Chapter 360: Anko – Aizen-san, You Embody the Will of Fire Perfectly
"I will never allow anyone to harm Konoha!"
As Konoha's defense walls shattered and buildings collapsed one after another,
with helpless civilians fleeing through fire and debris,
Naruto Uzumaki's rage erupted, reigniting his divine flames, once dim, into a pillar of blazing fury.
[Temple Knight]—
Konoha was his temple. With the passive skill [Holy Light Covenant],
the more destruction the village suffered, the more unstoppable Naruto became.
Boom!
Two opposing energies collided violently.
Even space itself distorted,
and the resulting vacuum wave blasted away smoke, rubble, and debris.
Naruto's golden greatsword smashed down like a divine hammer, striking the Evil God's chest.
Where even Shuten-dōji's hellfire had failed, his blade left a deep sword mark.
"So strong-willed… who is that?"
Aizen, who was helping Anko evacuate civilians from afar, looked up at the golden-haired youth fighting the Evil God.
Anko glanced up too, admiration in her eyes.
"That's Naruto Uzumaki—Konoha's first player, the Fourth Hokage's son, and one of the village's strongest."
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
An injured civilian, carried on a stretcher, caught a glimpse of the golden figure, eyes lighting up with hope.
Countless times he had defended Konoha,
and brought back victory spoils. By now, most villagers had long abandoned the old prejudice of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
Listening to Anko's proud explanation,
Aizen offered a warm, almost naïve smile.
"Naruto Uzumaki… like the sun, he warms everyone around him."
"Unlike me. I can't even inspire those closest to me."
Seeing his sudden gloom,
Anko encouraged him, "Not everyone can be like Naruto. But with your talent,
once you pass Konoha's player assessment, you could become a powerful player too!"
The Reincarnation Game had various means to probe and scan a person's heart,
which is why Anko dared recruit Aizen so confidently.
Any spy posing as a player would be exposed during the follow-up tests.
Only long-embedded agents raised from childhood might escape detection—and most of those had already been found and eliminated.
"Is that so?"
Aizen smiled gently and waved a hand. "I've never dreamed of becoming a powerful player. If I can achieve the goal in my heart, I'd already be deeply grateful."
"I believe in you, Aizen-san! You definitely can!"
Anko didn't know what Aizen's goal was—
but she assumed it was revenge against Orochimaru.
Aizen seemed kind and sincere—clearly a man aligned with the Will of Fire.
Surely he, too, had someone he wanted to protect?
"Thank you for the encouragement, Miss Anko. Please forgive my presumption…"
Aizen tore a clean piece from his white haori and handed it to Anko,
gesturing to the soot on her cheek.
With a soft smile, he said,
"From your eyes, Miss Anko, I see an icy past too painful to speak of."
"If it's okay, please come talk to me anytime.
Perhaps I can't resolve what's in your heart—but I can be a good listener."
A listener?
Anko took the torn cloth instinctively,
looking at the man who had so casually torn his once-immaculate haori.
Oddly, a rush of complex emotion welled up inside her.
An unspeakable past?
Indeed.
Since Orochimaru's defection, all mention of his past reputation had been erased—
the village wanted newer generations to forget.
As his former student, Anko had been heavily scrutinized—treated like a criminal.
She'd hoped to forget the pain by bonding with shinobi from other villages.
But no matter how much she opened up,
there was always a hint of distance.
After Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha, that gap only widened.
And now,
for the first time in ages, someone had said to her: I will listen.
The feeling of being seen—being accepted—
was something she hadn't experienced in a long time.
Casually wiping her face with her sleeve,
Anko tucked the haori cloth into her vest with care and grinned.
"Thank you, Aizen-san. Recruiting you to Konoha was definitely the right call."
…
"Dead last! Stop doing reckless crap!"
Watching blood drip from Naruto's mouth,
Sasuke scowled and slammed his foot into the ground.
A tide of black cursed flames surged like a sea behind him.
With a hand seal,
a flying sword emerged from the flames, trailing fire and transforming into a massive dragon—
Covered in cursed-black scales, its mane and whiskers burned with infernal fire.
Crash!
The dragon slammed into the Evil God's chest—
where Naruto's blade had left a dent.
That dent split wide open—exposing bones and viscera.
"If you do this again, I won't save you. Die all you want."
Sasuke caught Naruto mid-fall,
voice cold and sharp.
"Stupid Sasuke… I was just trying to protect Konoha. Also… don't call me dead last!"
Naruto barely had strength to speak, but still argued.
"Idiot."
Sasuke rolled his eyes,
guiding the black flame dragon to coil around the Evil God like chains.
Now that its chest was exposed,
other players pounced—unleashing every skill they had.
Though none could match a Dark Gold-tier boss,
they were all elite players from various worlds.
Magma, frost, poison, and light from Navy Headquarters rained across the battlefield.
Elements surged through the Land of Hot Water.
From Kumogakure, [Swordmaster] Samui danced like a white waltz dancer,
her deadly blades slicing through air.
Raikage A, with his [Thunder Spirit Lv.29] ability, charged like a living lightning spear—no tactics, just brute force.
Snap!
Sheltered behind tank players, Ōnoki clapped his hands and unleashed his signature move.
A brilliant blue beam shot down from the sky,
spiraling and scorching everything in its radius to ash.
"Hehehe! Taste the power of Iwagakure's one-million-point satellite laser cannon!"
Ōnoki laughed maniacally.
This was the strongest branded skill under [Artillery General Lv.33],
a maxed-out, purple-grade ability.
Renowned for high destructive power,
[Orbital Satellite Beam] was the pinnacle of this class's output.
Its only drawback?
The cost.
Though stronger than even light-elemental pay-to-win builds,
its weapons, launch stations, and maintenance were bottomless pits of reward point consumption.
"You damn old man—are you trying to kill us too?!"
Raikage A was furious.
Even a glancing hit from the beam nearly destroyed his arm—
his Lightning Cloak barely protected him from a burning hole that pierced straight through.
"Kid from Kumogakure—you're just weak!"
In front of everyone,
calling the Raikage a "kid" was something only Ōnoki could get away with—
being older, more experienced, and having deep grudges against Kumogakure.
"Shall I heat things up even more?"
A teasing, sultry voice echoed across the battlefield.
Mei Terumī stepped forward gracefully.
Though she made no overt show of power,
every top-tier player immediately tensed.
Ranked consistently in the top five of the leaderboards,
her strength was undeniable.
"Lady Mizukage, you haven't done anything this entire time. Are you planning to snipe the boss at the last second?"
Rasa, who had quietly been grinding for Sunagakure, stepped forward to question her.
The four great villages, Navy HQ, and Whitebeard's Pirates had all bled heavily—
burned potions, broken gear, and lost countless players.
Kirigakure may have said they'd help…
but no top-tier fighter had appeared—until now.
Not just Rasa,
but all the other players gave Mei wary looks.
"Then should I leave?"
Mei shrugged,
glancing at the still-burning Evil God with mock innocence.
"Apologies—I ran into some resistance from Kirigakure on the way. That's why I'm late…"
At that moment,
Konan landed, adorned in the Dawn Organization's wide cloak, twin talismans glowing in her hands.
She stared coldly at Mei.
Kirigakure and the Dawn Organization had clashed before.
And just now, they had fought again.
Though both had pulled their punches,
everyone noticed their damaged clothes.
Rasa said nothing more.
When two top female players clash,
it's not hair-pulling and slapping—it's a war of two entire factions.
Everyone hoped they'd fight again—
maybe even for real this time—so they could reap the benefits.
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