Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World

In-game, the battle between Namikaze Minato and Akimichi Torifu had reached its final phase.

The moment Minato landed his ultimate move, the outcome was set in stone. With Torifu's health already halved, it was like a championship point. His defeat, inevitable.

Indeed, while Torifu did manage to land a solid hit with his ultimate as well, Minato had distanced himself just in time to avoid the full brunt of the attack. His damage was minimal.

When the dust settled, Minato stood victorious with 80% health remaining—he had even used a healing item mid-battle.

To the audience, this was basically a flawless win. The arena roared with cheers, flowers, and thunderous applause.

The hosts seized the moment, stoking the hype further and setting the crowd ablaze.

And so, Minato basked in a moment of glory usually reserved for champions on Earth. But this was the shinobi world—making such a moment even rarer.

This wasn't like returning victorious from a Great Ninja War. This was unified adoration from more than ten thousand people in a single venue.

The only moments in Naruto canon that came close were Gaara's rallying cry to the Allied Shinobi Forces… and Naruto's return to Konoha after defeating Pain, where the entire village hailed him as a hero.

Even someone as composed as Minato couldn't help but tremble with emotion.

How to put it…

It felt amazing.

Whether pride, vanity, or pure joy—it was deeply fulfilling. An unforgettable experience.

Minato wasn't ruled by such feelings, but he wouldn't shy away from seeking them again if the chance arose.

And now, he finally understood why Uchiha Kei had insisted he win—and win beautifully.

Some things can only be understood by doing them.

Unbeknownst to him, he had just granted Kei another two golden spirits.

Satisfied, Kei scribbled another note into his mental log:

"External emotional feedback can also generate golden spirits from top-tier players. Esports has real potential."

He added another:

"As my genjutsu game's lifelong ambassador, Minato must become the shinobi world's esports superstar. This won't conflict with his dream to change the world—in fact, it helps. In this world, an esports icon isn't just famous. They reshape history."

Then a few more notes:

"Sannin as idolized esports figures?"

"Can Lord Third and Danzō become esports stars?"

"Old Man Madara: high-quality golden spirit source, high potential?"

All marked with question marks. Kei didn't know if these plans would work. After all, those guys weren't Minato—they didn't do whatever he asked.

Still, he figured some things were worth trying. Especially Madara. Though they'd never met, based on what he'd seen, the old man was a textbook gaming addict.

If *Ultimate Storm* could hook him, it wouldn't be long before Madara would be dancing around Konoha Game Guild arcades, dominating the leaderboards.

After all, Madara's pride would never let him stay in his underground lair playing against bots.

In short—Madara becoming an esports icon? Totally possible. It's what he'd want anyway.

Of course, these were just ideas. Kei's main goal was still to complete this phase's main mission from the system.

To be honest, this mission had taken way longer than expected. Getting 200,000 active players wasn't easy.

Kei hoped *Ultimate Storm*'s appeal would attract ninja and civilians from other villages, as well as other major powers—and anyone chasing supernatural strength.

To reach that number, the game would first roll out in arcades. Every major arcade would host dedicated esports halls where players could freely match with others.

They wouldn't be locked to one spot—they could move around, find challengers, and enjoy the social aspect.

A massive project, no doubt. But it had already begun two weeks ago.

With the Konoha Game Guild rolling in cash from genjutsu games, buying property and building arenas was no issue.

Still, this was a temporary solution. Kei's real dream was launching the true internet, enabling actual online battles.

But to get there, he needed to finish the current mission and upgrade the mental network to unlock those skills.

One step at a time. Even Kei couldn't rush the shinobi world's tech evolution.

Meanwhile, the hosts ensured Minato didn't hog all the glory. While he took the biggest piece of the victory cake, Akimichi Torifu and the others also got their share of recognition.

The hosts said plenty of appreciative things about the losers.

They didn't quite understand why, but Kei had asked them to—and they were professionals. Hand-picked for their talent, they executed flawlessly.

In fact, Hyūga Noyan and Yamanaka Hakuta were starting to fall in love with this job. More than being ninja or anything else.

Still, they were unsure if such events would happen again—or if they'd be chosen. So for now, they buried their excitement and focused on finishing today's task.

Thanks to them, every contestant received cheers and applause, lifting even the losers' spirits. Many even waved back at the crowd like triumphant warriors.

Of them all, Torifu was the calmest. A veteran of two Great Ninja Wars, he'd seen big celebrations before. This was new, but he took it in stride.

At his age, with no desires left, he was practically immune to fame.

What mattered most to him was the battle itself. He approached Minato, offered heartfelt words of encouragement, and ended with:

"Minato, I believe you'll be Hokage one day. So give it your all—make the name 'Yellow Flash' known across the world!"

Minato was deeply moved. He thanked Torifu sincerely and vowed to make the name a legend—not just for himself, but for his close friend Kei and everyone who supported him.

And so, the competition portion of the launch ended. The official program was complete.

Next came free trial sessions and the start of game sales.

Anyone interested could now buy the game at Konoha Game Guild stores or arcades. Merchants wanting bulk purchases could go all-in.

Arcade halls and esports arenas were opening across the board. The staggered release was only due to the lack of a universal time system in the shinobi world. Everyone would start selling based on their local noon.

Naturally, Konoha led the launch—especially the venue where the press conference was held. Merchants were already gathering, hoping to snag the best deals.

After the hands-on trial areas opened, spectators rushed in, eager to experience the thrill of this first-ever competitive game.

The organizers were ready. Because of the overwhelming interest, entry was lottery-based: one in every twenty would get to try the game.

But those who didn't win still received discounts for purchasing or arcade play, all thanks to their entry tickets.

The goal? Make everyone feel like coming to the launch was worth it.

VIPs, of course, got extra perks. They'd paid more and expected more.

Staff informed VIPs they could play *Ultimate Storm* in a special arcade room backstage, reserved just for them.

Hearing this, Uchiha Madara scoffed arrogantly… and immediately followed the staff inside.

Yep—Konoha's number one genjutsu gamer wasn't waiting any longer.

Old Man Madara wanted to play *Ultimate Storm*—right now!