The first Shino World Shinobi King Tournament was a one-on-one format.
Due to technical limitations, free-for-all brawls hadn't been implemented yet—so for now, it was strictly 1v1.
And when it came to arcade fighting games… who wanted to watch two players just trading normal attacks? You hit me once, I hit you once—what's the fun in that? No, what fans wanted were intense clashes, explosive combos, adrenaline-pumping battles that fired up the crowd.
Unlike the Mini 4WD races, where everyone launched at once and even noobs could just race for fun, fighting games needed hype—and the audience wouldn't tolerate boredom.
Which meant…
The qualifying rounds at each arena were strict. Only the strongest players could earn a ticket to the grand finals.
Each Hidden Village got ten slots. Each nation got twenty. And if a village existed within a nation, that meant a total of thirty players from that region could qualify.
Village slots were separate from country slots—because in this world, ninjas ran the show.
As a result, villages and localities across the continent were already locked in fierce competition to earn those limited spots.
...
Konohagakure
"I'm telling you, the one with the highest chance to qualify is still the Light of the Leaf!"
"'Chance' nothing—he's literally at the top of the leaderboard. If he doesn't get selected, this whole tournament would be a joke."
"Fair enough. But who are the Light of the Leaf and the Darkness of Shinobi anyway? No one knows! And their in-game avatars don't even have names—there's no character called that on the roster."
"Eh, don't overthink it. I'm sure they'll show up when the tournament starts. We'll find out who they are soon enough."
"I just wanted to know early so I could go cheer them on~"
"You could always root for third place—Konohagakure's own Copy Ninja, who can copy enemy jutsu mid-fight. Watching his matches feels like watching performance art!"
"Yeah! Even if he's losing, he always takes the enemy down with him. That's why in the arcade, people call Kakashi... Mr. Fifty-Fifty!"
"'Fifty-Fifty'?"
"Yep. Against weak players, he wipes the floor with them. Against strong ones? Double KO. Worst-case scenario, he still ties. That's some next-level skill."
"True. He's scary good."
"And Asuma-sensei's been killing it with the Third Hokage."
"Yeah, he keeps hyping up his own skills, but honestly… just picking the Third and mashing buttons gets results. The old man has the most forgiving jutsu inputs."
"That's because he's the easiest character to use. Tons of ninjutsu, even if you don't know what you're doing."
"Then why doesn't anyone main the Second Hokage? He's got a ton of jutsu too."
"Well, he's the opposite extreme. His combos are hard. Tons of button inputs. Probably has the most ultimates in the whole roster."
Just as the conversation was heating up—
A stir broke out at the arcade entrance.
"It's the Copy Ninja! Mr. Fifty-Fifty himself—Kakashi-sensei!"
"What kind of nickname is that? Either call him Copy Ninja or Fifty-Fifty—don't mash it together like some bootleg title!"
"Quiet! Asuma-sensei and Guy-sensei are here too. And—wait, who's that guy with the senbon in his mouth?"
"Uh… not sure. Doesn't ring a bell. He's probably not a featured character in the game. If he's not famous, he won't be playable. Probably just another background character. Don't worry about it."
"…"
These guys…
Hearing the whispers, Genma Shiranui's usual lazy smile twitched. He removed the senbon from his mouth and casually picked at his teeth.
"So rude~"
He glanced at the two men beside him—Kakashi looked bored and dead inside, while Asuma gave off tired, brooding middle-aged vibes.
Formidable rivals.
As one of the current Top Five players on the leaderboard, Genma was confident he'd make it into the finals. The qualifiers didn't concern him much.
But taking first place against the best from every village? That wasn't going to be easy.
Just beating Kakashi and Asuma—who were ranked above him—was a tall order.
People underestimated how deceptively difficult the Third Hokage was. Sure, he was easy to play, but mastering him? That was another story entirely.
And Asuma? He was arguably the most skilled Third Hokage main in the village.
Well… duh. It was literally his dad.
Even if you could spam jutsu by mashing buttons, Asuma's command of timing, spacing, and combos with his father's character was top-tier.
Still, Asuma wasn't the #1 Third Hokage player on the boards.
That honor belonged to… The Darkness of Shinobi.
Having served in both ANBU and under the Third and Fourth Hokage, Genma had his own suspicions about who those top two mystery players were.
But it didn't matter.
They probably wouldn't show up in person for the Sunagakure finals anyway.
So as far as official entries were concerned, Asuma would likely be counted as the best Third Hokage player available.
He really is solid when it comes to playing his old man.
Genma sighed, then side-eyed Might Guy, who had been grinning like a lunatic since they walked in.
Yeah… no need to worry about him.
Guy had probably broken more arcade sticks than matches he'd actually won. He sucked, but still insisted on only playing Kakashi—never touching any other character.
Gotta admit, the man's loyal.
With no hesitation, Genma chased off the guys saving their machines and waved Kakashi and Asuma over to start warming up.
As a registered contestant, he was taking this tournament seriously. So yeah… he may have abused his rank a little to get their machines reserved early.
Unfortunately, Kakashi didn't join him.
He got dragged off by his eternal rival instead.
So Genma settled for practicing with Asuma.
Since the Third Hokage was a popular pick, it made sense to sharpen his matchup experience now. That way, even if he had to fight top players from other villages, he wouldn't be caught off guard.
His goal was first place.
Only by winning could he finally get a "Genma Shiranui" character added to Shinobi King 52. That way, he'd no longer be just some background extra in the shinobi world.
As for the Kakashi-Guy duo…
"HAHAHA! I've been waiting for this moment a long time!" Might Guy bellowed, already smashing in his coin. His bright smile flashed white as he looked at Kakashi. "Let's have a match brimming with the flames of youth! I'm getting fired up!"
"…"
Kakashi stared at the screen… Kakashi vs. Kakashi.
And sighed.
He knew Guy wasn't even ranked top 10. No way he was qualifying.
But with that look in his eyes…
There was no dodging this match.
And then—
"Hahaha! You think I'm still the same Might Guy from a few months ago? I've undergone special training!"
Ignoring Kakashi's bored expression, Guy threw back his head and roared:
"Gate of Opening: OPEN!"
Suddenly—
Guy's eyes went white, veins bulging across his forehead. The arcade screen blared the fight start music as he thrust out his right hand and slammed the buttons—
"BANG!!"
A massive spark shot out, complete with crackling static.
Gasps erupted from the watching crowd.
And then—
"MIGHT GUY! DAMMIT, IT'S YOU AGAIN!"
The arcade owner's furious roar echoed through the entire building.