Chapter 349: The Fallen Land of Hot Water, the Evil God Approaches Konoha
In just half a day,
the Land of Hot Water had mostly fallen. Countless Evil Gods ran rampant, and flesh-born monsters from the Abyss roamed the land like vengeful spirits.
Civilians cowered in their cellars,
peeking through the slits of floorboards to see the sky consumed by black clouds, beneath which loomed a colossal phantom of the Evil God.
To them, it felt like the end of the world had come.
"Damn that Evil God cult! If they dare attack Konoha, they'd better be ready to die!"
The Konoha shinobi stationed across the land did not retreat or panic.
Upon receiving Hiruzen Sarutobi's command and understanding this was an orchestrated plot by the Evil God cult,
they fought with everything they had to protect their territory.
Abyss Goblins were incredibly difficult foes.
Not only were they swift,
but the maces they wielded struck with the power of a taijutsu-specialized chūnin.
A single swing could smash stone walls to rubble.
Just a handful of Abyss Goblins could turn a Konoha outpost into ruins.
Worse yet,
their gelatinous skin had absurd defense.
Standard Fire and Lightning Release techniques barely left scorch marks—causing almost no real damage.
Even when driven to the brink of death,
Abyss Goblins would self-destruct.
The explosion rivaled a grenade packed with explosives, more than enough to severely injure shinobi with weak defense.
The Konoha ninjas began to despair.
Fang Yi, watching from the Reincarnation Game's dimension, wasn't the least surprised.
The Continent of Corruption was able to conquer countless planets and worlds thanks to the overwhelming combat strength of its monsters.
Most worlds possessed supernatural powers—
chakra and senjutsu in the Shinobi World, Devil Fruits and martial prowess in the Pirate World, breathing techniques and mutated demon kings in the Demon Slayer World…
But against pollution-tier monsters of equal level,
they were completely overwhelmed.
That was precisely why
Fang Yi didn't hesitate to burn through his origin essence to create better equipment, improve bloodlines, and upgrade skills.
If players' [base stats] couldn't match up,
then give them gear.
If their [starting skills] couldn't compete,
then level those up too.
Only through massive expenditure of origin could a player army capable of easily hunting corrupted monsters be built.
These non-player shinobi were like starter characters in a game with no gear, no stats—like accounts freshly hacked and stripped clean.
Even with equal levels,
they had no chance against pollution monsters.
So…
The Konoha shinobi quickly realized: only players could fight corruption.
Ordinary ninjas were helpless.
"Spear of Victory!"
A crimson beam shot through the sky like an arrow,
piercing the chest of the Evil God that was continuously exuding corrupted energy and summoning Abyss Goblins.
Like a balloon punctured by a needle,
the Evil God began to deflate, collapsing.
Tsunade remained in a throwing stance,
her body wrapped in divine power, donned in radiant white holy armor—like a goddess descending from the heavens.
She didn't pause.
Clasping her hands, divine power surged outward.
As she opened them, a massive golden hammer forged from sacred light manifested between her palms.
With the hammer in hand, Tsunade charged forward,
plowing through the goblins and shattering the culprit's body—the Evil God's avatar.
All in one go.
[You have slain an Evil God Avatar. Reward Points +150. EXP +150]
The system's voice echoed in her mind.
But Tsunade felt no joy.
Normally, this would be the perfect farming spot.
Evil God Avatars, formed from negative emotions,
were naturally weak to her holy power—and as soul-based beings, they were doubly vulnerable to Paladin skills.
That was why she could finish one so quickly.
But now…
These Avatars were running wild in Konohagakure.
Even after Orochimaru's destruction plan, the village's symbol had never fallen.
Despite her anger at many of Hiruzen Sarutobi's policies,
Tsunade couldn't just walk away.
Her younger brother, Nawaki,
had once dreamed of becoming Hokage. If he could see the village like this, his heart would surely shatter.
Elsewhere—
Naruto Uzumaki burned like the sun,
spinning madly with a greatsword in both hands.
"Whirlwind Slash!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Rasengan Launcher: Sacred Beast Beyblade!"
"Sacred Beast Beyblade Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The collapsing outpost was filled with spinning shadows.
Hundreds of clones whirled in unison, swords swirling like tops.
The sacred beast Beyblade spun wildly.
Konoha ninjas couldn't even follow it with their eyes.
Sasuke glanced at his friend spinning like a ballerina and chose not to comment.
Silently, he leapt away on a sword blazing with dark flame.
"Don't be afraid, everyone!"
Naruto's voice echoed,
twisting as if spinning with him.
"Evil God Avatars are spirit-based—they're weak to ninjutsu!
I've shared gear that boosts ninjutsu power with you. Just focus on killing the avatars—the goblins will fall into disarray!"
He might act like an airhead,
but his battle instincts were razor-sharp.
He had pinpointed the key to victory long ago:
ignore the goblins—target the summoners.
The Avatars were like Abyss Summoners.
Kill them, and their minions would scatter.
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
"The son of the Fourth Hokage—the Golden Flash's heir!"
Wrapped in golden flames,
Naruto's form reminded every Konoha ninja of the man who had turned the tide of war, stopped the Nine-Tails, and defended the village.
"Golden Beyblade!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
Soon, the chant spread—even civilians emerged from cellars to join in, calling Naruto's new title.
In the Shinobi World,
a respected ninja always earned a glorious moniker.
Salamander Hanzō had been dubbed "God of the Shinobi."
Then came the Legendary Sannin, White Fang, the Yellow Flash…
Now Naruto had his own title:
Golden Beyblade!
In the Hokage Tower's temporary command center,
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, a massive crystal orb before him reflecting the state of the Land of Hot Water's battlefronts.
Using the Telescope Technique,
he could monitor everything within range via the barrier network.
Around him stood clan leaders,
their expressions dark as they watched Konoha outposts fall one after another.
Elite player-nin had already been dispatched,
but despite their efforts, over a third of the Land of Hot Water had been lost to corruption in half a day.
And…
Once those ninjas left the village territory, they couldn't be revived.
These players were the pride of each clan—their greatest treasures.
They would never have sent them out unless they had no other choice.
Tsunade and Naruto could crush Evil God Avatars with ease,
but most players lacked their strength.
Each Avatar had [600] combat power—
a soul-based summoner protected by layers of Abyss Goblins.
It took coordinated tactics from several Level 30 elites to barely kill one.
A single mistake could mean death.
When the battle ended,
the clans would surely demand to know who had caused this disaster—and tear them apart.
Hiruzen felt the shift in the room's atmosphere.
It grew heavy.
Then, his eyes went wide.
He saw Naruto handing out the village's painstakingly crafted gear to ordinary shinobi.
He didn't speak—but his brow furrowed.
Normal ninja couldn't equip game gear.
To wear it, it had to be reforged in reality by artisans—armor types like cloth, light, medium, heavy, or plate.
Forging required rare materials and high-level crafting skills—
all of which cost a fortune.
Ordinary ninja earned gear by completing Hokage-issued missions and exchanging contribution points.
This was a cornerstone of Konoha's economy.
And now Naruto was just giving it away?
Hiruzen inhaled deeply.
Though displeased, he said nothing.
He knew this crisis justified the giveaway.
If he dared order the gear reclaimed, the Will of Fire might collapse altogether.
Still…
This kind of political maneuvering—was Naruto being manipulated?
Was it Minato's idea?
Hiruzen knew he was just an acting Hokage.
Minato's resurrection had already unsettled the village's factions.
Had he instructed Naruto to do this—to weaken Hiruzen's authority?
Hiruzen sighed and thought,
"The Reincarnation Game shattered centuries of Shinobi World order. Strength alone no longer makes a Hokage."
"It's not that I cling to power…
But the Fourth is too young—too inexperienced to handle Konoha's current complexities."
"Little Naruto…
I hope you're not being used."
"Because if you are—
for the sake of the village, I may have no choice but to…"
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