Chapter 62: The Stall
"It's actually a piece of accessory equipment?"
Sasuke's face lit up with excitement as he looked at the dropped purple-tier item.
A bracelet with a bronze sheen emitted a faint glow, surging with dense waves of spiritual energy.
[Sarina's Bracelet (Right)].
An accessory that greatly boosts the wearer's resistance to mental attacks.
When the right and left bracelets are paired with the matching necklace, the set grants over 100 points of mental resistance. Add two rings to complete the five-piece set, and it creates a mental barrier capable of blocking a single mental attack of up to 300 points in strength.
Hell-level dungeons—
Besides the silver materials needed for activating family tokens, these gear pieces and skill items were also extremely valuable.
The five-piece Sarina accessory set, the Skeleton Guard Summon skill, and silver-quality experience capsules...
As long as one dropped, players would fight over it like madmen.
Sasuke suppressed his excitement and said, "I want this bracelet."
According to standard procedure, all loot from the Konoha team had to be distributed by the captain based on contribution.
Sasuke's move had clearly crossed the line.
But there was no helping it. This piece of mental resistance gear was far too important to him.
The man he wanted to kill had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—a powerful genjutsu capable of plunging others into nightmares.
Sasuke had suffered that torment on the night of the Uchiha massacre.
Even with his current Jonin-level strength, if he couldn't guard against the Mangekyō, defeating Uchiha Itachi would remain a pipe dream.
So, the Sarina accessory set was a must-have for Sasuke.
"If no one objects..." Asuma looked around at the others. As long as it wasn't a silver-grade heart required by the village, he didn't really care about the ownership of a purple-tier item.
Before anyone could respond, Sasuke had already transferred 4,000 reward points to his teammates as compensation.
"Then give it to Sasuke," someone said.
No one had any objections.
Except Neji, who didn't accept the reward points. Instead, he helped himself to another dropped item without asking.
Sarina's Special Powder.
A stealth-type item that completely concealed the user's presence—even high-purity Byakugan couldn't detect any trace.
Duration: eight minutes.
However, once combat began, the stealth effect would instantly vanish.
"If the truth about killing the Main Branch gets out, eight minutes would be enough to flee the Hyuga compound—but not enough to escape Konoha unscathed."
That was what Hyuga Neji was thinking.
He needed to collect more of the powder—and do so without drawing attention from the team.
[Dungeon Cleared]
As the black text appeared, everyone was transported out of the Hell-level dungeon.
Around the valley, countless stalls had popped up.
"Buying Mage Souls! Must be purple-grade from Warrior-tier instances!"
"Come take a look! Fresh accessory drops just in!"
Sasuke heard the stall owner shouting and quickly walked over, but after checking the accessory's stats, his face fell.
Though it was labeled [Sarina's Bracelet (Left)], it was only green in quality.
Obviously a drop from a normal or adventure-tier dungeon.
"Only same-quality items can form a complete set. The game merchant sure is strict!"
A player muttered sarcastically, his face dark with frustration.
His words triggered a wave of agreement from nearby players, their voices filled with disappointment and complaint.
"Just clearing the Death Soul Camp is insanely difficult. The accessory set drop rate is abysmal. Now they even restrict set bonuses to only matching-quality gear?"
"I've spent over 4,000 reward points just on tickets. I poured all my gains from the past few days into the Death Soul Camp—and got nothing to show for it."
"Be glad! Just the massive experience from clearing it is worth the run. I'm almost at max level now!"
Others, meanwhile, had noticed the wooden stumps that had sprouted up like natural counters.
Each stump had a transparent bubble on top.
"Check it out! The game merchant launched automated shelves. You can list your gear for sale by storing it on a stump."
"Fifty reward points an hour? Who's dumb enough to rent that?"
"Not renting is dumb. If you don't rent a stump, you're stuck shouting behind the dungeon gate. That wastes leveling time. The losses far exceed fifty points."
With the appearance of the stump stalls, players quickly rented them all out.
Sasuke also rented a stump stall.
He tossed all the materials and gear he didn't need into the stall, set prices, then started browsing other players' stalls.
Most were low-quality sets. Very few were purple-tier.
"Sasuke-kun."
A voice suddenly called out to him as he strolled past the stalls.
Sasuke looked up instantly, alert.
The man in front of him wore glasses, his entire figure wrapped in a dark cloak. His hair was snow-white.
Kabuto Yakushi.
Though they had never interacted, Kabuto had already been declared a rogue ninja by the village and a wanted notice had been issued.
"No need to be so tense, Sasuke-kun."
Kabuto smiled as he pulled out three pieces of purple-tier accessories from his pocket. "I believe you've been looking for these?"
These purple accessories were originally crafted by Lord Orochimaru to patch his soul-damage flaws.
Now, they were being used as part of the [Konoha Collapse Plan].
Sasuke's face remained calm, but inside, his heart pounded.
Right now, not many player teams could clear Hell-level dungeons. The ones that could were elite squads backed by the various ninja villages, flush with resources. When they got purple accessories, they rarely sold them.
Even when they did, it was usually just a single piece.
Seeing a nearly complete set of purple accessories was extremely rare.
But the rarer it was, the more cautious Sasuke became. He kept his expression neutral and asked, "You want to sell these to me?"
Contact with a rogue ninja—even in the Reincarnation Game—was extremely dangerous.
If the village found out, he could be forcibly summoned by the Interrogation Division.
"That's right, Sasuke-kun."
Kabuto nodded with a smile. "20,000 reward points. The whole set is yours. After all, we're not enemies."
A very low price.
A typical purple-tier item could go for 7,000 to 8,000 points.
But high-level accessories like the Level 15 purple set easily outstripped that price, nearing the value of top-tier items like [Soul Banner] or [Bloodshatter Greatsword], which were known for their powerful stats and first-kill exclusivity.
Especially when sold as a three-piece set, the price should've been much higher—yet he was only asking for 20,000.
What's his angle?
Sasuke thought silently, but said aloud, "You're a rogue ninja. I'm from Konoha. Of course we're enemies."
"Sasuke-kun, you're so naïve."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Do you really believe Uchiha Itachi wiped out the entire Uchiha Clan on his own?"
Kabuto's words were a thunderclap.
Though Orochimaru had defected, he had kept in touch with the Anbu's dark side. With his access to genetic experiments, Sharingan samples, and Wood Release cells, the truth behind the Uchiha massacre couldn't be hidden from him.
His current approach to the last Uchiha survivor wasn't random—it was the planting of a nail deep within Konoha.
Sasuke furrowed his brows, suppressing his turbulent emotions. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
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