"Mmm... so good! This is just too delicious!"
Choji held the iron pot, pouring every last drop of the remaining soup down his throat, even licking the bottom clean.
Ino felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment at her teammate's utterly disgraceful behavior. She covered half her face with her hand and explained in a mortified tone, "We've been starving for a day, so..."
"No need to explain, I understand," Allen interrupted with a laugh. "Besides, being able to eat like that is a blessing. In this world, nothing brings more happiness and satisfaction than delicious food."
"Mhm! Mhm! I totally agree! Eating is the most important thing! Period!" Choji set the pot down and patted his rounded, protruding belly with a look of pure contentment.
If he had known the enemy would treat them to such incredible food, he never would have been stupid enough to hide behind a tree and stage an ambush all night. As for having their scroll taken, it didn't matter to the little fatty at all. He hadn't planned on being promoted to Chunin during this exam anyway.
"What do you plan to do with us?"
Compared to his two somewhat eccentric teammates, Shikamaru's mind was undoubtedly sharper. Although he realized the man didn't intend to harm them, he couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing in particular. You're free to leave whenever you like," Allen replied with a shrug.
"Really?" Shikamaru's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
Not just him, even Ino couldn't help but demand, "Hey! Are you guys really here for the Chunin Exams? No, wait! Are you even ninjas? You're way too relaxed!"
"Didn't I just say? All this fighting and killing is no good. This world has become twisted because it produces too much hatred. As shinobi, we must aspire to spread love and justice. And you three are the first group I intend to enlighten," Allen explained with a straight face, barely suppressing a grin.
To him, the Chunin Exams were essentially a game. Unlike Orochimaru, he didn't have to run himself ragged testing Sasuke's potential while staying in touch with the Sand to ensure the plan stayed on track. Until the actual operation began, Allen was effectively idle.
As everyone knows, when a person is bored out of their mind, they tend to do ridiculous things. Thus, he decided to have a little fun at the expense of these Genin.
"Love and justice? Are you serious?" Shikamaru's lip twitched slightly.
Allen nodded without hesitation. "Of course! I'm always serious. Did you know? When the Sage of the Six Paths founded Ninshu, his original intent was for people to use Chakra to understand one another and eliminate war and chaos forever. But look at us now. Shinobi use this power, originally meant for love and justice, to slaughter one another. Don't you find that ironic?"
"That actually makes sense..." A thoughtful expression appeared on Ino's face.
In this world where the strong prey on the weak, as long as a powerful person speaks, no matter how absurd or illogical their words, plenty of people will believe them. Conversely, if a weakling speaks the truth, no one cares. To the new Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the man who had effortlessly defeated them was clearly a "strong person."
"It is ironic, but I don't think anyone can change it," Shikamaru countered decisively, noticing his teammates were starting to get swayed.
"You won't know unless you try. As the saying goes, 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' No matter how difficult the task, if you begin and persevere, you will one day see results. Remember, no matter how twisted or dark this world becomes, the human heart always yearns for the light. Where there is hope, there is a future."
As he spoke, the morning sun filtered through the trees and illuminated Allen's face, adding an accidental touch of mystique to his presence. For a moment, even Shikamaru's resolve wavered. After all, the defining characteristic of "grand truths" and "soul food" is that they latch onto humanity's beautiful aspirations. In a world torn by war, the idea of dissolving hatred to bring peace was incredibly alluring.
…
Watching the new Ino-Shika-Cho vanish into the woods, Haku finally couldn't resist asking, "Was what you said just now true?"
"Which part? About love and justice, or the original intent of the Sage of the Six Paths?" Allen asked back with a knowing smile.
"All of it!"
Haku's eyes shimmered with excitement and emotion. Clearly, he had accidentally been "bamboozled" as well.
Realizing this, Allen burst into a roar of laughter. "Hahaha! You actually believed that? Don't be stupid! As long as humans have desires and as long as resources and wealth are distributed unequally, war, hatred, and chaos will never end. I just made all that up on the spot to mess with those Genin. Remember this: if anyone ever tells you they can bring permanent peace to the entire shinobi world, that person is either a liar or a raving lunatic."
"So... it was a lie..."
A look of profound disappointment washed over Haku's face. With his relatively gentle nature, he desired world peace more than anyone. But unfortunately, that was merely a beautiful, unattainable dream.
In contrast, Karin's reaction to the slogan was much colder. She simply finished packing the pots and dishes in silence, then leaned against Allen's arm in a delicate, dependent posture. During her days as an outsider in the Hidden Grass, she had seen enough of the darkness and ugliness of human nature to have a much clearer understanding of the world. Moreover, she didn't care what happened to the world as long as she could remain by Allen's side.
"Don't overthink it. What the future looks like isn't something one or two people can decide or change. We are just mortals, not omnipotent gods. Doing our duty as mortals is enough," Allen said, patting Haku on the shoulder to comfort him.
"I suppose so. Thank you for taking care of me lately. I think I finally understand what kind of person you are," Haku said, bowing respectfully.
"Oh? And what kind of person is that?" Allen asked, intrigued.
"I'm sorry, I don't know how to describe it, but I prefer to believe you are a good man," Haku answered with a smile.
"A good man? In my hometown, that isn't exactly a compliment. Besides, based on the timing, Zabuza should be arriving soon. Have you thought about what to do then? A rogue ninja like him has almost no future to speak of," Allen hinted meaningfully.
"No matter what the end brings, I will stay by Zabuza-san's side and be his most excellent tool..." Haku stated his position with unwavering clarity.