The final days of June in the 46th year of the Hidden Leaf calendar were unusually lively, as if the entire village had flipped into festival mode.
The cause? The Uchiha clan—usually aloof and unapproachable, never keen to mingle with outsiders—were, against all odds, taking the initiative. They were preparing for something called a "Genjutsu Game" product launch.
Neither "Genjutsu Game" nor "product launch" were familiar terms.
Yet the Uchiha had printed and distributed flyers across every street and alley in the village, using the old-school approach to publicity. All of Konoha soon knew what was happening and what a "product launch" meant.
Even towns surrounding the Fire Country caught wind of the event.
Naturally, this drew a lot of attention. Besides Konoha residents, curious merchants and visitors from other regions arrived, eager to discover what the Uchiha were planning and what exactly this "Genjutsu Game" was.
Some clever merchants even prepared to take notes on the Uchiha's innovative business strategies—when everyone is talking about an event, that attention becomes value. Even though a theory for this hadn't yet taken root in the shinobi world, smart merchants could sense the benefit.
Despite having only three days to prepare, the village's foot traffic surged during the final two days, putting considerable pressure on the gatekeeping ninja.
But for Konoha's innkeepers and street vendors, it was a huge win. The influx of outsiders brought a boom in spending.
Many shopkeepers developed a sudden fondness for the Uchiha clan—after all, they were directly profiting.
Even shinobi and craftsmen felt the same.
After all, when the Uchiha clan rented an outer training ground, they launched a massive construction project to build the event venue in just three days.
This required not only regular craftsmen but many shinobi as well.
So the Uchiha issued a formal mission request to Konoha, calling for ninjas skilled in Suiton and Doton to help with earth and water work.
And they were generous. Though they could've registered the mission as D-rank, they raised it to C-rank, prompting many Genin and Chūnin short on cash to jump at the chance.
Even some Jōnin were tempted by the rewards, but the shame of taking on a low-level task kept them from accepting.
In this way, the Uchiha clan gained favor with lower-ranking shinobi—because the job was easy and well-paid, a rare combo.
What's that? You think construction work is undignified?
Well, for most shinobi, especially Genin, there's no such thing as a "dignified" mission.
Helping nobles find lost pets or irrigate massive farms—tell me which is more dignified than simple construction?
The idea that shinobi refuse to build or farm and only know destruction is nonsense.
In reality, ninja do whatever jobs they're given. If no one posts missions for construction or farming, why would they do it? ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝙣𝙚𝙩
Remember how the Hidden Leaf rebuilt itself after Pain's attack? Ninja from all ranks pitched in without complaint.
You want ninja to help build or farm? Just pay them.
Uchiha Kei understood this perfectly after living in the shinobi world for 18 years. That's why he had the clan issue mission requests to hire a large chunk of Konoha's working-class ninja.
On top of that, many Uchihas joined the venue construction as mandated by Uchiha leadership. As a result, a lot of lower-ranking ninja and civilians had close interactions with Uchiha for the first time.
To their surprise, the Uchiha were indeed proud and tended to look down their noses at others—but they were also decent people. They never mocked or insulted anyone unprovoked. If you came to them with a problem, they might act cold, but they'd help sincerely.
Soon, a new opinion began circulating among ordinary people and lower-ranking ninja:
"Actually, the Uchiha aren't so bad. That proud but helpful attitude? Isn't that just textbook tsundere behavior? What's that? You don't know what tsundere means? Well, let me explain…"
And thus, the term "tsundere" entered the lexicon. With it, people's impressions of the Uchiha quietly began to shift.
For now, only those involved in the venue's construction had this realization. But they all had friends and family. Once they talked about their experiences, the idea that all Uchiha were tsundere would begin to take root.
Obviously, this kind of subtle public manipulation wasn't something the Uchiha clan had come up with themselves. The only one who could orchestrate it—quietly hiring people to spread the word and knowing what "tsundere" meant—was Uchiha Kei.
To this, Kei would say: "It was just a casual move, inspired by the divine wisdom of 21st-century internet trolls."
In short, through a quiet, almost invisible process, the Uchiha clan's reputation in Konoha was beginning to improve.
Meanwhile, a massive venue was rapidly taking shape.
It resembled an ancient Roman coliseum, made of stone, with multiple tunnels and a central arena. Tiered seating ensured every spectator would have a clear view.
In the future, Konoha would have a similar structure—the Chūnin Exams arena from the original story.
That arena, though, clearly hadn't been built yet in this timeline.
Which leads to a rather malicious speculation: After the Uchiha clan's downfall, Konoha claimed their assets and used the wealth to fund the Chūnin Exams arena.
Or, if you want a more optimistic take: maybe it was just built during reconstruction after the Nine-Tails attack. Interpret it however you like.
Right now, Uchiha Kei was having his clan build a similar venue. It would serve as their permanent product launch site—and a rental venue when not in use.
What's that? Would the village leadership even allow this?
That depends on what the higher-ups want.
Regardless, the Uchiha had rented the training field for ten full years—at a price high enough to let Konoha build three identical ones elsewhere.
As for what happens in ten years? Well, by then, Minato would be Hokage. With Kei's relationship with him, there'd be plenty of room to negotiate.
In truth, if the village had allowed it, buying the land outright would've been more ideal.
Anyway, thanks to the efforts of the Uchiha clan, many mid-to-low level ninja, and a ton of craftsmen, the huge round venue was completed in just three days.
The people of Konoha, impressed by the lightning-fast progress, called it "Konoha Speed."
Naturally, the Uchiha insisted it should be called "Uchiha Speed"—after all, they paid for everything.
From Kei's perspective, the venue was still pretty crude. But to the people of the shinobi world, it was practically luxurious.
And so, on the fourth day, the Genjutsu Game product launch was held in that very arena.