After realizing that amusement could also generate emotional energy, Uchiha Kei clapped his hands three times in rhythm.
Immediately, a Uchiha Jōnin appeared by his side and respectfully asked, "Lord Kei, what are your orders?"
As one of the guards assigned by the clan to protect Uchiha Kei, this man had originally respected Kei only because of the Genjutsu game he brought, which greatly benefited the Uchiha.
But after witnessing Kei, in just a few days, drastically change the clan's unfavorable situation, his opinion of him had drastically shifted.
Especially today, after seeing the representatives of the other clans groveling at the negotiating table—he now worshipped Uchiha Kei.
"Though Lord Kei may not be a strong combatant, he is a once-in-a-millennium strategist of the Uchiha. He should be commanding from behind the scenes—leave the killing to us mere mortals!"
Those were the words of Uchiha Naori, captain of Kei's personal guard—a sentiment now widely accepted within the unit.
Indeed, even those Uchiha who once believed only in strength now found a strange pleasure in being outwitted. Their values were shifting, revealing a classic binary mindset.
Standing firm in his position of authority, Uchiha Kei directly gave his instructions. The guards executed them with precision, transmitting his will without error.
Outside, the staff in charge of the livestream received the orders and nodded knowingly before making the necessary preparations. All this happened behind the scenes, unknown to the viewers.
Meanwhile, the viewers refocused on the four livestream panels.
Although all four screens had their audience, the most eye-catching one was undoubtedly Minato's team.
This time, it wasn't just Namikaze Minato drawing attention—their whole team was pure entertainment gold.
Inside the game world, after Nohara Rin calmed the nearly-brawling Kakashi and Obito, Minato spoke up, directing their attention to a nearby in-game bulletin.
The bulletin provided basic gameplay instructions, emphasizing that players' powers were severely nerfed in this world—just slightly stronger than ordinary people.
Moreover, due to the story's setting—chakra had been sealed away by malevolent spirits—traditional ninja combat was unusable.
Players had to fight using primitive methods and make full use of available weapons.
At the start, they spawned in a dilapidated safehouse made of old wood. Inside were weapons like kunai, shuriken, bows, iron rods, and katana, along with throwable items like explosive tags and Molotovs.
There were also medkits for healing—finally, a game with visible health bars.
Each person could select two weapons, two throwables, and one medkit. No one could carry more.
Then came Obito. Either he misunderstood the instructions or didn't read them at all. After a brief glance, he shouted, "I got it!" and eagerly began gathering gear.
He even insisted on helping Nohara Rin carry her items, saying she shouldn't be burdened.
But every time he picked up a second medkit, the first would drop to the floor.
"What the heck, Minato-sensei?! Is this game bugged? Why does the first medkit drop when I pick up another one?" he cried.
Minato smiled awkwardly. Rin sighed helplessly. Kakashi, deadpan as ever, muttered, "You really are a colossal idiot, dead last."
And just like that, another argument erupted between Obito and Kakashi.
The sheer comedy of it all sent the audience into fits of laughter.
The other teams, meanwhile, were quietly reviewing instructions and gathering supplies. It was all very... straightforward.
Not that it was bad—but the contrast made their stream much less entertaining.
Back in the real world, the Uchiha watching all this had collectively turned grim.
Even if Obito was acting like a clown in-game, he was still a Uchiha—and the audience's laughter felt like a disgrace to their pride.
Some Uchihas even activated their Sharingan, glaring daggers at Obito's image, itching to jump into the screen and teach him a lesson.
But what they didn't realize was that, at that very moment, a new and unfamiliar thought was forming in the minds of the viewers—
"So not all Uchihas are arrogant snobs after all. They've got down-to-earth goofballs like Obito, too."
Yes—thanks to Obito's public antics, the Uchiha's icy image finally cracked. A new, more relatable side of the clan had emerged.
Even though it was just one Obito, the Uchiha's reputation had been so deeply entrenched that this single moment of silliness felt like a seismic shift.
This was the beginning of the Uchiha's image thawing in the minds of ordinary people.
Back in the Genjutsu game, after much fuss, Obito finally figured out how to pick up gear. Embarrassed, he calmed down, and the group quickly armed themselves.
Obito and Rin, both recent ninja academy graduates, chose kunai and shuriken—tools they'd been trained with.
Minato and Kakashi selected kunai and katana. Kakashi, though still a boy, had inherited the Hatake clan's swordsmanship. Even if his training was incomplete due to his father's early death, he was still more comfortable with a blade than anything else.
Once armed, the four stood at the door of the safehouse, which they then opened.
The trial stage's title appeared in blood-red letters:
Escape to Konoha: Stage 1 – The Forest
The goal: reach the Hidden Leaf Village.
The stage was divided into sub-levels. This one, clearly, was a forest map.
As the text vanished, the team heard eerie growls in the distance. Their vision revealed a winding dirt path ahead, dense vegetation to either side, and thick white mist—clearly meant to deter exploration.
Before they could assess further, a figure burst out from the mist—eyes blood-red, face twisted in rage, skin ashen, body torn and mangled.
More followed—male and female—all charging forward like rabid animals, radiating pure hatred for the living.
"Zombies!" Kakashi shouted, hurling a shuriken that pierced the first one's chest cleanly.
But it didn't stop. It staggered briefly, then kept coming.
The party was shocked. Minato and Kakashi quickly regrouped, slipping back into battle mode.
Obito and Rin, fresh out of the academy, froze.
Despite Obito's earlier game experience, this survival horror scenario rattled him. The grotesque zombies, seemingly unkillable, were terrifying.
And this reaction was normal. The other teams also panicked when attacked.
Their shuriken, kunai, even arrows all missed their marks. Only once the zombies got close did they finally manage to kill them with melee weapons—but not before being clawed, punched, or bitten, leaving them screaming.
In contrast, Minato's team swiftly adapted. Despite the earlier antics, with the Yellow Flash and young genius Kakashi on hand, they sliced through the zombies with ease, even in their weakened state. Googlᴇ search 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒·𝗇𝗲𝘁
They quickly discovered the zombies' weak points: their bodies were brittle, and damaging the brain or spine would kill them instantly.
So even a wooden stick could bash a zombie's skull in.
While the other teams were still fumbling at the safehouse door, Minato's squad was already making their advance.