Given the current state of the Shinobi World, the Konoha Uzumaki News Agency published weekly newspapers. Only weeklies could ensure simultaneous distribution across most regions with Konoha Game Guild storefronts.
When the first issue was released, all store locations cooperated with the publicity campaign, which began with a classic question-style slogan:
"Want to know the latest news in the Shinobi World? Want to understand the newest political developments? Curious about the Five Great Nations' current policies? Want to know this year's crop yields by country?
If so, hurry and buy the Uzumaki Weekly! Inside, you'll find the latest intelligence from every corner of the Shinobi World! Learn everything without leaving your home!"
To be honest, the slogan was quite exaggerated. That was everyone's first impression. But it also sparked intense curiosity and hit just the right nerve—people were dying to see what this Uzumaki Weekly was all about.
Even the daimyō of the Five Great Nations and the other four Kage outside of Konoha were intrigued.
As for why Konoha wasn't curious—because the contents of the paper had already been previewed by the village leadership in advance, as a demonstration to help them understand what a newspaper was and what impact it could have.
In truth, the Konoha leadership was stunned upon learning of its potential.
Because the Uzumaki Weekly would later serve as Konoha's mouthpiece and propaganda machine, showcasing village policy and attracting external talent. It would greatly enhance Konoha's credibility and appeal.
Its influence would be comprehensive—from nobles and daimyō to commoners and peasants, all could be affected.
Honestly, when they first heard all this, many senior Konoha officials were shocked and intrigued.
Elders like Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't fully grasp the concept. After all, the Shinobi World already had bulletins like the daimyō's announcements, which dated back a thousand years and had matured over time. But their reach was mostly among noble ninja circles—what did that have to do with ordinary civilians?
After all, literacy was still a major issue.
In response, encouraged by Uchiha Kei, Kikyo confidently explained the difference between newspapers and traditional bulletins. Thanks to the Konoha Game Guild, each distribution location would be staffed with professional announcers.
These announcers were locally recruited literate but destitute individuals—people with some education but down on their luck. Given a job, they'd treasure it, and would read the news daily aloud to the public.
And there was no need to worry about throat strain. Many shinobi medicines would be considered black-market miracle drugs on Earth—they could fully protect the announcers' throats. Moreover, there would be several readers rotating shifts, so no one person bore the burden alone.
In addition, important news would be broadcast directly in game halls and other Konoha Game Guild shops, achieving targeted publicity.
In short, the goal was to maximize media control and amplify the newspaper's power to the fullest.
This left the older generation, like Hiruzen and others, completely stunned. Having never seen such mechanisms in action, they couldn't imagine it. But seeing Tsunade and others so interested and supportive, they had nothing more to say.
The key was that Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, the factions they represented, had also expressed support. At this point, Hiruzen no longer intervened in village policy. Whether Tsunade and Minato wanted to pursue odd ideas or not, the retired Third Hokage wouldn't interfere.
Frankly, he preferred returning home to enjoy the latest Genjutsu game masterpieces created by Jiraiya. His favorite student was about to release a new title, and as his teacher, Hiruzen wanted to give it a proper review.
...Actually, come to think of it, he hadn't visited Danzo in several days.
Well, fine! He had time today. He'd visit Danzo and stay for two hours—no, one hour at most.
After all, his old comrade had grown increasingly irritable. Being paralyzed had made his negative emotions stronger, and he probably didn't want company. As a prideful man, being seen in such a miserable state was likely painful.
Hiruzen figured he should respect his old friend's dignity by minimizing their interactions.
At this thought, Hiruzen felt as though the light of righteousness shone upon him. In all the Shinobi World, there were few who showed such kindness to a comrade who had committed grave mistakes.
Leaving aside this unsalvageable retired Third Hokage, the others confirmed the proposal, and the newspaper was officially released to the public.
Though the promotional content was over-the-top, in a Shinobi World that shared the same chūnibyō tendencies as a certain island nation, it landed perfectly. Even people uninterested in newspapers were drawn in.
On the day of release, sales points everywhere were swamped. People lined up early. Some bought in bulk and turned to reselling.
After all, the price was dirt cheap—only 100 ryō. For the square, multi-fold paper packed with content, it was nearly free.
The same amount of information in magazine format would cost at least 2,000 ryō. Even if the paper quality was inferior, it was still practically a giveaway.
Everyone who bought one was satisfied. Even scalped copies going for 300 ryō didn't feel overpriced—after all, that was triple the base price, which was already extremely low.
Very soon, readers discovered the content was indeed rich. All those promotional teasers? They were actually included. While many parts—like national policy—were speculative analysis, they were reasoned and convincing.
There were also reports on floods, droughts, bureaucratic corruption, and local living conditions. Agricultural yield statistics were also provided. Some data came directly from local governments; others were inferred using Konoha's intelligence system—and closely matched the truth.
This established the paper's authenticity and impartiality. Readers began to trust it, adopting its perspectives and thought processes.
At the end of the Uzumaki Weekly was an entertainment section—not gossip, but content on Genjutsu games. It featured analysis and speculative commentary, sparking anticipation for future releases.
In the Shinobi World, no one viewed these games as harmful distractions. On the contrary, immersive Genjutsu games were beneficial for both recreation and combat enhancement. Unlike traditional games, they were considered strategically valuable across all nations.
Thus, this section became one of the most popular.
All the Kage of the other major Hidden Villages read it with focused attention.
Eventually, their reading turned to envy, jealousy, and hatred.
"That damn Konoha actually has Genjutsu games. It's infuriating."
Why was Konoha always so blessed?
Wasn't the Uchiha Clan supposed to be oppressed by Konoha? Why had their relationship *improved* after the rise of Genjutsu games?
If only the Uchiha had rebelled instead...
All the Kage couldn't help but think this way, growing even more frustrated.
Of course, it wasn't that they hadn't tried to stir conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha—it just hadn't worked.
Once Tsunade came to power, Minato rose to leadership, and Danzo was rendered irrelevant, the last rifts between the Uchiha and village leadership disappeared.
Though Koharu and Homura remained, they weren't as extreme as Danzo. Before the Nine Tails' Attack, they'd followed Hiruzen's lead. With him retiring and Danzo incapacitated, they recognized their era had ended.
They remained in office only because they weren't causing trouble and didn't oppose the new leadership.
And really, who would say no to sharing in the Uchiha's benefits or the rewards of Konoha's development?
Only a brain-dead idiot like Danzo would choose that path.
So the other Hidden Villages could only watch helplessly as the Uchiha Clan fully integrated with Konoha and grew stronger.
Reports of Uchiha awakening their Sharingan through Genjutsu games were no secret. Anyone could find out.
These newly awakened Uchiha were assigned to departments or Genjutsu game studios as labor. It couldn't be hidden.
Frankly, while this gave the other villages headaches, it also scared them. The more they learned, the less they dared risk a new Shinobi World War.
Thankfully, they believed Konoha's rapid rise would also lead to its rapid decline. As long as the village kept falling into decadence, it would eventually rot completely.
And that would be the moment of counterattack—when they would drag Konoha, the number one village, straight into hell!
So for now, they waited. With hope.
In short, the first issue of the Uzumaki Weekly was released with a completely fair, transparent, and objective stance. No personal agendas were slipped in.
The purpose was to build the paper's credibility.
Once the entire Shinobi World came to trust that the newspaper told the truth, and began subconsciously believing its claims—
Then the Uzumaki Weekly would hold true power over public opinion.
At that point, it could begin inserting bias. For instance, if conflict arose between the Hidden Cloud and Konoha, the Weekly could blame it entirely on the Hidden Cloud. Even citizens of the Hidden Cloud and the Land of Lightning might come to believe it.
Or it could write biased stories about two other major villages, inciting conflict. Because of its credibility, people from both sides would believe it, sparking hostility.
And those were just basic tactics. With proper training, Kikyo had countless ways to use the paper's influence.
But all of it depended on credibility. That's why she constantly emphasized: the newspaper must be fair, objective, and truthful!
Fortunately, even if her staff didn't fully grasp the big picture, they were obedient. They faithfully carried out every task assigned.
Thus, the news agency operated in an orderly and efficient manner.
Upon seeing the paper released and receiving such positive feedback, Uchiha Kei finally relaxed. He left the matter behind and returned to his own business.
First on the list was checking in on Konoha's White Fang, now living a second life.
Accessing the mental network with administrator privileges, Kei found that Sakumo Hatake had already spent over a year in the game world—and had slain his way through Ashina.
In the original *Sekiro* game, this would have only been the tutorial phase. The story proper began years later, following the protagonist's failure.
That transitional period was glossed over in the game—not shown in detail.
But in this enhanced, open-ended version of *Sekiro*, the world had been massively expanded. It wasn't just a limited map with a few characters.
It was a fully fleshed-out island nation. Sakumo, now playing the role of Wolf, didn't follow the canonical story. Instead, he wandered the land, unsure of his role, curious about the world.
After bidding farewell to his master and the Ashina family, the clueless Sakumo began his journey. He witnessed many people and events.
Thanks to the AI-driven immersion of the mental network, Sakumo couldn't even tell it was an illusion. To him, it was another world.
There was no chakra. No dazzling ninjutsu. No supernatural powers.
The people of this land showed him a world that had the same roots, but had grown in an entirely different direction. A place where, even without power, conflict and bloodshed still raged. Ordinary people killed each other in wars more devastating than those of ninja.
After traversing most of the country, Sakumo returned to Ashina with complicated feelings, ready to embrace the identity of Wolf and fulfill his destiny.
And just like that, the *Sekiro* storyline was triggered.
Ashina fell into chaos. The master Wolf swore to protect was captured.
Thus began a lone warrior's tale of rescue.
Driven by this mission, Sakumo's path of slaughter began.
Across Ashina and other critical locations, enemies and monsters appeared. But none could stand before Sakumo's merciless blade.
Moreover, Sakumo was never truly Wolf. Even when the storyline forced an initial failure, he didn't sulk for years like the original character. Once recovered, he launched straight into battle mode—a relentless force, killing gods and demons alike.
After all, the name White Fang of the Leaf was forged not in hesitation, but in blood.
To Sakumo, this journey of salvation was merely another Shinobi World War fought under a different name.
Thus, in just over a year of game time, Sakumo accomplished what took the original protagonist years.
And now, he was approaching the final part of the story: finding a way, as per his master's will, to sever the Dragon Heritage's immortality, and destroy the endless curse of undying life.
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