Chapter 52: Orochimaru

It is not only the ninja world where undercurrents are surging.

The Nobles are also erupting with extraordinary enthusiasm, or perhaps one should call it ambition.

Along the way,

Fang Yi has already encountered four groups of Nobles rushing toward Konoha; their guards are all battle-hardened warriors, and some even directly hire civilian players, so that ordinary mountain bandits are slaughtered completely before they can even get close.

With people surrounding them in front and behind, such a massive display of Noble pomp does not look like they are going to watch the Chunin Exams at all.

"Power makes the heart restless; it seems the Nobles are no longer willing to coexist with the ninja."

After coming into contact with a certain familiar Noble from the Land of Fire and seeing the other party's mysterious demeanor, Fang Yi could not help but sigh.

It is no wonder;

Ninja Villages require annual funding, yet they cannot absolutely obey the country; those violent ninja only obey the Shadow.

No ruler of a country wishes for such a group of violent organizations that have no regard for the country to exist within their governed territory.

In the past, there was no choice;

Although the Nobles held the lifeblood of the country and the economy, most lacked the talent to cultivate chakra and could only hold their noses and acknowledge the existence of the Ninja Villages.

But now it is different;

The appearance of the Samsara Game has given the Nobles a chance to reshuffle the deck, a chance to completely strip away the ninja.

"Master, a ninja is approaching."

A Fu, while eating a pastry, suddenly raised her head and looked out the carriage window.

Fang Yi gathered his wandering thoughts, rubbed her head, and said speechlessly: "Eat when you wake up, sleep when you're full; A Fu, can't you rest for a moment?"

"But, it's really delicious."

Although the glutton A Fu is the World Consciousness, she had been hunted by the Polluted World since she woke up and had never enjoyed any blessings.

She was even more reluctant to create snacks from those origins.

It was only during this time as Fang Yi's follower that she tasted the flavor of gourmet food, and she was immediately unable to stop.

Bang, bang, bang.

The carriage was knocked upon.

Standing outside was a red-haired girl with delicate features, wearing a respectful expression, who said: "Respected Noble, I am the Kazekage's guard; Lord Kazekage has ordered me to convey his greetings to you on his behalf."

Her name is Tayuya, and her true identity is one of the Sound Ninja Four who serves Orochimaru.

Disguised as a Kazekage guard, she is about to follow Lord Orochimaru to infiltrate Konohagakure to execute the 【Konoha Collapse Plan】.

Naturally, one must play the part to the end.

Because of the poverty of Sunagakure, Nobles from various countries are the targets they seek to win over, and as Kazekage, he would certainly take the initiative to send greetings; to avoid exposure, Orochimaru dispatched her, as she is relatively pleasant to look at.

"The Kazekage?"

Fang Yi released his Soul Rune's sensory ability, and the information about the red-haired girl before him surfaced.

【Tayuya (Blue)】: A Chunin from the Sound Ninja Village who possesses special Cursed Seal abilities.

According to the timeline, the Kazekage has indeed already been killed by Orochimaru.

He had originally intended to arrive smoothly at Konohagakure and then hold a grand player event in reality.

He did not expect such an unexpected surprise on the road.

The five Game Towers rooted in the ninja world can continuously recruit players, but most are ordinary players with low Soul Potential.

Fang Yi is very much looking forward to finding some Elite players to serve as the main force against the Pollution Source.

Orochimaru is undoubtedly an excellent candidate.

Born as a civilian ninja, being valued by Hiruzen Sarutobi and taken as a disciple, and finally carving out the reputation of the Legendary Sannin, is enough to show his extraordinary talent.

He even delves into Ninjutsu, exploring the mysteries of chakra in the true sense.

Thinking of this, Fang Yi smiled: "Although it is rather presumptuous, could you pass a message to Orochimaru for me?"

The words had just fallen.

Tayuya gripped a Kunai and rushed up, wanting to kill the little Noble who had exposed their disguise.

Although she was very confused as to how a little Noble she happened to meet could know Lord Orochimaru's true identity, in any case, the plan must absolutely not be leaked in advance.

That is Konohagakure, filled with Anbu and Jonin everywhere;

If one is not careful, even Lord Orochimaru would be unable to retreat unscathed.

"Don't be impulsive, I have no malice."

Fang Yi's smile remained unchanged as he finished this sentence.

Clang.

The tightly gripped Kunai fell to the ground.

Tayuya felt her body stop uncontrollably.

No... to be precise, she could still control her body, but she could not generate the thought of attacking at all, as if her brain's thinking had been rewritten, losing the consciousness to attack the man before her from the depths of her soul.

How could there be such a terrifying Genjutsu?

A look of horror appeared on Tayuya's delicate face.

She herself is skilled in Genjutsu, but she has never heard of such a technique that strikes directly at the depths of the soul; does such a Genjutsu really exist?

"Give this to Orochimaru."

Fang Yi's smile was gentle, without the slightest annoyance at being attacked, as he took out a pure black Invitation Letter and handed it to her.

"How could I possibly listen to you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Tayuya's body moved involuntarily.

There was still no feeling of being controlled, as if it were from the heart, willing to follow the other party's arrangements.

The smiling man in front of her clearly did not bring her the slightest sense of oppression...

She left the carriage naturally.

Until she reached the side of the convoy disguised as the Kazekage, Tayuya suddenly knelt on the ground, gasping violently.

This feeling... the horror of being betrayed by one's own soul.

"What happened?"

Seeing this, the Sound Ninja Four hurriedly ran over, but they did not sense any chakra fluctuations on Tayuya.

Tayuya pushed them away, not even having the thought of a sharp tongue, and said respectfully: "Lord Orochimaru, a strange man just now asked me to hand this envelope to you."

Inside the carriage, Orochimaru reached out from the window and took the black letter.

Boom.

Chakra erupted, causing the carriage frame to creak.

The Sound Ninja Four were shocked; they had never seen such a scene from Lord Orochimaru, where his emotions were so out of control that he couldn't even contain his chakra.

"Tayuya, what exactly did you give to Lord Orochimaru?"

They looked at Tayuya with unkind expressions; if there was anything amiss, the three of them would strike without hesitation.

Although they were the Sound Ninja Four, there was no bond between them at all.

They were originally test subjects in a dungeon, survivors after countless selections and slaughters, who only took orders from Lord Orochimaru.

"Stop, all of you."

A figure covered entirely in a wide white robe walked out of the carriage, ignoring the Sound Ninja Four, and quickly ran toward the carriage of a minor Noble not far away.

Fang Yi waited quietly, and soon he saw Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, running over.

"It is an honor to be summoned by the Game Merchant."

Orochimaru bowed slightly to show respect, even directly removing his disguise to reveal his original face.

It could not be called his original face, either.

It was the face of a woman who had been devoured after he performed the Living Corpse Reincarnation.

"You are very suitable to become a player."

Fang Yi did not use pleasantries and stated his purpose for seeking out Orochimaru directly.

Yakushi Kabuto was the other party's subordinate and also one of the first batch of selected players; the other party naturally knew the information about the Samsara Game, so there was no need for him to elaborate too much.

According to the investigation results of the Soul Rune, Orochimaru possessed Silver Potential, on the same level as Tsunade and Terumi Mei.

(End of this chapter)