Do I Look That Weak, That Easy to Bully?

The continuous blows, powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, stripped away the last layer of Gaara’s defenses. The final strike made him spit out a huge mouthful of dark red blood, and an incredulous expression appeared on his twisted, bloodthirsty face.

He could no longer remember the last time he had been injured, but he was certain that blow had damaged his bones and internal organs. The intense pain relentlessly stimulated his most sensitive nerves.

Die!

If this continued, he might actually die!

Unless he released the monster sealed within his body!

The moment he realized this, vast amounts of sand erupted from the ground, turning an area roughly a hundred meters around them into a desert. His eyes, ringed by heavy dark circles, blazed with ferocity and madness.

"Hey! Gaara! Don’t do this! It’s not time yet!" Temari was badly frightened by the sight and could not help shouting a warning.

If the Sand Ninja’s Jinchuriki went berserk here, it would be a devastating blow to their upcoming plan.

Konoha, in particular, would definitely focus its attention on the Jinchuriki who contained the One-Tailed Shukaku.

But unfortunately, how could Gaara, already in a hysterical state, possibly listen to anyone? His body was already beginning to show signs of a partial Tailed Beast Transformation.

Just as he was about to lose control, Orochimaru, who had been hiding in the shadows, finally made his move.

This member of the Legendary Sannin, the one who possessed the greatest knowledge and mastery of ninjutsu, instantly appeared before them. With just a Five Elements Seal, he completely suppressed the leaking Tailed Beast Chakra, forcing the Jinchuriki to regain consciousness.

Then he kicked Gaara flying far away, giving the Fourth Kazekage’s other two children an excuse to retreat as well.

In just a few seconds, Orochimaru had effortlessly resolved this minor accident before turning his gaze toward the members of Team Three.

"What terrifying Chakra! Who are you?" Neji demanded warily.

Through his Byakugan, he immediately saw the terrifying Chakra flowing through the man’s meridians and realized that this person could not possibly be a genin.

"Heh, what sharp observation. Don’t worry, I’m not your enemy. I merely came to confirm something," Orochimaru replied with a smile.

"Confirm something?" Neji suddenly had a bad feeling.

"That’s right! But before that, I need to drive away the irrelevant people. Otherwise, someone will get angry."

The moment the words left his mouth!

Orochimaru attacked Tenten and Rock Lee without warning.

He swiftly used the Summoning Jutsu to call forth two giant pythons, forcing the two genin to retreat and dodge again and again. Before they knew it, they had been drawn some distance away.

Only after seeing that the two had moved sixty or seventy meters away did Orochimaru smile and say, "Now, take off your forehead protector and let me see whether the Caged Bird curse mark has truly disappeared. Don’t worry, Allen-kun and I are the closest of partners. He is currently taking part in the Chunin Exam under another identity as well."

"You’re Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin?!" Neji’s expression changed slightly.

"That’s right! Time is short, so you’d better hurry. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee what serious consequences might result if your two teammates happen to see it," Orochimaru threatened with a half-smile.

Neji gritted his teeth and hesitated for a moment before finally pulling down the forehead protector he wore, fully revealing his bare forehead.

"Sure enough, there is no Caged Bird curse mark! Hahahaha! Interesting! Truly fascinating! Allen-kun, you’ve given me another enormous surprise. Goodbye. I am very much looking forward to your performance in this plan, Neji Hyuga…"

After speaking those meaningful words, Orochimaru did not linger for even a second. He sank directly into the earth and vanished without a trace.

Watching the dangerous man, who radiated a terrifying aura from head to toe, finally leave, Neji let out a sigh of relief. He released the hardened state covering his body and muttered bitterly, "Orochimaru, an S-Class Rogue Ninja! Is this your current partner, Allen? What exactly do you want, and what are you pursuing?"

Without a doubt!

Everything Allen had done lately had left him more confused than ever before.

Most ninja who left the village had a very clear reason or objective. For example, Orochimaru had conducted cruel Human Experimentation, making himself unacceptable to the village. Left with no other choice, he had chosen to defect.

But Neji saw none of that in Allen.

Even now, he did not know the true reason Allen had left the village.

The only thing he knew was that the person Allen showed everyone in his daily life had never been his true self. It was a disguise, one meant to deceive and lull those around him.

He had never truly trusted Konoha, nor had he possessed the resolve, like other ninja, to entrust his life to the village.

From the very beginning, he had had his own plans and intentions.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the Forest of Death, Allen had encountered the second team that had set its sights on him and wanted to rob him of his scroll.

This team was none other than Team 8, the team Hinata was on.

Looking at Kiba Inuzuka, who stood in front of them shouting loudly, Allen finally could not help rubbing his forehead and asking Karin and Haku beside him, "Do I really look that weak, that easy to bully? Why don’t these Konoha genin go after someone else? Why do they keep targeting us?"

"No, you merely look rather kind," Haku replied, suppressing a laugh.

It had to be said, being robbed by a group of genin felt like encountering an adorable little puppy by the roadside barking furiously at you. Rather than feeling afraid, it somehow seemed amusing.

"All right! Kind people get bullied, and gentle horses get ridden. It seems the costs and price of being a good person far exceed those of being a bad person. This world’s morals and values really are twisted to the extreme." Allen sighed helplessly.

"Hey! Sound Ninja! Have you made up your minds yet? Hand over the scrolls now, or we won’t be polite!"

Kiba Inuzuka had no idea what kind of dangerous people he had provoked. With an impatient expression, he shouted his demand.

In comparison, Hinata, who possessed the Byakugan, had noticed that something was wrong and kept trying to warn her teammates.

But unfortunately, her voice was too soft, so the other two could not hear her at all.

"Yes, I’ve decided. Karin, go show them what you can do. Especially that brat shouting the loudest. As long as you don’t kill him, beat him half to death," Allen ordered with a dark expression.

"Understood!"

Karin clenched her fists until they cracked, danger glinting in her eyes as she slowly approached Kiba Inuzuka.

When the distance between them was less than fifteen meters, she suddenly flashed in front of him and viciously punched his unbearably arrogant face.

Bang!

There was no surprise!

Kiba, who had no time to react at all, was sent crashing headfirst into the ground.

Although Akamaru tried to leap up and bite the enemy to rescue his master, Karin kicked him flying over ten meters away. He slammed violently into a tree before finally coming to a stop.