Going Live

Seeing that the fallen ninja showed no further reaction, the entire conference hall fell silent.

Clearly, this example had been highly effective. After turning several ninja into vegetative patients, all the other high-ranking figures of the ninja world finally understood that Yota was not merely making empty threats.

They could not be certain whether Genjutsu Space truly possessed all the functions Yota had described, but it was certainly more than capable of deciding whether they lived or died!

"Listen carefully, everyone. I am only here to notify you of this. As for your reactions, they mean nothing to me."

"If you make the proper preparations, perhaps your ninja villages and clans can seize hold of this new era and continue to grow stronger. But if you remain stubborn and refuse to change, then do not blame me for failing to warn you when you are crushed beneath the wheels of the times."

"I will now issue you Akatsuki identification rings. If you do not want them, you may naturally throw them away. But let me make this clear: from now on, I will only notify Akatsuki members of any decisions and changes concerning Genjutsu Space. Likewise, only Akatsuki members may offer suggestions regarding its operation!"

After finishing, Yota snapped his fingers. Black rings marked with numbers appeared before everyone.

"All right, make your choice! Putting on the ring means becoming a member of Akatsuki. Setting it down means you are unwilling to join Akatsuki, and you will naturally be excluded from Genjutsu Space afterward."

"Furthermore, let me inform you all that the first round of public testing for Genjutsu Space will begin tonight. In other words, everyone in the world will enter this Genjutsu Space. Remember, this is a notification. I have not given anyone the right to refuse!"

The moment Yota finished speaking, most of those present looked as though they had swallowed dead flies.

Accepting it was not easy. Setting aside whether they could stomach the loss of face, simply putting the ring on their fingers might expose them to some kind of scheme.

There were countless ninjutsu in the world. Who knew what consequences wearing this ring might bring? Even if their real bodies were not inside Genjutsu Space, they still had to be cautious.

As for refusing, the consequences were even harder to predict. If what Yota said was true, then they would be rejecting the entire era itself—and would naturally be run over by the wheels of the times.

And if Yota was lying, had they not seen those ninja whose minds had collapsed? Did they really think someone who had staged such an elaborate performance would tolerate their refusal?

While everyone was still hesitating, Mei Terumī, the Mizukage, was the first to pick up a ring and slip it onto her ring finger. Smiling sweetly, she said, "In that case, I will be relying on Leader Yota’s care from now on."

By calling Yota Leader, she was clearly acknowledging herself as a member of Akatsuki.

As Mei Terumī put on the ring, the several ninja from Kirigakure did not hesitate either and immediately followed suit—after all, Kirigakure had long since become subordinate to Akatsuki.

The leaders of the other major ninja villages cursed under their breaths, inwardly calling them bootlickers, but they had no choice but to take the matter even more seriously.

Then Hiashi Hyuga glanced at his ancestor and silently put on a ring as well. That was his own family’s ancestor. Whether it was real or not, at least he had an excuse to go along with it.

What surprised everyone afterward was that Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the Fourth Raikage all put on their rings as well. Tsunade at least knew something about Yota, but the Fourth Raikage’s decision was difficult to understand.

In truth, it was simple. The Fourth Raikage had always appeared rough while being meticulous within. After weighing the situation, he naturally understood that putting on the ring was his only choice. Coupled with his decisive personality, once he made up his mind, he acted immediately.

Jiraiya then put on his ring as well, glanced at the Third Hokage, and said quietly, "Danzo isn’t here."

The Third Hokage froze for a moment, then immediately understood what Jiraiya meant. Clearly, in Yota’s eyes, becoming an Akatsuki member brought only benefits and no harm. That was why he had excluded Danzo, who did not get along with him.

Once the Third Hokage also put on his ring, the rest of the ninja gradually followed suit. Yota nodded. "It seems everyone has now joined Akatsuki. Let me explain the ring’s functions. As long as you are within the area covered by Genjutsu Space, whether you have entered it or not, you can use this ring to communicate telepathically. Likewise, if I have anything to tell you, I will notify you through the ring."

"Of course, this ring can only appear within Genjutsu Space. In reality, it is merely a marker."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yota waved his hand without giving anyone else a chance to ask questions. Other than Yota’s original subordinates, everyone else vanished from the conference room.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Jiraiya raised his head from the hot water. "What happened? Why am I…"

Then, as though remembering something, he recalled that before entering Genjutsu Space, he seemed to have been… perhaps… maybe… gathering material.

He looked around. Amid the hazy steam came countless female screams, while several female ninja who had swiftly donned bathrobes approached with dark expressions, wielding all manner of "weapons."

"Wait, this must be because of the genjutsu… Aah~~!"

Wave after wave of miserable screams rang out. Before long, Jiraiya fled with a bruised and swollen face, followed by a large group of disheveled women.

"Heh heh, I am the renowned Toad Sage. How could I possibly be caught so easily!"

Seeing that the crowd was nearly gone, Jiraiya poked his head timidly out from around a corner. At that very moment, however, a vast voice rang in his ears.

"Genjutsu Space’s first round of public testing has begun!"

Jiraiya felt as though his soul had suddenly been lifted upward. After a wave of dizziness, he found himself in a place filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers. Around him were Konoha villagers and ninja who had likewise been transported there.

A somewhat illusory dialogue box appeared before him, listing numerous options: personal training grounds, internal space time-flow adjustment, a complete ninjutsu compendium, long-distance telepathy, and various other functions.

At the bottom was an exit button, along with an explanation beneath it: after exiting, one only needed a thought to return to the genjutsu world.

Jiraiya looked over the functions and felt slightly surprised, but he discovered that nearly every function required Chakra as payment.

In other words, the more Chakra one had, the more functions one could enjoy. As for ordinary people, who had not refined Chakra and possessed only basic spiritual energy, they could remain in Genjutsu Space for merely a few hours each day.

Of course, during those few hours, they could browse through vast amounts of knowledge and undergo virtual training to refine Chakra. Once they found the right feeling, they could easily refine Chakra in the real world.

It could be said that even an ordinary person could ultimately cultivate to the level of a jonin by following the various knowledge and conveniences available in this Genjutsu Space!

"A world where everyone is a jonin… That’s truly insane!" Jiraiya was still sighing when he suddenly sensed something was wrong. Looking up, he discovered that he had already been surrounded by a group of hostile-looking women.

"Oh no, the layout here is the same as in the real world!" Jiraiya had just opened his mouth when a pile of mops and brooms came crashing down.