"How was it, Minato? Were you nervous?"
Backstage at the venue, Uchiha Qi grinned as he patted Minato Namikaze's stiff shoulder, utterly unable to hide his gloating delight.
Teased by his best friend, Minato could only reply helplessly, "Yeah. Who would've thought so many people would actually come today? Honestly, I'm starting to regret agreeing to this, Qi. I thought it would already be amazing if a few hundred people showed up for this so-called press conference. Who knew all five thousand seats would be filled?"
"And with all the staff working in the venue, there are over five thousand people here altogether."
"During the last Ninja World War, Konoha only sent a few thousand ninja to the battlefield in total."
By the end, Minato sounded even more helpless, as if he had boarded a pirate ship.
When he had first agreed to help Uchiha Qi promote the event, aside from the various benefits and future prospects Qi had promised him, he had also wanted to help his friend. Yet Uchiha Qi had somehow brought in several thousand people.
Just thinking about playing a game in front of several thousand people and having the gameplay broadcast live to the audience made Minato feel immense pressure and left him extremely nervous.
After all, nineteen-year-old Minato had yet to experience a truly grand occasion. Though he had been born with nerves of steel, suddenly facing the watchful eyes of thousands still made him very nervous.
Uchiha Qi merely smiled at Minato's helplessness. "Relax, relax. I already told you the whole process beforehand. You just need to go onstage and follow the plan."
"Besides, this is a good opportunity, isn't it? You said your dream was to become Hokage. If that day truly comes, then when you take office, you'll have to face all of Konoha, along with outsiders who come to watch the inauguration."
"Going onstage now is just letting you experience what it feels like to be the center of attention ahead of time."
Minato laughed helplessly. "Qi, you really have a lot of faith in me. I do want to become Hokage, but it's just a wish. There are still plenty of people ahead of me who are more qualified to become Hokage."
Uchiha Qi smiled meaningfully. "Theoretically, that's true. But stories need logic; reality doesn't. Maybe someday, your strength will suddenly soar, and the perfect stage for you will just happen to appear, allowing you to earn achievements beyond anyone else's reach. Then you might surpass everyone and become Hokage directly."
Naturally, Minato did not believe such words. He felt Uchiha Qi was merely trying to comfort him.
His own hopes were much like those of the Third Hokage: he would be satisfied if he could become Hokage around the age of forty. Clearly, he was still far from the time he had envisioned.
In fact, that was also what most people in Konoha who knew Minato thought.
Konoha was currently strong and prosperous, with all three generations—old, middle-aged, and young—well represented. Although Minato had already shown the makings of a Hokage, he was only a nineteen-year-old young man. He was still far from becoming Hokage and needed to slowly build up his seniority.
No one could have imagined that this young man, born a civilian ninja, would shock the entire ninja world in the coming Third Great Ninja War, then rise like a rocket to become the youngest Hokage in history—including all those who came after him.
Naturally, Uchiha Qi would not "spoil" the future. Besides, even if he did, everyone would only think he was insane.
So Uchiha Qi changed the subject. "Minato, remember this day."
Minato blinked. "Hm?"
Uchiha Qi looked ahead, toward the center of the venue. "Today will be a day of immense significance for Konoha, and even the entire ninja world. Because starting today, Genjutsu Game will truly reveal itself to this world and become something that profoundly changes it."
"So, Minato, remember this day! Because we are making history!"
After hearing Uchiha Qi's words, Minato's eyes widened slightly, and his mind buzzed.
Then, the future Yellow Flash finally seemed to realize what today's press conference represented, and for a moment, it all felt surreal.
But...
It didn't feel bad.
Minato immediately smiled and nodded lightly, raising his left fist.
Seeing this, Uchiha Qi raised his right fist and lightly bumped it against Minato's. Then they looked at each other and smiled.
Best friends. Everything was understood without words.
At last, as the time reached nine in the morning, the press conference officially began.
A professional band hired by the Uchiha Clan began playing music that seemed flashy and avant-garde to the people of the ninja world.
Wearing a specially tailored black host's outfit, Uchiha Qi emerged from backstage under the gaze of over five thousand people. He walked all the way up to the high platform in the center of the venue, appearing atop the white stage emblazoned with the Uchiha emblem.
Most of those attending the press conference had simply come to see what the fuss was about. They were willing to buy tickets because it was the Uchiha Clan's first event on such a grand scale, and the ordinary seats were not expensive.
Even now, most people did not understand what a press conference even was.
But when they heard the avant-garde music and saw an unusually dressed Uchiha step onto the central stage from backstage, everyone's attention was immediately drawn over.
In an instant, Uchiha Qi caught the eyes of countless people.
Although his black host's outfit did not quite fit Konoha's current fashion, it looked genuinely handsome on him. It did not make him look like some gaudy punk at all; instead, it looked exceptionally neat and proper.
Quite a few people began wondering where they could buy such clothes and whether the Uchiha Clan's shops sold them.
If they did, those people would not mind buying a set for themselves, their husbands, sons, or boyfriends.
Among those who wanted to buy one for themselves were not only men, but women as well.
In this atmosphere, everyone began guessing at Uchiha Qi's identity.
Only the ninja recognized Uchiha Qi, this unconventional Uchiha who had been regarded as mediocre in his early years.
But precisely because of that, even more questions arose—what right did Uchiha Qi have to appear at this press conference and bypass the other Uchiha to become the host of such an important event?
With that thought, the ninja all turned to look at the Uchiha in the venue, wanting to see their reactions.
What they saw was that the Uchiha were very calm about it. Some of them were even looking at Uchiha Qi below with fervent, worshipful eyes.
At once, those ninja understood. Uchiha Qi was the choice of the Uchiha Clan's will, the host jointly selected by the Uchiha Clan.
And amid everyone's differing thoughts, Uchiha Qi reached the center of the stage and began his career as a press conference host, announcing the official start of the event!
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