Chapter 52: Orochimaru

Chapter 52: Orochimaru

The undercurrents weren't only stirring in the ninja world.

The nobles, too, had erupted with an unprecedented fervor—or rather, ambition.

Along the road,

Fang Yi had already encountered four separate convoys of nobles heading to Konoha. Their escorts were battle-hardened warriors, some of whom had even hired civilian players. Any bandits who got close were wiped out before they could blink.

With such grand entourages, it was clear they weren't just going to watch the Chūnin Exams.

"Power makes the heart restless… It seems the nobles no longer wish to coexist with the ninja."

After exchanging a few words with a familiar noble from the Land of Fire and witnessing the man's cryptic demeanor, Fang Yi couldn't help but sigh.

And it was understandable.

Every year, the ninja villages demanded funding, but they were never fully obedient to the state.

Ninjas answered only to their Kage—not to the countries they lived in.

No ruler wanted to tolerate a violent, autonomous force within their borders.

In the past, they had no choice.

While nobles controlled the nation and its economy, most lacked chakra talent. They had no option but to accept the ninja villages.

But now,

with the emergence of the Reincarnation Game, the nobles saw a chance to reshuffle the deck—an opportunity to cut the ninja out entirely.

"Master, a ninja is approaching."

Ah Fu raised her head from her pastry and looked out the carriage window.

Fang Yi pulled himself out of his thoughts and rubbed her head. "You wake up just to eat, and after you eat, you go back to sleep. Can't you take a proper break, Ah Fu?"

"But… it's so good."

Ah Fu, despite being the will of a world, had been on the run from corrupted realms since awakening. She had never enjoyed the pleasures of food.

She couldn't bear to spend origin energy on snacks.

Only since following Fang Yi had she discovered the taste of real food—and now she couldn't stop.

Knock knock knock.

Someone knocked on the carriage.

Outside stood a red-haired girl with a respectful expression. "Honored noble, I am a guard of the Kazekage. Lord Kazekage has sent me to greet you."

Her name was Tayuya, one of Orochimaru's Sound Four.

She was currently disguised as a bodyguard of the Kazekage, preparing to infiltrate Konoha as part of the [Konoha Crush Plan].

If you're going to play a role, you have to commit to it.

With Sunagakure's poverty, the nobles of each nation were their primary targets for recruitment. As the "Kazekage," Orochimaru would naturally greet them.

To avoid suspicion, he sent the more presentable Tayuya to do it.

"The Kazekage?"

Fang Yi activated his Soul Rune. Information on the red-haired girl appeared before him.

[Tayuya (Blue)]: A Chūnin from Otogakure, possesses a special curse seal ability.

By timeline standards, the real Kazekage had already been killed by Orochimaru.

Fang Yi had originally planned to reach Konoha safely and host a grand player event in the real world.

He hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise along the way.

The five Game Towers rooted in the ninja world could constantly summon players—

but most were average players with low soul potential.

Fang Yi was eager to find elite players to serve as his front-line fighters against corruption.

Orochimaru was undoubtedly an ideal candidate.

Born a commoner ninja, he had been chosen as a disciple by Hiruzen Sarutobi and eventually earned the title of one of the Legendary Sannin.

His talent was indisputable.

More than that,

he had delved deep into the mysteries of chakra and pursued forbidden jutsu with relentless curiosity.

Fang Yi smiled. "I know this is sudden, but could you pass a message to Orochimaru for me?"

Before the words had fully left his mouth,

Tayuya drew a kunai and lunged, aiming to silence the noble who had seen through their disguise.

She didn't understand how this random noble knew Orochimaru's identity, but no matter what, the plan couldn't be exposed early.

This was Konoha—crawling with ANBU and jōnin.

One slip, and even Orochimaru might not escape unscathed.

"Don't be rash. I mean no harm."

Fang Yi's smile never wavered. As he finished speaking—

Clatter.

The kunai slipped from her hand.

Tayuya found herself frozen in place.

No… not frozen.

Her body could still move, but her mind simply refused to act.

It was as if her thoughts had been rewritten, erasing all intent to harm the man before her.

What kind of terrifying genjutsu was this?

Shock crossed Tayuya's face.

She specialized in genjutsu herself—

but she had never heard of anything that could rewrite a person's soul-level intent.

"Deliver this to Orochimaru."

Fang Yi smiled warmly, showing no anger over the attack. He handed her a pitch-black invitation envelope.

"There's no way I'll—"

Before she could finish, her body moved on its own.

Still no sensation of being controlled—just a natural, unquestioning urge to obey.

That smiling man hadn't emitted the slightest threat…

She left the carriage,

returned to the Kazekage convoy, and only then collapsed to her knees, gasping for air.

That feeling… it was like being betrayed by her own soul.

"What happened?"

The rest of the Sound Four rushed over. They didn't detect any chakra on her.

Tayuya shoved them aside, not even bothering with her usual insults.

In a rare moment of reverence, she said, "Lord Orochimaru, a strange man asked me to deliver this letter to you."

Inside the carriage, Orochimaru reached out and took the black envelope through the window.

Boom.

His chakra surged, shaking the vehicle.

The Sound Four were stunned.

They'd never seen Orochimaru lose control like this—not even once.

"Tayuya, what the hell did you give Lord Orochimaru?"

They glared at her. If anything was wrong, they'd strike her down without hesitation.

Despite being the Sound Four, there were no bonds between them.

They were lab experiments—

survivors of endless trials, trained to obey only Orochimaru.

"Enough."

A figure shrouded in white robes stepped out of the carriage,

completely ignoring the others as he rushed toward the noble's carriage.

Fang Yi waited patiently.

Soon, the man who had been disguised as the Kazekage approached.

"It's an honor to receive a summons from the Game Merchant."

Orochimaru bowed slightly. To show his respect, he even dropped his transformation jutsu and revealed his true face.

Or rather,

the face of the woman whose body he had recently taken over.

"You're well-suited to be a player."

Fang Yi got straight to the point.

He didn't need to explain anything.

With Kabuto as Orochimaru's subordinate—and a first-generation player—Orochimaru was already familiar with the Reincarnation Game.

The Soul Rune's scan had confirmed it:

Orochimaru had Silver-tier soul potential, placing him on the same level as Tsunade and Mei Terumi.

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