other words, the supply of experimental subjects was the true bottleneck of his progress.
"You could say that. However, it can only duplicate non-living things. If it were a human, the duplicate would be a corpse," Allen explained casually.
"That doesn't matter! A corpse is more than enough..."