Chapter 99: Chunin Exams (1)

Konoha, banquet hall.

The magnificent corridor is lit with incense that calms the mind; the spacious hall is filled with delicious delicacies.

The nobles of the five nations sit upright, with food from other worlds placed before them.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire looks at the nobles of each nation with a face full of smiles and says: "Welcome, everyone, for traveling from afar to the Land of Fire to watch the Chunin Exams."

His skin is loose and covered in wrinkles; he looks very old.

Back then,

it was he who supported Hiruzen Sarutobi to become Hokage, and the victories in several consecutive wars allowed the Land of Fire to occupy the most fertile territories, establishing its absolute status as the most powerful nation.

"So delicious, it's tomato cheese chicken wing dumplings."

The portly Daimyo of the Land of Wind stares at the delicacy on the plate with glowing eyes, barely minding his reputation as a Daimyo, and begins to eat gently.

Every Daimyo employs many Game Players.

To them, it is just like hiring a ninja, having them redeem all sorts of strange toys and delicacies from the Game Mall so they can enjoy themselves to the fullest.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire reveals a strange smile at the corner of his mouth and asks: "Do you all have any decisions regarding the Chunin Exams?"

"Decisions?"

The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning shakes his head and says casually: "We are here to watch the ninja performances; such brain-taxing matters as decisions should be left to the ninjas!"

The five-nation Chunin Exams involve almost every small Ninja Village in the entire Ninja World.

Including small, obscure Ninja Villages like the Frost Ninja Village and the Star Ninja Village, all have gathered in Konoha, and the number of people registered for the Chunin Exams has reached nearly ten thousand.

The Daimyo of the five nations are gathered together, along with their subordinate Noble Groups.

It can be considered a rare high-level meeting.

To them, ninjas are merely the Blade used to rule the country; they themselves are the masters of the country.

On the side, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind lets his gaze fall on a slave girl with a graceful figure wearing a noblewoman's robe and asks: "A very beautiful slave; the Daimyo of the Land of Fire truly has good fortune."

Yan Zhaoxiong waves his fan, smiles with pursed lips, and says: "Why don't you greet the Daimyo of the Land of Wind?"

With golden pupils full of wildness like a snake and purple eyeshadow extending to the wings of her nose, she wears a bewitching smile and says softly: "My name is Sheji; thank you for the compliment, my lord."

Watching the nobles who are burying their heads in eating and drinking or flirting with the dancing girls beside them,

a look of disdain flashes in the depths of Yan Zhaoxiong's eyes. He suddenly stands up and says loudly: "Everyone, since we are all gathered for the opportunity of the Chunin Exams, I have a proposal. I wonder if you are interested in hearing it?"

Of course they are not interested.

This is what most nobles are thinking. To show the abundant financial resources of the Land of Fire, the fine wines, delicacies, and kabuki are all top-tier, which has long made them unable to care about anything else.

However, since the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has already spoken, the due respect must still be shown.

"Do you want to change the mission rewards or mission quotas for the ninjas?"

"Could it be building a joint palace? Our Land of Wind lacks the financial resources and might not be able to participate."

"The Land of Earth will not participate either."

The attitudes of the Daimyo of each nation are very consistent.

"Do not misunderstand, everyone."

Yan Zhaoxiong laughs loudly and says: "I just want to... have you all step down from the position of Daimyo and let me rule the five nations."

As the words fall,

the four Daimyo do not react in time, and even the Noble Groups of each nation are stunned. They raise their heads one after another, focusing their gazes on Yan Zhaoxiong, as if doubting their own ears.

"Yan Zhaoxiong, have you lost your mind?"

"Do you know what you are saying?"

"The five nations have always respected each other's borders; do you want to provoke a war and become a sinner of the world?"

The Daimyo glare at him one after another.

According to the rules, even if the subordinate Ninja Villages break each other's heads, it will not shake the ruling status of the nobles.

If a Ninja Village is destroyed, a new batch of ninjas can be supported entirely.

When countries are looted for money, it is the commoners who suffer; they, the nobles, remain secure and worry-free. At worst, they lose some territory, which can still be bought back with money.

Just like the Land of Wind,

Sunagakure is not worth using, so the Daimyo hires Konoha ninjas, which does not affect the foundation of the nobles in the slightest.

This tradition of cultivating ninjas as a Blade to fight while the nobles struggle but do not break has long become an unspoken rule of the Ninja World; no one would think of breaking it.

Killing intent flows in Yan Zhaoxiong's eyes. He spreads his arms and says with an undiminished smile: "Don't you all find it strange? A terrifying ninja like Madara Uchiha could easily destroy the capital of the Land of Fire, yet he was willing to be a dog for the nobles and never thought of usurping power."

The Daimyo of the Land of Water frowns and says: "That is because ninjas do not have the ability to rule a country. They only have the ability to kill and are fundamentally unable to govern a country well. On what grounds would they usurp power?"

The Ninja Academy teaches only killing techniques; ninjas do not engage in production and know nothing about matters outside the Ninja Village, relying on commissions to earn rewards.

They are the sharpest butcher's Blade under the Daimyo.

The other Daimyo and nobles also show expressions of agreement. Ninjas are just a group of boorish martial artists; on what grounds would they usurp power?

"But it is different now."

Yan Zhaoxiong smiles contemptuously and says: "With the appearance of the Samsara Game, do you still feel that ninjas will remain as stable as they once were?"

Being a Daimyo alongside these people who are as stupid as pigs is truly a disgrace to himself.

After such a long time, they only know how to redeem food and entertainment from the Samsara Game and do not think at all about the changes happening in the world.

Rather than being slaughtered like pigs by ninjas in the future, it is better to exit the stage now and still retain the dignity of a noble.

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound of heavy, rhythmic footsteps approaches from afar.

The heavy doors of the banquet hall are pushed open, and hundreds of soldiers clad in combat armor file in.

"Stand down!"

The Daimyo and nobles are startled and stand up; the attendants they brought behind them change color in alarm and hurriedly draw their samurai swords.

They are not entirely stupid,

to avoid bandits and Assassin, they certainly have bodyguards with superb strength by their sides.

In the past, they always chose samurai and ninja, but now they have better options, so they replaced the ninja with players from the Samsara Game.

"Yan Zhaoxiong, do you want to become a public enemy?"

The atmosphere was tense, like dry wood and raging fire; it would explode with a bang at the slightest spark.

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind took a deep breath; he usually had the best relationship with Yan Zhaoxiong, and at this moment he said, "Don't be impulsive, let them go out first, we can talk slowly, whether it's ceding land or demanding wealth, we can discuss it properly."

Until now, they were not too nervous.

The Noble mentality made them feel that Yan Zhaoxiong just wanted to extract benefits; since that was the case, they would temporarily yield, and after returning to their country, they would unite with the other few Daimyo to dispatch ninja to destroy Konoha.

To avenge the hatred in their hearts.

The other Noble were of the same mind; they did not expect the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to be so unscrupulous, yet they had never worried about their personal safety.

Punishment does not extend to Noble; this is a long-standing tradition of many years, do you, Yan Zhaoxiong, really dare to defy the world?

Swish.

Sheji's neck suddenly elongated, rapidly lunging at the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, fangs tearing open his throat, fresh blood flowing all over the floor.

Death in an instant.

Orochimaru stuck out his tongue, licking the blood from the corner of his mouth, and asked, "Lord Zhaoxiong, is it alright to kill him?"

Yan Zhaoxiong scanned the stunned Noble, his gaze cold as he said, "You and I have already reached a cooperation; first kill the Noble to cause chaos in the four nations, then completely control Konoha, possess sufficient armed forces, and then annex the world."

"State Preceptor Orochimaru, such a trivial matter as killing the rotten flesh of the old era does not require asking me."

"Kill them, and use Transformation Technique to disguise yourselves as Noble!"

(End of this chapter)