Chapter 74: Arrival at Konoha
Mei Terumi's eyes widened in shock. "What did you just say?"
She nearly blurted out a curse, but stopped herself at the last moment to maintain her elegant image.
Kirigakure had nearly sold her, the Mizukage herself, to the game merchant just to obtain a family token. And now someone had actually gotten one as a drop from a Hell-level dungeon?
"A defective version?"
"That's right. Compared to the tokens sold at the auction, this one requires twenty silver-grade heart materials to activate."
Mei rubbed her throbbing temples in silence.
Her long bangs, which usually covered half her face, were brushed back, revealing a delicate and beautiful face—currently full of worry.
Fortunately,
the activation requirement for the defective token was twice that of a normal one, making it extraordinarily difficult to unlock.
Mei took a deep breath to calm herself and asked, "Who got the token? Can we buy it?"
If they could purchase it, that would still be a good outcome.
Ideally, it would've dropped for a solo player. But if it landed in the hands of an organized faction, they'd never let it go.
"It was Asuma."
Chojuro kept his head lowered as he replied.
"Then don't bother contacting him. How many materials are we still short?"
Mei sighed. She had interacted with that Konoha team leader before—his investment in the Reincarnation Game rivaled anyone's. He would never pass up the chance to create a family clan.
Chojuro said, "We're two silver materials short of activating our family token and founding a clan."
Mei narrowed her eyes. "Give the raid team five more days. If they still can't get the materials, then pay the game merchant whatever it takes to buy them."
If they couldn't establish their family immediately, the token they had purchased at the auction would lose its advantage.
Damn game merchant.
He was clearly manipulating things, pressuring those who bought family tokens into rushing to establish their clans.
But they couldn't fight back. They had already invested so much. Quitting now or falling behind would result in massive losses.
Elsewhere—
Fang Yi's carriage had arrived outside the gates of Konoha Village.
The gates stood wide open. Two bright-eyed shinobi sat at the registration post, awaiting outsiders.
"Thanks to the Chunin Exams, tons of generous nobles are coming through."
"Yeah, that one noble even tipped you earlier. Treat me to some barbecue after shift, Kotetsu."
Izumo Kamizuki tilted his head, brushing aside the hair covering half his face.
He glared enviously at his partner, who had a bandage across his nose. He was clearly better-looking—so why was Kotetsu getting all the tips?
Nobles really had terrible taste.
As they chatted idly,
they noticed a strange-looking carriage approaching slowly, stopping neatly by the roadside.
The horse pulling it was massive—more majestic than any they'd seen, even those from visiting daimyōs. Just looking at it screamed "expensive." No ordinary ninja on a mission could afford such a beast.
The horse even seemed to possess intelligence, stomping its hooves rhythmically.
Strangely, there was no coachman. Yet the horse was perfectly obedient, as if professionally trained.
Though the carriage lacked the fanfare of a daimyō entourage or a retinue of samurai, its understated luxury spoke volumes.
The two gatekeepers immediately straightened their backs.
Izumo Kamizuki greeted respectfully, "Honored guest, we'll need to register you before you can enter the village."
"Fang Yi. Noble of the Land of Fire. Game merchant."
Fang Yi pulled back the curtain and nodded politely.
If he so chose, most people wouldn't even be able to perceive Afu's presence.
To avoid this hassle, Afu had activated stealth mode. As a fragment of the world's consciousness, he could become intangible and cling to his master at any moment.
"Welcome, esteemed noble,"
Kotetsu quickly chimed in, "Konoha is the strongest village. Should you ever need assistance, we can handle any request. All our shinobi are at your service."
To them, nobles were walking treasure chests. Even a minor commission could bring a huge profit to the village.
Still, a noble who was also a merchant?
That puzzled Kotetsu. Normally, nobles left their businesses to samurai or agents. This one apparently ran things personally.
No wonder he was so approachable.
If only all nobles were like this.
While they received many generous tips lately, they'd also had to deal with plenty of snobbery. Most nobles were hard to talk to despite their lavish spending.
Fang Yi asked curiously, "Can I hire the Hokage?"
He wondered what would happen if he paid enough to commission Hiruzen Sarutobi to assassinate Pain.
Izumo looked conflicted. "In theory, yes. But since the Hokage is needed to defend the village from outside threats, he usually doesn't accept personal requests."
So much for thinking you were polite—now you ask the impossible?
"I was just curious. Don't worry about it."
Fang Yi smiled and casually pulled out two thumb-sized gold nuggets, placing them in the hands of the two gatekeepers.
The weight. The color.
Their eyes went wide. Straight-up gold. Even daimyōs didn't tip this generously. Who was this guy?
As Fang Yi's figure faded into the village, the two men exchanged a look, their faces filled with envy and disbelief.
Damn nobles.
Soon after, the next shift arrived.
A branch family Hyūga girl with her headband tied tight, and a painted-faced Inuzuka clan shinobi.
Kiba Inuzuka grinned. "Hey guys, the Hokage sent us to take over gate duty."
The Hyūga girl nodded and added, "Most of the nobles have already arrived. Now it's the shinobi from other villages. Sensor-type ninja like us will be working overtime."
When it came to foreign shinobi, things were always serious.
Even if peace was upheld on the surface, the system of the ninja world made true harmony impossible.
Normally, the Barrier Division would block outsiders.
But during the Chunin Exams, they had to allow entry—while ensuring no threats slipped through.
"Wait... who's that?"
Kiba sat down casually at the desk, noticing nothing unusual.
But the Hyūga girl's expression suddenly changed. As a member of Konoha's Squad Four in the Reincarnation Game, she instantly reacted upon seeing the registration log.
Fang Yi. Noble of the Land of Fire. Game merchant.
Kotetsu glanced at the page and explained, "Just a noble who entered the village. He had proper credentials. We didn't detect any chakra from him. Why, is something wrong?"
"Game merchant…"
The Hyūga girl's face turned serious. "Kiba, you and Kamizuki stay here. Kotetsu, come with me to the Hokage's office—immediately."
If this was all just a misunderstanding, fine.
But if it was real...
They had a serious problem.
A game merchant had entered Konoha!
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