Land of Fire, Capital City.
Inside a hot spring inn.
Fang Yi scrutinized the white-haired loli kneeling before him, her head lowered in silence.
"So, you are the World Consciousness. Your world became polluted and was about to be overrun by all kinds of monsters, fallen demons, and supernatural entities. To protect world peace, you sealed off all the creatures and charged into the space-time rift, hoping to banish them into the void?"
"That's right."
The white-haired loli lifted her head, clearly proud of her noble sacrifice to save the world.
But when she met Fang Yi's furious gaze, she quickly lowered her head again.
Fang Yi extended a finger and poked her fluffy white hair, his voice filled with anger:
"Did it ever occur to you that there might be people inside the space-time rift? People like me?"
"…I'm sorry."
Her voice was timid.
Fang Yi rubbed his temples, feeling his blood rush to his head. He was so angry that his whole body trembled, and he even felt cold.
He was originally from Earth. One day, while scrolling through short video apps, he saw an ad that promised ten billion cash if he could survive five years in the Naruto world.
Thanks to his sharp business acumen, he quickly established himself in the Land of Fire. By leveraging industrial products he could manufacture with his own hands, he made a fortune in just two years. Not only did he own vast businesses, but he also earned a noble title in the Land of Fire through donations.
Just as his five years were up, he was preparing to return to Earth through the space-time rift to claim his ten billion, when he got hit by this white-haired loli.
As a result, not only did he lose contact with Earth, but he also mysteriously fused with the World Consciousness, becoming the master of this polluted world.
Which meant
If those monsters broke through the seal, he would be torn to shreds instantly.
Fang Yi massaged his temples and asked, "Is there any way to survive?"
"You've lived for countless years, so it's fine if you're done for, but I'm just a young eagle spreading its wings, I don't want to die with you."
The white-haired loli hesitated and said, "If we can eliminate the source of the pollution, the monsters themselves, we can extract their essence to purify the world."
Fang Yi pressed on, "How difficult is it?"
The white-haired loli fell silent. If it weren't difficult, she wouldn't have chosen to sacrifice herself.
After a moment, she spoke with despair:
"The pollution sources have already destroyed hundreds of worlds. Most of them resisted fiercely, but all failed in the end."
Fang Yi's face turned green. He asked, "How did they resist?"
If they resisted, that meant there was hope, no matter how slim. He wanted to learn from the experiences of those doomed worlds.
The white-haired loli took a deep breath and began explaining:
"The first world to be polluted was a high-tech martial arts civilization. Their World Consciousness was very powerful and kept killing pollution sources to absorb their essence, growing stronger. In the end, they still fell to an extremely powerful monster."
Fang Yi interrupted, "Wait, this essence can strengthen oneself?"
"Yes."
She nodded. "Essence is the foundation of a world's operation. As long as you can imagine something, you can create it using essence."
Fang Yi signaled her to continue.
"The second world's World Consciousness threw all of humanity into a fog-shrouded realm. They had to gather resources, mine, and build shelters to resist the pollution. It worked at first, but eventually, humans started fighting over resources, leading to their downfall."
"The fourth world…"
"The ninetieth world…"
"The 247th world awakened all humans to supernatural professions and turned the pollution zones into dungeons. That was one of the closest attempts to success."
"…."
"The 450th world recruited 'Reincarnators', warriors who underwent brutal life-and-death trials to become top-tier fighters. Their combined strength eventually surpassed the pollution zones… but at the last moment, those elite fighters betrayed the world and sided with the pollution, becoming even more terrifying than the monsters."
Every attempt ended in failure.
The more she spoke, the quieter her voice became. Despair filled her face.
Fang Yi furrowed his brows, feeling chills run down his spine. He wanted to kick this white-haired loli who had dragged him into this mess.
However, some of these resistance strategies seemed oddly familiar.
Survival-based systems, global mist apocalypse, worldwide awakening, these were all classic tropes from web novels.
One approach, in particular, stood out: the Gu breeding method, raising warriors through brutal competition. It had managed to produce fighters stronger than the pollution itself.
When Fang Yi asked about it, the white-haired loli frantically waved her hands.
"Master, I don't recommend that method! The failures prove that human emotions are too complex to ensure their loyalty in the face of pollution."
"Human emotions are complex?"
Fang Yi smirked and shook his head. "All intelligent lifeforms have complex emotions, but that also makes them easier to manipulate."
The white-haired loli protested, "Then why did the Reincarnators betray the world?"
Fang Yi waved dismissively and glanced at her, his tone sharp.
"That's because the World Consciousness was too stupid!"
"The Gu breeding method does maximize the potential of Reincarnators by using death threats to force them to grow stronger. But that also makes the Reincarnators see the World Consciousness as their true enemy, the one controlling their lives and deaths."
"No one wants their fate to be in someone else's hands. Naturally, they would despise the World Consciousness and wish for its destruction."
"Besides, reality isn't a hot-blooded novel where yelling 'I trust you!' suddenly makes people stronger. The survivors of the Gu method are mostly ruthless, deceitful scumbags who climbed over their comrades' corpses to survive. Do you really expect them to have noble intentions of saving the world? Dream on!"
The white-haired loli was confused and asked blankly, "Then… what should we do?"
Fang Yi smiled gently.
"Ruling people leads to rebellion. Only sincerity can create miracles."
"If we're sincere enough, the Reincarnators will be more passionate about saving the world than we are. They'll work day and night, without asking for rewards, and even spend their own money just to fight the pollution sources."
"Have you ever heard of players?"
…
"If there's no real death, will these players really fight the pollution?"
The white-haired loli was doubtful but had no better ideas.
Fang Yi chuckled.
"For intelligent beings, death isn't the only motivator. It's actually the lowest form of control. True power comes from making them willing participants."
A transparent panel appeared before him.
[Fang Yi]
Reincarnation Building: Novice Village (Level 1)
Pollution Source: Sealed
Reward Points: 5000
Now that he was the world's master, he possessed godlike abilities. By consuming Reward Points, the essence itself, he could create anything.
This was a simplified system panel he had created to monitor the players.
"Spend 2000 Reward Points to create five recruitment buildings and summon 500 players."
~Naruto World~
The five great nations, each led by a Kage, stood strong and prosperous.
In their largest villages, five towering, ink-black spires suddenly rose from the ground.
Countless glowing rings, like fireworks, scattered from the towers, fusing into the bodies of every sentient being they touched.
A voice echoed in their minds.
[Would you like to log into the Reincarnation Game?]
T/N: Heads up! Here is the second novel I promised. Although it Naruto-based Naruto is not the main element the story as multiple worlds and people are involved. I hope you enjoy the read :)