"Wow~~ So amazing, so amazing! Genjutsu Game is incredible!!!"
Excited, boisterous shouts rang out across the venue. Nine-year-old Uchiha Obito's eyes shone as his whole body buzzed with excitement.
Normally, shouting like that in public would surely annoy people. But no one cared about Uchiha Obito right now, because countless others were yelling just as loudly.
Now that the trial session had begun, the audience members were ushered into the central venue in groups by the staff, where they lined up with their tickets to try the two genjutsu games.
Of course, there were too many people, so a lottery system was used. Only one out of every ten people got to try the games. Each group of ten tossed their tickets into a box, and whoever was drawn got the chance to play.
Moreover, since most of the people present were ordinary civilians, the versions they experienced were different. Both currently available games had been weakened and were only demo versions, so people could merely get a taste of them.
After all...
The full versions were meant to be sold for money. Letting you try them was already an immense favor—Uchiha Qi quote.jpg.
Uchiha Obito was shouting so excitedly because he had just entered the game and tried Fruit Ninja. Although he had been thoroughly beaten up by the fruit, that incredibly realistic experience was something entirely unprecedented to him.
Then, Uchiha Obito eagerly ran over to a girl his age, also nine years old, with purple square markings on her cheeks. He shouted excitedly, "Rin, it was absolutely amazing! Genjutsu Game is seriously incredible! It's such a shame the organizers wouldn't let me give my chance to you. But it's fine! I heard these games can already be bought. Rin, we have to buy the full versions and take them home!"
Watching Uchiha Obito's excited appearance, the adorable girl named Nohara Rin smiled and nodded, anticipation shining in her eyes as well.
After all, not long ago, Minato Namikaze had displayed the appeal of genjutsu games through a live broadcast before thousands of people, officially confirming his title of the Yellow Flash with the skill of an expert.
Although she had not been selected in the drawing, her friend Uchiha Obito had been!
Her friend's excited reaction after trying it was like a feather, tickling her curiosity and anticipation until they itched.
Then Nohara Rin turned to the silver-haired boy beside her, who wore a black mask that exposed only his eyes, and said, "Actually, we could try to see whether we can qualify to experience the new game this afternoon. I heard that unreleased game is a brand-new work being developed by the creator of Genjutsu Game."
"Even though it hasn't been fully developed yet and is only a demo version, if four people can enter the game together, then with Minato-sensei, we'll have exactly four people."
To Uchiha Obito, who had comprehended the great path of being a simp at such a young age, the goddess's words were an imperial decree. He immediately nodded repeatedly, showing immense anticipation.
However, the cool silver-haired boy, Hatake Kakashi, said coldly, "Don't fantasize. Minato-sensei may be our team leader, but he's also an Elite Jonin of Konoha. After that presentation just now, he's become famous throughout all of Konoha. Why would Minato-sensei play games with us?"
That classic bucket of cold water instantly cooled the heated atmosphere.
Uchiha Obito immediately turned red with rage and glared furiously at his best buddy, Hatake Kakashi. "Damn it, Kakashi, what do you mean by that? Are you saying we aren't worthy of clearing genjutsu games with Minato-sensei?"
Hatake Kakashi gave Uchiha Obito a deadpan look. "Looks like you, the dead last, have some self-awareness after all."
Uchiha Obito turned even redder with rage and immediately started arguing with Hatake Kakashi, looking ready to fight. Hatake Kakashi, meanwhile, put on an arrogant act and relentlessly mocked Uchiha Obito with cold, sharp-tongued remarks, fully displaying the distinctive charm of elementary schoolers fighting.
Caught between the two, Nohara Rin had long since grown used to this sort of thing. She hurriedly acted as the mediator, continuously soothing them both.
Taking in the scene through a backstage window, Uchiha Qi asked Minato Namikaze, "Minato, is that the team you lead?"
Minato Namikaze wore a sunny smile. "Yes, those are the three kids. Other than Nohara Rin, you know the other two, right, Qi?"
Uchiha Qi nodded. "Uchiha Obito. That kid is also an oddity within the Uchiha Clan. At first, he was evaluated as lacking the talent to become a ninja, and arrangements were being made for him to pursue another profession."
"But he took me directly as his goal and example, saying, 'If Senior Qi can become a ninja, then I definitely can too.' Then he enrolled in the Ninja Academy."
"The white-haired one is Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's White Fang's son. Like you, he's a top-tier genius ninja. He graduated at five and became a Chunin at six. So I really can't understand why a ninja like him would be put on a team with two students who just graduated from the Ninja Academy."
His words had directly turned into a complaint, because Nohara Rin and Uchiha Obito had both just graduated and had been assigned under Minato Namikaze a few days ago to form Minato's Team.
Of course, as a transmigrator, Uchiha Qi naturally had not truly just learned about this matter, despite how he appeared. Still, that did not stop him from complaining about it.
Minato Namikaze explained, "This was deliberately arranged by the Third Hokage. Kakashi truly is a genius, but he completely treats himself as a tool, and he views his teammates as tools as well."
"If this continues, Kakashi may become a very powerful ninja in the future, but he'll also become a cold person without any emotions. The Third Hokage doesn't want Kakashi to become that kind of person, and neither would Senior Sakumo."
"So the Third Hokage hoped I could help Kakashi. Obito and Rin had a good relationship with him back when Kakashi was still at the Ninja Academy. Even after Kakashi graduated early, he kept in contact with them. So when they graduated, they simply formed the current Minato's Team."
Hearing that, Uchiha Qi raised an eyebrow, an amused expression appearing on his face.
They did all this because they did not want Konoha's White Fang's son to become an emotionless tool, but the reason White Fang had committed suicide back then had been that very question of humanity: people and tools.
Was the Third Hokage doing this to make up for that past regret? Or was it crocodile tears?
Well, no one could blame Uchiha Qi for assuming the worst of Hiruzen Sarutobi. After all, in the eyes of Konoha F4, he was an "Uchiha born evil."
Of course, those were only Uchiha Qi's private thoughts. He would not foolishly say them aloud. Right now, he cared more about his game, since it concerned his future life of exploits.
So, after his eyes shifted, he said to Minato Namikaze, "Minato, the new game I developed will open for demo trials this afternoon, with players forming teams of four. Your Minato's Team has exactly four people, and you've only just started leading those kids, so their coordination and teamwork are still lacking."
"How about you take them into the game this afternoon? It can also help nurture the bond of your newly formed team."
Hearing this, Minato Namikaze rubbed his chin before smiling. "Sounds pretty good. Then I'll leave this afternoon's slots to you."
Thus, the first four-person team to play the ninja world version of Left 4 Dead was confirmed.
At that very moment, Uchiha Qi received the system notification that the mission had been completed.
Before you continue