Chapter 348: The Great Uprising in Konoha
Next in line were Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, the [Paladin] and [Cursed Flame Sword Soul]—two blades of light and darkness intertwined.
Once blessed by fate, these twin stars each held a combat power of [2000], along with two pieces of the [Magic Ocean] armor set.
In terms of overall strength,
they were among the top-tier players across the entire Reincarnation Game.
But still not enough.
Fang Yi's lips curled into a smile devoid of warmth. "Konoha and Hiruzen Sarutobi brought this on themselves. Do they expect me to clean up their mess?"
"If they don't want Konoha destroyed, isn't that what the Mercenary System is for?"
The Mercenary System wasn't just for players to issue or accept tasks.
If a world integrated into the Reincarnation Game suffered corruption, the system would also automatically issue extermination missions.
Just like what happened with the Demon Slayer Corps:
if they had failed to fend off the bio-ghosts of Death Valley,
the system would've recruited players to wipe out the aftermath.
A [Lv.40 Evil God (Dark Gold Lord)] drop? Players would flock to it.
However—
once the system issues such a mission, it means the world in question has already fallen.
Konoha would be in ruins, its family structure annihilated.
So if Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to save Konoha and its legacy,
he had only one option: issue the mission himself, manually activate the Mercenary System, and hire otherworldly players to hold the line.
But…
The Demon Slayer Corps was a newly founded low-level family from a relatively weak world.
It posed no threat to major factions like the Navy Headquarters—so no one paid them any attention.
[The Konoha Family (Level 9)]?
If the Evil God destroyed it, the other four shinobi villages and the Fire Empire would be thrilled.
Even the Sea World factions—who had little personal stake—would prefer to watch the chaos unfold unless Konoha paid an exorbitant price.
So this catastrophe was unavoidable.
Konoha would either go bankrupt—or be reduced to ash.
Between the two, Hiruzen would most likely choose the former.
"Will Hiruzen Sarutobi stay and fight for Konoha, or abandon it? Let's wait and see."
In the Land of Hot Water—
within the royal palace at the heart of the capital—the daimyō's expression was grim as he read the message before him.
It came from Hiruzen Sarutobi of Konoha.
Beside him stood two [Shadow Organization] ninjas—planted there to guard the daimyō.
With amused expressions, they urged him, "So, Lord Daimyō, what is your decision?"
His face turned dark, but he didn't lash out.
Instead, he said evenly, "Renaming the Land of Hot Water as part of the Fire Nation is too grave a decision to make rashly."
One of the Shadow operatives was about to respond when—
Boom.
A cloud of smoke burst forth, revealing a summoning beast from the Sarutobi clan delivering a scroll.
The operative's expression changed drastically. "Konoha is under attack?!"
"Impossible."
Since the Reincarnation Game update,
the Shinobi World had become fully integrated into the game, and Konoha's territory had absorbed the former Yu Shinobi Village.
Konoha now had a formidable [Level 9 Defense Wall]
and a [Resurrection Platform] that revived fallen ninja within its domain.
Who would be so foolish as to attack Konoha now?
Orochimaru?
Even he would hesitate—especially with Tsunade, Naruto, and the Uchiha survivor (left alive out of Hiruzen's mercy) still around.
There was no way he'd walk away unscathed.
Who could it be?
Tension rising, they abandoned the daimyō and raced back to the village.
Along the way,
the air reeked of corruption.
As players, they immediately recognized the stench—it belonged to corrupted monsters hunted in-game.
But by game rules,
corrupted monsters were bound to specific regions: Sky Sea, Eternal Snow Mountain, etc.
Even with the Shinobi World now a part of the game, they shouldn't have crossed into Konoha's domain.
Just as confusion swirled in their minds—
A towering figure descended, gazing down at them, its eyes locking onto the forehead protectors they wore.
"Konoha ninjas?"
Its body was skeletal, black and white flesh twisted and raw,
radiating thick malice.
The two Shadow operatives froze.
It looked familiar—like one of the Yu Shinobi survivors they'd once hunted.
But… how had he turned into this?
Was it a player ability?
"Die."
A red-black mist poured from beneath the Evil God's dark robes.
Shrill howls echoed out as blood-red goblins—like bloodthirsty demons—rushed them.
In the blink of an eye,
the two were overwhelmed by [Abyss Goblins], leaving behind nothing but pools of blood.
"All Konoha ninjas must die. Blessings of the Evil God!"
Scenes like this played out across the Land of Hot Water.
Yu shinobi corrupted into Lesser Evil Gods ran rampant.
Border patrols, supply convoys, intel runners, mission squads—
none escaped the slaughter.
Boom.
The clear skies suddenly turned black.
A massive Evil God phantom cloaked in black hovered above, holding a short dagger like the Reaper Death God.
It slit its own chest—
And from within, more Lesser Evil Gods poured out.
At that moment—
inside the Hokage office—
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared in horror at the godly figure looming over Konoha.
Even with his seasoned mind, a chill gripped his spine.
A system prompt flashed before every player's eyes:
[Evil God of the Shinobi World – Lv.40 (Dark Gold Lord)]
"How… how can a corrupted monster appear in Konoha's sky?"
At the Ninja Academy, Iruka—teaching a new class of recruits—let out a raspy gasp.
Sweat dripped from his brow.
He was a player, yes, but still only [Ninja Instructor Lv.13], an auxiliary class.
That was enough for him to understand just how terrifying a Lv.40 Dark Gold Lord really was.
"It's the Yu Shinobi survivors! They've returned for revenge!"
"I just ran into one—they said the Third Hokage destroyed their village, and now they're back. That Evil God in the sky is from their cult!"
A Konoha player burst into the village, pale and trembling.
Only after reaching the family's territory did he relax—
knowing the [Resurrection Platform] offered a second chance at life.
In the plaza,
a tall monument etched with resurrection sigils shimmered like a clear pond.
This was the family's [Resurrection Platform], filled with life-saving energy bought with member contributions.
As long as a clan member died within the territory,
they could be revived by consuming the pool's energy.
Now, with their safety momentarily assured,
Konoha ninjas began piecing together what was happening.
Most had never even bothered to learn about the weak Yu Shinobi,
but a few—like Iruka—had studied the archives.
He was soon summoned to a meeting in the Hokage Tower.
There, he found himself standing before the Third Hokage and a lineup of powerful clan heads.
Hiruzen, face ashen, had even cast aside his pipe.
He asked bluntly, "Iruka, how much do you know about the Evil God cult? Tell us everything."
Boom... Boom...
Explosions rocked the village's perimeter.
Abyss Goblins, summoned by the Evil God, were detonating themselves like living bombs.
Each explosion was equivalent to a [300] combat power strike.
The defense wall's durability plummeted.
Konoha ninja desperately fought to kill the goblins before they could self-destruct.
But unless the Evil God itself was dealt with, the tide would never end.
"As far as I know, the Evil God cult has existed since the Warring States period. It's always been active in the Land of Hot Water…"
Iruka nervously explained everything he knew.
Then—
he paused.
Looking at Hiruzen's warm smile,
he finally gave in and delivered the narrative Hiruzen had requested in advance:
"The Evil God cultists have always been fanatical. This attack has nothing to do with the Yu Shinobi. Konoha just happened to be located nearby and became an unfortunate target."
As a top-tier auxiliary class instructor, Iruka's words carried weight.
Hiruzen relaxed slightly.
With Iruka's testimony, he could quash rumors of Yu Shinobi revenge—
at least for now.
If the public believed this was his fault—failing to wipe them out completely—
the backlash could spark mutiny from within, especially from defectors like Asuma Sarutobi.
He hadn't forced Iruka to lie.
But in a crisis like this, stability mattered more than truth.
They would defeat the Evil God first.
Then they could worry about what really happened.
It was all for the Will of Fire.
All for Konoha.
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