The Advanced Shock From the 'Ninth Art'

Uchiha Qi, observing Minato Namikaze's reaction from a god's-eye view, nodded in satisfaction. After all, the "little surprise" he had arranged was truly effective; it even startled Minato, let alone other ninja with weaker psychological fortitude.

However, Uchiha Qi also found Minato's reaction quite normal.

It wasn't that Minato had suddenly turned timid, but rather that the Hellish Game Uchiha Qi created was simply too advanced for the Ninja World, maximizing humanity's core elements of fear.

Human fear stems from many sources. The purest fear is the fear of death, something all living beings possess—the phrase "will to survive" explains a lot.

Beyond that, there's the fear of the unknown.

From the worship of various animals in primitive times, to later awe of natural weather, and then the worship of various fictional deities and man-made objects, as well as the fear of darkness, abysses, and other environments—all are, in essence, fears of the "unknown."

In fact, in such situations, once the unknown is transformed into a limited known, the sense of fear significantly diminishes.

For instance, if earth-based players who enjoy horror games were to play this game, they would feel both fear and intense pleasure from the wild secretion of adrenaline and dopamine.

But the problem was that the Hellish Game Uchiha Qi created was unheard of in the Ninja World, and it offered full sensory immersion.

When Minato Namikaze was choked and unable to move, he simultaneously experienced the fear of death and an intense fear of the unknown.

Unseen scenarios, unprecedented experiences, and that incomprehensible 'woman.'

All these elements converged, fully triggering the sense of fear. Even Konoha's top prodigy, Minato Namikaze, couldn't withstand it.

As Minato recovered, he gave a wry smile. "Is this really a Genjutsu game? Isn't it a bit too realistic? And that woman just now, she didn't look like a ninja, nor a human. Was she an evil spirit from the story?"

The Ninja World did have stories about various demons and monsters, but these tales were only circulated among ordinary people. For ninja, who had seen more, encountered all sorts of strange things, and were themselves superhuman compared to ordinary folks, the demons and monsters revered by commoners meant nothing.

In fact, most ninja believed these stories originated from the ignorance of ordinary people, who mistook ninja skilled in stealth and assassination, appearing and disappearing like ghosts, for evil spirits, and various Summoned Beasts for monsters.

Indeed, ordinary people in the Ninja World were exactly like that.

So, while the Ninja World had stories of various demons and monsters, they were all very common and boring tales. For ninja, they were just amusing diversions. How could they compare to the Hellish Game Uchiha Qi created?

Therefore, it was only now that Minato Namikaze realized the woman earlier must have been a ghost or evil spirit from folk tales and bizarre legends.

Then, Uchiha Qi, who had been silent until now, spoke. "Mm, I created this by incorporating settings from some strange folk tales. How is it, Minato? An unprecedented experience, right?"

Minato Namikaze complained helplessly, "It certainly is an unprecedented experience. For a moment there, I felt like I was going to die."

Uchiha Qi replied, "That was just your feeling. This is a game, not a ninjutsu meant to kill. I've set up a safety lock in the game; if a truly life-threatening situation is triggered, the game will automatically shut down."

At this point, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Speaking of which, this world isn't lacking people who like to court death but whose bodies can't handle it. What if some incapable person insists on playing despite warnings and ends up in danger? Wouldn't I have to pay compensation then?"

"That won't do. This is a huge bug that needs to be fixed. Indeed, I should integrate some Medical Ninjutsu or something similar. Once a life-threatening situation is triggered, they can be directly resuscitated."

Although Uchiha Qi was muttering, his voice wasn't low, allowing Minato Namikaze to hear him. While it felt like it invited complaints, upon closer thought, there was nothing wrong with what he said.

So, Minato Namikaze ultimately nodded in deep agreement. "Indeed, this game is simply too realistic. It's overly stimulating for many ninja. Some safety precautions are absolutely necessary."

Then, Uchiha Qi asked, "So, Minato, are you alright? Do you need to rest?"

Are you alright?

Of course I am!

A man can never say he's not alright!

Especially in front of a good friend!

Even though Minato Namikaze had a gentle personality, he would absolutely not say no to such a question.

Immediately, Minato Namikaze stood up abruptly. "Of course. Though it was a bit stimulating, after the thrill, an unprecedented feeling also came. This strong sense of excitement, for some reason, is oddly pleasurable, and I'm looking forward to what happens next."

"Moreover..."

As he spoke, he put away his smile and said very seriously, "Experiencing such profound terror in this 'vulnerable' state is also a form of training for me. In the future, if I encounter similar situations, it won't shake my resolve."

These words were not a joke. Ninja in the Ninja World, though called ninja, were effectively fragile mages, possessing all sorts of bizarre abilities. Among them were methods that could draw out a person's inner fears, along with other insidious techniques. Many powerful ninja had been ensnared by these very means.

While Uchiha Qi's game was insidious, it was also an excellent tool for tempering. It could better hone Minato Namikaze's mental fortitude, allowing him to calmly face insidious enemies in the future.

And so, Minato Namikaze immediately continued the game.

This time, the path ahead was no longer just one, but three, and the colors of all three paths were different.

One was black, one was gray, and one was red, seemingly representing different things.

Uchiha Qi didn't offer a hint, and Minato Namikaze didn't ask. Clearly, this was part of the 'puzzle' and 'exploration.' If he knew beforehand, some things would lose their appeal.

Ultimately, Minato Namikaze chose the black path on the left and rushed into it directly with a ninja run.

It wasn't that Minato Namikaze was reckless, but rather that being cautious had been completely useless against that female evil spirit before. So, if 'slow' was ineffective, then 'fast' was the way to go.

In fact, the three paths did have different symbolic meanings.

Black represented death, gray represented negative emotions like suffering and sorrow, and red represented slaughter. These three things were what ninja commonly faced.

They also represented the past and obsessions of the character Minato Namikaze was playing.

Using games to question the mind—this was a common trope in many games.

Of course, for the Ninja World, it was still excessively advanced.

In fact, if this were not just a small game, Uchiha Qi wouldn't mind delving deeper into these settings, making the people of the Ninja World profoundly experience the soul-searching brought by the "Ninth Art."

For now, he would let Minato Namikaze have a 'taste' of it!

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