"Compared to ordinary civilians, trained ninjas possess exceptional combat skills and battlefield experience, making them the ideal candidates for the first wave of players."
Fang Yi explained to the confused white-haired loli, "All the ninja villages must receive equal opportunities to maintain absolute neutrality. We must act openly, without any secrecy, to ensure that the schemers hesitate to make any rash moves."
The white-haired loli displayed an expression of admiration despite not fully understanding, her innocent demeanor making her seem rather cute. She responded, "The Game Tower can generate one hundred artificial bodies at a time for recruited players. Once upgraded, it can recruit three hundred players simultaneously."
"The first batch doesn't need to be large," Fang Yi shook his head with a smile. "When the battle begins, the first shot isn't meant to kill the pollution sources; it's to make an announcement to the ninja world."
"We're here!"
Although he had never set foot in the Hidden Leaf Village during his five years in this world, he had kept up with major events through traveling merchants.
The once-powerful Uchiha clan had been wiped out, leaving only a single survivor who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy.
This was a rare period of peace in the ninja world.
If this were during wartime, things might be more complicated. But now, it would be easy to stir the waters and divert everyone's attention to the Reincarnation Game.
The white-haired loli nodded in confusion and asked, "Master, which pollution sources should we release first?"
Fang Yi thought for a moment and said, "These two will do, Vampire Baron Krall from the Bloodborne Castle faction and the Wandering Ghost Mage, Sarina, from the Underworld."
Two pollution sources.
Each one wasn't just a lone enemy; they came with an entire horde of associated monsters, just like minions endlessly respawning in a game, guarding a powerful boss.
Only by completely eliminating a pollution source could the spawning of these minions be stopped.
Since the newly created artificial bodies were still weak, it was best to start with relatively low-tier pollution sources, making their minions easier to handle as well.
[Tier-2 Pollution Source: Ghost Mage Sarina – Contaminated Zone Unlocked]
[Tier-2 Pollution Source: Vampire Baron Krall – Contaminated Zone Unlocked]
[Welcome to the Reincarnation Game!]
~Newbie Village~
It was essentially a fabricated space.
The village resembled a steel jungle, with towering buildings connected by metal pipes, sand-resistant fortresses, and stone structures embedded into rock walls. Each region even had its own distinct weather.
The entire Newbie Village was about the size of an amusement park, costing Fang Yi a total of 100,000 reward points to construct.
As a transit hub, Newbie Village was a safe zone. But once players stepped outside the protected area, they would enter the surrounding contaminated zones, the open-world maps.
A wooden door creaked open.
"What's going on?"
Naruto Uzumaki scratched his messy blonde hair, looking around in amazement.
He had just finished a bowl of ramen, stepped out of the shop, and noticed a towering black structure. Then, a voice echoed in his mind.
The next thing he knew, he was inside a narrow room.
Others who had experienced the same thing were stepping out of their rooms, exchanging bewildered glances.
"Dammit! Are the Barrier Squad idiots? How did an enemy infiltrate the village?!"
"Someone put me under a genjutsu without me even noticing, who the hell did this?!"
Most of the outcries came from ninjas.
The Five Great Ninja Villages were fortified strongholds, even during wartime.
Their first assumption was that an enemy ninja had infiltrated and trapped them in an illusion. Naturally, they were furious at the Barrier Squad for failing in their duties.
"Impossible to undo? How could that be?"
Kabuto Yakushi lowered his head slightly, adjusting his glasses as a cold sweat formed on his forehead.
Although he held the identity of a Konoha Genin on the surface, he was in fact a double agent, secretly working in the shadows. His true strength was exceptional, even among the elite Jonin of various nations.
Who had set their sights on him?
Even more terrifying, Kabuto could sense that something was wrong with his body.
"I can't use ninjutsu? My chakra... it's completely gone?"
He pressed his palms together, but there wasn't even the faintest trace of chakra flow.
It wasn't like a standard chakra-sealing technique preventing him from accessing his energy. Instead... it felt as if he was inhabiting a brand-new body, one that had never refined chakra before.
Had he been exposed?
A bitter smile formed on Kabuto's lips.
For someone like him, a rat hiding in the darkness, being exposed meant only one thing, death.
"Who is that?"
"Such an immense energy presence... Is someone activating a powerful jutsu?"
Exclamations of shock rang out around him.
Kabuto looked up, and even he couldn't suppress his astonishment.
A massive figure, glowing like a blazing sun, radiated golden light in all directions. Slowly, the form solidified into that of a young man draped in an aristocratic robe.
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to him.
"Welcome, players. Congratulations on successfully logging into the game. This means you now have the chance to change your fate."
Fang Yi spread his arms wide, gazing down at the first batch of players in the Newbie Village.
"Quit the theatrics. Who are you really?"
A highly vigilant ninja shouted toward the sky.
"I am the creator of the Reincarnation Game. You are the first group of players I have chosen."
"Have you ever heard of a nobleman's hunting game? The one who captures the strongest prey wins the prize, perhaps a fine bottle of wine, or gold and jewels..."
Fang Yi's smile was calm, his voice carrying to every corner of the Newbie Village.
A ninja glared at him angrily. "You expect us to play some meaningless game for your amusement?"
"Meaningless?"
Fang Yi shook his head. "What if the prize you win... is your destiny?"
"Wealth rivaling entire nations, the power to dominate the ninja world, immortality, the ability to resurrect the dead, or a chance to break free from the chains binding you… Those who participate in this game have the opportunity to win life-altering rewards."
His voice was calm, yet it made everyone hold their breath.
"Hmph, I've heard rumors about a mysterious organization moving in the shadows recently. Their leader calls himself a god. Could that be you?"
"Immortality? Resurrection? Not even the Sage of Six Paths could accomplish such things, and yet you expect us to believe your nonsense?"
Some ninjas quickly caught on, scoffing in disdain to prevent their comrades from being swayed.
"It doesn't matter."
Fang Yi wasn't angered by their skepticism. He simply smiled. "Like any game, players have the right to refuse. If you want to leave, just think the words 'Exit Game' in your mind, and you will return to the real world."
"Or, you can leave the Newbie Village. If you die in the game, you'll also return to reality."
"We can just leave?"
Countless players were stunned.
A mysterious man with the power to cast such an overwhelming technique… and yet, he was willing to let them go so easily?
The ninjas hesitated, but many civilians, upon hearing they could leave, immediately began chanting "Exit Game" in their minds.
A faint white glow enveloped some of them.
Five seconds later, those who had chosen to exit vanished from their spots, returning to the real world.
This lack of restraint, the complete absence of any restrictions, made many hesitant ninjas reconsider.
They weren't fools.
Whether it was an advanced illusion or a high-level space-time jutsu akin to Reverse Summoning, the fact that someone could sustain such a grand-scale technique suggested an incredibly powerful individual or organization behind it.
They even noticed that there were ninjas from other nations present, some of them elite warriors.
To orchestrate something on this scale, it definitely wasn't the work of a minor faction.
Even the ninjas who had been openly opposing Fang Yi weren't just acting on impulse. They were testing his attitude, trying to gauge his true intentions.
Now that they saw he wasn't an immediate threat… there was no way they'd leave so soon.
"Who is behind this? Could the mastermind be the Hidden Leaf Village, the most powerful force in the ninja world?"
Samui leaned against a wooden door, her arms crossed over her chest, her ample curves accentuated by the black mesh bodysuit beneath her cloak.
She analyzed the situation calmly, her long, slender legs appearing relaxed, yet ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.
No matter what, she had to investigate this thoroughly. At the very least, she needed to gather enough intelligence on the Reincarnation Game.
She wasn't alone in her thinking.
This was the shared consensus among the majority of ninjas present.
As elite warriors of the Five Great Nations, most of them were more than just fighters, they were also intelligence operatives.