"Mabui, you're here too? And that brat Omoi."
Samui turned her head, casting a glance at her companion beside her.
Omoi, dark-skinned with a toothpick dangling from his lips, replied irritably, "Don't call me a brat, I'm an official genin of the Hidden Cloud Village now. That said, this really is a bad encounter."
Mabui, the Raikage's secretary, was known for her exceptional analytical skills. Much like the members of the Nara clan from Konoha, she wasn't famous for her strength but for her intelligence.
"If you can't sense chakra, then it can't be genjutsu."
She furrowed her brow slightly, pondering, "It's probably some kind of space-time teleportation ninjutsu. But to be able to break through the Village's barrier and bring me here under Lord Raikage's watchful eye..."
Such a ninjutsu was terrifying and unprecedented.
The Hidden Cloud Village also mastered space-time ninjutsu, a technique called Heavenly Transfer, which allowed items to be transported anywhere. However, regular ninjas couldn't withstand the damage caused to the body during the teleportation. Only a body as strong as the Raikage's could endure it. But just now, Mabui had seen civilians, who weren't even ninjas, being teleported.
"It wasn't just us. Villagers from the Cloud, merchants, and even samurai escorting caravans from nearby cities were all brought here."
"And also ninjas from other villages."
Samui clung to the eaves with agility and climbed up to a higher vantage point, trying to get a better view of the situation.
Mabui rubbed her eyebrows, worried. "Check if there are other ninjas nearby."
...
"I am Sarutobi Asuma, a Jonin of Konoha."
"This mission has been assigned to me and is an S-level mission. All ninjas present, regardless of rank, must prioritize gathering intelligence."
Sarutobi Asuma spoke seriously to the group of Konoha ninjas gathered before him.
Hyuuga Neji nodded. "Understood."
He had graduated two years ago, and as a disciple of Maito Guy, he was already familiar with Sarutobi Asuma.
Kabuto Yakushi bowed his head respectfully. "Yes."
Although he was there to gather information, his true goal was to assist Orochimaru. The promise of immortality mentioned by the mysterious man intrigued him the most. Even if the information gathered was trivial, Orochimaru would reward him.
"Great!"
Naruto Uzumaki, excited about the high-level mission, exclaimed, "I, Naruto Uzumaki, will complete this mission for sure!"
Asuma shot Naruto a firm look and said, "Stick with me and act alongside me."
Despite the mysterious man's claim that death in the game would mean a return to reality, no one was willing to take the risk, especially with the Nine-Tails' Jinchuuriki involved.
...
After a quick survey of the remaining players, Shiro reported, "The three hundred people who left the game were all civilians. The two hundred who stayed include nobles, guards, caravans, and mercenaries."
Sora nodded. "Though the game revolves around the Hidden Villages, it's impossible for all players to be ninjas. There are many ordinary people among them."
Indeed, the Hidden Villages had a majority civilian population. During the great ninja wars, the ninja coalitions had only numbered in the tens of thousands, while the permanent armies of the great villages were relatively small.
At this moment, most of the players who decided to stay in the game were already in the contaminated area, facing corrupted creatures.
The players under Sarutobi Asuma's command were a diverse mix. In addition to the two Chuunin from the Logistics Department, there was Hyuuga Neji, a member of the renowned Byakugan family, Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki, and Yakushi Kabuto, a disguised spy.
"What massive buildings!"
Naruto exclaimed, impressed.
They had arrived at the contaminated area of the Dead Souls Mountains, a region dominated by the ghost mage Sarina. The place was filled with ruined cities, massive marble castles, crumbling churches, wide avenues, animal sculptures, and towering stone walls.
"Have we come to another world?"
Even Asuma, who was rarely shaken, reached out to touch the ruins of an ancient religious structure.
Suddenly, a dark gray shadow emerged from an opening in the building.
It was a degenerate soul, a life that had been killed by Sarina and transformed into a ghost servant.
"Enemy in sight!" shouted Hyuuga Neji, alerting the group. Though the game had removed the Byakugan's abilities, his reflexes and experience allowed him to be the first to spot the threat.
Asuma drew a short, rough sword, an item he had found in the player's starter kit.
Even without special attributes, he knew it was better than fighting barehanded.
Sora, observing everything through a light screen, smiled as he explained, "These weapons are just a starting incentive. The more players invest in improving their skills and equipment, the faster they can deal with threats."
After defeating the ghost, a faint essence of corruption was released, fusing with Neji, who had delivered the final blow.
"The source of corruption is a pure and special form of energy," said Shiro. "When a corrupted being is destroyed, its essence goes to whoever defeated it. However, we can extract a small portion of that essence for ourselves."
Sora smiled upon hearing this. "The players worked hard to defeat the corrupted creatures, but we still manage to obtain a part of their gains."
Shiro, concerned, added, "The only issue is the cost. The rewards we offer are expensive, and the players may struggle to keep up."
"You don't understand the players," said Sora confidently. "What I want is for them to feel the difficulty. They will fight harder if they believe something is rare and valuable. And when they realize the benefits, they'll invest even more in the game, and we will reap the rewards."
(End of Chapter)