Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World

Truthfully, the kind of visual novel Jiraiya was working on felt pretty familiar to Uchiha Kei. After all, back on Earth, that island nation had a notoriously thriving adult gaming industry.

With so much competition, creators had to get creative to stand out. Big-name companies leaned on technical prowess to deliver polished character models and quality effects, even on limited budgets.

The smaller indie studios? They didn't have that kind of funding. So they focused on compelling storytelling instead.

That's how all kinds of story-rich adult games came into existence—some of which became legendary, like the Type-Moon series.

Of course, you could say that even Type-Moon started out just trying to boost sales by throwing in more risqué elements.

No doubt, the kind of dramatic, twisty story Jiraiya cooked up would've been considered laughably over-the-top back on Earth—definitely not groundbreaking.

Kei, who'd once been a professional game planner, had played countless adult visual novels. In terms of outrageous plot twists, Jiraiya's whole "love-hate romance" thing wouldn't even rank.

Some of those plotlines were so intense, Kei figured just imagining them might earn him a divine smackdown. So, he didn't bother.

But now that they'd decided to release Jiraiya's game, Kei figured it was time to educate the man on the genre's many paths and possibilities.

So he sat down with Jiraiya to discuss the various directions such games could take. At first, Jiraiya was all ears, excitedly sharing his own ideas. But soon enough… he just fell silent.

"You can set the protagonist as someone from a single-parent household. One day, the parent remarries. The new step-sibling is a stunning beauty. They start off disliking each other, but eventually realize they're in love. That's what we call 'pure love bound by duty.'"

"Or your protagonist is just a regular guy. Then, a beautiful widow named Yukionna moves in next door. At first, they have no connection—but one day, the protagonist stumbles upon a mysterious hypnosis ring…"

"Or maybe a noble sets up an elite all-girls academy. Your protagonist gets hired as a janitor—or a teacher—and soon discovers a bunch of delinquent girls at the school. Driven by a sense of duty, he begins to 'educate' them…"

"Or maybe he's a normal student tormented by a beautiful but vicious female teacher who gets off on humiliating her students. One day, he discovers her deepest secret and whispers, 'Sensei… you wouldn't want anyone else to know this, would you?'"

"Or maybe he's surrounded by beautiful girls, all of whom like him, and he has to woo them all for a glorious harem ending…"

"Or maybe—"

Yes. Uchiha Kei laid out every single idea he'd absorbed from his former world—teacher-student dynamics, stepsiblings, older women, innocent romance, harems, hypnosis, revenge, even isekai plots.

Jiraiya was stunned. His mind kicked into overdrive, as if a new world had just opened before him. Ideas he'd never dreamed of came pouring in.

If it weren't inappropriate, he might've just kneeled and shouted, "Sensei, please teach me!"

Of course, it didn't come to that. Kei had already generously shared his "knowledge" and "experience," and Jiraiya had taken it to heart, vowing to study it all seriously and not let Kei down.

In that moment, Jiraiya stopped seeing Kei as a junior. He saw him as a master of wisdom and insight, someone worth emulating word for word.

Three hours later, Kei left after sharing much of his insight, and Jiraiya—still frantically scribbling notes—was left wanting more. Still, he knew what he'd already learned would take time to digest.

So, for now, he entered "closed-door training mode."

Meanwhile, Uchiha Kei suddenly received a message from Nawaki.

"Kei-nii, could you come to New Leaf? My great-grandfather wants to meet you."

Kei raised a brow, thought for a moment, and replied, "Sure. Be there soon." Then he teleported over.

He arrived to find Hashirama Senju and Nawaki waiting at a table with three seats. Tea and snacks were already set out, clearly prepared in advance. One of the seats was left for Kei.

Nawaki waved excitedly. "Kei-nii!"

Kei smiled and nodded, greeting Hashirama. The First Hokage let out a booming laugh. "No need to be so formal! Come, sit. I have much to discuss with you. Tsunade and Nawaki have already told me quite a bit."

Kei didn't hesitate. He sat down as invited.

Hashirama personally served him tea and snacks with such warmth and hospitality that Kei couldn't help but feel a little weirded out. It was… a lot.

He casually asked where Tsunade was. Nawaki explained that his sister had already returned to the real world. As the acting Hokage, she had her hands full. Lord Third had basically retired, leaving Tsunade to handle all of the village's administrative work. These days, he mostly hung around Danzo, trying to revive his youthful dreams of ninja glory.

So Tsunade didn't have time to stick around. After helping Hashirama and Nawaki with the initial phases of New Leaf's construction, she left.

Kei nodded in understanding. "She really has her hands full. The village is in a major development phase. The workload is intense, and as acting Hokage, she's completely booked."

"To keep up with demand, the Hokage's office is recruiting. They're trying to bring in capable professionals from outside to join the administration."

Hearing this, Hashirama's eyes lit up. Nawaki was also intrigued—Tsunade rarely talked about work with them, so he had no idea how hectic things really were.

Hashirama immediately asked for more details, and Kei explained the current expansion efforts in the Hidden Leaf Village. He made it clear that all of this progress began when the Uchiha Clan, under his leadership, chose to fully integrate with the village.

Kei wasn't modest. With someone like Hashirama, false modesty would only confuse things. Downplaying his role would make it seem like someone else deserved the credit.

Yes, it might come off as self-congratulatory—but it was necessary. It was all part of Kei's plan.

After all, summoning Hashirama wasn't just about fulfilling a dream. It was to prepare for Madara Uchiha—and for the challenge of dealing with Tobirama Senju when he would be summoned next month.

If Kei wanted Tobirama to obediently contribute as a grunt worker, Hashirama's support was critical. The only way to earn that support was by making him fully understand how much the Uchiha had changed—and how vital Kei's leadership had been.

So Kei laid everything out, plainly and truthfully.

Hashirama and Nawaki listened carefully, their eyes growing brighter with every word. By the end, they were both looking at Kei in a completely different light.

Hashirama's expression brimmed with awe, admiration, and deep approval. Nawaki's eyes were wide with reverent admiration—he finally understood what his sister had been praising all this time.

And there was no doubt. Kei wasn't lying—Tsunade could easily confirm everything. This was a shared mindspace; truth was just a question away.

Hashirama was so thrilled he clapped Kei on the back, laughing heartily. "Well done! Wonderfully done, Kei-kun! Not even Tobirama and I could do what you've done—getting the Uchiha to truly integrate, helping them thrive, and strengthening the village… it's amazing!"

"This is exactly the kind of bond I dreamed of when I founded the village—a united family!"

He was clearly moved.

Kei finally allowed himself a little humility. "You flatter me, First-sama. I've only done what little I could."

Hashirama shook his head. "If what you've done is 'little,' then all the effort Tobirama and I poured into integrating the Uchiha back in the day amounts to nothing."

He paused, a somber look crossing his face. "If someone like you had been around when the village was first founded, maybe Madara and I… wouldn't have fallen out."

Kei shook his head. "Even if I had been, some things were destined to happen. You're giving me too much credit. Besides, the techniques and infrastructure weren't even there yet—just look at the state of sealing jutsu back then. Without the tools we have today, I wouldn't have been able to make illusion-based games, let alone anything more complex."

"You don't need to sell yourself short. You ushered in the shinobi village era, laying the groundwork for everything we have now. The relative peace we enjoy and the explosion of new technologies? All thanks to the foundation you built. I've only built upon that."

Nawaki nodded along vigorously. That sounded exactly right—and it was praise for his great-grandfather to boot! Now he admired both Hashirama and Kei even more.

Hashirama, meanwhile, was looking at Kei with the kind of gaze usually reserved for a perfect future son-in-law. The affection was unmistakable.

Then, out of nowhere, he said, "Kei-kun, I'm so glad you exist in this era. From now on, I'll leave Tsunade—and the village—in your care."

Kei nodded instinctively… then froze.

The village? Sure. That was normal for a senior to say.

But Tsunade?

And that look in Hashirama's eyes—this wasn't just admiration for a junior anymore…

Before Kei could process what was happening, Nawaki jumped in, nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah! Kei-nii, we'll leave Tsunade-nee and the village to you! Just make sure to invite us when you two get married! Oh—and have a wedding here in the mindspace too!"

"If you're too busy, leave the decorations to me and Gramps! Don't worry—we'll make it amazing! Right, Gramps?"

Hashirama nodded. "Yup. We've got this."

Kei: "...Huh? Huh!? HUH?!"

His eyes went wide. His brain short-circuited. He looked like a living meme contemplating the mysteries of the universe.

Naturally, Hashirama took that reaction as bashful embarrassment. He burst out laughing and clapped Kei's back again. "Hahaha! Don't be shy! Nawaki told me all about you and Tsunade. Don't worry—I fully support the wedding!"

Finally snapping out of it, Kei's expression twitched. "Uh, you two are misunderstanding something. Tsunade-sama and I have a great relationship, yes—but we're not a couple!"

How had this ridiculous rumor not died already?! Worse, Nawaki had clearly taken it seriously and even told Hashirama!

Kei was sure he'd told Nawaki before that he and Tsunade were just friends!

(Nawaki: I *know* you said that, Kei-nii. But everyone just thinks you two are keeping it secret because of age and status differences. We all believe you're dating for real—we just don't say it to your face.)