Chapter 50: Praying for the Players

Chapter 50: Praying for the Players

The relationship between the Hokage and the ninja clans was delicate.

If the Hokage possessed overwhelming strength like the First Hokage, he could keep all the clans in check, granting him immense authority.

During the Second Hokage's era, with sharp political insight, he founded the ninja academy to continuously train civilian ninjas and formed the ANBU—his aim was to weaken the influence of the major clans.

By the time of the Third Hokage,

a young Hiruzen Sarutobi had also stood firm against the clans. Back then, Konoha was flourishing, and he himself was hailed as the "Ninja Hero" who mastered all five chakra natures.

But now, the Hokage faction's two strongest supporters had left the village. Orochimaru had defected. Sakumo Hatake, close to the Hokage, had committed suicide. Minato Namikaze died in battle, and the Nine-Tails was sealed in an untrained child.

Among the clans, only the Ino-Shika-Chō trio remained loyal to the Hokage. The others were more self-interested.

Who wouldn't want to save money to buy their clansmen better equipment and skill upgrades?

Hiruzen calmly said, "Since no one agrees, we'll discuss this again later."

"Lord Hokage!"

Asuma looked grim. "Konoha is already falling behind the other villages. Are we just going to sit back and watch?"

Though the clans tried to pass the buck, if the Hokage stood firm, they would still follow. Even in their prime, the Uchiha didn't dare oppose the Hokage openly.

That was only if Hiruzen was willing to offend them.

"Falling behind?"

Danzo scoffed. "Konoha's strength is plain to see. Even the battle-crazed Kumogakure couldn't lay a finger on us. Who could possibly surpass Konoha?"

It was true.

With the foundations laid by the First and Second Hokage, Konoha's military and economic power still outpaced the other villages.

For example, the Hyuga clan's industries alone matched Sunagakure's half-year budget.

Asuma argued anxiously, "The Five Nations Chūnin Exams may be a way for the other villages to test Konoha's strength. It could even become the spark that ignites a war."

As a player, he was acutely aware of the shifting atmosphere within the Reincarnation Game.

It wasn't just the four great villages anymore. Merchant factions and rising noble powers were getting bolder, extending their influence beyond the game and into the real world.

The flood of nobles arriving in Konoha recently was proof enough.

Normally,

no matter how spectacular the ninja battles, they wouldn't draw such a massive noble audience.

Danzo sneered. "Then let them come. When has Konoha ever feared war? If anyone should be afraid, it's them!"

"Foolish!"

"How dare you speak to an advisor like that, Jonin Sarutobi?"

Hearing Asuma's furious outburst, Danzo smiled faintly with inexplicable satisfaction.

It was as if, after countless rejected proposals from Hiruzen, he had finally scored a win by provoking his son.

"Enough, Asuma!"

Hiruzen frowned. "This is a council meeting, not a place to throw tantrums."

"To my knowledge, some villages have already cultivated life-skill players who can forge gear in reality. If war breaks out, we'll be at a disadvantage."

Asuma left his seat and knelt formally. "I respectfully submit this as a matter of grave concern."

"Is this true?"

Hiruzen's expression turned grave.

The boost provided by gear was undeniable. If this was really happening, he couldn't afford to keep playing the neutral game.

"Exaggeration."

Danzo banged his cane on the floor and scoffed. "My Shimura clan also has players. Cultivating life-skill players costs a fortune. Even if they can forge equipment in reality, it's just low-tier green or white gear—barely enough to matter."

After serious thought, Hiruzen sighed. "Jonin Asuma, I approve your proposal, but we can only allocate twenty billion yen."

"To the clan leaders present—please contribute one billion each. The rest will be covered by the finance department. What say you all?"

That was his limit.

It showed decisiveness as Hokage, giving hope to the Konoha players without stepping on the clans' toes.

A compromise.

"Yes."

Hearing his father's decision, Asuma bowed—but he couldn't hide the disappointment in his eyes.

They had the support of the Fire Country. They had the largest treasury of any nation.

And yet, all they pursued was stability—endlessly balancing clan interests and political games, blind to the coming wave of change.

Was this really the father he had once admired?

As he stepped out of the council hall, Asuma turned slightly, glancing back at the man who now negotiated with the clans.

His back hunched, age spots dotting his weathered skin, eyes clouded by time—

he was no longer the bold warrior of the past.

Too old.

The fire shouldn't die.

Konoha needed a new Hokage to light the way forward.

…

In the carriage—

The silver-haired loli's eyes were wide with shock. The sweet cream on her face suddenly didn't taste so good anymore.

She exclaimed, "Master! The dominion over the Death Soul Mountain Range is incredibly valuable! Even in the corrupted world, it's worth a fortune—and you want to… share it?!"

Fang Yi corrected her, "Rent it out."

The key feature of the Reincarnation Game's update was adding resource points to the map.

Players could bid in auctions to lease them. During the lease, all resources gathered belonged to the renting player.

Ah Fu objected, "But master, those resources were hard-earned. Shouldn't we keep them for ourselves?"

Fang Yi asked, "What is it we actually want?"

"Origin power," she replied.

"Exactly. But if we mine it ourselves, we'd need to spend reward points to control the mountains and forests. Then we'd have to sell the materials in the shop."

"True…"

"So isn't it better to rent it out and let the players do all the work? We get huge rent payments, and they gather the resources for us."

Ah Fu scratched her head. "But then the materials belong to them, right?"

Fang Yi grinned deviously. "And what do players do with those materials?"

"Make gear… upgrade skills… craft potions…"

"Exactly!"

He continued, "They pour materials into life skills—where failure rates are sky-high. All those losses turn back into origin power for us. Add in the rental fees, and we earn far more than if we mined it ourselves."

"Players put in all the effort to craft gear. But remember, when the durability runs out, they have to pay materials and reward points to repair it."

"And when they level up, the old gear gets sold to the shop at low prices."

Fang Yi couldn't help but laugh darkly. "So basically, they pay us to gather materials, spend more to maintain their gear, and eventually sell it back to us for cheap."

"All without lifting a finger. They'll happily mine away and bring the origin back to us. Why should we do it ourselves?"

Ah Fu's jaw dropped.

She pressed her hands together in a solemn gesture of prayer.

To all the players tirelessly fighting corruption,

and now getting milked by her master…

May the universe have mercy on their poor souls.

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