The Game Merchant Who Started from the Ninja World

Chapter 39: Repairing the Village Walls

Hidden Leaf Village.

The Hokage's office was brightly lit.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat looking utterly exhausted, his eyes glaring at the shadowed figure of his old friend. "Danzo, you've gone too far this time. You dared lay a hand on one of our own?"

Danzo's expression was grim. He hadn't expected the mission to capture Sasuke to fail. "One of our own? The Uchiha were traitors to the village. Have you forgotten what our teacher said?"

Hiruzen closed his eyes, heart heavy. "Even among the Uchiha, there were comrades like Kagami, Shisui, and Itachi who shared the Hokage's will. Your hatred toward the Uchiha runs too deep, Danzo."

Danzo shot back, "Uchiha Sasuke is already a Reincarnation Game player. Sooner or later, he'll learn the truth about the massacre. Are you not afraid of what he might do to the village then?"

The power of the Reincarnation Game was the first thing that had made Danzo feel real fear.

According to Root's intelligence files, Sasuke had only been a slightly above-average Genin.

Danzo had sent a full-fledged jōnin—battle-hardened from countless dangerous missions. If a surprise attack like that had been used on a typical chūnin, they wouldn't even have had a chance to react.

And yet, Sasuke had withstood the assault, escaped to ANBU's watch zone, and escalated the matter all the way to the Hokage.

In just a few short days.

"This mysterious game merchant is already threatening the village's safety. We must find a way to eliminate him completely."

"If that's not possible, we need to control every ninja and civilian who becomes a player…"

"Enough, Danzo!"

Before he could finish, Hiruzen cut him off.

He puffed on his pipe, expression uncertain. "Whatever his motives, the game merchant clearly possesses terrifying powers. Don't provoke someone like that. For the village's sake…"

I'll kill you myself.

Hiruzen didn't speak the final words aloud, but Danzo understood perfectly. A chill ran down his spine.

He hadn't expected the Hokage to value the game merchant this highly.

"Guards."

An ANBU wearing a cat-mask appeared silently.

Hiruzen, weary, said, "Spread the word that a foreign ninja disguised as a merchant infiltrated the village and tried to abduct the last Uchiha. Calm Sasuke down and make sure he doesn't get the wrong idea about the village."

Guilt weighed heavily on him.

Itachi had made a tremendous sacrifice for the village—his only wish was for Hiruzen to protect Sasuke.

And now, through negligence, Danzo had gone after the boy.

There was guilt, yes.

But deeper still was fear.

As Kagami's old teammate, Hiruzen knew all too well the terror of the Mangekyō Sharingan. If something happened to Sasuke, who's to say Itachi wouldn't go mad and attack the village?

"How are preparations for the Chūnin Exams coming?"

Now that he was fully awake, Hiruzen gave up on sleep and turned to the remaining paperwork.

The official overseeing the event looked troubled. "It was originally a joint exam with Sunagakure. But now it's become a Five-Nation Chūnin Exam. The venue has to be expanded several times over. Construction is still underway."

The timing was convenient.

Chūnin Exams were a non-lethal way to test each other's strength in times of peace.

Especially with the Reincarnation Game now in play—

one village could suddenly rise to prominence, producing a new wave of elite ninja. That kind of intel had to be gathered.

The Five-Nation Chūnin Exams would be hosted in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe. "The two players from the logistics department—lend them to the exam committee. I heard the shop sells mechanical puppets that can speed up construction. I'll send a request to the finance department."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

As Hiruzen looked over the overstretched village budget, a wave of helplessness washed over him.

Minato was dead.

Jiraiya and Tsunade had lost hope and left.

Orochimaru defected.

Sakumo committed suicide.

The Uchiha were gone...

Only he remained—an old, creaking pillar trying to hold up the strongest ninja village.

It looked glorious from the outside, but on the inside, the structure was crumbling.

If Konoha didn't dominate the Chūnin Exams, the other four nations might get bold.

Even the daimyo of the Land of Fire might reduce their support.

"Sasuke becoming a player is good for the village. He can counter the next generation of rival ninja."

Hiruzen worried silently.

Reports showed that other villages also had players chosen by the Reincarnation Game. It was highly likely they would participate in the exam.

That's why he had been so firm in shutting down Danzo—he needed every resource directed toward the game.

The Chūnin Exams—Konoha must not lose!

…

"Master, Sarina is going to attack the Novice Village tomorrow. Aren't you scared?"

The silver-haired loli looked depressed. Even her beloved fried chicken had lost its flavor.

Everything had been going so well…

But the Wraith General's death had angered the Wraith Sorceress Sarina—a Tier 2 Corruption Source.

In game terms, she was a Level 20 boss.

The loli warned, "Master, I suggest spending 500,000 reward points to reinforce the village walls. They can't withstand an attack from a boss-level monster."

If Sarina attacked, the Novice Village's current walls would collapse in seconds.

Once the walls fell, the village core would be exposed.

All of Fang Yi's efforts would be lost, and the players would disappear.

Fang Yi looked utterly unconcerned. "Relax. Check the wall's defense level yourself."

Confused, the loli went up for a closer inspection—then froze in shock.

Her face went blank.

[Novice Village Wall]

Defense Level: 17 (2552/6000 Energy)

Skill 1: Wraith Soldiers – Summons 100 Wraith Soldiers every 30 minutes. They cannot move more than 500 meters from the wall.

Skill 2: Wraith Cannon – Consumes 200 Wraith Soldiers to fire a blast of wraith energy, dealing 800 true damage.

Note: A wall upgraded using Wraith materials. Can harness part of the Wraith's power.

Her jaw dropped and a piece of fried chicken fell into her mouth.

"Master, you already upgraded the walls in secret? I was worried for nothing!"

At Level 17, the Wraith Wall could hold off a Level 20 boss for a while.

Fang Yi shook his head. "Come on. Do I look like someone who'd spend points upgrading a wall?"

She narrowed her big, watery eyes and teased, "What, did the wall level up on its own?"

Fang Yi flicked her forehead. "Dummy. Don't you remember the task I issued not long ago?"

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