As the sole military organization of the Land of Grass, the destruction of Kusagakure could naturally not be kept secret for long, especially given its proximity to a bustling town.
By evening, a merchant responsible for delivering fresh meat, fruits, and vegetables to Kusagakure arrived to find the horrifying scene of the village having been leveled by a "stone rain." He let out a shriek like a stuck pig before fleeing back to town in a frenzy with his workers, rapidly spreading the word.
Team 3, who had been planning to take a full day of rest before returning to Konoha the next morning, immediately rushed to the scene upon hearing the rumors.
When Might Guy, Tenten, Neji, and Rock Lee saw with their own eyes the thick, sturdy stone spikes towering from the earth, having obliterated nearly every building, they stood frozen in shock.
"S-Sensei... is this something Ninjutsu is truly capable of?"
A full minute passed before Rock Lee asked in a trembling voice. After all, he was still just a Genin who had recently graduated; he hadn't seen many B-rank Ninjutsu, let alone S-rank Forbidden Jutsu. This was the norm for most Genin. Generally, mastering two or three C-rank techniques was considered quite good. As for B-rank or A-rank, one either had a clan heritage or learned from their Jonin instructor; otherwise, one might only see such power once or twice in a lifetime, likely in the final moments before death at the hands of an enemy.
"Yeah... this is likely an incredibly powerful, Ultra-S-rank Forbidden Jutsu! It might have been the work of Iwagakure. They've wanted to annex the Land of Grass for a long time. We must rush back and report this to the Third Hokage immediately," Might Guy replied, his expression grave.
Sitting as a buffer zone between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, the Land of Grass occupied a critical geographical location. The famous Battle of Kannabi Bridge during the Third Shinobi World War took place within its borders. This underscored its immense strategic significance. If Iwagakure were truly determined to annex the Land of Grass, Konoha could not sit idly by. If handled poorly, a Fourth Shinobi World War could erupt instantly.
"Is there going to be a war?" Tenten asked, her voice tinged with fear.
"I don't know. But we really must go. If this terrifying enemy appears again, we'll be in massive trouble."
Might Guy quickly made the correct judgment expected of a Jonin instructor: retreat and deliver the vital intel.
Watching the members of Team 3 act as if they were facing a formidable foe, Allen suddenly realized that by secretly wiping out Kusagakure, he had effectively stirred up a massive hornet's nest. Regardless of whether the two Great Nations desired it, they would now be forced into a game of political maneuvering, or even a shadow war, centered around the now-defenseless Land of Grass.
However, knowing the temperaments of the "Old Foxes" known as the Third Hokage and the Third Tsuchikage, Allen felt it wouldn't escalate to full-scale war. At most, after some probing, they would reach a secret agreement to split the Land of Grass and share the spoils.
Thus, the group hurried back to Konoha without pause to report the bombshell news.
When Hiruzen heard that Kusagakure had been destroyed, his face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. "Very well. I understand. You've done well. I will credit you with an extra A-rank mission, and the rewards will be issued later. Remember, do not speak of this to anyone."
"Understood!" x4.
The four Genin, including Allen, promised in unison.
"You've worked hard. Go get some rest; I'll handle the rest."
With a wave of his hand, the Third Hokage dismissed the youngsters. It went without saying that he would now question the Jonin leader for critical details that Genin were not meant to know. The culture of secrecy permeated every facet of this world, reaching morbid levels in some places.
Leaving the Hokage Residence, Tenten breathed a sigh of relief and noted with a smile, "I didn't expect us to make it back safely! Thinking about it now still makes me a bit scared. But with an A-rank mission on our record, we must be way ahead of most Genin, right?"
"Mhm. Most Genin are considered quite excellent if they complete a single B-rank mission," Neji nodded slightly.
"So, what do we do now?" Rock Lee looked lost.
"Go home and rest, obviously. I haven't slept for days on the return trip; I'm exhausted. Whatever is important can wait until after a nap."
Without waiting for their reactions, Allen let out a yawn and turned toward the housing the village had assigned him since becoming a ninja.
As soon as he was inside, he locked the door, drew the curtains, and instantly teleported into the Dungeon. He pulled out the Ninjutsu scroll he had looted from Kusagakure and said excitedly, "So many interesting Ninjutsu... which one should I start with? Wind Release? Fire Release? Or Lightning Release?"
"I don't think it makes a difference. We already collected five Chakra natures at Kusagakure, including some Shape Transformation and Nature Transformation data. With your excellent energy control, as long as you understand the basic principle of a technique, you can master it with a little practice, or even modify and restructure it," Vaelastrasz replied nonchalantly.
"True. But before that, I have one more thing to do."
As he spoke, Allen blew his pet-summoning whistle.
Lupos and Lupos II appeared instantly, nuzzling their master's palm affectionately. Since the last summons months ago, the pup had grown larger than most large-breed dogs, its eyes flashing with sharp intelligence. He estimated that in four or five months, he could use the Pregnancy Stone to prepare for Lupos III...
"Awoo?"
Lupos II sensed its master's mischievous gaze and looked up alertly. Unfortunately, before it could react, Allen used their Spirit Bond to flood the brains of both pets with knowledge regarding Chakra, while the Red Dragon injected "mediums" into their bodies.
Before long, the two silver wolves successfully learned how to convert between Aura and Chakra. However, since canine meridians differed from human ones, the Ninjutsu portion would have to wait until he could consult the Inuzuka clan.
Allen then began selectively learning the Ninjutsu on the scroll. Specifically, he would first attempt to release the technique using hand signs while Vaelastrasz recorded the flow and changes of Chakra within his body. Once successful, he would omit the hand signs entirely.
In reality, this omission meant handing off the calculations usually performed by the caster's brain to Vaelastrasz. As a Red Dragon evolving toward higher forms, she was essentially one with Allen. She could even manifest four arms, claws, wings, and a tail in her armor form to assist in combat; controlling and guiding energy was a trivial task for her.