@Namikaze Minato @Nine Tails @Uzumaki Kushina @Orochimaru @Tsunade @Jiraiya…
In a freshly made WeChat group, Uchiha Kei directly tagged a whole slew of people.
Those with access to WeChat were quick to notice Kei's move and began flooding the group with replies—most of them started with question marks, a clear sign that everyone here was now a seasoned internet user.
Then, Uchiha Kei said:
"Everyone, this may sound confusing—and honestly, I'm confused too—but something's happened that will absolutely blow your minds. So brace yourselves, and if you're with anyone else right now, make sure to keep a straight face. Don't let anyone see your reaction."
Hearing this, even though they weren't on the same battlefield, Uzumaki Kushina and the Nine Tails—still enjoying their domination streaks in the game—paused instinctively, displaying a very jinchūriki–tailed beast kind of synchronicity. Then, they logged out.
Immediately, those who had been fighting them had very different reactions.
The ones fighting Kushina breathed a sigh of relief. After all, unless you're a masochist, nobody wants to be brutally beaten up by a red-haired Uzumaki.
The ones fighting the Nine Tails? They looked like the sky had collapsed.
Come on, being stepped on by such a beautiful nine-tailed fox woman was a pleasure in itself. Even more so since she was barefoot. Frankly, if this were Earth instead of the shinobi world, someone would've definitely said:
"She has feet, and I have a mouth—how could fate be more perfect?"
Who could blame them? The avatar Nine Tails used had feet that were the very embodiment of a foot fetishist's dream.
Even those without foot fetishes couldn't help but admire them.
And since this was a game, there was no dirt. The competitive system cleaned itself, and Nine Tails' own chakra shield ensured her avatar stayed spotless.
Yet despite not understanding it, Nine Tails felt something had changed.
Some of the hatred and resentment that weighed on him had faded… and in its place was something else.
Something… vaguely yellow?
He didn't understand what it was, but it didn't feel dangerous.
As a chakra lifeform, he didn't possess dopamine or neurochemical responses. So he couldn't interpret the feeling. But whatever it was, it lacked hostility—unlike fear, hatred, or rage.
What this yellow aura meant or what effect it would have on him—no one knew yet.
But in the shinobi world, thoughts and willpower were powerful forces. Chakra itself was the fusion of mind and body. Unexpected transformations were part of the norm.
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage office, Minato and Tsunade exchanged a glance. They dismissed everyone else in the room.
Only after clearing the office did they message Uchiha Kei:
"Alright, go ahead."
Kei replied:
"What I'm about to say is shocking—maybe even reality-breaking. So please, keep your composure."
Jiraiya sent a confident voice message:
"Don't worry, Kei-kun. We're professionals. We can handle it. Plus, you're talking intel now—you know how sharp I am with intelligence work!"
So full of pride.
The others didn't boast like Jiraiya, but all wore the same air of "I've seen everything—nothing can faze me."
Peak ninja or tailed beast confidence, through and through.
Uchiha Kei raised an eyebrow, then smiled meaningfully.
"Alright then. Here it is: I saw Uchiha Madara. He's in Konoha right now. He even attended the new game's launch event."
The group chat went dead silent.
After a long pause, Jiraiya finally replied—with a single, spiritual question mark.
He didn't say anything… but somehow said everything.
His message screamed, "I'm not the one confused. *You* are."
Others soon followed, expressing disbelief and confusion.
After all, everyone knew who Uchiha Madara was. And historically, he had died decades ago—killed by the First Hokage, his body recovered and hidden by the Second.
So how the hell was he back? And attending a game launch, no less?
Even though everyone here understood that genjutsu games weren't just for fun, the idea of a decades-dead Madara being involved with them was beyond bizarre.
It felt like reality had been twisted.
Kei didn't wait for them to recover. He continued:
"Madara also participated in the post-launch demo event. As a VIP guest, he tried out Free Mode gameplay. Obito and Kakashi happened to be playing too, and they ended up teaming up.
"But just now, Rin got abducted. Her kidnapper threatened Obito using her safety. Obito surrendered without resistance and was taken away.
"Now here's the key point: Madara found out. He's furious. And right now, he's headed toward the culprit's hideout."
"Who is the mastermind, you ask? You already know.
"It's our own Root."
"Yes, you heard me right. I didn't mistype. Madara is storming the Root base as we speak. Looks like he's about to wipe it out."
Once Kei finished typing, he waited.
He knew just how explosive that information was.
And sure enough, after reading it, everyone fell into stunned silence. Some were dumbfounded. Others had the expression of a confused elder trying to understand memes. A few looked pensive.
It was just too absurd. Even a ghost story wouldn't dare go this far.
Like flying to Antarctica in winter to look for polar bears—then, not finding any, declaring them extinct—and having people *believe* you. Until someone actually runs into one. And gets eaten.
That kind of logic. That kind of weird, abstract beauty.
The kind of absurdity that makes your brain feel like it's being dragged across gravel.
Yet because it was *so* absurd—and because Kei made a WeChat group just to say it—everyone started thinking it might actually be true.
After all, Kei could be laid-back and funny, but when it came to serious matters, he never joked.
So… this might *really* be happening.
Everyone across Konoha had the same reaction—an involuntary gasp, a sharp intake of breath.