In the end, Tsunade escorted Uchiha Kei to the foot of his apartnt building.
That was as far as the send-off went. Kei expressed his thanks and said she didn't need to go any further.
Inviting Tsunade inside for a drink was unnecessary—not because he lacked manners, but because it simply wasn't needed. Among shinobi, social formalities weren't that elaborate.
Besides, inviting a woman over this late at night would give the wrong impression. They weren't dating, after all. Being too "enthusiastic" might tarnish Tsunade's reputation.
Of course, Kei had no idea that her reputation didn't need protecting anymore. Tomorrow, he'd witness firsthand the terrifying speed at which gossip spread in the Hidden Leaf Village—and co to understand why Sakumo Hatake had once taken his own life under the weight of a shinobi-style online mob.
Let's just say there's a reason Konoha's system cos with a passive ability called "Weak Rumor Resistance."
Then, Tsunade reached for the necklace she wore—a green gemstone resting against her chest.
It was a necklace inherited from the First Hokage, still containing Hashirama Senju's chakra. A deeply symbolic artifact in the original story.
The necklace would later be given to Naruto by Tsunade herself, and that stored chakra helped suppress the Nine Tails within him. In the early plot, it was a key protective charm to keep Naruto from being consud.
In canon, the necklace did emit Wood Style energy during Naruto's berserk monts. But at the critical mont? It barely bought a few seconds before breaking—just enough to delay his attack on Pain. It was ultimately destroyed and ironically helped Pain more than Naruto.
So yeah, it was a aningful item, but not a practically useful one.
That was in canon. Here and now, its aning was far more significant.
Because Tsunade was giving it to Uchiha Kei. Which ant, as a representative of the Senju clan, she was entrusting him with its symbol.
If Kei used the necklace to request sothing from the Senju, there was a high chance they would comply.
"I don't have much to give you, Kei-kun. But if you don't mind that this necklace was once worn by my little brother and ex-boyfriend... then it's yours."
Kei smiled as he accepted the still-warm necklace: "Of course I don't mind. It's a wonderful gift. Thank you."
Tsunade laughed heartily. "As long as you like it. Compared to the help you gave , this is just a small token."
With that, the most boisterous woman in the shinobi world gave a carefree wave and turned to leave. Kei, too, turned and returned to his ho.
Unbeknownst to him, the Uchiha guards who had seen the scene from afar but hadn't heard the conversation assud Tsunade had just handed Kei a "token of love."
After all, there was precedent—the last person to receive the necklace was Tsunade's forr lover, Dan Katō.
So yeah... that wild rumor was basically confird.
Gossip source 1.
Back ho and unaware of all this, Uchiha Kei logged back into the spiritual network, greeted those online, then imrsed himself in developing his next ga.
This ti, he was making a fighting ga. One truly suited for arcades—the kind that fueled the rise of esports even before the internet.
As for the current system mission that required 200,000 players to complete, Kei tied it directly to this new ga.
Simple logic: if he wanted to finish the mission, he had to expand the market. But the state of the shinobi world made that extrely difficult.
Sure, he could make a popular ga and wait patiently for player count to rise—but that would take forever.
And what about the next mission?
At this rate, the next system task would probably require 400,000 players.
Which ant it would only get harder. So Kei preferred to build a broader market foundation now, even if it ant progressing a little slower.
His fighting ga was designed to attract all kinds of fighters across the shinobi world: ninja, samurai, and anyone with a competitive edge.
He planned to include two ga modes: official characters and real-player avatars.
Official characters would be fictional fighters built into the ga, like those in "King of Fighters," "Street Fighter," or "Tekken."
Real-player avatars would let players scan themselves into the ga and fight as their actual selves.
To ensure fair play, real-player stats would be normalized—overpowered players would be nerfed, underpowered ones buffed. That way, even ordinary people could join the fun.
Of course, there'd also be a "Free Mode" where players could unleash their true strength in the genjutsu-based ga world. This mode was ant for top-tier ninja.
Who knows—maybe Kei would get to watch Kage-level fighters duke it out, or even see Uchiha Madara enter early and solo five Kage in the ga.
And if Hashirama Senju's soul had already been absorbed into the spiritual network? They could duel right there in-ga. Maybe Madara would even be so inspired, he'd awaken his Rinnegan again and go all-out in a final showdown.
And after the last dance ends with both of them dying...?
Heh. That's what the spiritual network is for. Just summon them back in and let them go at it. Madara shouting "Hashiramaaa!" and Hashirama yelling "Madaaraaa!" on loop.
Just imagining it made Kei giddy.
If the market opened up, even a conservative estimate would put the potential player base in the millions. The economic ripple effects could benefit every major power that joined this gaming feast.
Of course, all this was just Kei's own theory—his idea born from combining past-life knowledge with shinobi world realities. Whether it would work remained to be seen.
After all, Uchiha Kei wasn't so god-tier genius. In his past life, he'd just been a cog in the corporate machine.
He never pretended otherwise. But he worked hard to fill in his own gaps and do what he could with what he had.
And so far, Kei was doing pretty well.
Everything was heading in the right direction. As long as so "invincible enemy from the heavens" didn't crash in, he'd grow stronger over ti—and bring his allies along with him.
If possible, he wanted to lay low in Konoha until the grand finale, then rally a fully-leveled-up party to stomp the Ōtsutsuki.
anwhile, across the village, various clans and factions received word that Tsunade and Uchiha Kei had left Orochimaru's place together and returned to Kei's ho.
Upon learning this—especially the rumor that "Tsunade might be in love with Uchiha Kei"—they were utterly dumbfounded.
"Uh, what…"
In the Sarutobi clan compound, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the intel from the Anbu, completely stunned.
It took a while for him to recover, and even then, his face twisted with complicated emotions.
He was genuinely happy Tsunade had found soone. But the age gap… In the Warring States Era, Tsunade could've been Kei's mom.
More importantly, Kei now represented the Uchiha, while Tsunade stood for the Senju. If they got together, it'd be like thunder colliding with wildfire—an explosive combo.
Both politically and personally, this was a recipe for upheaval.
What kind of storm would their union unleash on Konoha? The current power balance would be shattered. It could even plunge the village into serious turmoil.
That worried Hiruzen greatly.
He couldn't handle sothing like that.
"If only Tobirama-sensei were still around… Or maybe… should I just make Tsunade the Fourth Hokage? But… what about Orochimaru? Would he accept it?"
Muttering to himself, Hiruzen grew more and more troubled.
Up until now, Orochimaru had been his top choice for the Fourth Hokage. Before joining Danzo and Root, Orochimaru had been the only candidate Hiruzen ever considered—even if their ideals didn't always align.
But thanks to Uchiha Kei, history had changed. Orochimaru was still part of the Hokage faction—deeply loyal, still his favorite student.
Which made things complicated. If Tsunade rose to the top, it'd be a huge problem.
Hiruzen knew how much becoming Hokage ant to Orochimaru. It was a dream nurtured since childhood. A sacred ambition.
If that dream were crushed, who knew how Orochimaru might react? Would he beco the next Danzo?
The thought sent shivers down Hiruzen's spine. He stopped thinking and frowned even harder.
If this were a ga, the system would probably display: "Passive Trait: Indecisive – Activated."
While Hiruzen wrestled with his dilemma, his old comrade Danzo Shimura had also received the news about Tsunade and Uchiha Kei. He, too, realized the terrifying political power their union represented.
Together, they could determine the next Hokage—and potentially force the current one to step down.
As heirs to Konoha's founding clans, their authority would be absolute.
Danzo could not allow this to happen.
So he imdiately began analyzing the situation. Why had this sudden developnt occurred? Kei and Tsunade barely knew each other. What had changed?
Was there so secret?
Or… a hidden motive?
Danzo thought long and hard. And then, his so-called brilliance struck gold.
"I see it now! That cunning, shaless, naturally evil Uchiha brat! He's trying to use love… to cure Tsunade's hemophobia!"
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