Chapter 355: Factions Join Forces Against the Abyssal Evil God
In the Shinobi World, the Four Great Nations responded in different ways.
In Sunagakure's war room,
Rasa hesitated as he looked toward the Sand Village elders and advisors.
"Konoha is under attack by an Evil God. Should we intervene?"
Due to Orochimaru's past assassination plot,
the Sand's prior attack on Konoha during its collapse wasn't entirely of their own will, and the two villages had since reconciled.
Still, their relationship remained lukewarm.
Sending Suna players to rescue Konoha now—
in the real world, where death was permanent—seemed unrealistic.
"Our spies in Konoha have reported back,"
Chiyo said grimly.
"If the Evil God isn't stopped, it may become a disaster for the entire Shinobi World. Not just Konoha's destruction, but the rest of the nations—including us."
A Lv.40 Dark Gold monster was terrifying.
Even within the game, no faction dared challenge such a foe lightly.
And in reality, where you only had one life?
Even if Sunagakure intervened,
if other factions remained silent, it would be meaningless. Konoha would still fall.
To resist the Evil God, at least several major forces in the Reincarnation Game would need to unite.
But would they?
As the discussion continued,
the spy's latest intel arrived. Chiyo packed away the messenger puppet and raised her head with a complicated expression.
"Navy Headquarters from the Sea World has already decided to help Konoha."
No one expected this.
While the Shinobi World stood by passively,
it was the otherworldly players who acted first.
A collective slap in the face.
"They're doing it under the banner of saving the Shinobi World and spreading justice."
Rasa's face turned dark.
He muttered, "Damn Navy. If we keep sitting on our hands, all the independent Shinobi World players will be drawn to them,
and even begin to resent us for doing nothing."
Before the Reincarnation Game arrived,
"honor" wasn't a widely upheld concept in the Shinobi World.
At most, there was clan pride.
People were divided by villages—and bloodlines.
But the Sea World's Navy Headquarters had taken reputation and turned it into a strategic weapon.
It's how they rose to power even without the strongest individual players,
outshining Orochimaru's authoritarian empire and becoming the top-ranked faction.
All because of justice.
With their noble image, they were able to launch global recruitments,
attracting countless players and solidifying their mid-tier force into an impenetrable wall.
It wasn't until the Adventurer's Guild emerged, promoting freedom and dreams,
that the Navy's monopoly on new players was even slightly shaken.
By contrast,
the Shinobi World relied on villages and bloodlines.
Suddenly thrown together with civilian and noble players, uniting them had been a struggle.
If the Navy entered now, preaching justice and peace,
and Shinobi forces still did nothing—
they'd definitely lose a huge chunk of their player base.
And not just Sunagakure.
Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and others also received intel from their spies.
For ninjas, espionage was routine.
All sides quickly learned about the foreign players' involvement in the Shinobi World.
Realizing the consequences of doing nothing, they acted.
Kirigakure responded first, publicly posting a statement on the game's global chat:
[Faced with the Evil God crisis, Kirigakure will dispatch player forces to aid the Shinobi World. We will not allow the Evil God to threaten our realm!]
Almost simultaneously,
the other factions followed suit:
[Sunagakure has dispatched a force to aid the Shinobi World]
[Kumogakure player units mobilized]
[Dawn Organization has sent an elite team to assist the Shinobi World]
Each of them had different motives,
but all showed a coordinated front—yet none mentioned defending Konoha directly.
Just vague promises to "save the Shinobi World."
The implication was clear:
they'd hunt the Evil God,
but no promises were made about protecting Konoha.
After all,
raiding the Evil God from a distance and running if it got too hard was very different from fighting on Konoha's front lines.
Casualties would be exponentially higher in the latter case.
Meanwhile, in the Soul Society—
inside a shabby, forgotten basement of Rukongai—
Aizen, clad in his white captain's haori,
stood solemnly swirling a vial of mysterious fluid.
Before him lay the fading spirit body of a Shinigami—missing since being attacked by a Hollow.
This clear liquid in Aizen's hand was the condensed core spirit particle essence
extracted from Gin Ichimaru.
Aizen's gaze was calm, but his eyes carried a hint of agitation.
As the soul husk crumbled, he murmured,
"I'm sorry. Your existence has lost its purpose. I couldn't save you."
The deceased soul had been a recent graduate of Shin'ō Academy,
a civilian from Rukongai who longed for power after losing a loved one to a Hollow.
Aizen had selected him for experimentation—
partly out of curiosity about Gin Ichimaru's changes.
"Such a fascinating power… but impossible to replicate.
Even the Hōgyoku, capable of granting wishes, cannot recreate it."
For once, Aizen frowned.
"Is it because this power comes from something far beyond the Hōgyoku's reach?"
He remembered what Gin had told him—
about the merchants who created the Reincarnation Game.
Even the Hōgyoku, a fragment of the Soul King, couldn't mimic the game merchant's gifts.
After testing it himself, Aizen came to a chilling conclusion—
the game merchant might be an existence greater than the Soul King.
"Captain Aizen—still tormenting Shinigami you deceived into becoming your subjects?"
Gin Ichimaru's voice echoed from behind.
Lightly mocking. Slightly amused. Mostly scornful.
Their last clash ended with Gin losing an arm.
But the combo of Phantom Serpent, Mangekyō Sharingan, pills, and talismans had shaken the power of Kyōka Suigetsu.
That small crack—
was enough for Gin to realize that even someone as unfathomable as Aizen could be beaten.
It was like seeing a boss's health bar.
If it could be seen—it could be depleted.
"Gin, let me correct you."
Aizen didn't mind the sarcasm. He simply replied gently,
"Only those who share the same goal and work together can be called 'comrades.' Like you and Tōsen are to me."
His gaze returned to the disappearing soul—
unfazed, unsympathetic, without regret.
As if he were watching the sun rise and set.
A natural occurrence.
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