Year 53 of the Hidden Leaf calendar.
It had already been some time since the war ended. Peace and development were gradually becoming the dominant themes of this new shinobi era.
Aside from Kirigakure, which had mysteriously sealed off its borders, all other major villages were quietly advancing their own agendas. And again, aside from Kirigakure, the other Hidden Villages had entered a period of frequent exchanges and cooperation.
Especially Sunagakure's toy industry…
Thanks to a few prominent shinobi leading the way, their products were now spreading across the entire shinobi world, setting off a wave of popular trends.
Mini 4WD cars, battle tops, arcade machines, kiddie rides—these had become beloved pastimes for both civilians and shinobi alike. In particular, kiddie rides had become so essential that if a shop didn't have one outside, parents with kids wouldn't even go inside.
April had officially become the peak season for Sunagakure's product sales.
With rising popularity, it wasn't just the other Great Nations who were seeking cooperation with Sunagakure. Independent merchants from all corners of the world were also pouring into the village to purchase or establish deeper partnerships. Naturally, unlike the discounted rates offered to allied villages, these traders got less favorable deals—after all, protecting the interests of regional distributors was critical.
If profits got too skewed, guys like Danzo were bound to complain. And really, it wasn't worth stirring up unnecessary tension.
Things were going smoothly right now.
So, all factories kicked production into overdrive, racing to build Sunagakure's brand reputation. They focused on building product recognition, expanding customer trust, improving after-sales support, and even training specialized customer service teams—so that every buyer could shop with confidence and use their purchases worry-free.
...
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the shinobi world...
Inside an arcade.
A man sat at a machine, completely wrapped in a cloak from head to toe—even his chin was covered—leaving only a pair of cold, green, bean-sized eyes visible.
He glanced at the screen. His opponent? A shinobi using Wood Release.
Then he looked at the player controlling the character next to him.
After a moment of silence, he calmly pulled a kunai from his cloak and set it down right on the cabinet's control panel.
The other player's face immediately stiffened, and his button inputs suddenly became a lot sloppier.
"An opening," the man muttered in a voice devoid of emotion, eyes narrowing coldly. "Hmph… You think the so-called 'God of Shinobi' can defeat an immortal warrior?"
With that, under the shocked and awestruck eyes of everyone around, he launched a single flawless combo and wiped out the enemy player—who had over half a health bar remaining.
[GAME OVER]
As the end music played, the man sighed quietly.
Another win.
But it didn't feel satisfying—only hollow.
He stared at the image of the defeated "God of Shinobi" on the screen. Familiar, yet somehow… off.
God, this artwork is ugly.
Even he, the Immortal Warrior—Kakuzu—could sit here without any disguise and no one recognized him. That alone said everything about how ugly these graphics were.
If it weren't for the name and abilities listed, even he wouldn't have recognized himself.
Black cloak, black hair, hunched posture—he looked like a damn old man. Only the hair color matched.
When the hell had he ever looked that old?
Let's get this straight—he had outlived Hashirama Senju and still looked younger than that.
Cracking open a bottle of soda next to him, Kakuzu chugged it down to numb the emptiness inside. Then, sweeping his icy green gaze across the room, he let loose the aura of a true powerhouse.
"…Who's next?"
Today…
He was going to beat the "God of Shinobi" a hundred times to finally erase the trauma.
Because no one else knew how terrifying that moment had been. What kind of monster the real God of Shinobi truly was.
Senju Hashirama—The God of the Shinobi.
Even now, after all these years—after that man had long since passed—Kakuzu still couldn't forget that day.
But seeing this ridiculous in-game version, seeing him getting beaten over and over—it brought him a strange sense of peace.
"That guy's really pushing it, huh? Hogging the machine for that long and acting like he owns the place. He's asking for a beatdown one of these days."
"Don't mess with him! You can tell he's a shinobi. And he's the one who paid for your token, so you've got to play by his rules."
"Tch. If it weren't the only machine open, I wouldn't have even bothered. And you're forced to pick the 'God of Shinobi' and lose on purpose. It's so cheap. What about fairness and competitive spirit? They literally wrote 'Fair, Just, Open' in big red letters at the entrance!"
"Hey, be grateful—you got to play a free round."
"Tokens don't cost much. If the place wasn't packed, no one would play under those conditions. It's suffocating. You'll never improve like that—never become a real arcade master."
"Actually, that Immortal Warrior guy is pretty strong. When he activates his Earth Grudge Fear mode—huge HP pool, high defense, insane damage. Even then he wants his opponents to go easy on him? If it weren't for that token, I'd have wiped the floor with him."
"He's definitely strong. I've never even heard of him in the real shinobi world. But if he made it into Ninja King 52, then he must be legit. Just weird that there's barely any info on him. How strong is he really?"
"Definitely not stronger than the God of Shinobi. Come on—it's Hashirama. THE God of Shinobi."
"True, true. Still… why does he look so damn ugly in this game? Honestly, everyone in Ninja King 52 looks awful—except the Fourth Kazekage."
"Apparently they did that on purpose—to protect ninja identities and prevent enemies from using the game to gather intel. So, they deliberately made the characters look worse."
"Then what about the Fourth Kazekage?"
"Oh, I heard he volunteered to use his real image—to set an example. That way, the other villages would agree to let the game be sold."
"Really? Damn, he is handsome."
Really? Is that how it is?
Kakuzu, who had just trashed Hashirama again, overheard the murmurs and frowned.
No wonder my in-game model looks like crap.
To be fair, for a shinobi, concealment and anonymity were vital. The less the enemy knew, the better your odds. Surprise was the shinobi's greatest weapon.
But still—
"This is ugly."
Honestly, at this point, there was no harm in using real likenesses. Most major intel had already been exposed, and as for him… the Hidden Waterfall Village probably still thought he was dead.
After all, it had been decades.
Trying to dig up actionable intel through a damn arcade game? You'd get more results doing your own proper intel work.
Kakuzu let out a cold, dismissive laugh.
"So the Fourth Kazekage chickened out, huh?"
All that, just to get the game accepted by other villages?
What a joke.
Sure, people were probably paranoid at first—worried about information leaks. But after a few rounds?
No one took it seriously.
He literally just curb-stomped the so-called God of Shinobi. At that point, who still believed this was an accurate simulation?
"Pathetic."
It told him everything he needed to know about the Fourth Kazekage's lack of vision.
Scoffing, he glanced at the latest player he'd just annihilated and spoke again with that same flat, detached tone:
"Next. Hurry up."
He, Kakuzu… had money.
Right as his words fell—
"Attention everyone!"
The arcade's chubby owner waddled out and shouted loudly, "I have some good news to announce, regarding the first…"