"My na is Obito Uchiha, and I'm panicking like crazy."
"I'm currently testing a new genjutsu ga developed by Kei-nii, the strongest person in the Uchiha Clan."
"It's a horror ga. I was a bit scared at first, but I thought it would be fine—after all, I'm a shinobi! I've completed S-rank missions! I've seen real action! I figured I could handle whatever a horror ga threw at ."
"But then I realized I was too naïve. Because the mont I entered what was clearly a very suspicious hospital as instructed by the ga, my chakra mysteriously vanished. I instantly beca a powerless civilian."
"AAAAAHHH! Why!? In a place that screams danger, turning into a helpless nobody—is that really okay?!"
"So what now? Do I keep going? Or... just run away?"
Obito Uchiha stood frozen just one step into the hospital, drenched in sweat.
Although he had looked timid earlier, Obito wasn't actually that afraid. As a shinobi who had already played *Returning Ho*, he had so expectations for horror gas. As long as his own strength was intact, he didn't fear much.
It's the classic rule: with firepower, it's "Look! A ghost. Dangerous." Without firepower, it's "Look, ghost—DANGEROUS!"
Obito didn't want to experience being defenseless, but that was the ga's core chanic. Otherwise, why would the ga be called *Escape* and not *Slaughter*?
Still, in the end, Obito didn't run—not because he had so surge of courage, but because he knew everyone else was outside watching.
Even if they couldn't see what he saw in the ga, quitting right after starting would be way too embarrassing. More importantly, Kei-nii was definitely watching.
But most importantly—Rin was watching! There was no way he could let Rin think he was a coward!
So co on, Obito! Man up!
He slapped his cheeks to pump himself up, then forced down his nerves and stepped cautiously into the hospital.
To the crowd watching the live stream, what they saw was Obito hesitating at the hospital entrance for a long ti after realizing he had lost his chakra. Eventually, with a nervous expression, he pushed forward.
Though he did muster the courage to proceed, his hesitation made Kakashi scoff. "Tch, you idiot dropout. As a shinobi, once you accept a mission, you complete it—even if your power is gone. Besides, this is just a ga, not real. Acting like a fool at the door is pathetic."
Classic Kakashi—cold as ever, still viewing Obito through a cynical lens.
Yet Rin, the team's emotional buffer, could detect the concern behind his words. She didn't know how, but she always heard it in his voice. Kakashi might be a cold, tsundere brat, but she knew he cared about Obito.
Maybe that's what "bonds" were.
anwhile, Uchiha Kei had pulled out soda, popcorn, and chips, handing them out casually.
Uzumaki Kushina, already used to this, cheerfully dragged Kikyo and Naori to the couch and dug in. She clearly had a thing for the otaku al combo.
Rin and Kakashi looked a bit awkward at first, but eventually accepted the snacks after so nudging from the adults.
Then the two were shocked—the soda instantly cleared their minds and energized them, while the chips even helped restore chakra. In the shinobi world, such items were nothing short of miraculous.
Minato Namikaze just smiled at his two students and motioned for them to keep quiet about it. They nodded quickly, increasingly in awe of Kei, the mysterious creator of this genjutsu ga.
But as re Chūnin and Minato's students, they didn't need to worry about any of this. Their job was just to do what students and subordinates were ant to do.
Soon, their attention was drawn back to the ga. Obito had started screaming again.
He had triggered a jump scare.
In the ga, Obito moved into the hospital's lobby. It was pitch dark—but not completely. A few oil lamps along the walls and pillars offered a flickering, uncertain light.
The faint lighting left most of the hall in shadows. Long benches cluttered the space, with papers and trash scattered everywhere, and dried bloodstains covering the floor. A musty, rotting stench hung in the air.
All of it gnawed at Obito's nerves. Then, as he crept forward, soone suddenly leaped from between the benches and tackled him to the ground.
This person had no hair, sunken skin, bloodshot eyes, and wore a green patient's gown. His exposed limbs were covered in puncture marks and sores.
After pinning Obito, he didn't attack again. Instead, in a voice trembling with fear and urgency, he said, "Go! Leave! Go! This is hell! Hell! Don't co back! Go!"
Then, as if realizing sothing, he sprang up and backed away, nervously looking around while muttering, "He's coming... He's coming..." and dashed into the darkness.
Obito had been frozen in terror. By the ti he ca to his senses, the man was gone. His attempts to call out went unanswered. He swallowed hard, cold sweat pouring down, legs shaking—he wanted to go ho.
For a nine-year-old boy, this was too intense. Even worse than *Returning Ho*.
At least in that ga, the playable character had genin-level strength. Here, he was reduced to a powerless civilian with only "night vision" to rely on.
After a while, he cald down enough to continue. Activating his "blood eyes," he used the night vision state to proceed—even if it drained ocular power, he didn't care anymore.
Soon he realized he couldn't keep the night vision up. It consud too much energy. He had eye drops to recover power, but only three. Supply in the ga was limited. If difficulty levels were visible, he was clearly playing on nightmare mode—strong enemies, scarce supplies.
Poor resource managent would quickly turn him into a helpless wreck.
And sure enough, as he wandered the first floor of the hospital, he found logs and notices. They revealed that ten days ago, a major contamination incident occurred. Many patients and staff died. So went mad and committed mass murder.
There were also hints of hidden secrets—classified human experints being conducted without public knowledge.
Clearly, this was the work of the Gen Organization.
Then the enemies ca.
Four of the insane patients described in the records appeared.
The first had tal claws for hands, a decaying body, and blank white eyes. He laughed madly while chasing Obito and would disembowel him upon capture.
The second crawled creepily on twisted limbs. He had sliced his own face open and sewn it into a permanent grin. If he caught Obito, he would slam him into walls or the floor repeatedly.
The third was a hulking, two-ter-tall fat man. He would crush Obito's bones one by one and drag him into the darkness.
The fourth looked like a normal doctor but wore a blood-soaked coat and carried surgical tools. He would comfort Obito with, "You're sick. Let treat you," before performing un-anesthetized surgery with filthy tools.
These four maniacs haunted Obito relentlessly. Each ruled a zone in the hospital and didn't wander into each other's territory.
But to uncover the Gen Organization's secrets, and to find his missing relatives and Indra Clan kin, Obito had to move between zones, solve puzzles, and uncover the truth.
How did Obito know what would happen if they caught him? Easy—he died. A lot.
*Escape* wasn't about fighting. It was about surviving without resistance.
And so, the livestream viewers were treated to the sounds of Obito's constant shrieks and screams.
"Stay back!" "It hurts! It hurts!" "Help !"—those were mild.
"Don't grab my OO!" "Nooo not there!" "Uwaaah! The closet moved—I quit!"—those were more... colorful.
Even hiding under beds or in cabinets didn't help. The monsters would still search everywhere.
Viewers could even hear Obito's heart pounding and his sweat hitting the floor. This was true "Heartbeat mories."
Despite the fear, despite how even the viewers pitied him, Obito didn't awaken his Sharingan.
Kei, who had maxed out the realism, ensured the pain from those deaths felt real—only a protective chanism kept Obito from thinking he actually died.
And still, Obito didn't awaken.
Honestly, Kei, who once claid to be the Uchiha's master of ntal endurance, felt ashad by comparison.
Rin could barely watch anymore. Teary-eyed, she asked Kei if they could stop—she feared Obito would suffer lasting trauma.
Kei waved her off. "You don't understand the Uchiha. If he hasn't awakened it, it ans he's still ntally stable. At worst, he'll have nightmares for a few days, then move on."
"So we need to keep pressuring him—because he's about to et his 'companions.'"
And just as Kei said that, Obito t them.
"What—Rin? Idiot Kakashi? Why are you here?!"
Obito cried out as he spotted Kakashi Hatake and Rin Nohara locked in a cell.
This shocked the real-world spectators. Both Rin and Kakashi were right here—how were they in the ga too?
Kei explained, "Relax. Every player gets two companions, generated based on who they care about most. The ga recreates them."
He smirked. "Rin being one of them is obvious. But Kakashi? Guess what—despite all the fighting, he's the second most important person in Obito's heart."
"Tsk tsk..."
As Kei made teasing noises, all the adults turned to Kakashi with amused expressions, making the boy incredibly embarrassed. He felt like he could dig a hole and hide.
Thank goodness for his mask—no one could see how red his face was. Nine-year-old tsundere Kakashi was on the verge of overheating.
Especially when Rin smiled knowingly, Kakashi couldn't take it anymore. He turned away and muttered, "Who cares about that idiot dropout? He's just full of himself. Shinobi don't need such useless emotions. Tools just need to do their jobs."
It was a clear deflection, but to everyone there, it sounded... cold.
Those unaware of his past thought Kakashi's mindset was too extre. Those who knew the truth, like Minato and the others, sighed quietly.
White Fang's suicide had left a deep scar on Kakashi, warping his values.
The saddest part? His twisted belief—that ninja were just tools to complete missions—was the norm in the shinobi world.
Because really... what else were ninja, if not tools for their village?
Reviews
All reviews (0)