Kusagakure — Uchiha Ren's Office
"Sage Art: Wood Release — True Several Thousand Hands!"
"Ultimate Finisher!!"
"Die!!!"
Uchiha Ren gripped the controller tightly in his left hand, his right hand mashing buttons at high speed. The three tomoe in his eyes spun wildly as he stared at the screen.
Across from him—
Uchiha Hikari controlled Uchiha Madara.
But under Ren's relentless combo—
Her health bar dropped to zero.
Defeat.
The arcade screen flashed into a victory cutscene.
Senju Hashirama leapt down from the colossal construct and declared:
"Anyone who threatens the village—friend, brother, or even family—I will not forgive!"
After "capturing" Uchiha Hikari, Uchiha Ren had burned through all his accumulated lottery draws.
Most of the rewards were junk.
Benches.
Shuriken.
Worthless.
Except—
This arcade machine.
A nostalgic relic from his past life.
But unfortunately—
There was only one game installed.
A modified version of King of Fighters '97.
Localized for the shinobi world.
Thirty characters—
All replaced with Naruto figures.
"I will win again!"
Uchiha Ren stood up, looking down smugly.
Hikari sat there, cheeks puffed in frustration.
She had lost dozens of matches in a row.
"This isn't fair!"
"You're obviously experienced!"
"I just started playing!"
"Of course I'd lose!"
"But one day—"
"I'll beat you!"
Uchiha Ren raised his hands confidently.
"Then train harder."
"If you can't handle losing, don't play."
"You—!"
"Just wait!"
"Again!"
Hikari slammed the controls, determined to improve.
"I'll be waiting."
Back in his previous life—
Uchiha Ren had grown up in arcades.
KOF '97 was his specialty.
He had dominated local tournaments.
Combos.
Timing.
Defense.
Everything—
Second nature.
Even after years—
The moment he touched the controller—
It all came back.
Against a beginner like Hikari—
It was effortless.
She had no guidance.
No understanding of combos.
Not even Madara's full skill set.
At this stage—
Beating him was impossible.
Unless—
He held back.
Which he wouldn't.
He firmly believed in equality.
Even if she was a girl—
No mercy.
"Go practice against the AI," he said, waving casually.
"I'm taking a break."
His gaming addiction had long faded.
A few rounds for fun—
It was enough.
More importantly—
Bullying a beginner wasn't enjoyable.
Hikari, however, was completely absorbed.
Eyes locked on the screen.
A full-fledged gaming addict.
Which made sense.
In a world with almost no entertainment—
Even a simple game would be revolutionary.
And Hikari—
It had been sealed for over a century.
Now exposed to this—
She was hooked instantly.
Uchiha Ren didn't mind.
If anything—
It helped.
Better for her attention to shift here—
Then dwell on her past.
"…Should I try?" someone muttered nearby.
Uchiha Ren turned.
The Third Kazekage had been watching the entire time.
Clearly interested.
After all—
What man didn't enjoy games?
"I'll pass," the Kazekage said, forcing himself to look away.
"I won't interrupt… you two."
Two?
Hikari froze.
Her face flushed instantly.
Steam practically rising from her head.
He… didn't deny it…
"Too bad," Uchiha Ren said casually.
"When Konoha mass-produces these, I'll send you one."
"Really?!"
The Kazekage's eyes lit up.
"Of course."
Uchiha Ren had already made up his mind.
Once back—
Senju Tobirama would reverse-engineer the machine.
Mass production.
The entire shinobi world—
Would experience gaming.
And the profits?
Enormous.
Not just machines—
Game tokens.
Double income streams.
But then—
A deeper idea formed.
He leaned back, thinking.
In another timeline—
Games could even extract chakra.
Even simulate entire worlds.
Like a pseudo-Infinite Tsukuyomi.
The technical gap was massive.
But that didn't matter.
He was the one giving orders.
Tobirama would handle the rest.
A long-term project—
But it is possible.
A new vision emerged:
A global entertainment system.
A shinobi world "bread and circuses" plan.
Meanwhile—
The Kazekage studied the trade documents.
This meeting—
It wasn't just about fruit.
It was about a new economic system.
The Land of Fire.
The Land of Earth.
The Land of Wind.
A unified trade framework.
The documents were complex.
Detailed.
Covering every industry.
Uchiha Ren had mobilized massive resources—
Even drawing from the Fire Daimyo's archives.
Centuries of records.
Originally—
The Daimyo resisted.
But after a "friendly discussion"—
He cooperated.
After all—
He would profit the most.
Even if he was unhappy with Konoha's growing power—
He had no choice.
Strength decided everything.
The system's core was simple:
"Open your borders."
"Free trade."
Break barriers.
Let capital flow.
Let Konoha's industries expand.
To the Daimyo—
The risks were obvious.
Foreign goods.
Economic domination.
But—
Short-term gains were undeniable.
And with Konoha's pressure—
Opposition was difficult.
Still—
Long-term resistance was inevitable.
Unless—
The major villages supported it.
The Kazekage searched for the secret.
Why did everything Uchiha Ren touched—
Flourish?
He couldn't understand.
The answer—
It was simple.
Redistribute wealth.
Remove inefficiency.
Reward productivity.
But that insight—
Had yet to click.
At that moment—
The door burst open.
Odai rushed in.
"Hokage-sama!"
"The Tsuchikage has arrived!"
Uchiha Ren smiled.
"Finally."
He stood.
"Come on, Kazekage."
"Let's welcome him."
The Kazekage nodded.
At last—
All players were present.
Kusagakure Reception Hall
Ōnoki sat quietly.
The surroundings—
Luxurious.
But his expression—
Grave.
Konoha's transformation of the Land of Grass—
It was terrifying.
This place—
Had changed completely.
Even the Grass ninja—
Now carried discipline.
Strength.
Confidence.
All fueled by money.
Uchiha Ren's generosity—
Had reshaped everything.
An entire nation—
Controlled through the economy.
And this—
It was only the beginning.
Ōnoki felt it.
If this continued—
The old rulers would become irrelevant.
The system itself—
Would belong to Konoha.
Even without war—
They had taken control.
He couldn't fully understand it.
But instinctively—
He feared it.
The Kazekage, however—
I felt differently.
As Konoha's ally—
He benefited.
Subsidies.
Trade.
Support.
Even in Sunagakure—
Konoha businesses were expanding.
And he had investigated.
No underhanded tactics.
Just—
Overwhelming advantages.
Better goods.
Lower prices.
Supported merchants.
It was a fair competition.
If locals couldn't compete—
That was their problem.
And the people?
Their lives improved.
That was what mattered.
Ōnoki, however—
I had another concern.
Kumogakure.
Their alliance.
The death of the Second Hokage—
Still lingered.
Hatred ran deep.
Now—
He hesitated.
Should he cut ties?
Or commit?
For the first time—
The Tsuchikage wavered.
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