Hatake Sakumo quickly adapted to the current situation. After all, he had been through a lot, and had even been sent by Uchiha Kei to the Land of Neon to play Sekiro, essentially living a second life.
With such rich and extraordinary experiences, being able to adapt like this was only natural.
For Uchiha Kei, such things were even easier to get used to. After all, it was his own ability. His experiences were no less than Sakumo's, so naturally he wouldn't get hung up over it.
On the contrary, this "Heroic Spirit Manifestation" dōjutsu was a complete bug to Uchiha Kei—especially since he could use it to exploit bugs.
Yes, Uchiha Kei said, as a game developer, he hated it when players exploited bugs for benefits. And as a player, he hated when devs wouldn't let him benefit from beneficial bugs.
Don't ask why. Just know that all players have duality.
Then, Uchiha Kei tested the ability of his right Mangekyō Sharingan.
Normally, the abilities of both Mangekyō eyes are a pair. But like Itachi Uchiha, Uchiha Kei's eyes held completely different abilities.
Compared to the left eye, the right eye's ability was even more abstract.
Because the right eye truly *gamified* reality.
Yes—the power of gamification. Uchiha Kei's right eye essentially transformed its locked-on target into a game-like state, datafying them as if they were a game character.
That means they had HP bars, and when injured, they would lose HP instead of suffering physical trauma. Even theoretically fatal wounds like lost limbs would only reduce HP.
Before the HP bar hit zero, targets affected by the right eye couldn't die, and their combat ability wouldn't weaken. There were no signs of injury or fatigue.
Likewise, items like medicine would not require digestion or absorption time—healing would take effect instantly, and HP would rapidly recover.
Of course, cooldown timers for items, common in games, were also implemented. For instance, if one used a soldier pill, the effect would trigger instantly, but the user would need to wait five minutes before using another.
Undeniably, this power was both abstract and broken.
It seemed to conflict with the "Heroic Spirit Manifestation" summons, but it should be noted that that technique only worked within the mental network world and only on spirits inside it.
However, the right eye's ability could directly affect everyone in the real world—even top-tier powerhouses like Lord Madara.
And due to the features of gamification, for high-tier fighters, this meant an epic-tier buff.
For example, if Minato Namikaze were datafied, he could truly go head-to-head with Madara and win. Though not immune to damage, his pain tolerance and resilience would massively increase. Injuries that would normally hinder his movement could be ignored. With such buffs, his combat power would drastically rise.
Say Minato was facing off against Madara. Madara attacked with a complete Susanoo, and Minato countered with standard methods, luring Madara into underestimating him. Once close, Madara would definitely notice and respond instantly.
But that would be the opportunity. Minato could ignore Madara's counterattack and trade blow for blow, even achieving mutual destruction. Then, right in front of Madara's shocked face, pop a healing item and recover.
Another case: Might Duy, the madman who dies after opening the Eight Gates. If datafied, he could go full Eight Gates without dying. All the backlash would just be constant HP drain, which could be offset with meds and teammate healing. After the fight, once HP was full again, the gamified state could be lifted.
Thus, Might Duy could achieve the miracle of opening all Eight Gates without dying!
This ability was, without question, god-tier—a rule-breaking power that overturned the world.
Of course, such a broken dōjutsu came with severe limitations. After all, it directly tampered with the laws of reality.
In truth, the ability only lasted ten minutes per activation. After that, it would wear off automatically. The cooldown was a whole year, a truly long CD. Only Kotoamatsukami had a longer one, being able to change someone's will entirely.
However, this was the limit of the Mangekyō itself, not Uchiha Kei.
Don't forget, Uchiha Kei had many abstract abilities, plus a system full of rewards.
That year-long cooldown? Kei had several ways to bypass it, allowing for consecutive uses.
This made the ten-minute limit far less annoying. Just before time ran out, Kei could simply apply a buff to refresh it.
This turned what was supposed to be a once-a-year trump card into a reliable go-to skill.
He could even use it on himself—and he did, using a mirror.
In fact, he discovered its properties by testing it on himself.
From Sakumo's perspective, he saw Uchiha Kei use the technique on himself, then draw a kunai and stab his own body. Had Kei not explained in advance, Sakumo would've tackled him to stop it.
At last, after completing his tests, Uchiha Kei named the right eye ability: "O God Activation."
Of course, this abstract name was for personal use. Publicly, he gave it a cooler name: "Kami no Kōrin" (Divine Descent).
It means "The Descent of God."
There are many possible explanations for this name, but really, it just sounded badass.
Yeah, Uchiha Kei still preferred to call it "O God Activation."
Don't ask why. Meme power is invincible.
---
"Phew\..."
Hatake Sakumo let out a deep breath.
He now stood on the main street of the Hidden Leaf Village.
His appearance had been changed via Transformation Jutsu. Now he looked like a silent, cold man with a scar over his left eyebrow.
This appearance matched his form in the Sekiro world—that of "Wolf."
Of course, he wasn't in battle attire but casual wear, and his arm was intact, not prosthetic.
This was the outfit Sakumo had worn while traveling through Japan in the game world.
After all, Konoha's hero Sakumo Hatake was officially dead. It had only been a few years, and many in the village would still recognize him.
To walk the streets with his original face would be like publicly taunting Konoha's security force—inviting trouble.
Sakumo knew full well he was supposed to be dead. The dead should not appear in the living world so casually. So, he disguised himself.
Moreover, this wasn't just any Transformation Jutsu—it was aided by Uchiha Kei's ability to interface with the mental network world and apply a mod from that realm.
This was another effect created by combining "Heroic Spirit Manifestation" with the network: a skin mod, essentially.
However, it was only a skin. None of the Sekiro world's powers or abilities could be brought into reality.
But if this was possible, could the rest of the game world's content also come over?
By now, Uchiha Kei couldn't help but wonder.
He only had the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan for now. But in this world, there were also the Rinnegan and even the Rinne Sharingan. If his eye evolved further, could that lead to upgrades for Heroic Spirit Manifestation?
Uchiha Kei wasn't sure.
But deep inside, he couldn't help but feel excited and hopeful.
If he could really bring game abilities into reality, even the fearsome Ōtsutsuki Clan wouldn't be a threat.
Forget anything else. He could just import a Dragon Ball mod and let Goku and Super Saiyan Vegeta beat the crap out of the Ōtsutsuki. Let those cosmic aristocrats who call mortals worms and monkeys taste the wrath of the Saiyan monkeys.
The very thought was exhilarating.
Of course, that was just fantasy. For now, it was time to get back to business.
For Sakumo, the thing he wanted most now was to see his son, Kakashi. And to take a good look at the current Leaf Village.
Judging by how Sakumo was strolling through the village, eyes constantly observing its many changes, it seemed he really just wanted to look around, and maybe see his son along the way.
This was understandable. Although he knew the village had changed, the sheer extent of the transformation exceeded even his expectations.
Only a few years had passed since his death, but the Leaf already felt foreign to him, as if he'd stumbled into a fortified cyberpunk Konoha.
Aside from a few landmark buildings still standing, the entire village had changed. It felt like a pre-Nine Tails Leaf civilian had been dropped into *Boruto*.
Not quite a total upheaval, but close enough.
This unfamiliarity stirred unease in Sakumo's heart.
For this traditionally-minded "samurai," such drastic change without mental preparation was a shock.
Fortunately, White Fang was still a hero. He adjusted his mindset quickly. Though filled with emotion and sighs, he was also gratified.
Because Konoha had changed for the better. Even if much of it was beyond his understanding, as long as it was good, it meant his past efforts to protect the village had been worthwhile.
And so, without realizing it, Sakumo arrived outside the village and saw the new district under construction.
Though only a few months had passed since construction began, the combination of shinobi black-tech, chakra systems, and a mass of labor-ninjas meant that Konoha's expansion was progressing at a speed that would leave Earth's infrastructure champions in tears.
The area now covered by the new district was over four times larger than the original Leaf. Its planning was meticulous, with residential, commercial, and industrial zones clearly divided. Roads were wide and clean, paved with concrete, and greenery was everywhere. Buildings were taller, denser.
While not reaching the hundreds-of-meters skyscrapers of Earth, many tens-of-meters buildings had already been constructed.
To Uchiha Kei, these were old and outdated. But to the Shinobi World, this was undoubtedly cyberpunk Konoha.
At the very least, when Sakumo stepped into the new district and saw the towering buildings, he felt like the world had been reborn. A sense of awe and awkwardness overwhelmed him.
Though he'd never studied progress or civilization, his personal experience now taught him the true meaning of those concepts.
If he had a heartbeat, he'd have heard it pounding.
"So this is... the new Leaf?"
Sakumo murmured.
Then, after a brief silence, he smiled.
"Yes. This is the new Leaf."
At the same time, his reverence for Uchiha Kei soared. He knew that all this progress had been brought about by Kei.
Before, his loyalty stemmed from gratitude. Now, on top of that, he felt genuine admiration.
A man of traditional beliefs, Sakumo knew he couldn't contribute to governance or development. But what he could do was dedicate his third life's body in full service to Lord Kei!
This was Hatake Sakumo's current, purest resolve.
At that moment, he saw a new message on his WeChat. It was from Minato Namikaze.
The Fourth Hokage's aide, the Yellow Flash of the Leaf, was looking for Sakumo. He said Kakashi had returned and gave Sakumo his location.
Sakumo could now go meet his son.
Naturally, Sakumo expressed deep thanks to this excellent junior.
But as he realized he was finally about to see his son again, he suddenly grew nervous.
After all, he felt overwhelming guilt toward Kakashi.
The father, unsure how to face his son, felt a rush of conflicted emotion. The White Fang of the Leaf found himself hesitating, even wanting to flee.
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