So then, would this chance to become famous—one that filled the hearts of many ordinary or middling people with passion and anticipation—not appeal to those already renowned?
Of course not.
At least, not all of them were uninterested.
Take Madara Uchiha and the Nine Tails, for instance—their mindset was pure "Ōmoshiroi." They were deeply intrigued by this tournament and couldn't care less about performing in front of the entire Shinobi World.
In fact, this kind of performance suited their character and narrative perfectly—because this was pure, unabashed "showing off before others!"
Who could say no to such a fun event?
Well, neither Madara Uchiha nor the Nine Tails could.
So, they were absolutely entering the tournament!
Thus, this grand event destined to go down in history was set.
Although in Uchiha Kei's mind this Genjutsu game tournament was "esports," in truth, its influence was equivalent to the Shinobi World Cup.
You couldn't call it a celebration for all, but it was sure to be a day of joy for countless people.
Undoubtedly, Uchiha Kei had once again brought a brand-new change to the Shinobi World.
Next was the final segment of the press conference, a live demonstration of gameplay from the new title Great Shinobi War, as well as a showcase of the livestream feature.
Two players would enter the Genjutsu game and initiate battle mode in Great Shinobi War with the entire process being livestreamed.
These two players had been arranged ahead of time, but their identities were kept secret until this moment—a small suspenseful surprise.
One of them was famous. The other, utterly unknown.
But after today's full Shinobi World broadcast, the unknown one was destined for global fame.
As the two players walked to the center of the arena with practiced smiles, waving to the audience, the crowd erupted.
Because the well-known player was none other than the Genjutsu game's eternal spokesperson: Minato Namikaze.
Just like in previous exhibition matches, it was once again Minato who took the stage.
His overwhelming popularity naturally caused an uproar, followed by a wave of excited cheers. Many of his fans in the audience grew ecstatic—several women even screamed shrilly with excitement.
Instantly, the venue turned into a massive fan meetup, leaving the other exhibition player all but ignored.
But she didn't mind.
Because she had long expected this outcome—Minato's popularity was no secret. At most, she felt a hint of envy. Once upon a time, she too had dreamed of becoming someone as brilliant as Minato Namikaze.
After all, her real name was Nawaki—but she was now appearing as Naruko.
Yes, the other player was none other than Nawaki, now transformed into Naruko.
Just as Uchiha Kei had once asked Nawaki whether he was interested in becoming a livestreamer and professional Genjutsu Network player.
At the time, when it was already determined that Nawaki could never truly return to the real world, he had agreed. He felt this new life was not so bad—a partial fulfillment of past dreams.
Although Uchiha Kei's upgraded powers now allowed Nawaki to manifest in reality to some extent, this form wasn't true resurrection. His movement range was limited and he couldn't stray from Kei's Mental Network signal range.
So Nawaki had decided to become a Genjutsu Game streamer.
Therefore, for this exhibition match, Nawaki was chosen.
Undoubtedly, this was a huge opportunity—a shortcut that allowed Nawaki to bypass the beginner stage and enter public recognition. A gift and privilege granted by Uchiha Kei.
For Nawaki, this was unmistakably his "first time" on stage—his first appearance in front of tens of thousands in the arena and millions more watching across the Shinobi World. He was incredibly nervous, palms sweating.
Thankfully, Nawaki was born with nerves of steel. Even though he was nervous, he didn't lose composure. He quickly adjusted his mood and, as Uchiha Kei had instructed and trained him, he showed a brilliant smile and waved to the crowd.
Even though the audience's attention was almost entirely on Minato Namikaze, Nawaki maintained his composure. Uchiha Kei had told him that when he appeared as Naruko, no matter how dazzling Minato's spotlight was, there would definitely be those who noticed him.
And sure enough, after the initial storm of excitement over Minato, people began to notice Naruko.
Then, they were shocked to find that this girl called Naruko bore some resemblance to Minato Namikaze—her golden hair and blue eyes were practically identical. People instinctively assumed they were relatives, possibly even siblings.
"The Yellow Flash's little sister" was no ordinary identity.
Curiosity spiked. Some even recognized Naruko right away and thought, "Wait, it's her?"
Of course, it wasn't because they truly knew Naruko or were aware of her secret identity—they had simply encountered her before in the Genjutsu Game.
After all, Naruko had been active in the Genjutsu Game for a long time and had considerable skill thanks to the abundant time she had. Naturally, some players would recognize her.
Not to mention, her cute and energetic appearance alone was enough to leave a lasting impression.
Naruko was exactly that type—a classic standout.
For the "Team Minato kids," seeing Naruko take the stage filled them with excitement. Each of them began cheering for their teammate.
Yes, the three of them had already known Naruko would appear. Half an hour earlier, staff from the Konoha Gaming Guild had come to inform them.
At that time, Naruko had explained the situation to the three, then left with the staff.
As for the three kids, once they heard, they were shocked, then thrilled and delighted, with a hint of envy.
After all, appearing on a stage like this was peak coolness. For the still-young trio, it was undeniably awesome.
Now, all they had to do was cheer for their teammate and teacher, and look forward to the exhibition match between Minato Namikaze and Naruko.
Meanwhile, in another VIP suite, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno were both utterly stunned, staring blankly at Naruko on stage.
As for Sai, he found Naruko oddly familiar. It felt like he had seen her somewhere before, and he instinctively began sketching with his drawing board.
Just moments ago, when Minato appeared, the three had been celebrating and cheering him on. But when they saw that the other exhibition player was Naruko, they were floored.
After all, Naruko's character model was based on Naruto Uzumaki's Sexy Jutsu appearance—only without the whisker marks.
Now seeing Naruko live on stage, both Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki—who had seen that transformation before—were stunned.
As for Sai, although he hadn't witnessed Naruto's transformation firsthand, he had seen records and knew it existed. That explained his déjà vu and confusion.
After a long pause, Sakura turned her stiff neck toward the dumbfounded Naruto and asked, "So, Naruto, are you saying the image for your special transformation was based on that Naruko girl on stage?"
Naruto Uzumaki immediately shook his head. "How could that be?! Sexy Jutsu is something I perfected myself! That form came from my own imagination! There's no way I'd use someone else's image for it!"
He spoke with intensity, unwilling to let anyone smear his name with false accusations.
Though Naruto wasn't particularly sensitive about such matters, he still understood that using someone else's likeness for Sexy Jutsu would be seriously disgraceful.
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