"Orochimaru... I never imagined we would meet again like this."
The Fourth Kazekage approached, his first act being to greet his former rival with a tone tinged with nostalgia.
While the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire were nominal allies, they had forged a blood feud during the Second Great Ninja War. High-ranking officials on both sides had lost family and disciples to one another. This hatred had not vanished; it was merely suppressed for the sake of temporary mutual interest.
This was precisely why, upon learning that Orochimaru had proposed the Konoha Crush plan, Rasa had responded immediately, and with great enthusiasm. The Land of Wind was simply too impoverished. If they couldn't bite off a piece of the Land of Fire's fertile territory, they would continue to decline, eventually losing their status as a Great Nation and becoming a mere puppet of Konoha.
Such a tragic fate was something the Hidden Sand's leadership refused to accept under any circumstances.
Orochimaru, clearly understanding this, responded with a smile. "Indeed. In just over a decade, everything has changed. You have become the Kazekage, and I have become a rogue ninja. But we share one thing in common: our hatred for Konoha and the Third Hokage. If we join forces and seize the rare opportunity provided by the Chunin Exams, we can surely deal Konoha a devastating blow."
"I have reviewed your plan; its feasibility is high. But the question is, are you truly certain you can kill the Third Hokage and plunge the entirety of Konoha into chaos?" the Fourth Kazekage questioned.
"Of course! No one in this world understands that old man's weaknesses better than I do. Moreover, he is no longer the hero who once shook the ninja world; he is merely a relic who has withered into a shell, constantly compromising and yielding to his opponents. As his disciple, I feel it is my duty to escort him through the final stage of his life," Orochimaru answered meaningfully.
"In that case, on behalf of the Hidden Sand, I shall join your plan."
After a moment of hesitation, the Fourth Kazekage explicitly stated his stance. Before arriving, he had already consulted with his advisors and elders, agreeing to participate as long as it wasn't a trap.
Konoha's steady decline over the years was visible to the naked eye. To the Hidden Sand, this was a golden opportunity. If they seized it, they might acquire a vast expanse of the Land of Fire's most fertile lands and escape their current predicament.
"Hehe, you certainly didn't disappoint me. Come, let us shake hands and wish for a successful collaboration."
With that, Orochimaru extended his right hand.
Just as the Fourth Kazekage was about to extend his own, several venomous snakes suddenly lunged from Orochimaru's sleeve with lightning speed.
"Damn you! Orochimaru! What are you doing?"
Rasa's reflexes were exceptional. He immediately retreated while forming hand seals, instantaneously summoning a massive amount of Gold Dust to tear the snakes to shreds.
"What am I doing? Killing you, of course!" Orochimaru chuckled sinisterly, licking his lips.
The moment the two Kazekage guards prepared to weave seals, Allen, standing aside, raised his hand and released two Thunderbirds.
The next second...
BOOM! BOOM!
Accompanied by blinding flashes of lightning that soared into the sky, the two guards were killed on the spot, unable to even complete the seals for the Substitution Jutsu.
Furthermore, the instant the Thunderbirds were released, Allen deployed a massive electric field and entered a semi-tailed beast state using Lava Release Chakra. He launched himself forward like an arrow from a bow.
"The Four-Tails Jinchuriki?!"
As a Kage, Rasa was naturally aware of the abilities of the nine Tailed Beasts. He recognized the unique Lava Release of the Four-Tails instantly, his face contorted in shock. He couldn't fathom how the Stone's Jinchuriki could be here, let alone in the form of such a young ninja.
Regrettably, there was no time for thought; he had to fight with everything he had.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!"
Under the Fourth Kazekage's control, a massive volume of Gold Dust surged from beneath the earth, attempting to encircle Allen from all directions. Unfortunately, the molten Lava Release, composed of fire and earth, inherently countered the Gold Dust. Most of the gold was melted down before it could even begin to compress.
"Too weak! Someone like you is fit to be the Kage of a village? Or is this truly the peak level of the Hidden Sand?"
Allen abruptly released a torrent of scalding magma, turning the surroundings into a literal sea of fire. His eyes were filled with blatant, undisguised disappointment.
Though he had expected a Kazekage who could be assassinated by Orochimaru to be underwhelming, this level of weakness was unprecedented.
"You bastard! Don't underestimate the Sand! Magnet Release: Gold Dust Cube!"
Rasa roared, gathering a massive amount of Gold Dust into a giant cube and hurling it down viciously. While Lava Release countered Gold Dust to an extent, a block of that size couldn't be melted away easily.
"Sigh. It's a pity you use magnetism in such a primitive way. But no matter, I'll make better use of it."
Allen casually tossed several arrowheads and used the Flying Raijin Technique to easily bypass the massive gold cube falling from above, instantly appearing at the Fourth Kazekage's side.
"The... Flying Raijin?!!"
Rasa's eyes widened, shimmering with terror and despair. His hands instinctively moved to form the seal for a Substitution Jutsu.
But it was too late!
BANG!
CRACK! CRACK!
Allen's fist, reinforced with Chakra and Nen, shattered the Fourth Kazekage's ribcage. He then unsheathed a long blade, severed one of the Kage's arms, and tossed it back to Orochimaru.
"Vaelastrasz! Consume him!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the dragon head on his necklace came to life. It expanded at high speed, opening its maw to breathe out the Flames of Life, incinerating the barely-breathing Kazekage into a cocoon and swallowing it whole.
Once the Essence of Life refined from the cocoon was injected into his body, Allen immediately felt the ability to convert Chakra into magnetism. However, this specific magnetism was highly limited; it could only be used to manipulate objects containing rare precious metals like gold.
"Fine. It seems if I want true Magnet Release, I'll have to look into the One-Tail, Shukaku," Allen sighed with a hint of resignation.
As he spoke, he waved his hand, gathering the scattered Gold Dust from the area and stuffing it all into his magical bundle.
This was pure money, after all!
He even suspected that the reason the Hidden Sand was becoming increasingly poor was directly linked to the Fourth Kazekage's specific Magnet Release. Otherwise, this Gold Dust alone should have been enough to lead the Sand out of its predicament and nurture more of the younger generation.
Watching that massive pile of gold vanish into a small bundle, Orochimaru asked in amazement, "Is everything, including that dragon head just now, a part of your Nen ability?"
"Sorry, that's a secret."
Allen threw the same words back at him that Orochimaru had used before.
Orochimaru wasn't offended. Instead, he burst into a delighted laugh. "Hahaha! Nen truly is a fascinating power. It seems I still have much to learn about it..."