There was no doubt that Allen's effortless defeat of Sasuke, who had mastered Chidori, using nothing but pure taijutsu left many in the audience dumbfounded. Even the old Third Hokage couldn't help but offer a few words of praise.
After all, the Land of Rice Fields was a relatively poor, backward, and isolated place, and the Hidden Sound Village was merely a tiny village that posed no threat to any major power. Even if a few geniuses emerged, it wouldn't change the cruel reality that they were merely pawns in the grand game of the Five Great Nations. When dealing with targets that will never threaten one's own status or interests, people are always quite willing to show their friendly and generous side.
But the Third Hokage had no idea that the leader of the Hidden Sound was his own defected disciple, Orochimaru. Nor did he know that Orochimaru had personally orchestrated the "Konoha Crush" plan, intending to tear off his disguise and end his master's life at the climax of the Chunin Exams.
The one-on-one preliminary rounds quickly concluded. Karin defeated a Rain ninja without much effort, while Haku put up a convincing show of resistance for a while before voluntarily forfeiting. His Ice Release Kekkei Genkai was simply too conspicuous; it was entirely unsuitable to use in front of so many watchful eyes, as it would surely trigger the suspicions of Kakashi and the members of Team 7.
Thus, one of the two passed while the other was eliminated. The Hidden Sound Village established by Orochimaru had certainly made a name for itself!
However, none of this concerned Allen. After completing the second round of the exams, his schedule became packed, and his previous leisure was a thing of the past. Attacking a village like Konoha was not something that could be accomplished with a mere twenty Genin or a couple of Jinchuriki. Coordinating how to bypass Konoha's intelligence agencies, stationed large numbers of personnel in ambush around the village, and launching a silent surprise attack past the heavy defenses required someone to organize and orchestrate.
Unfortunately, as the bridge for secret cooperation between the Root and Orochimaru, this task inevitably fell onto Allen's shoulders. For more than two consecutive months, he operated nocturnally, constantly searching for gaps and vulnerabilities around Konoha to settle the Sound and Sand ninja into their proper positions.
Once everything was arranged, Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, finally made his appearance. However, the location of his appearance was a bit peculiar: the roof of a women's bathhouse...
Watching the lecherous old man with long white hair being pinned to the ground and pummeled by seven or eight middle-aged women, Allen's mouth twitched slightly. He couldn't help but ask, "Is he always like this?"
"Hehe, yes. Quite the idiot, isn't he?" Orochimaru's lips curled into a playful smirk.
Allen nodded in deep agreement. "He is a bit of an idiot. But won't his sudden appearance in Konoha affect our plans?"
"Don't worry. He might pose a considerable threat to the Sand ninja and the cannon fodder under my command, but he won't affect the core part of the plan. Also, I should remind you, if you want to make a move on Danzo, it's best to do it on the night before the final matches begin," Orochimaru suggested meaningfully.
"Why? Wouldn't it be better on the day of the finals, when all of Konoha is in chaos?" Allen asked, rubbing his chin.
These past few days, he had been considering when would be the best time to finish off Danzo. Obviously, if he acted too early, the other members of the Root would surely notice. If he acted too late, there was no guarantee Danzo wouldn't take some spontaneous action, like leading men to ambush the Sand ninja during their retreat, forcing Allen to go hunting for him.
"Because you don't understand Danzo. That old fox has likely caught wind of Jiraiya's return and is currently throwing a fit in a secret room within the Root's base. Once you choose to merge with the darkness, it is very difficult to stand in the light again. Moreover, with Jiraiya's achievements and prestige, he is fully qualified to secure the position of Hokage. Therefore, Danzo will certainly find ways to take action, either by spreading false intel to make Jiraiya leave or by using the power of the Root to threaten those in the Hokage faction to support him instead. In short, once the Konoha Crush begins, he won't just sit quietly in one place waiting for the results."
Orochimaru spoke nonchalantly of his insights into Danzo. If there was anyone in this world who understood Danzo best, it wasn't the Third Hokage, but Orochimaru himself. Their cooperation had begun long ago and had never ceased, even after Orochimaru's defection.
In Orochimaru's eyes, Danzo was a man who truly used any means to achieve his goals, an ambitious man who had fully inherited the cold political thinking of the Second Hokage. This was especially evident in how Danzo, in order to drive Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan, did not hesitate to transplant the First Hokage's cells just to reduce the cooldown of Kotoamatsukami. That level of ruthlessness made even Orochimaru feel a flicker of admiration. There are plenty of people ruthless toward their enemies, but Danzo was the first to be that ruthless toward himself. Anyone who had seen the terrifying erosive power of the First Hokage's cells would feel their skin crawl.
"Understood! I'll settle him the night before the Chunin Exam finals," Allen decisively set the date for Danzo's demise.
"And how do you plan to get close to him? You should know that the closer we get to the event, the higher Danzo's vigilance will be," Orochimaru reminded him with a smile.
Allen answered without a second thought, "Simple! I'll bring out Reanimation Jutsu. Danzo has coveted that technique for a long time. With his personality, he would never allow a second person in the Root to touch or learn it. Therefore, he will choose to show his face no matter what."
"Hahahaha! Using Reanimation Jutsu as bait? Danzo truly won't die in vain at your hands. But I am curious, why is it that you never seem to have any intention of keeping these powerful ninjutsu and secrets to yourself? Are they not precious enough in your eyes?"
Orochimaru finally voiced the question he had been wanting to ask. Putting himself in Allen's shoes, if he possessed that power called Nen, he would never share it with anyone.
"In my view, while knowledge and complex ninjutsu are precious, it is humans who ultimately create and use them. This means the value of a person far exceeds that of knowledge or techniques. Furthermore, knowledge and technology only progress through extensive research, experimentation, and exchange. Therefore, casting aside that ridiculous 'cherishing a broken broom' attitude and treating these things with openness is the better choice for everyone. Just like our trade, though you learned Nen, I gained the method to let Nen and Chakra coexist. This means that through this cooperation, we have both grown stronger, not weaker. Only the weak think of monopolizing things, hoping others will never be qualified to challenge them. But the strong are happy to see challengers appear, and they enjoy the process of defeating them..."
Allen gave his answer with a smile. He had long since developed the resolve of a strong man, and he planned at some point in the future to spread the power of Nen, giving ordinary people the qualification to challenge shinobi.