Just as the battle was about to begin, Ning Feng was preparing to act when several clear, pleasant notifications suddenly rang out across the entire world channel.
[World Announcement]: The second Large-Scale Instance Mission has been successfully triggered. Players near Amegakure, please head to Amegakure (122,235) as soon as possible and join either the Hanzo of the Salamander faction or the Akatsuki faction. All players participating in the instance faction battle can earn generous Copy Points rewards. Players can even use this opportunity to join Amegakure's elite unit or become core members of Akatsuki... [World Announcement]: The second Large-Scale Instance Mission has been successfully triggered. Players near Amegakure... [World Announcement]: The second Large-Scale Instance Mission has been successfully triggered. Players near Amegakure...
As the three consecutive World Announcements appeared, the previously quiet world channel erupted.
"Holy shit! This online game world finally spawned an instance mission! Looks like this one's a battle between two factions. I like it!"
"I didn't get anything good from the last Large-Scale Instance Mission! Now that another one's finally spawned, it's time to show what I can do!"
"Awesome! Just in time to redeem some Copy Points!"
"The Island Nation Ninja Alliance Guild is recruiting! Any Ninja level 20 or above can join! Expert players will personally carry you!"
As several clear, pleasant notifications sounded, many players around Amegakure hurried toward the village the instant the instance mission appeared.
When Ning Feng saw the World Announcement, he froze for a moment before delight took over.
He had thought his chance to show off his skills had arrived, but he had never expected the battle between Hanzo of the Salamander and Akatsuki to become a Large-Scale Instance Mission, just like protecting Kushina last time.
It seemed the only difference between this Hokage online game and the Hokage World was that the game would spawn instance missions from time to time, allowing players to grow quickly.
Still, it was good that the battle before him had become a Large-Scale Instance Mission. This meant he would get even more good things.
He had just learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, and even the Summoning Technique, and had been worrying about having no opportunity to show them off.
He had to admit that this was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate his abilities!
As Ning Feng considered this, he saw quite a few Amegakure players hurrying over from nearby. They had clearly all seen the World Announcement.
Ning Feng had only taken a few steps forward and reached the outskirts of Akatsuki's base when a clear, pleasant notification rang out:
"Welcome to the second Large-Scale Instance Mission [Akatsuki]!" "Please select your faction: 1: Hanzo of the Salamander faction. You will temporarily become one of Hanzo of the Salamander's members and join him in defeating Akatsuki's members. Once you successfully annihilate Akatsuki's members, your faction will win. 2: Akatsuki faction. You will temporarily play the role of an Akatsuki supporter and join Nagato, Konan, Yahiko, and the other members of Akatsuki in repelling Hanzo of the Salamander's assault. Once the Hanzo of the Salamander faction suffers casualties exceeding half its forces, the Akatsuki faction wins! (Players in the victorious faction will receive an additional 50% Copy Points bonus!)
Seeing the two available factions, Ning Feng chose option 2, the Akatsuki faction, without a second thought!
Although Hanzo of the Salamander was known as a demigod and possessed overwhelming strength, it all amounted to nothing before Nagato's Rinnegan.
Moreover, Ning Feng could use this opportunity to become a core member of Akatsuki. It was not impossible that he might ultimately obtain the Rinnegan.
"Congratulations! You have selected the Akatsuki faction!"
Amid the pleasant notification, Ning Feng was surprised to discover that Hanzo of the Salamander and all his subordinates had instantly become hostile forces, their names flashing bright red.
At the same time, after he finished selecting his faction, quite a few other players also chose their respective factions.
Flashes of white light flickered, and the number of players on Hanzo of the Salamander's side kept growing. By contrast, although Akatsuki's numbers also increased, the increase was small.
Soon, Hanzo of the Salamander's side was a dense mass, with heads jostling everywhere.
"Hahahaha! It's obvious! Hanzo of the Salamander is called the demigod of the ninja world. Even Konohagakure's legendary Sannin were no match for him. Of course you pick Hanzō in a faction battle! I really don't know what the people who picked Akatsuki were thinking!"
"Exactly! The Ibuse Clan is Amegakure's elite unit. You think you can break out when you're surrounded by an elite unit? How is that possible?!"
"Did any of you notice? Uchiha Minato is actually in the Akatsuki faction!"
"Hahahaha! The great Uchiha Minato must have misclicked! It's obvious which side is stronger in this faction battle!"
Many players who had chosen Hanzo of the Salamander's faction immediately began mocking the other side. Among the players in the Akatsuki faction, some had made a mistake with the controls and now looked full of regret, while others knew none of this information and had joined simply because Akatsuki's name sounded good...
In short, compared with the players on Hanzo of the Salamander's side, the Akatsuki faction had pitifully few.
As time passed, the Akatsuki faction even stopped gaining players, while the other side's numbers kept growing.
Throughout it all, Ning Feng remained completely calm.
To him, those additional players were no different from vermin... They were beneath his notice.
Of course, Ning Feng's composure did not mean Akatsuki's members were calm. As they watched more and more Ninja surround them, their eyes filled with fear.
For many of the members, this was even their first time encountering anything like this.
"Lord Nagato, are we really going to hold out to the bitter end?" an Akatsuki member asked, somewhat flustered.
Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the others' eyes.
Despite their calm expressions, all three were actually deeply uneasy.
Hanzo of the Salamander, in the distance, had clearly run out of patience. He was just about to order an attack when several sharp Kunai suddenly came flying from afar.
Appearing beside Hanzo of the Salamander without warning, Ning Feng charged straight at him, the Chidori in his hand giving off an ear-piercing shriek.
It was the Flying Thunder God Technique!
Ning Feng moved so fast that Hanzo of the Salamander had no time to react at all!
Before you continue