"Hey! You're looking a bit pathetic over there!"
Karin glanced at the color of the blood Sasuke had spat onto the ground, her voice dripping with amusement and mockery. For some reason, she took special pleasure in seeing him get humbled. It was inevitable, after all, the "Second Young Master" always loved to talk the biggest game right before taking the harshest beatings.
"Shut up! Weren't you here just to watch the show? Get back and watch closely as I complete my revenge against Konoha."
Sasuke wiped the residual blood from the corner of his mouth. This time, he didn't choose to be overconfident. Instead, he activated the Mangekyō Sharingan's Susanoo.
In the blink of an eye, a massive pale-purple skeleton composed entirely of chakra erupted from the ground, fully encasing his body. Without a doubt, this was only the most primitive stage of Susanoo, lacking armor or weapons. Yet, even in this state, it struck the Konoha shinobi present with an unprecedented sense of shock and dread. That solidified purple chakra was clearly enough to repel the vast majority of ninjutsu and Taijutsu attacks.
"What is that?" Asuma asked Kakashi, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
Kakashi shook his head with a wry smile. "Sorry, I don't know. Perhaps it's a special ability unique to the Mangekyō Sharingan. We know far too little about those eyes."
"Dammit! First it was Orochimaru, then Itachi, then Allen and Neji, and now we have to add Sasuke to the list. What is wrong with Konoha? These incidents just keep happening one after another," Kurenai complained, gritting her teeth. As a Special Jōnin specializing in Genjutsu, the Uchiha's Sharingan was her natural nemesis. One didn't even need the Mangekyō; a standard three-tomoe Sharingan could easily reflect most Genjutsu.
"Allen! Are you done talking to that old hag? If you're finished, I'm moving in!"
The power of Susanoo had undoubtedly caused Sasuke's confidence to swell again, and he urged Allen forward with an impatient glare.
"Don't be in such a rush. Can't you see the Hokage-sama is weighing her gains and losses? Be patient. Even the destruction of Konoha isn't something that needs to be done this second," Allen responded nonchalantly.
While others might fear Susanoo, the ultimate offensive and defensive ability of the Mangekyō, Allen knew it was far from invincible. Setting aside Six Paths power or Yin-Yang Release, the Dust Release he had plundered from the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, was more than enough to vaporize even a Perfect Susanoo.
"Tch!"
Though Sasuke looked annoyed, he chose to give Allen face. Regardless of his attitude, he knew he wouldn't have reached this level without the other man's help. Until a fundamental conflict of interest arose between them, he had no reason to draw his blade against his benefactor.
…
Tsunade, noting Sasuke's deferential attitude toward Allen, felt her brow furrow even tighter. She squinted her eyes, testing him: "You want to separate the Hyuga clan from Konoha?"
"No. Don't misunderstand. This matter isn't up to me; it's up to Neji and the head of the Hyuga Main House. I'm not like you, I never claim to represent 'justice,' and I never force people to do things against their will. I respect everyone's thoughts and choices, even those of my enemies," Allen said, his voice laced with subtle sarcasm directed at the distorted and morbid systems of the hidden villages.
"And if my answer is no?" Tsunade clearly wasn't going to back down easily.
The Hyuga were Konoha's premier noble clan. If they were to split or defect entirely, the village's morale would collapse, potentially leading to its disintegration in a very short time. Furthermore, without the Byakugan, Konoha's scouting capabilities would plummet, stripping them of their absolute strategic advantage. They would suffer immensely in any future wars.
"I'm afraid you've misunderstood something. I'm not negotiating with you; I am informing you, or rather, warning you. If you reject my goodwill, Konoha will be erased from the shinobi world before sunset. Even if the First and Second Hokage were resurrected, it wouldn't change a thing. Oh, I almost forgot to mention: the Raikage of the Cloud is dead. Neji twisted his head off personally. Their leadership has suffered heavy losses, and their younger generation has been virtually wiped out."
As he spoke the final few words, Allen's tone shifted into pure intimidation.
As the moment for his grand plan to launch drew nearer, he grew increasingly weary of dealing with these hidden villages that lacked both rationality and political common sense. In his eyes, this world had never birthed a truly qualified politician with strategic vision. From Kaguya to the Sage of the Six Paths, and even the founders like Hashirama and Madara… to him, they were all fools.
Hashirama's idealism was particularly laughable to him. The man had actually distributed the Tailed Beasts, intending for them to serve as a deterrent to maintain peace. The result? The moment he died, the other four great nations were at Konoha's throat.
Fortunately, the shinobi world was now drifting in a completely different direction.
Tsunade, unaware that Allen had mentally categorized her revered grandfather as a "political failure," was rapidly calculating her options. A full minute passed before she finally made her decision. She gave a subtle signal to the four members of the Barrier Team standing behind her.
The moment they saw the signal, the four agents rushed forward with incredible speed, surrounding Allen and his group in a square formation. Each held a purple scroll and roared in unison:
"Hidden Four Symbols Barrier Sealing Technique!"
Instantly, the four scrolls unfurled with lightning speed, trapping Allen, Sasuke, Karin, and Neji within a massive black barrier. The seal began to contract at an alarming rate, shrinking, and shrinking further still...