Chapter 351: Hiruzen Sarutobi's Ability
The atmosphere in Konoha's command center was heavy with gloom.
No one spoke as they watched entire towns ravaged and overrun by waves of Abyss Goblins, corrupted beasts, and Evil God avatars.
Every ninja and player on the battlefield wore the same expression—despair.
Each Evil God avatar, nourished by the black rain, had become a terrifying killing machine.
That black rain,
released by the true body of the Evil God,
was highly concentrated corruption energy originating from the high-tier pollution of the Flesh Abyss, designed to devour the entire Shinobi World.
Tsunade and Naruto—
players capable of matching or even surpassing Lord-level monsters—relied on top-tier gear and dozens of branded skills to defeat these Abyssal Evil Gods.
But players like them?
You couldn't even count them on one hand in all of Konoha.
Even if the remaining players worked together, they'd have to suffer heavy casualties just to bring down one of these monsters.
Take the fourth-largest city in the Land of Hot Water, for example.
The Hyūga clan's ranged unit, nearly a hundred strong, lost almost a third of its members
just to eliminate a single [Abyss Brute] that had broken through the walls.
"Lord Hokage, the Hyūga clan has suffered serious losses. When this battle is over, the village must give us an explanation!"
In the command center, Hyūga Hiashi's eyes were bloodshot,
watching helplessly as clan members were crushed by the Abyss Brute. His heart bled with every life lost.
They had known the Hyūga ranged unit was weak in close combat.
Yet the village still sent them out without melee support,
even separating the Hyūga melee and ranged teams onto different fronts.
It was no different than sending the Uchiha—masters of Fire Release—to fight the Mist Village during the last shinobi war.
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained calm.
"Hiashi, this is a time of crisis. All Konoha shinobi have a duty to protect the village," he said.
"Even I, as Hokage, will burn my own body if that's what it takes."
"There is no protecting our comrades without sacrifice!"
Righteous words,
but Hiashi felt only bitter resentment.
He couldn't accept losing dozens of ordinary clan members—let alone elite players.
Each one had cost the Hyūga clan a fortune to nurture.
Yet Hiruzen wasn't wrong.
This was war. Death was inevitable.
But this level of casualties had far exceeded everyone's expectations.
Face dark, Hiashi muttered, "Fine. The Hyūga will wait and see how Lord Hokage responds."
The clan's patience had reached its limit.
So what if they hadn't rushed to Hiruzen's rescue when Orochimaru had him imprisoned?
So what if they'd been coerced into joining Konoha afterward?
Now they were being treated no differently from how the Uchiha had been.
Still resolute, Hiruzen replied, "Of course. As Hokage, I will not stand idly by!"
In truth,
he too was pained.
These were Konoha's shinobi. Even worse—they were players, incredibly valuable assets in the Reincarnation Game.
He had wanted to weaken the Hyūga clan's strength—yes.
But not to the extent of watching dozens of elite warriors die.
His plan had been to slowly erode their influence,
just as he had with the Uchiha—by sidelining noncompliant ninjas, subtly stripping them of roles until they became irrelevant.
He had not anticipated the Evil God avatars would mutate into Abyssal-level threats.
Straightening up, Hiruzen ordered,
"Deploy mage-class players immediately. Reinforce the Hyūga and get to the frontlines as fast as possible!"
He himself was also a player.
As leader of a Level 9 family, Konoha received five game invitations per month.
As Hokage, Hiruzen had first pick.
Thanks to decades of battlefield experience, he could see it clearly—
the Abyss Brutes had absurd physical defense,
but weak magic resistance.
Even basic Lightning Release from a jōnin could leave burn marks—
comparable to the full-force physical attack of an elite player.
Suddenly—
"Let me go. I'm likely the strongest mage-type player we have."
Hiruzen stopped a subordinate mid-command, took a deep breath, and stood from his seat.
He turned to Hiashi and said sincerely,
"Hiashi, the loss of your clan pains me. Your shinobi are not just Hyūga—they are Konoha shinobi."
"I want everyone united—"
Before he could finish, he had already organized command protocols
and changed into his battle gear, rushing toward the frontlines.
The other clan leaders exchanged odd glances as Hiruzen's shadow leapt away like an agile monkey.
Ever since becoming a player,
Hiruzen's personality had grown… strange.
Not erratic—
but unpredictable.
He worked tirelessly to maintain harmony,
yet also made questionable decisions.
Sometimes he radiated the warm trust of the "God of Shinobi" he once was.
Other times, he gave off the cold, calculating aura of someone like Danzo.
This contradiction left everyone unsure of what to think.
Even Hiashi hadn't expected Hiruzen to go personally to the frontlines.
Following his previous strategy to weaken the Hyūga,
it would've made more sense for him to stay behind and maintain the image of a just and stoic leader.
Was he trying to repair relations?
Hiashi mulled it over, then shook his head.
Most high-ranking clan leaders suspected Hiruzen had developed a mental disorder
during his imprisonment by Orochimaru.
That might explain his erratic behavior—and the fact that he sometimes muttered to himself.
Hiashi couldn't deny it.
He didn't understand Hiruzen anymore. Maybe the man truly had lost his mind.
Hiruzen raced through the wreckage of destroyed buildings and shattered towns, his face dark with sorrow.
"It's Lord Hokage!"
Injured ninjas recognized him and let out excited shouts.
Despite the rift between Hiruzen and the clans, his oppressive policies, even his past treatment of Naruto—
to the average shinobi, he was still their protector.
To them,
the Hokage was the heart of the village.
And Hiruzen's arrival stabilized their hearts.
He called out,
"Do not fear! No mere Evil God can shake the foundation of Konoha!"
But he was also speaking to himself.
No matter how he had clung to the Hokage seat…
No matter how cold-blooded he had been toward the Yu Shinobi…
No matter how many political moves he had made to balance power…
It didn't change the fact that he truly wished to protect and elevate Konoha.
The village was his everything.
Whoosh.
A magic circle bloomed beneath Hiruzen's feet.
Ancient runes and sigils twisted together, forming chains that burst from the formation.
And with them—
emerged a towering, bound spirit.
Five meters tall, skin dark green, body twisted like tree bark, covered in cracks and black tomoe-like symbols.
Its limbs were like writhing branches, and glowing orange eyes opened across its trunk.
It resembled a treant from a fantasy world—
but it was not alive.
It was a shikigami, born from a mutated soul.
This was Hiruzen's core ability:
[Onmyōji Lv.31]
A spellcasting class that harvested and tamed fragments of the dead to summon shikigami in battle.
And this one—
Fused the First Hokage's Wood Release energy with multiple yin-type Sharingan,
alongside fragments of Danzo's soul.
Its name:
[Shadowdeath Treant]
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