Tsunade: "He's obviously only eight, so why does this Kagerō feel so… so mature?"
Orochimaru: "It's not just maturity, Tsunade. He also possesses a completely different way of thinking—something people in this world simply do not have."
Jiraiya: "I think I'm starting to envy my counterpart in the other world. Staying by that boy's side feels incredibly fulfilling. Yes… fulfilling."
Yamanaka Ino: "He seems to know even more than the teachers at the Ninja Academy!"
Neji: "Agreed +1."
Shikamaru: "Agreed +1."
Hinata Hyūga: "…+1."
His youthful face, his still undeveloped body, and his mature thoughts and words formed a powerful contrast.
And his talent in ninjutsu seemed almost like a mere ornament compared to the rest of him.
Compared to sheer martial strength, the power of his ideas now felt like an era-defining kind of domination.
It left everyone shaken.
["But resources are fixed. How can you ensure people won't fight over them?" Jiraiya asked.]
["That is exactly the key focus of our investigation—to see whether the system of this world is sound and reasonable, and whether resources are distributed properly."]
["If it truly is rotten, then peace will remain forever out of reach. That's why revolution is necessary."]
[Kagerō pulled a map from his robes, marked with the entire Land of Fire.]
[Villages, Konoha, the daimyō's capital, mountains, and rivers were all drawn on it. Next, they had to decide where to go first.]
At that moment, the giant screen froze, and the majestic voice rang out once again.
[Reward Quiz Begins.]
[Question: Where will Kagerō and Jiraiya choose as the first stop of their investigation?]
[1: The daimyō's capital]
[2: Konoha]
[3: An ordinary village]
[4: A remote border town]
The reward quiz opened again.
This time, everyone in the chatroom grew excited.
Because the rewards from the previous quiz had already been distributed.
And all of them had come true.
Kakashi had been revived. Hidan had crawled out of his pit. Orochimaru had escaped the sealing of the Totsuka Blade.
Scene after scene—
No one could quite believe it, and yet it was all real.
And with a great enemy like Nagato still before them, no one would give up any chance to increase their strength.
Tsunade: "This time, I have to get the answer right and beat the hell out of this Pain!"
Naruto: "I'm going to revive Jiraiya."
Sasuke: "I'm going to revive Uchiha Itachi."
Uchiha Madara: "I'm going to revive myself!"
Uchiha Obito: "I'm going to revive Rin!!!"
Everyone had their own motives.
Aside from Obito, who kept repeating it silently in his heart, the others made no attempt to hide theirs.
Whether it was a wish for resurrection or a desire for power—
Everyone stared intently at the question, holding their breath.
[Since some participants used the chatroom last time to coordinate different members answering separately, the chatroom will be temporarily closed during each quiz from now on.]
[The quiz begins in ten seconds!]
[10!]
[9!]
[…]
Hearing that, Mei Terumī gave a bitter smile.
"I did try to arrange things, but I still didn't get a reward. Why am I the one being targeted? This is so unfair…"
The others exchanged glances.
There were no loopholes anymore.
The tension immediately rose.
As the majestic countdown continued, everyone began to think hard about the answer.
Tsunade: "I remember they said before they wanted to see the prosperous parts of the Land of Fire. So would that mean the daimyō's capital?"
"No, no… Konoha should be the most important place to visit. The village is no less developed than the capital."
"Shikaku, figure out the correct answer for me!!!"
"This might be our last chance."
The chatroom might have been temporarily shut down, but right now all of Konoha's people were gathered in one place.
That was a natural advantage.
If they couldn't cheat through the chatroom—
They could just cheat in real life.
But Tsunade felt certain that by the next quiz, the viewing screen would eliminate even that advantage.
So this was their last opportunity.
After this, they would have nothing left.
Nara Shikaku: "Don't worry, Lady Hokage. This time, I'll definitely find the correct answer."
The Fourth Raikage roared at his desk.
"This is infuriating! Who knows where they'd go first? Any of them seem possible! Is anyone there? Help me think!"
"Mabui, where are you?!"
At the same time, Ōnoki was in his council hall, shouting anxiously at everyone around him.
"Think of the answer! Does anyone have one? Akatsuchi, Kitsuchi, Kurotsuchi? Say something!"
"Uh, Father, I'm fine with ninjutsu, but quizzes make my head hurt," Kitsuchi muttered gloomily.
"Why not just guess randomly, old man?" Kurotsuchi said helplessly, pouting.
Ōnoki was about to go mad.
Why were all the shinobi in his village nothing but muscle and no brains?!
Uchiha Madara: "Even though there are only four options this time, every one of them seems possible. I want to be revived. I'm sick of staying in this Pure Land."
Nagato: "The Akatsuki doesn't have the advantage in numbers. We can only choose the answer we think is most likely, and we must be accurate. This viewing system is very unfavorable to us."
Konan: "Don't worry, Nagato. You are the savior of this world. The answer you choose will definitely be the right one."
As the seconds ticked away—
Everyone grew more and more anxious.
All of them frowned, racking their brains.
Neji: "These four places are all completely different. Earlier, I remember Kagerō said that the investigation had already begun the moment he stepped into the Land of Fire."
"So the first stop he chooses… must be something different from the usual way of thinking. It has to be."
Nara Shikaku: "This question is truly troublesome. But with a great enemy right in front of us, we have to find the correct answer."
"By the next quiz, even this loophole probably won't exist anymore."
"The biggest issue with this question is its randomness. Is there really no clue at all?"
No… that's not right.
Suddenly—
His tightly shut eyes snapped open!