"These people indeed weren't very strong, but the amount of Chakra and the quantity of those 'mediums' they provided are quite substantial. Also, I found this in one of the houses."
Vaelastrasz had finished devouring the ninja corpses across the battlefield at some point and flew back, clutching a scroll-like object in her claws.
"What is this?"
Curious, Allen took the scroll and opened it, finding it densely packed with records of over a hundred Ninjutsu ranging from S-rank to D-rank.
While the vast majority were common techniques, there were also offensive Ninjutsu like Lightning Release: False Darkness, which was incredibly impressive in both utility and power.
Evidently, compared to the great nations that produced geniuses or could invest massive manpower and wealth into Ninjutsu research, the Grass Ninja focused almost all their limited energy and money on copying and stealing Ninjutsu from other nations' shinobi.
After all, this was the method with the lowest investment and the highest return, allowing them to quickly narrow the strength gap with other countries. Perhaps the only drawback was that they could never obtain those truly powerful, top-tier Forbidden Jutsu.
"A good harvest! It seems we have plenty to study for a while," Allen nodded with satisfaction, stuffing the Ninjutsu scroll into his pouch.
Just as he intended to loot the wealth of Kusagakure and depart, a red-haired girl dressed in tattered rags—her arms, thighs, neck, and shoulders covered in bite marks—suddenly crawled cautiously out of the ruins of a house. In a voice trembling with terror, she asked, "Th... This Ninja Lord, may I follow you and leave this place?"
"Follow me?"
Allen stopped and looked her up and down.
Without a doubt, whether it was the signature red hair or the bite marks all over her body, it was enough to prove she was Karin, one of the few in this world possessing the Uzumaki bloodline.
"Yes! I am very useful! I can help you recover from injuries! You just need to take a bite of my arm." The girl rolled up her sleeve, proactively offering an arm covered in reddish-purple tooth marks.
However, Allen did not choose to bite. Instead, a look of pity appeared in his eyes. He shifted from Chakra mode to Nen mode, releasing Enhancement-type Aura to envelop her entire body.
In just a minute or two, the bruises from the bites had completely healed.
"This is?!!"
It was clearly Karin's first time encountering someone with healing abilities on par with her own; she subconsciously widened her eyes, speechless with shock.
What moved her even more was that this powerful shinobi before her was actually willing to heal her humble self, rather than treating her as a tool to be exploited like the Grass Ninja did.
"Poor little thing. You must have had a very hard time these past few years."
Allen gently patted the girl's head and quickly dispelled his transformation. After all, he didn't want Karin to misunderstand that Hidan had saved her, leading her to follow that lunatic everywhere to kill and burn.
"Eh… is this your true face?!"
Seeing the powerful young man turn into a beautiful boy who was half a head shorter than herself, Karin froze on the spot.
Allen explained with a smile, "Because of that, I have to disguise myself to ensure people don't find out I was the one who destroyed Kusagakure. Also, my name is Allen, currently a Genin of Konoha. Knowing this, are you sure you still want to follow me?"
"Of course! It is my honor to be your subordinate, my Lord. And I swear, even in death, I will never reveal this secret to anyone."
Karin didn't hesitate for a second, immediately kneeling on one knee to give her solemn affirmative.
For a girl who had experienced a hellish childhood surrounded by people with ill intentions, whoever first showed her a shred of kindness and warmth would become the most important person in her life.
Undoubtedly, Allen now played that role. The same logic applied to Haku and Zabuza, or Orochimaru and Kimimaro. Humans are social creatures; they cannot endure loneliness for long and must find a spiritual anchor.
Especially children whose worldviews are not yet formed. They are most easily attracted by great power, eventually becoming fanatically loyal. This is why Orochimaru, the world's top scientist, wandered around specifically to kidnap minors with Kekkei Genkai. And these children never disappointed him, even feeling honored to become containers for his soul.
"In that case, you are my first subordinate. Let's go; let us see how much wealth Kusagakure has so we can use it as startup capital for the next phase of the plan."
With that, Allen led the way toward the collapsed building in the center of the village. Karin followed closely behind, her eyes filled with excitement, joy, and even a hint of obsession.
Before long, the two found a heavy iron chest deep underground used specifically for storing money.
"My Lord! There are nearly several hundred million Ryō here! It's all the savings Kusagakure accumulated through missions over the years!" Karin estimated excitedly.
"Only a few hundred million? Kusagakure really is poor," Allen said with strong disdain.
To put it in perspective, Asuma, the son of the Third Hokage, had a bounty of thirty-five million Ryō on his head. The wealth accumulated by the entire village over several years was only worth about ten Asumas...
No wonder Kusagakure could exist until the end; it was so poor it wasn't even worth the effort to destroy or annex.
"It can't be helped. Kusagakure is just a small village caught in the cracks between great nations. There weren't many commissions to begin with. What should we do next?" Karin asked tentatively.
"Hmm… first, let's leave this place and head to the nearby town. Then I'll consider how to settle you."
Allen gave an order to the Red Dragon once more, having her manifest a pair of wings. He picked up the red-haired girl and streaked across the sky at extreme speed.
By the time the two quietly returned to the town, less than an hour had passed. At this moment, the outside world hadn't even realized that Kusagakure had, like many small nations that had vanished, permanently exited the stage of history.
Using Track Humanoids, Allen quickly confirmed the positions of Team 3. He chose a hotel as far from them as possible to check Karin in before nonchalantly going to regroup with his teammates.
As soon as he stepped into the room, he saw the "wealthy" Tenten standing before a mountain of goods and gifts. He couldn't help but joke, "Are you trying to buy the whole town?"
"Hehe! I couldn't help myself. Quick! This is for you." Tenten immediately handed over a uniquely styled short sword.
"A gift?"
Allen subconsciously drew it to take a look, finding the blade extremely sharp with beautiful patterns, clearly a masterpiece.
Tenten nodded with a smile: "That's right! To thank you for the advice you gave me on the road."
"Haha, alright then, I'll take it. Thanks!" Allen decisively accepted the gesture.
In fact, during their boring travels, he had given the girl, who relied primarily on projectiles and hidden weapons, some suggestions on installing mechanisms and explosives on weapons. Especially ideas regarding firearm design and explosive manufacturing, which made Tenten feel she had met a kindred spirit. Their relationship had improved rapidly, becoming the Engineering enthusiasts of the team.