While Allen, disguised as a Sound ninja, strolled through the Forest of Death enjoying a rare moment of leisure, Orochimaru had already locked onto his two primary targets.
One, naturally, was Team 7 led by Sasuke Uchiha; the other was Team 3, which included Neji Hyuga. One possessed the Sharingan and the other the Byakugan, the two Kekkei Genkai he was most interested in and desired above all else.
Regrettably, Neji had already fallen into Allen's embrace, forcing Orochimaru to abandon that pursuit. Before giving up entirely, however, Orochimaru decided to confirm whether the Caged Bird seal had truly been removed. If it were true, he could obtain the technique through a trade and recruit Branch House members who harbored deep resentment toward the Main House, thereby unraveling the secrets of the Byakugan completely.
Driven by his hunger for the Hyuga bloodline, the mad scientist of the shinobi world finally located Team 3.
Whether it was the butterfly effect caused by Allen's interference or simply a stroke of bad luck, Tenten, Rock Lee, and Neji had run straight into the Sand's Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.
There were no pleasantries. Under Gaara's indiscriminate sandstorm attack, the two sides engaged in a life-and-death struggle less than five seconds after contact.
Bang! Boom! Boom!
"Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel!"
"Tool Control: Rapid Crossbow Burst!"
"Sand Binding Prison!"
"Earth Release: Total Hardening Technique! Gentle Fist!"
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
In the blink of an eye, these top-tier Genin revealed their trump cards. A dazzling array of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and ninja tools obliterated the massive trees within a hundred-meter radius. Tenten, in particular, summoned over a dozen strangely shaped, oversized repeating crossbows from a storage scroll. The continuous volley of kunai rigged with explosive tags instantly turned the area ahead into a scorched wasteland.
Rich! Unbelievably rich!
This display of overwhelming the enemy through sheer financial power, literally throwing money at them, terrified the three impoverished children of the Fourth Kazekage. Even Gaara, who housed the One-Tails, Shukaku, dared not take the hits head-on.
"Damn it! Are all Konoha Genin this rich? They're tossing explosive tags around like they're common shuriken!" Kankuro cursed through gritted teeth.
As a puppeteer, he loathed these irrational, wide-range saturation attacks. Puppets were precise, complex, and fragile, relying on hidden mechanisms and poisons to kill. Unless they were rare, reinforced models, they stood no chance against the massive destructive force of explosive tags or "Hard Fist" taijutsu.
"Don't be afraid! They can't keep this up for long! Once they run out of tools, it'll be our turn to counterattack," Temari comforted her brother while waving her giant fan.
Unfortunately, she had underestimated the "money-printing" capabilities of a tycoon. As the crossbows ran dry, Tenten excitedly pulled a metal tube from her back, aimed it at her opponents, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The next second...
BOOM!!!!!
Accompanied by a deafening roar and a violent tremor, a sphere infused with Fire-attribute Chakra shot out of the metal tube. It spun at high speed in mid-air, rapidly forming a dazzling and terrifying fire tornado.
"Tenten! Is that the trump card you've been telling me about?" Lee was completely stunned by the spectacular sight, even forgetting to pursue the fleeing Kankuro.
"Hehe! Well? What do you think of the power? It's all thanks to Allen! If it weren't for the inspiration he provided, I never would have imagined ninja tools could look like this!" Tenten smirked with a look of triumph. At this moment, she finally understood the true meaning of "firepower superiority" and "area-of-effect suppression," and she was determined to follow this path to the end.
"Is Allen that formidable even in tool development and application? What a terrifying man..." Neji retracted his Gentle Fist stance, his eyes flickering with an unusual light.
In contrast, the side hit by the fire tornado was not having a good time. Temari had to release several Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel techniques in one go just to keep the scorching flames at bay. By the time she finished, her Chakra was nearly depleted, and she leaned against a rock, gasping for air.
"Good... these people are worth killing!"
Gaara had clearly entered a bloodthirsty state. A staggering killing intent radiated from him, and a massive amount of sand flowed rapidly according to his will.
"Be careful! These guys aren't ordinary Genin," Kankuro whispered a warning.
Unfortunately, Gaara was in no mood for advice. He shot his brother a savage look: "Shut up! Get lost, or I'll kill you too!"
Kankuro recoiled in fright, not daring to say another word. As family, he knew better than anyone how violent and unstable Gaara's mental state was due to years of insomnia.
Fortunately, Gaara's focus had already shifted to Neji. He commanded the sand to surge toward his opponent in a tidal wave.
"Hmph! Child's play!"
Neji, his skin still dark from the Earth Release hardening, raised his hands. With speed indiscernible to the naked eye, he struck out, scattering the sand into harmless dust.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
When skin is hardened by Earth-attribute Chakra, let alone soft sand, even solid granite could be effortlessly shattered.
"Sand Waterfall Funeral!"
Seeing that ordinary sand attacks were ineffective, Gaara increased his Chakra output, instantly turning the ground beneath them into sand, attempting to crush Neji's physical body through immense pressure.
"Rotation!!!"
Neji suddenly expelled a massive amount of Chakra from every pore in his body, spinning rapidly to form a spherical barrier. No matter how much sand rushed toward him, it was repelled instantly. As one of the few defensive techniques without a blind spot, Rotation was the ultimate counter to the pervasive, multi-directional attacks of sand.
Once the sand was cleared, Neji ceased his rotation and used Body Flicker to appear directly in front of Gaara. Waving his blackened arms, he took the unique stance of the Gentle Fist and launched a relentless barrage.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms! Two Palms! Four Palms! Six Palms..."
Under this seamless, continuous assault, Gaara's Shield of Sand began to flake away in just a few seconds, revealing his true skin beneath.
Hiding in the shadows, Orochimaru watched this with excitement, his tongue flicking over his lips as he muttered to himself, "He mastered Rotation and the Sixty-Four Palms, techniques only the Main House is permitted to learn, without a teacher? And he used a total-body hardening technique similar to the Earth Spear to enhance his destructive power? This child's talent is truly extraordinary. A pity he already has a 'master,' otherwise he would make an excellent vessel for reincarnation."