Inside the underground training grounds of Otogakure, Karin was locked in a fierce, back-and-forth exchange with Tayuya of the Sound Five.
Since both were quite beautiful girls, the battle was a rather aesthetic sight to behold.
Two months had passed since she first successfully merged the energies of Nen and Chakra. Karin had clearly moved past the initial state where she struggled just to remain standing; she could now proficiently use both Nen and Chakra for simple combat.
The problem, however, was that she didn't yet dare to draw upon too much of either energy at once. Doing so would break the fragile equilibrium, causing the Chakra in her meridians to lose control and run rampant. Consequently, whenever her Nen was depleted to a certain level, she was forced to consume a proportional amount of Chakra to maintain the balance.
Tayuya quickly exploited this weakness, pinning a sharp kunai against Karin's throat.
"Enough! We'll end it here for today," Orochimaru commanded, bringing the battle to an immediate halt.
The purpose of this sparring wasn't to determine a winner or see who was stronger; it was to train Karin's control over the two energies and accelerate the mutation process within her body.
Specifically, because her meridians were frequently subjected to the "attacks" of rampaging Chakra, they had doubled in thickness in just one month. This meant that if she were to use the same Taijutsu or Ninjutsu as a normal ninja, the resulting power and destruction would be twice as great.
When supplemented by the power of Nen, even a simple punch could deal considerable damage. Beyond that, the extra defense provided by Nen was something most ninja lacked. At least until they learned high-level defensive Ninjutsu like the Lightning Release Armor that covers the entire body, there wasn't a significant difference between a ninja and an ordinary person, they would still bleed when cut by a sword and die just the same.
"Orochimaru-sama!"
Karin bowed respectfully to the extremely dangerous rogue ninja. Having witnessed the bloody and cruel selection process of the Hidden Sound, she was well aware of how terrifying this snake-like man truly was.
"Your progress is rapid. I believe by the time Allen-kun returns, you should be of some use. However, there is one small question before that: have you developed your own Hatsu?" Orochimaru asked meaningfully.
Karin shook her head quickly. "No. Allen-sama forbade me from undergoing affinity testing or developing any abilities until his return."
"Oh? Is that so? Well, that is a pity."
As he spoke, Orochimaru extended a finger, manifesting a small snake composed of Nen at the tip. Undeniably, after confirming that Nen wasn't inherently life-threatening, he had decisively experimented on himself.
However, his current mastery remained in the trial phase. Like Allen, he had no intention of risking his own body until the test subjects had fully mastered this power.
"When will Allen-sama return?" Karin looked up, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Orochimaru smiled and replied, "Soon, I expect. After all, he only went back to Konoha to report mission progress to Danzo, and perhaps to acquire a few items he's interested in."
…
Meanwhile, far away in Konohagakure within the Land of Fire, the Ninja Academy was once again entering its graduation season.
Teenage boys and girls were undergoing their final graduation exams one by one under the supervision of their teachers. The atmosphere was thick with tension, reminiscent of a high-stakes entrance exam. Failing meant being sent back to the Academy for another year, which resulted in losing face before peers and being mocked by juniors.
Allen stood in the shadows nearby, silently watching the proceedings.
"Are you certain that man Mizuki is a spy Orochimaru planted in the village?" Danzo, also standing in the dark, lowered his voice to confirm the intel once more.
"Absolutely. One hundred percent certain," Allen gave a direct and affirmative reply. "If everything goes as expected, once the exams conclude, he will incite Naruto Uzumaki, who is bound to fail, to steal the Scroll of Seals."
Allen was currently wearing the signature mask of the Root, with his captured long blade strapped to his back. Unless someone were intimately familiar with him, they would never recognize him.
"Hmph! Even if he is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, how could a mere Academy student who just failed to graduate steal the Scroll of Seals?" Danzo let out a cold, dismissive sneer.
"What if the Third Hokage helps him?" Allen reminded him with a light chuckle. "Don't forget, Hiruzen has always harbored a great deal of guilt toward Naruto Uzumaki."
While Allen didn't have strong feelings for the protagonist Naruto one way or the other, he harbored a deep loathing for the Third Hokage's blatant double standards. Take the civilian-born ninja, for instance: they had to beg and plead just to learn a single jutsu, usually topping out at C-rank or B-rank at best.
But Naruto? The old fossil Hiruzen practically threw the entire Scroll of Seals at him, letting him pick whatever he wanted. Even if it was for "compensation," one shouldn't be so shameless about it. It was as if he had the words "I'm going to give Naruto Uzumaki a cheat code" tattooed on his forehead.
Allen had seen many people with double standards, but the Third Hokage was the first he'd met who was this brazenly shameless. To put it bluntly, this was a classic case of using public resources for private interests. What did Hiruzen think the strict regulations every ninja in the village had to follow were? Toilet paper?
Danzo clearly realized this as well, a chilling light flickering in his eyes. After a full minute of silence, he asked, "Then what do you plan to do? Use this incident as leverage to force him out of office?"
"No. We can't use this as leverage because they've already found their scapegoat in Mizuki. However, we can make the Third Hokage lose face significantly. Imagine if the village's most important artifact, the Scroll of Seals, is stolen and the Anbu fails to retrieve it in time, only for our Root members to recover it instead. How would the others view that?" Allen curled his lips into an insidious smile.
"It would likely make everyone feel that the Third has grown senile, unable to even protect the village's secrets," Danzo mused, quickly grasping the benefits. Simply put, it would first erode the Hokage's already dwindling prestige.
Allen nodded slightly. "Exactly. And not only that, I can take the opportunity to copy the contents of the Scroll of Seals and hand a duplicate to you. With the forbidden jutsu recorded within, the strength of the Root will undoubtedly be greatly enhanced."
"Very well! Then do as you see fit. But be careful when copying the scroll; do not leave any evidence for others to find." Danzo whispered his instructions.
"Rest assured, I guarantee I will handle this beautifully and let everyone witness the Third's pathetic display."
As soon as he finished speaking, Allen vanished instantly. Danzo also cast a brief glance at Sasuke Uchiha, who had just received his headband, before turning and disappearing into the night.