Facing Darui's accusations and judgment, Allen maintained a look of utter indifference. He looked directly at Jiraiya and asked bluntly, "Are you prepared to pay compensation, or do you intend for everyone here to die?"
"Do you truly have to be this ruthless?" Jiraiya countered, his expression grim.
As someone who had personally witnessed the explosive power of a nuclear warhead, he had absolutely no desire to provoke this terrifying madman before their specialized Sealing Jutsu was fully developed. Doing so would not serve the interests of the Hidden Leaf; in fact, it could drag the entire village into an abyss from which there was no return.
However, if that Sealing Jutsu were completed, one capable of sealing such an extreme explosion in an instant, then this war might still be winnable.
In truth, anyone with a functioning brain who had seen the power of a nuclear blast knew that if they wanted to reverse their current passive situation, they first had to remove the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.
Recently, almost every Hidden Village had been secretly developing ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsus designed to defend against nuclear explosions. Among them, the Hidden Leaf, having inherited the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan, was progressing the fastest and had nearly reached the final stage.
Thus, the more critical the timing, the more Jiraiya understood the necessity of patience.
"It's not that I want to be ruthless; it's that you've crossed the line. As punishment, I must teach you ninjas a lesson, lest anyone thinks I'm a soft target who can be bullied."
After speaking, Allen glanced at the few Hidden Cloud ninjas behind him who were itching for action.
Perhaps influenced by their long-standing militant spirit, or perhaps because they hadn't personally felt the despair of an absolute power gap, these individuals from the deep mountains had remained restless. Several had even attempted sneak attacks multiple times, only to be stopped by their squad leader, Darui.
As one of the few clear-headed individuals among the Cloud ninjas, someone who used his brain more than his muscles, Darui was acutely aware of how terrifying this young man was. The Mangekyō Sharingan and Wood Release alone were enough of a headache, let alone a weapon capable of wiping an entire village off the map in a single strike.
"And what kind of compensation do you want?" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, testing the waters.
"Simple! First, you will immediately withdraw from the Land of Sound and release all prisoners. Second, you will pay a sum of money to rebuild the Hidden Sound Village. I'm not an unreasonable person; as long as you do these two things, I'll let today's events slide. But if there is a next time, I will view it as a declaration of war. At that point, it will be a fight to the death between us, and what happened to the Hidden Stone will happen to you," Allen stated his conditions nonchalantly.
Without a doubt, this felt like a violent slap to the face of the Allied Forces.
Minutes ago, they were the triumphant victors, intending to thoroughly destroy this place that had been a thorn in their side. Yet, minutes later, the situation had performed a total U-turn simply because of one man's sudden appearance. Despite having an absolute numerical advantage, they were being forced to pay compensation like losers.
Finally!
A few men among the Cloud ninjas, renowned for their volatility and defiance, could no longer restrain themselves. They simultaneously launched attacks using their most specialized ninjutsu.
But in the next second...
Neji vanished from his spot.
Following that, with a speed indiscernible to the naked eye, he manifested his chakra into a physical form, unleashing an undifferentiated, wide-area strike against the fools who had dared to act.
Accompanied by the thunderous boom of compressed air, the bodies of every attacking Cloud ninja burst apart in an instant. They were reduced to a glaring mist of blood; even their hardest bones were ground into microscopic particles like bone meal.
This scene left not only the remaining Cloud ninjas stunned but even the Hidden Leaf commander, Jiraiya, was agape.
To his knowledge, no such terrifying technique existed within the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist. It required no direct physical contact! Merely the chakra geysering from his pressure points was enough to shatter enemies into dust. This level of destructive power was something even the Strong Fist would find difficult to achieve, let alone the Gentle Fist.
Having slaughtered every fool who dared to raise a hand, Neji brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes and returned to Allen's side.
Undoubtedly, this was a Taijutsu technique he had devised himself during his time in the Dungeons. As the hidden lineage within him was gradually awakened by the Power of the Six Paths, his strength had increased at an unbelievable rate. Though his Byakugan showed no signs of evolution yet, he had already surpassed the reach of ordinary ninjas who relied on standard ninjutsu.
"Damn you! Is this a declaration of war against the Hidden Cloud?" Darui unsheathed his sword, his eyes burning with fury.
"A declaration of war? No, of course not. Neji was merely crushing a few annoying flies. If you insist on seeing this as a signal for war, then so be it. I'll just go and blow up the Hidden Cloud Village tomorrow. For me, that has never been a difficult task," Allen sneered, pushing back without giving an inch.
He wasn't like the elderly Third Hokage; he had no intention of coddling the bellicose habits of the Cloud ninjas. If the Raikage and the man before him didn't know their place, he wouldn't mind at all if the remaining Four Great Nations became Three.
The longer he stayed in this twisted, sickly world, the more Allen felt that the only way to deal with savagery was to become even more savage than the opponent. Fighting fire with fire, violence with violence.
No ninja or Hidden Village was innocent! Their disappearance would only make the world better, not worse.
"Enough! Stop bringing trouble to your village. He isn't joking; he will actually follow through," Jiraiya barked, grabbing Darui before he could speak.
While the grudge between the Leaf and the Cloud was significant, they were currently in a "lips and teeth" situation where if one fell, the other would suffer. He didn't want the allies he had worked so hard to gather to vanish overnight.
"Curse you! I will settle this debt with my own hands one day!"
After dropping those harsh words, Darui immediately led the remaining Cloud ninjas and departed.
Watching the dark-skinned shinobi disappear into the end of the underground tunnel, Karin mocked them in a biting, sarcastic tone: "So this is the 'militant' Hidden Cloud Village? Not much to look at, is it? Scurrying away like rats."
"What else? Stay and wait for death? Or do you think these so-called allies would sacrifice their lives for them? Remember, every Hidden Village is pathologically selfish. They won't hesitate to hijack an entire nation for their own interests. That is exactly why the common people at the bottom hate them, they wish they could kill every last ninja."
Allen peeled back the bloody scabs of the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Sand right to their faces.
Hearing those words, every ninja present wore an expression of embarrassment and pain. It had struck a nerve.
Before the Resistance appeared, they had always believed they were the protectors of the nation, heroes willing to face great risks and even sacrifice their lives for the benefit of the majority. Now, they were realizing they were merely attack dogs kept by the Daimyo and nobles, deeply detested and loathed by the masses.