Chapter 5: Fermentation

Hokage Building.

Smoke curled in the air. The Ninja Art Professor, hailed as the strongest Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, wore a grave expression as he continuously drew on his pipe.

Asuma knelt on one knee, with two logistics Chunin and Yakushi Kabuto behind him, along with Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Neji.

After a long silence, Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice rose from the smoke: "This matter is too bizarre. Do you have proof?"

Even knowing that Sarutobi Asuma was his own son, and an Elite Jonin loyal to Konoha.

Without absolute proof, he still had to maintain a stance of doubt.

This was the mindset required of the Shadow of the strongest Ninja Village.

Asuma held his half-kneeling posture, extended a hand, and a faint white light flickered to life.

A Novice Short Sword appeared out of thin air.

"There's no chakra fluctuation…"

The wrinkles at Sarutobi Hiruzen's eye corners twitched. He lifted his eyelid and stared fixedly at the Novice Short Sword.

Summoning objects from thin air was hardly rare across the ninja world.

Whether it was a Ninja Scroll or some expensive Ninja Tool Pouch, both could store items and release them with only chakra.

To be called the Ninja Art Professor, he had mastered and knew of many secret arts.

But all required chakra to activate; even Sage Art could not escape the aura of physical and spiritual energy.

It could be said that chakra was the root of all supernatural power in the ninja world.

"A mysterious game that can pull people into another world, a Mall that can even exchange Bloodline Limits, and power that grows stronger with each level."

Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered, seemingly lost in thought.

He had already sent ninja to investigate that black tower that had appeared out of nowhere.

The conclusion they reached was: it could not be touched.

It could be seen clearly, but it was as if separated by a stretch of space-time; no method could make contact.

After a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face grew solemn. He exhaled smoke that had faded in color from his lungs and said, "If this is real, do you know what it means?"

War.

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not say it aloud, but his eyes already revealed his thoughts.

Maintaining even a brief peace in the ninja world was no easy feat.

Even now, there were still rogue ninja and叛忍 causing trouble everywhere, but it was all local, small-scale skirmishes.

But with the appearance of the Samsara Game,

game items that could be brought into reality, the means to grow stronger by hunting Pollution Monsters that bypassed talent limits and long training, and the exchange of countless Bloodline Limits and wondrous objects in the Mall…

Even he, who had lived half a lifetime and weathered countless storms, felt his heart pound at the mere thought.

He did not believe the Shadows of the other four Great Nations could resist the temptation.

Sarutobi Hiruzen drew a deep breath and said with unusual gravity, "Sarutobi Asuma, the S-Rank mission you vouch for is hereby established. You will serve as Captain-Commander of this mission."

"Make contact with and win over the Land of Fire commoners, Nobles, and guards who have appeared in the Samsara Game."

"Report immediately in any situation!"

For an event of such importance, an elite squad composed entirely of Jonin should have been dispatched.

But no way to become a player had been found yet, so Asuma could only lead the Genin to investigate for now.

"Yes!"

Asuma's expression was solemn as he lowered his head slightly.

Yakushi Kabuto kept his head lowered, the glare on his glasses hiding his eyes. Standing so close to a Shadow as powerful as the Hokage, his disguise could easily be seen through.

Fortunately, Sarutobi Hiruzen's attention was entirely on the Samsara Game, so no slip was exposed.

Normally, missions were reviewed by the logistics department and, once verified, issued directly to ninja.

Only a few commissions were stamped and issued by the Hokage himself.

The S-Rank commission for the 【Samsara Game】 incident was stamped and, at the greatest speed, delivered to the Konoha noble clan involving Hyuga Neji, and to Uzumaki Naruto's Jonin squad leader, Kakashi Hatake.

The mission's duration was unknown; during this period, all actions of the ninja involved were under the full command of the Hokage himself.

At a certain training ground,

Haruno Sakura looked on with curiosity and asked, "Idiot, what kind of mission is it? So secretive?"

Sasuke Uchiha threw shuriken one after another, each striking the bullseye with precision. He seemed indifferent, but his ears were quietly pricked up.

Uzumaki Naruto scratched his head, just about to speak when he was interrupted.

Kakashi Hatake, holding Icha Icha Paradise, Body Flickered behind Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder, saying, "Although I don't know the Hokage-sama's arrangements, the confidentiality of an S-Rank commission is extremely high. It absolutely cannot be leaked."

"I understand, Kakashi-sensei."

The words on the tip of Naruto's tongue were stifled uncomfortably. He had wanted to show off to Haruno Sakura and that smug Sasuke, but now he couldn't say a word.

He turned to look at Sasuke, made a face, and said, "Smug Sasuke, I'll be stronger than you very soon!"

"Idiot."

Sasuke Uchiha cast a sidelong glance, his expression contemptuous.

A dead-last who had nearly failed even the Ninja Academy graduation exam, daring to talk such big talk.

Seeing the contempt in Sasuke's eyes,

Naruto instantly flared up. He glanced at the shuriken dead in the bullseye, took a deep breath, and pulled shuriken from his Ninja Tool Pouch.

Swish.

The shuriken left his hand.

It did not land on the target, but let out a series of sharp whistles as it embedded itself in a thick tree trunk.

"Pfft!"

Haruno Sakura couldn't help but laugh, then turned to Sasuke with an admiring gaze and said, "You big dummy Naruto, I remember the shuriken course at the Ninja Academy — you were dead last. You still want to compete against the top student Sasuke?"

Kakashi pinched his fingers together, closed Icha Icha Paradise and tucked it into his Ninja Tool Pouch, his single eye glancing toward the shuriken pinned in the tree trunk.

He Body Flickered over, pulled out the shuriken, and handed it back to Naruto.

Mocked by the girl he secretly adored, Naruto saw how gentle his teacher was and was instantly moved: "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi waved his hand and smiled: "It's nothing. An S-Rank mission is extremely dangerous — even I face the risk of death. I'm just afraid I won't get another chance to see you in the future."

Hearing those words, Naruto's face went white with fright.

Just as he was about to speak, a ninja came over to call them to assemble. Naruto could only force a smile, say a couple of tough words, then turn and leave.

Sasuke glanced at his retreating back, his gaze falling on the tree trunk that had just been hit by the shuriken.

After the shuriken was pulled out, a deep mark was left behind.

"When did the dead last's strength suddenly get so much greater?"

They were all teammates of Team 7, and Uzumaki Naruto's strength was fairly clear to him — just yesterday the guy had provoked him and gotten a beating for it.

Swish.

Sasuke stood where Naruto had just been standing, raised his hand and threw a shuriken, striking it precisely next to the mark Naruto had left.

He walked over, pulled out the shuriken, and the mark was actually slightly shallower than Naruto's.

Sasuke's brows knit tightly as he thought, "What on earth is going on?"

At the same time.

The other Four Great Ninja Villages were likewise seething beneath the surface; some villages even directly activated alert mode.

Commoners who possessed player qualifications were also, within a short time, found one after another by Nobles and Ninja Villages, and taken away by various means.

Some sharp-intuitioned ninjas who were uninformed were deeply worried, all wondering whether a Shinobi World War was about to break out.

The Samsara Game, though not exposed in the open, spread at an extremely rapid pace through various channels.

(End of this chapter)