The Game Merchant Who Started from the Ninja World

Chapter 24: The High-Level Dispute

Kabuto stood like a venomous snake hidden in the night.

Asuma was like a blazing inferno—so hot that even the raindrops evaporated the moment they touched him.

But clearly, the injured flame was dying. His life force was fading.

Pop.

Asuma tilted his head back and downed a healing potion.

The wound on his side began to close at a visible rate. His cells rapidly metabolized, steam rising from his body in wisps.

"Captain, you really don't hold back. Healing potions aren't expensive, but making them usable in the real world costs extra certification points."

Kabuto still wore his ever-present smile, but his eyes had grown serious.

He couldn't let Asuma recover.

Crescent Slash.

Kabuto's figure vanished. A flash of silver arced through the rain, a moonblade that tore toward the burning man.

Even the rain itself was parted by the blade's glow.

This was Kabuto's trump card—a blue-tier skill he'd luckily obtained while hunting Wraith Soldiers.

He had never shown it to anyone before.

Ash Combustion.

Asuma exhaled a cloud of ash. A single spark set the area ablaze.

A B-rank ninjutsu meant to counter the incoming Crescent Slash.

But—

The flame technique was sliced through like paper, completely ineffective against the moonblade.

Bang!

Crescent Slash collided with Asuma's dual flame blades, producing a deep rumble.

A shockwave of fire and moonlight exploded outward.

Kabuto was blown back, slamming into the railings by the roadside before scrambling to his feet, his body charred and scorched.

Asuma wasn't unscathed either. His chakra ring-blades were snapped, and a long wound split across half his torso.

A draw.

But Kabuto's wounds began healing rapidly—like he'd just drunk a potion.

Yin Healing Technique.

A high-difficulty medical ninjutsu that consumed a large amount of chakra in exchange for instant healing.

"Captain, give up already."

Kabuto coughed up blood and smiled. "In ninja battles, intelligence comes first. I know everything about you, but you didn't even know my true strength. How could you possibly win?"

I walked into his trap…

Asuma leaned against a lamppost, bleeding from the mouth.

He'd hesitated for just a moment—

Why had a stealth-focused assassin like Kabuto used a head-on technique like Crescent Slash?

He'd hoped to use Ash Combustion to mask a counterattack but had underestimated the moonblade's power.

A blue-tier skill…

He'd thought that even if he took damage, fighting on home turf meant backup would arrive. But he never expected Kabuto to be a medical ninja.

Combat-capable medics were rare. One who could also use a fast-healing ninjutsu? Practically unheard of.

The unremarkable Kabuto before him was, without a doubt, a genius.

Asuma forced a bitter smile. "Kabuto… a stray adopted by the orphanage, raised in the village since childhood. How did the village miss such a talent?"

"Thank Lord Danzo. Without him, I'd never have met Lord Sasori."

"Danzo?"

Asuma's eyes narrowed with fury.

From that one statement and the scattered clues, he pieced it together—

Kabuto was likely a former member of Root.

And Danzo had kept it hidden, even from Hokage files.

Kabuto looked down on Asuma, still smiling. "You die, or you hand over the Wraith Banner."

Just as Asuma was about to respond, Kabuto added softly:

"If you die, with the current attitude of the village leadership, the Konoha player squad will probably be disbanded immediately."

That hit Asuma hard.

The more he saw the Reincarnation Game's potential, the more furious he was with Konoha's inaction.

But he couldn't let the village miss out on this chance for change.

Kabuto was fully prepared.

Asuma couldn't even go for a mutual kill. He had no choice but to pull out the Wraith Banner and throw it far away.

Hoping to draw Kabuto's attention.

"You still don't trust me, Captain? I said I wouldn't kill you—and I never go back on my word."

Kabuto darted forward, retrieved the banner, and with a smile, fled without another word.

"Huff..."

Asuma sat gasping for breath. After a moment, he forced himself up and staggered past the genjutsu barrier Kabuto had laid down.

Soon, ANBU arrived.

"Kabuto has defected. He stole a purple-tier item worth a billion. Report to the Hokage immediately—dispatch a pursuit squad!"

"Someone defected?!"

The ANBU initially wanted to check Asuma's injuries, but upon hearing the word "defection," they bolted to report to the Hokage.

In peacetime, betrayal was a grave offense.

Inside the Hokage's office,

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked grim. He hadn't expected something like this to happen.

His face darkened further as he turned to Danzo. "Why did you hide Kabuto's Root affiliation?"

Danzo's eyes flickered, then he spoke stiffly. "Root shinobi are still village shinobi. They're absolutely loyal. There was no need to report it. His Root background had nothing to do with the Reincarnation Game."

"Because you kept it secret, the village suffered massive losses!"

Hiruzen clutched his temples. He had been hesitant about the Reincarnation Game, but losing an item worth a billion was outrageous.

It wasn't just economic loss. It was a blow to Konoha's pride.

"The loss wasn't my fault—it's because of your son!"

Danzo fired back. "If you hadn't let Asuma dump so much of the village's funds into that strange game, this wouldn't have happened."

"Danzo!"

"Hiruzen!"

Their glares locked, neither willing to back down.

Hiruzen's face hardened. "Asuma's reports made the situation clear. The game involves multiple villages and a mysterious developer. Don't play games behind the scenes."

Danzo's expression soured. "Hiruzen, you don't love Konoha more than I do. Everything I've done has been for the village."

Hiruzen said nothing for a long while. Then suddenly—

"Danzo, I've decided to increase funding for Reincarnation Game operations."

In just half a month, the game's scale had grown too large for even the Hokage to ignore.

He was starting to agree with his son.

Especially after seeing the transformation in Hyūga Neji and Uzumaki Naruto—

their strength had skyrocketed in just two weeks.

Danzo's eye widened. He slammed his cane into the floor and shouted, "Hiruzen, are you serious?!"

"After years of peace, the Daimyō has been cutting our budget with every excuse. And now you want to pour money into a game? Have you lost your mind?!"

"Kirigakure and Kumogakure have already acted. If Konoha stays frozen, we'll be left behind."

"They're just losers. What's there to fear?"

"This decision is final—myself and the two advisors have agreed. Danzo, you have no authority to veto it."

Seeing his old comrade pull rank, Danzo was furious, but powerless.

"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"

"Danzo—I am the Hokage."

BANG!

The office door slammed shut.

The argument was over.

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