Time flew by, and several months passed in the blink of an eye.
As Allen vanished from public view once again, the situation in the ninja world grew increasingly chaotic rather than settling down.
In particular, with the full intervention of the Akatsuki organization, the Great Nations were no longer able to brazenly dispatch forces for large-scale hunts and encirclements as they once had. This directly allowed the Resistance to begin securing stable territory. A few of the larger factions had even established provisional governments, attempting to transition from merely overthrowing the old order to building a new one.
While this was the scenario the Daimyō and nobles feared most, they were utterly powerless to stop it, having long since lost their military might. They could only watch helplessly as their reign gradually crumbled.
In reality, the ruling structure of the entire ninja world was extremely distorted and pathological.
With the rise of ninjas, the samurai groups that once swore direct fealty to the Daimyō and nobles fell into total decline. Ninja villages became something akin to semi-independent defense contractors; unlike the samurai of old, they would never offer one hundred percent obedience to the Daimyō.
This meant that the Daimyō and nobles possessed administrative and judicial power in name, but held no actual military authority, delegating it entirely to the ninja collectives established within their borders.
Even more incredible was that these ninjas could, based on their own judgment and without the Daimyō's consent, engage in direct acts of war against other nations.
You heard that right.
A mere ninja village composed of tens of thousands of people could represent millions of civilians and the ruling class to proactively provoke a war.
It was as if a nation's army could completely ignore the orders of the central government and do whatever it pleased. If they won, everything was fine; but if they lost, the entire country had to foot the bill.
Could anything in the world be more preposterous?
This was exactly why, when progressive ideas began to circulate among the common people, an astonishing force of resistance erupted almost instantly.
Allen had seen these realities, the parts never shown in the anime, and decided to sow the seeds of hope, seeking to fundamentally change this world from its roots. The deeper he understood it, the more he felt that ninja villages and the very concept of "ninja" should be completely eradicated.
Only then could this severely warped world return to normalcy.
…
While Allen was tirelessly hiding within a dungeon instance to research Tailed Beasts, Yin-Yang Release, and the Kekkei Genkai, Orochimaru was preparing the final step of his own plan.
Inside a dim underground laboratory, he was carefully tinkering with a body. Its skin was a pale, ashen white, and it appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old.
If Tsunade or Jiraiya were here, they would recognize at a glance that this body was exactly how Orochimaru had looked in his youth.
The only difference was that while this body possessed breath and a heartbeat, its eyes lacked any spark of life. The pupils wouldn't even focus; it looked like an exquisite, beautiful doll.
There was no need to ask, it was a clone Orochimaru had created using genetic technology. Furthermore, this body perfectly integrated a vast array of rare Kekkei Genkai.
Staring at the "artwork" he had created, Orochimaru couldn't help but let out a low, hoarse laugh. "Hehehehe~ A truly perfect body. Soon. It will be complete very soon! Only the final step remains."
"Orochimaru-sama, are you certain that moving against Sasuke Uchiha won't trigger a violent reaction from Allen-sama?" Kabuto asked, cautiously double-checking.
"Don't worry, Allen-kun will not interfere in the grudges between us. In fact, if you observe closely, you'll find he is a very peculiar person who adheres to a set of unknown principles. If we laid a hand on civilians, he might burst in and kill us the very next second; but if it's ninjas, it doesn't matter," Orochimaru explained nonchalantly.
Clearly, he had observed Allen's behavior with great scrutiny, even summarizing a set of "rules" for it. He understood exactly where the bottom line was regarding his cruel human experimentation.
"You mean... he doesn't care about the lives of ninjas, but he cares about the lives of innocent civilians?" Kabuto pushed up his glasses, looking surprised.
Orochimaru nodded without hesitation. "Exactly. Remember what he said during the Konoha Crush plan? Perhaps in his eyes, ninjas are the root cause of the constant wars and turmoil in this world, the targets that should be eliminated. What I don't understand, however, is why the Akatsuki chose to intervene at this time, and on the side of the Resistance no less."
"Perhaps they see the hope of overthrowing the other four Great Nations," Kabuto said with an uncertain tone.
"No. That's not it. Pain is not the type of person who gives up on his ideals so easily. This matter is strange; it warrants serious attention," Orochimaru emphasized gravely.
As the only person to successfully defect from the Akatsuki and live to tell the tale, he knew the terror of that organization better than anyone. It was for this reason that he had originally lured Allen into becoming the Jinchūriki of the Four-Tails. By doing so, he hoped that when the Akatsuki came for him, he could persuade Allen to form a solid alliance.
Unfortunately, plans change faster than reality.
Orochimaru had no idea that Allen had already successfully turned the core members of the Akatsuki into his own people, even Obito, one of the masterminds behind the scenes, was no exception.
As the two were talking, Kimimaro suddenly burst in from outside, shouting breathlessly, "This is bad! Orochimaru-sama! A coalition of Konoha, Suna, and Kumo has formed. They are approaching at extreme speed, estimated time to total assault is five minutes!"
"What? How dare they!" Kabuto was instantly startled by the news.
"Humph! It seems there are spies in the village. They sent back intel that Allen-kun hasn't appeared for months, so these Great Nations finally couldn't sit still. They want to pluck out the thorn in their side that is the Sound Village," Orochimaru sneered, revealing the truth.
"Spies? In our village?!" Kabuto's expression shifted slightly.
"It's nothing to be shocked about. After all, from the moment we began training and supplying talent to the Resistance, this day became inevitable. Activate the Barrier Team and all defensive measures. Stall for as much time as possible. I must obtain the Uchiha bloodline before the defensive line is breached."
Orochimaru didn't hesitate for a second before making his decision. Compared to the Sound Village, he clearly craved the completion of his new body far more.
"Understood! I will personally lead the team to block the Coalition's advance and buy you enough time."
True to his absolute loyalty, Kimimaro accepted the dangerous mission, one that could cost him his life at any moment, without question.
On the other side, Kabuto's eyes flickered. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. After all, for a man like him, betrayal was never more difficult than breathing; he simply hadn't decided yet who to side with next to gain the greatest profit.