Chapter 25: The New Game Player: Sasuke

On the other side.

Naka Shrine was originally the place where the Uchiha Clan held ceremonies and convened clan meetings during major events.

The once-standing structure is now dilapidated, long neglected, and overgrown with wild, sprawling weeds.

Swish, swish, swish.

Several shuriken trace elegant arcs, colliding with one another to bypass a massive boulder, and strike different bullseyes with precision.

Perfect score.

Sasuke's body is covered in scars from training, and he is panting heavily, yet his expression is extremely grim.

Chakra surges into his eye sockets,

and a pair of scarlet pupils, with two tomoe slowly rotating, look particularly sinister.

"How could this be? Can even the Sharingan not defeat that guy?"

Sasuke continues to train until, exhausted, he collapses onto the ground.

His muscles are trembling; continuing to train now would only be counterproductive.

Is this his limit?

Some time ago, Sasuke noticed something off about Uzumaki Naruto and took the initiative to challenge him to a duel at the forest training ground.

The result was a crushing defeat.

Whether it was combat awareness or physical prowess, he was completely and utterly crushed.

Stung by losing to a dead-last, even the suddenly awakened Sharingan could not overcome his opponent.

"And those strange Ninjutsu..."

Sasuke recalls the course of the battle.

The combat methods displayed by this teammate of his, who was suddenly selected to participate in an S-rank mission, were not the fighting style of a ninja at all.

Even the Sharingan could not imitate them.

If he had been defeated by a ninja with a vast age gap, Sasuke would not have felt the slightest bit discouraged.

But seeing the dead-last of his own age transform in a short time into someone with such powerful strength, capable of being an Elite Chunin, is a heavy blow he cannot accept.

"If things continue like this, how can I kill that man!"

Sasuke hammers the floor fiercely; the hard bluestone floor leaves his fists battered and bloody.

He even considers asking the Hokage if he can also participate in S-rank missions.

But reason stops him.

Since graduating from the Ninja Academy, he has come into contact with more and more missions and is not entirely ignorant of the situation in the village.

As an orphan of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke is well aware of the sensitivity of his current status; if he were to run to the Hokage, it would be nothing more than courting humiliation.

Is there really no way?

Sasuke's heart is nearly drowned in pain; he feels a suffocating ache, opens his mouth wide, and lets out a silent roar.

Suddenly, a voice appears in his ear.

【Congratulations, you have been selected by a mysterious game merchant and possess the qualifications to become a Reincarnation Game Player.】

【You will be transported to the Game Tower shortly to participate in the Novice Trial. Do you agree?】

What voice is this?

Sasuke struggles to stand up, his ninja training causing him to scan his surroundings rapidly.

Although his chakra is exhausted, he still keeps his Sharingan active to avoid being controlled by Genjutsu.

If nothing else,

Sasuke is very clear about the powerful strength contained within his bloodline and takes great pride in it.

The special ability of the Sharingan can easily see through Genjutsu and hypnosis, and it possesses powerful capabilities for insight and replication.

"If you want to play tricks in front of these eyes, then you are truly..."

Before he can finish, Sasuke is like a goose whose neck has been pinched.

Because it is not just a voice;

a light screen appears before his eyes, with black text clearly visible, showing no flaws even to the Sharingan.

It waits quietly for his choice.

Sasuke is suspicious and uneasy; for a Genjutsu that even the Sharingan cannot see through, the only explanation is that the caster's strength far exceeds his own and that they are a master of Genjutsu.

Who exactly wants to make a move on him within the village?

"Huh, this is..."

Sasuke discovers that the text on the light screen has expandable options; after a light touch, the hidden text pops out.

【Players who participate in the Samsara Game will have the opportunity to change their fate and realize their wishes. Whether it is resurrecting the dead, wealth that rivals a nation, strength that sweeps across the ninja world, or an immortal life, all are prizes in this game.】

"Strength that sweeps across the ninja world?"

After Sasuke reads the black text clearly, his breathing stops.

He suddenly recalls the smug look on the dead-last's face when he was showing off, and some information Naruto let slip when he was intentionally goading him.

He had mentioned a game...

Sasuke's eyes widen; could the reason for Naruto's sudden increase in strength be this black text in front of him?

A game that can change fate?

Sasuke's heart pounds; he licks his dry lips and tentatively reaches out to touch the "Agree" option.

Whoever it is, being able to sneak into the village without a sound already proves that the other party is powerful.

If it can truly grant him the power for revenge, it doesn't matter if it is a trap.

As long as he can kill Itachi Uchiha!

……

When Sasuke opened his eyes again, he found himself appearing on a wide plaza.

Surrounding him were people swaying as they stood up, their faces filled with the same confusion as his.

There were about several hundred people.

"Where is this?"

"I am a Noble from the Land of Wind; if you dare to kidnap me, I will never forgive you if I suffer even the slightest harm!"

"Land of Wind? Wasn't I on a mission in the Snow Ninja Village?"

Following the confusion came chaos and fear.

Sasuke silently sized everyone up, thinking to himself: "That is the emblem of Iwagakure; judging by the attire, is that a Chunin?... And there are people in civilian clothing who don't look like residents of the Land of Fire."

Among these people were well-equipped ninja from various nations, impoverished people who looked starved and cold, and Nobles who, despite being clearly terrified, still wore arrogant expressions.

He had been waiting for a conspiracy to come rushing at him, but he hadn't expected the Samsara Game to include even the impoverished.

"To obtain the prize of this strange game, I'm afraid I'll need to defeat the majority of these people?"

Sasuke only cared about the power to become stronger.

"You trash from such a small Ninja Village dare to question us?"

A Chunin wearing an Iwagakure forehead protector looked on with disdain, sweeping his gaze over the anxious Snow Ninja.

Although both were Chunin,

the Five Great Ninja Villages, which controlled vast economic resources and possessed various secret techniques and Ninjutsu legacies, were naturally stronger than ninja of the same rank from other small Ninja Villages.

Some small Ninja Villages might not even possess as many Ninjutsu in their entire village as a single clan in Konohagakure.

Battles between ninja relied on Ninjutsu; this massive gap made the two Snow Ninja dare not speak out despite their anger.

The scene became increasingly chaotic,

until the ninja discovered that the chakra and Ninjutsu they prided themselves on had all vanished, at which point a conflict erupted directly.

The two Snow Ninja suddenly attacked, pinning the Iwagakure Chunin to the ground and greeting him with punch after punch.

In such a tense environment, even an accidental collision could trigger a commotion.

Just at this moment,

in the center of this strange space, beams of light radiating terrifying energy fluctuations gathered together.

A figure as massive as a mountain gradually revealed itself.

"Such a powerful fluctuation; even the Gōriki no Jutsu of Lord Tsuchikage wouldn't have such a terrifying state, right?"

Under the shock of the terrifying energy entity, everyone ceased their conflict.

The Iwagakure Chunin seized the opportunity to break free from his restraints, and when he looked up and saw that figure, he stood frozen in place.

This kind of presence was something even Onoki, whom he respected most, could not achieve.

"Everyone, welcome to the Novice Trial of the Samsara Game."

Fang Yi stood suspended in the center of the plaza, looking at the players who had been teleported there with a smile on his face.

(End of chapter)