Naruto Online: The Strongest Player

Chapter 97: Chapter 95: Destruction of Dark Dream



Chapter 95: Destruction of Dark Dream

The unfortunate thing about the entire situation was that I couldn't even use Jiraiya-sensei's information regarding the Akatsuki, since that would immediately open a channel for him to track my movements. As much as I wanted to trust the Toad Sage, I couldn't afford to place all my security under one roof. After all, I was technically a rogue shinobi now, working under my own terms and aligned with no specific nation. Trust could be extended, but only so far.

That's why I had the Moon Shadow Clan searching independently for any clues or traces regarding the Akatsuki's hideouts. I already knew from the anime they were stationed in the Hidden Rain Village.

But actually going there myself? That would be insanity. It was their home ground, likely fortified beyond reason.

Still, there were workarounds. I could send wood clones when my chakra reserves allowed it. They wouldn't last long, but enough to map out basic information, confirm movements, and maybe catch a glimpse of their operatives.

Jiraiya-sensei arrived not long after, probably having been notified by the elder toads I'd asked to summon him. He didn't waste time.

"I told you this seal would take time," he said calmly, stepping down from the elevated ridge near the central pond.

"I only requested a meeting, Lord Jiraiya," I replied, keeping my tone respectful. "Because you missed our scheduled check-in."

He folded his arms and nodded once. "Like I said, it's a work in progress. I'll be heading back to the Leaf soon."

As he began to turn, I called out, "Wait."

He stopped, looking at me over his shoulder with an eyebrow slightly raised.

"Is it true? That the Chunin Selection Exams are going to begin again?"

He didn't respond immediately. His expression gave away nothing, remaining as steady as always.

"And where did you hear that from?" he asked after a pause.

I shrugged. "Just like you have your sources, I have mine."

Of course, I wasn't about to tell him that it came from a summon with borderline prophetic instincts. That would raise more questions than I was prepared to answer.

Jiraiya remained silent for a moment longer before finally answering. "Yes. The Leaf is preparing to host the Chunin Exams. They'll begin in two weeks' time. Official notices will be sent to all major villages shortly. And after that, each village will send their selected genin squads to participate."

I nodded slowly. Two weeks.

That was more than enough time to execute a small infiltration, if that was what I chose to do. It wasn't as if I planned to walk through the main gates of the Hidden Leaf wearing my own face. I had methods.

And if it came to it, I could even join one of the registered genin teams under the right disguise. That's if I chose to go down that path.

It wasn't set in stone. But now I had a confirmed timeline.

Jiraiya gave me one last glance, as if he was about to say something more, but ultimately decided against it. With a brief wave, he turned and vanished.

I stood there for a moment, hands tucked behind my back, as I stared out across the quiet ponds of Mount Myoboku.

Two weeks.

The question wasn't just how I would get in.

The question was whether it was even worth it.

For the clone in the Land of Iron, this was somewhere near the borders, nowhere close to the capital anymore. I was currently here because I had solid information that a Dark Dream Guild hideout was located nearby. It was fairly clear this was an ambush set for me. After all, with my Mind's Eye, I was able to sense thousands of Chunin and Genin, and even a handful of Jonin ninja scattered across the area. It was extremely obvious they were trying to eliminate me.

The information I had received wasn't from a credible source. But was I scared? Not necessarily. Still, I wasn't stupid enough to think that with my current clone and the chakra reserves it had, I would be able to take on this entire battalion of players. Even to use the Eight Inner Gates required sufficient stamina. It wasn't a jutsu I could just spam. Only my main body would have not hesitated.

Yet, did that really matter? Not really. Because being a ninja didn't just mean engaging in brutal upfront confrontations. It also meant espionage, infiltration, information gathering, and assassinations. That was what a ninja was at the end of the day. This was the basement of ninja craft, not the god-fighting phase that would come later.

So, as I reached the edge of where their current ninja were patrolling, I noted they had no advanced detection barrier. Just a rudimentary seal. Something I modified in a second with my expertise. There were currently 20 ninja patrolling the borders, and clearly there were tents with underground bunkers that had hundreds of people hiding inside.

I decided to do something simple.

Using my trusty Earth Style: Earth Tunneling Jutsu, I dug underground to each of the bunkers. As I reached the edges of the bunkers, I placed hundreds of Exploding tags surrounding their perimeter. Each of my tags was far more potent than average—after all, I was a Fuinjutsu master. I obviously made my weapons and traps extremely strong.

After placing the majority of these tags, I set a master seal that linked them all together. All I had to do was flare my chakra once. Then, I went to the edge of the barrier and modified it so that they would be able to detect me instantly.

Every single one of the Jonin locked on to me.

Even the Guild Master of Dark Dream was now staring directly at me.

"It seems like you're not as smart as you think you are," the Guild Master said, stepping forward, her expression calm yet mocking.

"Oh yeah? And what makes you think that?" I asked, voice steady, already knowing where this was going.

She motioned casually toward the ten Jōnin that stood confidently at her side. "Because you walked straight into our trap. Sure, it took a while to prepare, but every single ninja player of Dark Dream is here. With this force, I refuse to believe we can't kill you."

There was a smug arrogance to her face, the kind that made you want to wipe it clean. But I didn't show anger—I was enjoying myself. I smiled.

"Oh, let me guess…" I said, eyes gleaming. "You've got a couple thousand Chūnin and Genin hiding underground beneath those tents you arranged so neatly, hoping I'd think the area was empty. Or maybe it's those twenty Jōnin patrolling the perimeter a few hundred meters away, acting like they don't know what's going on here. Or perhaps it's that weak excuse for a fūinjutsu barrier you set up—meant to detect unregistered chakra signatures."

Her confident expression began to falter. Just a little. But it was enough.

"I told you months ago," I said, voice lower now, colder. "And I'm telling you again. I gave you the chance to walk away. You didn't take it."

I stared out at the entirety of the Dark Dream Guild leaders with a calm expression on my face.

"Why are you even doing this?" she asked suddenly, frustration cracking through her tone. "We've never been antagonistic toward you. We never did anything wrong. All we wanted was to play this game—to compete against the other major guilds. You don't understand how important this is…"

She hesitated, as though thinking I might actually empathize.

"You should understand," she continued, "with your combat strength, you should already be Jōnin-ranked. If you've hit that rank… then you must know what that means in the real world."

I waited. Let her finish. Then said four cold words:

"I don't give a shit."

Her frown deepened. "You're interfering with one of the ten major guilds. If you go through with this, the power balance we've spent years building will collapse. Each guild keeps the others in check. Remove one—and the entire real-world structure falls apart. You're dooming everyone."

"No," I said, raising two fingers slowly. "You doomed yourselves the moment you refused to leave the Land of Iron… after I explicitly warned you."

Then, with a sharp snap, I activated the final seal.

In that instant, every tag I had carefully placed around the camp ignited. The ground trembled. Light burst forth like dawn itself had descended violently from the heavens. Every ninja within a 10-kilometer radius—every Genin, every Chūnin, every Jōnin, even the Guild Master herself—was incinerated in a synchronized cascade of sealing explosions.

My clone disintegrated in the flash. But not before speaking his final words, broadcast straight into her ears through the remaining threads of chakra.

"When you make your new account… avoid the Land of Iron."

Real World – Dark Dream Guild Headquarters

The Guild Master of Dark Dream stormed out of her full-dive chamber, her breathing heavy, her face twisted in fury. Without a word, she began throwing everything in reach—holographic interfaces, data pads, chairs—across the room.

Within seconds, the command center was filled. Vice guild masters, team leaders, logistics coordinators—every key figure in the organization ran in, alarmed by the chaos.

"What do we do now?" someone shouted in panic.

"This account deletion… it's insane!"

"What does this mean for our real bodies?"

"If we hit Jōnin rank again in-game, can we still gain powers?"

"Are the elemental nation abilities still accessible?!"

Tens of questions were hurled across the room, each one louder and more desperate than the last. But no one had answers.

Everyone in this room had long since passed the threshold of casual players. They weren't just gamers—they were assets. Military-level strategic resources. The powers they gained in the elemental nations were manifesting in the real world, physically altering their bodies. Losing access to that meant losing irreplaceable strength, influence, and advantage.

"We're lucky," one of the staff finally muttered.

Heads turned.

"The next intake starts in a few days. In real-world time. Sure, we're behind… but we have more information now. And if we really do avoid the Land of Iron," he said, glancing nervously at the Guild Master, "we won't catch up right away, but we won't be helpless either."

The Guild Master slumped into a nearby chair, her expression hollow.

"We are helpless," she muttered bitterly. "The other guilds… they'll be leagues ahead. They'll crush us the moment they sense weakness."

"Actually…" another voice rang out—a young woman, stepping forward with unusual clarity. The room instinctively quieted as she became the center of attention.

"Sister," she said, addressing the Guild Master directly.

"What's your idea?" the Guild Master asked, her voice cautious but curious.

"The remaining nine guilds," the woman began, "still don't know what happened in the elemental nations. We have a few hours. They're still full-dive logged in. They can't just leave their avatars behind without penalty. During this window… we strike."

A heavy silence fell.

"You want to attack the other guilds?" one of the vice masters asked, eyes wide. "In the real world? This isn't a game!"

"No, it's not," the girl snapped back. "This is our life. And if we let this chance go, we might never recover it. They'll keep getting stronger. They'll leave us behind permanently. But right now, none of them know we're out. And with the jutsu we've already transferred into the real world—we could cripple them before they even log out."

"The Federation forbids it," the Guild Master cut in. "No one is allowed to use elemental nation powers outside of sanctioned zones. If you break that rule—it's execution."

"I don't think so," the sister replied smoothly.

The Guild Master raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's a bluff," she continued. "Would the Federation really kill dozens of Jōnin-ranked operatives? Even if we haven't fully unlocked our avatars' power yet, they've already told us: we will. It's only a matter of time. The stronger we are, the faster we inherit our abilities. The weaker ones take longer—but they still get there. The Federation knows this. They need us."

Her words sank in slowly, spreading like wildfire through the room. Heads began to nod. Expressions shifted from doubt to resolve.

"They might sanction us," she said. "But execute all of us? Never. They can't afford it."

Slowly but surely the crowd agreed.

The Guild Master's eyes hardened, glowing with dangerous conviction as she rose to her feet.

"So be it," she said, voice cold and steady.

"Let us wage war with the rest of the world."

Authors note:

You can read some chapters ahead if you want to on my p#treon.com/Fat_Cultivator


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