Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World

When it came to making Madara blow up gold coins, Uchiha Kei was dead serious—and excited. After all, across the entire shinobi world, no one could match Uchiha Madara's ability to explode with golden energy.

Other Kage-level powerhouses, even when driven to emotional extremes, could maybe burst out two points of golden spirit. But Madara? He could release five in one go—and keep going! His emotional output was maxed out, the very definition of a tyrant lording over the shinobi world.

That said… it had been quite a few days since the other coin-exploding old man, Shimura Danzō, had triggered any emotional outbursts. What happened? Had he stopped playing genjutsu games lately? Or had he gone out of the village to stir up trouble and simply had no time to play?

Uchiha Kei couldn't help but feel curious. He considered whether he should have Danzō monitored—after all, Zetsu, who could hide anywhere, was practically the perfect surveillance tool.

And besides, even Black Zetsu, the most scheming shadow in Shippuden, was now moving under Kei's nose. Whatever he did, the Zetsu network would immediately report back.

If Black Zetsu couldn't escape their watch, what chance did Danzō—Konoha's crowned king of pots and clowns—stand?

The more he thought about it, the more Kei found his plan reasonable. He decided to give the order the next time Big White showed up. Of course, it was inconvenient not being able to contact Zetsu directly. Unlike Black Zetsu, Kei didn't have the privilege to summon them on command, and to avoid drawing attention, he'd never kept Zetsu around.

So communication could only happen when Big White came to him.

"Looks like I'll need to find a way to communicate with Zetsu remotely..."

Kei muttered. Originally, fooling Big White into submission was just a casual side move—he hadn't thought much of it.

But Big White turned out to be too useful. His initiative was off the charts, and all the Zetsu were incredibly easy to fool. Now it looked like they genuinely wanted to pledge allegiance.

With that, his minor side play had turned into a major piece. Big White and the Zetsu had proved that sometimes choosing the right side really did outweigh effort—but with enough effort, you could still rewrite destiny.

Now the only issue was: Kei couldn't talk to Big White remotely. He'd even tried a psychic network, but it was useless—Zetsu had no real brain tissue or even a soul-like spiritual form.

This had been confirmed in the original series: when Orochimaru took over a Zetsu body, there was no resistance at all. His soul merged perfectly with the host, granting him the immortality he'd long craved.

Without a mind or spirit, psychic networks were impossible to activate. Which meant—no ninja version of WeChat.

So to solve the problem, he'd need to rely on local shinobi tech.

After a bit of thought, Kei decided to pay Orochimaru a visit and hand over the challenge to him.

He believed that, as the premier scientist of the shinobi world, Orochimaru would figure it out.

Not long after, Orochimaru stared at Kei with shock on his face.

"So... you converted one Zetsu, and that Zetsu then converted a bunch more? And they're all pledging loyalty to you... because they want to taste poop?"

Kei nodded. "I know it sounds absurd, but that's how it is. Maybe it's because they're… plant-based?"

"..." Orochimaru fell silent. He had a million sarcastic comments but no idea where to start.

Loving poop as a plant being? Sure, it made sense in agricultural theory, but it made the whole world feel broken.

Worse yet, Orochimaru had recently been experimenting on a captured Zetsu and had made good progress. He saw them as enemy specimens to dissect at will.

Now, suddenly, these were *allies*? It was hard to process.

Sensing his hesitation, Kei added:

"Actually, you don't have to worry about experimenting on them. Their cognitive patterns are completely alien. If you need more for research, I can even ask the converted Zetsu to volunteer."

Orochimaru blinked. "They wouldn't mind that?"

Kei shook his head. "They scream during pain or death, but they don't actually fear dying. They lack a normal sense of mortality. In fact, if I told them being dissected meant they'd get to taste poop, they'd all line up at your lab door."

After hearing that, Orochimaru fell silent again—this time breaking into a sweat. Even he, with all his twisted desires, found the Zetsu terrifyingly twisted.

Then…

"If possible, Kei-kun, please bring me as many Zetsu 'volunteers' as you can! My research has already made great strides. With their help, it could advance exponentially!"

"Also, your request to establish remote communication with them—I'll prioritize that above all else."

Orochimaru smiled, his expression full of excitement and sincerity. He was clearly serious and eager to deliver.

After all, Kei had already helped him immensely, clarifying his understanding of the world's truths.

This was Kei's first professional request. Orochimaru would spare no effort to fulfill it.

Satisfied, Kei left the Great Library and returned his attention to game development.

That night, he planned to finish packaging up Ultimate Storm, beginning full production and release.

Pre-launch marketing had started long ago, so no hype-building was needed. Thanks to exclusive distribution, fan enthusiasm and anticipation were already at peak levels.

And since this would be the first real competitive game, and one that had taken considerable time to develop, the original stadium used for previous launches had been reactivated.

In three days, Ultimate Storm would have its official debut at the stadium—broadcast live so viewers could watch players duel in real-time.

This time, Kei wouldn't need to host it himself. Others could handle that job. The Uchiha clan wasn't good at such things, but plenty of other clans had capable people.

After all, the Konoha Game Association now wasn't just Uchiha territory—it belonged to many clans. It was time they pulled their weight.

Thus, a Byakugan girl from the Hyūga clan and a handsome blond from the Yamanaka clan were chosen as event hosts.