"Wow\~\~ Amazing, amazing! Genjutsu games are awesome!!!"
The loud, excited voice echoed through the venue as 9-year-old Uchiha Obito's eyes sparkled with excitement—his whole body practically trembling with energy.
Normally, yelling like that in public would be annoying, but no one paid him any mind today—because everyone was yelling.
Now that the trial event had begun, under the staff's guidance, the audience was entering the central venue in waves, lining up with tickets to experience the two genjutsu-based games.
Because of the large crowd, a lottery system was being used. Out of every ten people, only one would be selected, and the lucky person would be drawn from a box containing all ten tickets.
Most attendees were civilians, so they were given nerfed, trial versions of the games. Players could only get a brief taste of the experience.
After all...
The full versions cost money, okay? Letting you play a demo is already an act of benevolence—Uchiha Kei's quote.jpg.
Uchiha Obito's shouting came after his trial run of "Fruit Ninja." Despite getting smacked around by the fruit, the ultra-realistic experience thrilled him like nothing ever had.
Excited, he rushed over to a girl his age with a purple square mark on her cheek.
"Rin, it was amazing! Genjutsu games are incredible! It's such a shame they wouldn't let me give my turn to you. But don't worry—I heard the games are available for purchase now. Rin, we've *got* to buy the full versions!"
The girl, Nohara Rin, smiled and nodded, her eyes full of anticipation.
After all, not long ago, Namikaze Minato had live-streamed the genjutsu games in front of thousands, showcasing their charm and earning the official title of "Yellow Flash."
Though she hadn't been picked in the lottery, her teammate Uchiha Obito had been. His reaction alone was enough to tickle her curiosity.
Then Rin turned toward the silver-haired boy beside her, wearing a black mask that only revealed his eyes.
"We could try our luck again this afternoon," she said. "I heard the creator of the genjutsu games is developing a new one. It's still a demo, but it allows four players to enter together. If we include Minato-sensei, that's exactly four of us."
To Obito, who had already grasped the path of the loyal simp at age nine, Rin's words were nothing short of a royal decree. He immediately nodded enthusiastically.
But the cool silver-haired boy, Hatake Kakashi, replied in a flat voice, "Don't kid yourself. Minato-sensei is not just our squad leader—he's a top-ranking elite jonin of the Hidden Leaf, and after that live reveal, he's now a village celebrity. Why would someone like him play games with us?"
Classic cold water.
Obito flared up instantly, glaring at his buddy Kakashi.
"Damn it, Kakashi! What's that supposed to mean?! Are you saying we're not worthy of teaming up with Minato-sensei?!"
Kakashi, with his dead-fish eyes, gave him a glance. "At least you're self-aware, dead-last."
Obito's temper exploded. The two immediately started arguing—practically about to throw hands—while Kakashi fired off cold, snarky comebacks in that aloof, arrogant tone, fully embracing the elementary school bicker-fest energy.
Caught in the middle, Nohara Rin was more than used to this by now. She immediately stepped in to defuse the situation like the peacekeeper she always was.
Watching this unfold through a backstage window, Uchiha Kei turned to Namikaze Minato.
"Minato, is that your squad?"
With a sunny smile, Minato replied, "Yeah, those three. You know the boys, right, Kei?"
Kei nodded. "Uchiha Obito... that kid's a bit of an oddball in the clan. Initially labeled as untalented, they were planning to steer him into a non-shinobi role."
"But he insisted on following my example, saying 'If Senpai Kei can be a shinobi, so can I,' and then enrolled in the academy."
"And the white-haired one is Hatake Kakashi—son of the White Fang. A prodigy just like you. Graduated at five, became a Chūnin at six. I don't get why a ninja like that is teaming up with two academy fresh grads."
Kei's words turned into mild grumbling. Rin and Obito had just graduated and were only recently assigned to Minato's squad.
Of course, as a transmigrator, Kei wasn't really clueless—but griping helped him vent.
Minato chuckled and explained, "It was Lord Third's arrangement. Kakashi's a genius, but he treats himself—and his teammates—like tools."
"If left alone, he'd grow strong, sure... but emotionless. Lord Third doesn't want that, and neither would Sakumo-sama."
"So he asked me to help guide Kakashi. Since Obito and Rin were close with him even while he was in the academy, it made sense to put them in a squad together."
Kei raised an eyebrow, his expression turning playful.
Avoiding another White Fang tragedy by nurturing empathy... was this Lord Third trying to make amends? Or just putting on a show?
Well, you couldn't blame Kei for suspecting Sarutobi Hiruzen. To the Konoha F4, he was one of those "born evil Uchihas."
Of course, Kei wouldn't say any of that aloud. Right now, he had bigger concerns—his game system.
So, eyes gleaming, he said, "Minato, that new game I've been developing will open for demo this afternoon. It's a four-player co-op genjutsu game. Perfect for your squad to try out."
"You've just started mentoring them, right? This could be a great way to build teamwork."
Minato rubbed his chin and smiled. "Sounds great. I'll leave the slots to you."
And just like that, the first four-player team for the shinobi-world version of "Road to Survival" was confirmed.
At the same time, Uchiha Kei received a system prompt: Mission complete.