Chapter 417: Aizen's Ambition
"Sis Kikyo! Sis Erza! We're the champions!"
Anya clenched her fists, eyes sparkling like stars as she bounced up and down with excitement.
Erza lifted Anya into her arms and laughed heartily,
"It's all thanks to your mind-reading, Anya. Kikyo and I were able to find the Corpse Flood Dragon's weak points."
Though truth be told,
Anya had spent the entire battle shivering in fear inside Kikyo's spiritual barrier—
but she had still made a critical contribution.
The underground royal palace map was extremely dangerous.
Not only did it house the Corpse Flood Dragon, but also the zombified imperial royals from generations past and the corpse-handlers who served them.
"I'm still too weak… I made you two worry…"
Anya lowered her head bashfully.
Only because Kikyo and Erza were both Tier 2 players and bore no ill intent was her mind-reading effective.
When she tried to sense the Tier 2 boss Corpse Flood Dragon, the sheer intensity of its spirit nearly fried her brain.
Thankfully, Kikyo noticed and quickly shielded her with a barrier.
And it wasn't just the boss—
even players hunting the dragon were terrifying.
For example, the stone-faced Akainu, bearing a Rose Crest, nearly punched her to death when he sensed her peeking—
if not for Erza and Kikyo's intimidating presence.
"I want to buy a [Witch's Elixir] to boost my spirit stat. I don't want to be a burden to you anymore!"
Rewards from the dragon hunt had been evenly split.
Though Anya had done the least, her ability to reveal the dragon's weak points had earned her 100,000 contribution points.
Her success was largely thanks to the [Corpse Handlers],
former imperial guards who had mutated from absorbing too much dark energy.
They were weak enough for her to mind-read,
and since they had served the Corpse Flood Dragon, they knew its secrets.
Kikyo, in her red-and-white shrine maiden attire, asked curiously,
"Anya, do you want to become a witch?"
"Can I?"
Anya looked up at Kikyo, eyes sparkling with hope.
Just moments earlier, Kikyo had looked like a goddess descending from the heavens—
elegant and divine.
To a child like Anya, she was irresistible.
Kikyo stroked her pink hair and said gently,
"Of course you can. Witches are born with spiritual power,
but in the Reincarnation Game, anything is possible."
She had originally wanted to explain that being a witch meant protecting humanity—
sacrificing your life if necessary.
But then she remembered—
that burden only existed because of the monster-plagued nation of Musashi.
In other worlds, people lived peacefully without elevating spiritually gifted children to divine status.
For Anya, becoming a witch was simply a grand adventure.
How wonderful... these other worlds.
Erza tightened her fist and rubbed Anya's head.
"You dummy, Anya! Don't you want to learn Requip Magic from me?"
"U-Um… Erza-sis, your magic armor is too heavy… I'm still just a little girl… I can't carry it…"
Tears welled in her eyes as she pouted, trying to lie.
Truthfully—she just didn't want to train that hard.
Erza had once said she swung her sword 5,000 times a day.
That alone made Anya shrink back in terror.
"Hmph! Lazy little brat. I'm ignoring you!"
"Erza-sis…!"
Anya whined and cuddled up to her until Erza forgave her.
To little Anya, these two beautiful older sisters were like sunlight in her life—
just like Twilight and Yor were to her before.
"By the way, what should we do with this Corpse Flood Dragon core?"
Their shared team inventory still held one drop: the dragon's core.
It was a golden-grade item, infused with a trace of draconic energy—
one step away from evolving into a true Corpse Dragon.
"Hold onto it. It'll be useful later," said Kikyo.
Erza nodded in agreement.
Even young Anya understood:
Kikyo's unspoken meaning was that their little squad wasn't going to disband anytime soon.
They would keep adventuring together.
"You're the best, sisters! Waaaah I'm gonna cry!"
…
"Damn it!"
"Who the hell is this Anya Squad?! A marksman and a magic knight—how did they kill the Corpse Dragon?!"
In the Hokage Tower's meeting room—
Shimura Danzo, cloaked in monkey skin, sat with a stormy expression.
Even indoors, he refused to remove his Kage hat, seething with fury.
"Asuma, can you explain this?"
For this Corpse Dragon hunt,
Konoha had gone all in.
They'd lost many elite players just to earn five [Underground Palace] entry passes.
In the end, their hunter team had been composed of Tsunade, Naruto, and Sasuke from the Mobile Corps.
Danzo hadn't wanted them to go—
but even he couldn't deny their power.
"Anya Squad is likely composed of new players from a high-tier world.
They already possessed formidable strength.
Our team was simply outclassed."
Asuma's eyes flicked subtly toward Aizen.
Most players now understood world-tier differences.
Compared to other universes, the ninja and pirate worlds were not that impressive.
He suspected Aizen was a being from a high-tier world—
someone who'd snuck into the Shinobi Realm during the Evil God's invasion.
"There's no point assigning blame now."
Shikaku Nara spoke calmly,
"Our focus should be recovery.
Half of Konoha's elite players are gone,
and we still need to defend the border with the Land of Hot Springs against Kirigakure's attacks."
Danzo had gone back on his word, triggering war with the Hidden Mist.
The frontlines were strained.
Even the strongest Hidden Village couldn't endure endless conflict.
"The Hokage doesn't blame anyone," Aizen finally said,
wearing a gentle expression.
"When comrades die, even I feel grief.
How could the Kage not feel the same?"
He continued,
"But like fallen leaves carried by the wind, nourishing the earth—
those lost heroes have become the rain that nourishes the Leaf."
"Two Game Village Vouchers… are the blessings they left behind."
With Danzo's Shadow Organization rising in power, clan resistance was inevitable.
Asuma's Mobile Corps still operated on the fringes, for now out of the power struggle.
Danzo's dominance in the village was an illusion.
He had already alienated the clans and the Mobile Corps.
And as for the civilian ninja?
They may appear loyal to the Hokage…
but one order from Aizen, and they'd sever Danzo's head without hesitation.
Aizen wore a look of sorrow—
but inside, he was calm as ever.
"Yes, two village vouchers should ensure we hold a place in the new season."
Though they didn't yet understand the full scope of the next season,
Danzo quickly seized the opportunity to spin it in his favor.
The meeting ended quickly.
Danzo remained in the Hokage Tower, unwilling to leave.
The villagers found it strange.
Ever since the Evil God incident, the Hokage had changed.
He even wore his hat indoors—rain or shine—like a ghost clutching a steamed bun.
"Thank you, Lord Aizen."
"No need to thank me."
The director of the Konoha Daily hadn't expected Aizen to agree to their Smile of the Sun photo shoot plan.
Watching his graceful figure walk away, he sighed.
"If it were up to me, I'd support Lord Aizen as the next Hokage!"
Aizen strolled to the corner BBQ shop,
looked up at the Akimichi clan crest, and smiled as he knocked.
"Sorry, we're closed."
"I'm Sosuke Aizen."
Creak…
The wooden door cracked open.
Inside, the dim room was filled with familiar faces.
The heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, the Hyuga patriarch, and leaders of smaller clans like Aoba's.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Aizen."
"My apologies."
Aizen smiled and quickly took a seat.
This was a conspiracy—
a plot to overthrow the current Hokage.
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