The Game Merchant Who Started from the Ninja World

Chapter 25: New Player Sasuke

Elsewhere.

Naka Shrine—once used by the Uchiha clan for worship and clan meetings during major events—

had fallen into disrepair. The buildings were crumbling, overrun by unchecked weeds.

Swish, swish, swish.

Several shuriken traced elegant arcs through the air, colliding mid-flight, curving around a massive boulder, and striking different bullseyes with perfect precision.

A flawless score.

Sasuke's body was covered in bruises and cuts from training. He was panting heavily, yet his expression was grim.

Chakra surged into his eyes.

Those blood-red irises—two tomoe slowly revolving—looked especially ominous.

"How... even the Sharingan couldn't defeat that guy?"

Sasuke had been training nonstop until he collapsed, exhausted, onto the ground.

His muscles trembled violently. Pushing further would only cause damage.

Was this his limit?

Not long ago, Sasuke had noticed something strange about Naruto. He had challenged him to a sparring match in the forest training grounds.

The result was a crushing defeat.

In every way—battle instincts, physical ability—Sasuke was completely overpowered.

Even awakening his Sharingan during the fight hadn't helped.

"And those strange jutsu…"

Sasuke recalled the fight.

The way Naruto had fought had nothing in common with traditional ninja styles.

Not even the Sharingan could replicate it.

If he had lost to an older, more experienced ninja, Sasuke wouldn't have cared. But watching someone his age—a loser at that—transform in such a short time into someone with jōnin-level strength… that was a blow he couldn't accept.

"If this continues… how will I ever kill that man!"

Sasuke slammed his fists against the ground, smashing them into the stone floor until they bled.

He even considered asking the Hokage to let him take on an S-rank mission.

But reason stopped him.

Since graduating from the Academy and taking on missions, he had gained a clearer picture of the village's political climate.

As the last Uchiha, Sasuke was well aware of his sensitive status. If he ran to the Hokage now, he would only be humiliating himself.

Was there really no other way?

He was drowning in despair. The pain in his chest made it hard to breathe. He opened his mouth wide in a silent scream.

Then, suddenly, a voice echoed in his ears.

[Congratulations, you have been chosen by the mysterious game merchant. You are now qualified to become a player in the Reincarnation Game.]

[You will soon be teleported to the game tower for the novice trial. Do you accept?]

What was that voice?

Sasuke scrambled to his feet. His ninja instincts kicked in as he scanned the surroundings.

Even with his chakra depleted, he activated his Sharingan—just in case it was a genjutsu.

Sasuke took immense pride in the power of his bloodline.

The Sharingan's unique abilities could see through illusions, hypnotize, observe, and even copy.

"If you think you can trick these eyes with some illusion, then you're..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

Because it wasn't just a voice.

A black text box had appeared in front of him. Its contents were crystal clear, and even the Sharingan couldn't find any flaws in it.

It just floated there silently, waiting for his choice.

Sasuke was stunned. For his Sharingan to be unable to break the illusion—this could only mean that whoever created it was vastly superior to him and well-versed in genjutsu.

Who would target him within the village?

"Huh…?"

He noticed the box had expandable text. When he tapped it, more words unfolded.

[Players of the Reincarnation Game will gain a chance to change their fate and realize their desires. Whether it's resurrecting the dead, amassing wealth rivaling nations, acquiring power to dominate the Shinobi World, or achieving immortality—these are all prizes of the game.]

"Power to dominate the Shinobi World?"

Sasuke's breath hitched.

He suddenly remembered Naruto's smug face during their last confrontation—

and the few things he had let slip during the fight.

He had mentioned a "game"…

Sasuke's eyes widened. Could this strange black text be the reason Naruto had grown so powerful?

A game that could change one's fate?

His heart pounded. He licked his dry lips and hesitantly reached out to press the "Accept" button.

Whoever was behind this, they were strong enough to enter the village unnoticed.

If they could truly give him the power to take revenge, even if it was a trap, he didn't care.

As long as he could kill Uchiha Itachi.

…

When Sasuke opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a vast plaza.

Around him, people were slowly getting to their feet, just as confused as he was.

There were hundreds of them.

"Where is this?"

"I'm a noble from the Land of Wind! You dare kidnap me? If I'm harmed even slightly, you'll pay dearly!"

"Land of Wind? I was in the middle of a mission in Snow Shinobi Village…"

Confusion turned quickly to chaos and fear.

Sasuke silently observed the others.

"That's the Iwagakure symbol… judging by the outfit, he's a chūnin. And that guy over there… looks like a civilian, definitely not from the Land of Fire."

Among the crowd were well-equipped ninja from every village, impoverished civilians, and haughty nobles trembling with fear.

He had expected some dark, secret plot. But he hadn't imagined that civilians were players too.

"To win this strange game's prize… I'll probably have to beat most of these people."

Sasuke only cared about gaining power.

"You worthless nobodies from some backwater village think you can speak to us?"

An Iwagakure chūnin sneered at the nervous shinobi from Snow Village.

Though all were chūnin,

ninjas from the Five Great Villages had far more resources, secret arts, and jutsu than those from smaller villages.

Some small villages didn't even have as many jutsu as a single Konoha clan.

In ninja battles, jutsu were everything.

The gap was so wide, the Snow Village ninjas didn't dare respond.

The situation escalated quickly.

Then the shinobi realized that their chakra and jutsu were gone.

That's when the fighting started.

Two Snow Village ninjas attacked, beating the smug Iwagakure chūnin to the ground.

Tensions ran so high that even a minor collision could cause a riot.

Just then—

From the center of the strange space, massive beams of energy began to gather.

A colossal figure gradually took form, radiating terrifying power.

"That energy… even the Tsuchikage's strongest jutsu couldn't match this."

Under that overwhelming presence, all fighting stopped.

The Iwagakure chūnin managed to crawl away, and when he looked up and saw the figure, he froze.

That aura… even his most revered leader, Ōnoki, couldn't compare.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Novice Trial Field of the Reincarnation Game."

Floating in the center of the plaza, Fang Yi smiled at the crowd of newly summoned players.

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