"It seems I should never have taken you in, much less allowed you to become a ninja. A dangerous element like you will only bring catastrophe to this village, and indeed, the entire shinobi world. Fortunately, it is not yet too late for me to undo the mistake I made."
As the Third Hokage spoke, he shed his ceremonial robes and hat, revealing the black combat gear underneath.
There was no doubt remaining: he had resolved to kill Allen at any cost, even if the price was his own life or his very soul. As an old man nearing the end of his days, he did not fear death; he only harbored a flicker of worry over whether someone would be ready to succeed him as the next Hokage.
Watching this, Allen couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. "I'm sorry. Though it might be rude to say so, your opponent isn't me."
"Hmm? Kazekage-sama, do you intend to continue collaborating with such a man at a time like this? What he seeks to subvert is not just Konoha, but the order and system of the Five Great Nations and the entire world as we know it."
The Third Hokage turned, attempting to sway the Fourth Kazekage, who he believed had merely been misled into joining this conspiracy. In his view, when faced with such a radical threat, the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire should stand on the same side.
Unfortunately, the man standing before him was not the Fourth Kazekage, but the world's most deranged scientist, Orochimaru.
"Hehehehe! My dear Sarutobi-sensei, you really have grown old. To think you haven't recognized me after all this time. My apologies, but on this matter, I find myself in complete agreement with Allen-kun. He's right! This world has been suppressed by Daimyos, nobles, and Hidden Villages for far too long. It is like a pool of stagnant water, reeking of decay, obsolescence, and disgust. Perhaps... sowing a few seeds of change isn't such a bad thing after all."
Accompanied by his signature chilling laughter, Orochimaru shed his disguise. His golden pupils shimmered with a mixture of excitement and anticipation.
In truth, even he had been utterly surprised by Allen's earlier speech. But he quickly realized that the young man he was collaborating with possessed a vision that transcended the current era, one that pierced straight to the true nature of shinobi and their villages.
It was true. No matter how poetic the "Will of Fire" or the "Will of Stone" sounded, it couldn't change the fundamental nature of a shinobi: they were essentially attack dogs. They never truly protected peace, nor did they protect the vast civilian population; they protected the interests of the Daimyos and nobles, and, by extension, their own.
"Orochimaru? You assassinated the Kazekage!"
Seeing his most dangerous disciple reveal himself, the Third Hokage instantly deduced Orochimaru's role in this grand conspiracy. His face contorted in shock.
No matter how "weak" the Fourth Kazekage might have been considered, he was still the Kage of a village, representing the face and dignity of the Sand Shinobi. This act was equivalent to a massive slap in the face to the Land of Wind, one of the Five Great Nations. Combined with the attack on Konoha, Orochimaru had effectively made mortal enemies of two Great Villages at once. No sane person would commit such a mad, foolish act.
"You seem surprised? There's really nothing to be astonished about. The shinobi world is no longer the place you remember, where the Five Great Nations dominate everything. Even without Allen-kun, another person, another organization, would have eventually triggered a violent upheaval," Orochimaru mocked meaningfully.
Undoubtedly, the "other person" and "other organization" he referred to were Pain, possessor of the Rinnegan, and his Akatsuki organization. As a former member, no one understood the terror of that group better than Orochimaru. One could even say that every core member of Akatsuki possessed the power to invade and cripple a major nation.
Amusingly, not a single one of the Five Great Hidden Villages had taken the organization seriously yet. The Tsuchikage even viewed them as a mere pack of mercenary sellswords who could be hired for dirty, secret operations.
"Your ideology has become increasingly dangerous, Orochimaru."
The Third Hokage clearly had no desire for further talk. He completed his hand seals with blinding speed, instantly summoning Enma.
"No! It is not my ideology that is dangerous, it is you who have been rendered obsolete by this era. Come, let me, your disciple, personally escort you through the final stage of your life. After all, I am the one who least wishes to see you in this pathetic, aging state..."
With that, Orochimaru lunged forward, using his superior Taijutsu to entangle his former master. Seizing the opening, the Sound Four leapt into action, erecting an indestructible barrier that completely isolated the two from the outside world.
With this, the final and most crucial step of the "Konoha Crush" plan was finally underway.
Standing in the center of the massive arena, Allen watched the war between shinobi with the detached gaze of an outsider. Without turning back, he asked Neji, who was following behind him: "Do you still hate the Hyuga Main House?"
"Hate? Perhaps. But compared to what happened to the Uchiha clan, I feel I've been quite lucky. I never imagined that beneath Konoha's calm and prosperous exterior, so much darkness and filth was hidden. You were right. Things like Hidden Villages were a mistake from the very beginning. They shouldn't even exist."
Neji spoke with deep emotion, appearing to have matured significantly in a single moment.
Hearing this, Allen nodded with satisfaction. "I'm glad you agree with my philosophy. Now, I'll give you a few minutes. Go talk to the head of the Hyuga clan. Perhaps he will tell you a different version of the story."
"And you? What do you plan to do next?" Neji asked curiously.
"Nothing. I will wait here for this riot to conclude. Then, I shall use absolute power to announce to the world that the era of the Five Great Nations' dominance is over."
As the last word left his lips, Allen activated his Wood Release ability, causing a massive tree to burst forth from the ground. He took a seat upon a chair woven from vines at the very top of the canopy.
"Wo-Wood Release?!"
Neji was clearly floored by this display. He wasn't the only one; the surrounding Konoha shinobi had similar reactions. To Konoha, and the entire shinobi world, this ability was an exceptionally special existence. It was the power wielded and mastered by Hashirama Senju, the man hailed as the God of Shinobi!
"Wood Release? No, I prefer to call it Yang Release, using specific Chakra to grant life to inorganic matter.
"That is why, although everyone knows the First Hokage's Wood Release was a product of combining Earth and Water attributes, no one has been able to replicate it. They lacked the Yang Release Chakra, which is the most critical component. And that power only flows through the bloodlines of the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
"Put simply: if you don't have the right lineage, you can work hard your entire life and it won't matter a bit. Sounds ironic, doesn't it? But that is the cold, hard reality! So, never believe that 'hard work can change destiny' nonsense. In this world, at least, hard work changes nothing."
Allen took a malicious pleasure in feeding everyone present a massive bowl of "toxic chicken soup."
In truth, this was a common flaw in almost all Japanese shonen works. At the start, you think the hot-blooded protagonists are ordinary people relying entirely on their own effort to change their fate.
Don't be naive. As the plot progresses, 99% of those protagonists turn out to have illustrious bloodlines and prestigious backgrounds. Dragon Ball was like this, YuYu Hakusho was like this, Naruto was like this, One Piece was like this, Bleach was the same...
There was almost never a true success story from the bottom rungs of society. Every shonen anime, at its core, was a bowl of toxic chicken soup.