Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World
Chapter 219: The Internet Era Arrives — Tsunade’s Intentions
Orochimaru, utterly satisfied and full of vigor, set off to collaborate with Sasori on their research.
Right now, Orochimaru held immense hope for the future of the Hidden Leaf Village. The wind stirred by Uchiha Kei had already brought sweeping change to the village—and was poised to reshape the entire shinobi world.
Building upon this momentum, Minato Namikaze, deeply influenced by Kei, was now driven by a steadfast will to transform the village. His growth was undeniable—both in strength and wisdom. Even though his journey hadn't been as long as Orochimaru's, the latter often found him in the Grand Library, immersed in books on philosophy, politics, and economics.
Undoubtedly, Minato was evolving into a great political leader and revolutionary—one with the resolve and intellect needed to upend the current shinobi system and usher in a new era.
And if that storm was truly approaching, Orochimaru couldn't afford to lag behind.
"Very well," he muttered, "from today forward, I'll sleep two hours less."
In fact, two hours of sleep a day was plenty!
Thanks to the special food and drinks Kei provided—things like cola and coffee that replenished energy—sleeping was practically a waste of time. Meeting the bare minimum biological needs would suffice.
One day, Orochimaru would even modify his body to eliminate sleep altogether and become a true seeker of knowledge.
His gaze then drifted toward Sasori, eyes gleaming with curiosity and admiration. Kei had already said that Sasori was a fellow seeker of knowledge, though his focus lay in engineering and mechanics.
Though their fields were vastly different, in a shinobi world where most hadn't even finished preschool-level education, Orochimaru felt no condescension. Only respect. Only anticipation.
After all, in this world, finding a fellow truth-seeker was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Sasori was still young, still green. But Orochimaru looked forward to the day Sasori would walk beside him as an equal.
And the idea that Sasori might threaten him? Nonsense.
Perhaps the old Orochimaru might have feared that. But now, after studying through the system, he knew that the ocean of knowledge was limitless. A single lifetime could barely scratch the surface. It would take countless geniuses and an entire research and industrial infrastructure to make real progress.
In other words, the more researchers, the better—even if their paths diverged.
In fact, Orochimaru had already reached out to Tsunade in secret, preparing to bail out Root's top researcher, Amachi, from prison and recruit him.
To Orochimaru, a genius like Amachi was a treasure. Leaving him to rot in a cell would be a colossal waste of talent.
As for Amachi's dark history and ambition—those weren't problems. Orochimaru was confident he could handle him.
In fact, to deal with someone like Amachi, there was no need for coercion. Just throw a few pieces of knowledge from the spiritual network world at him.
When faced with an infinite wellspring of knowledge, someone like Amachi would transform into a devout seeker—not a threat.
It was obvious that Orochimaru had changed drastically from the man he was months ago. Now, he was almost indistinguishable from the version seen in the Boruto era—except he was even more intellectually formidable, thanks to the power of the Grand Library.
When he spoke with Sasori, his tone was warm, his expression gentle—a "Snake-aunt" smile plastered across his face. He treated Sasori as an equal, never judging him based on his sensitive background.
Sasori, in turn, held deep respect—perhaps even reverence—for Orochimaru. Kei spoke highly of Orochimaru, and Sasori, having witnessed so many unbelievable things and learned true science from Kei, viewed Kei as a god.
The one true god.
Exaggerated? Maybe. But wasn't Sasori always like this in the original story?
Sure, he'd killed the Third Kazekage, but for complicated reasons. Yes, he was rebellious. But once Nagato recruited him, he was fiercely loyal to the Akatsuki. Even his final confrontation with his grandmother didn't break that loyalty—he held back but stayed true to his path.
That's the kind of person Sasori was—once convinced, loyalty came easy.
Now, having been completely won over by Kei, Sasori naturally looked to him as his north star.
So, it made perfect sense that Sasori would respect Orochimaru, a pioneer held in high esteem by Kei.
With these two science titans working together, Kei's request for base station optimization was all but guaranteed to succeed. Now, Kei's priority was launching a real internet within the village.
He messaged Tsunade directly.
Tsunade had already heard about Kei assembling a team for network research. She wasn't surprised—only hopeful.
Upon seeing Kei's message, her eyes lit up. She replied: "Is it confirmed, Kei?"
Kei: "We're still working on expanding beyond the village, but within the Hidden Leaf? No problem. We'll use the Nine Tails as the main relay, blanketing the entire village and a 300-kilometer radius. That covers nearby towns, villages, and our military bases."
"This area will become the foundation of the Leaf—and the heart of the new Hidden Leaf in the future."
Tsunade's heartbeat quickened.
The boldness in Kei's words—the near-treasonous ambition—was plain as day. As someone one step away from becoming Hokage in name, she understood the full weight of his message.
And she welcomed it.
Having witnessed countless new things and occasionally flipping through books in the Grand Library, Tsunade had long since undergone her own subtle rebellion.
She just lacked the resolve and method to act. In truth, she was a classic conservative—one with the heart to change things, but not the drive.
Still, she never opposed reformers. She simply bore the responsibilities of the Hokage and the Fire Country, which made her cautious.
But the moment she stepped down, she'd transform from a cautious conservative to a radical reformist.
She saw through both Kei's ambitions and Minato's intentions. And she had no objections—quite the opposite.
Truthfully, if Minato had more clout and wasn't still leveling up, Tsunade would've happily passed the Hokage mantle to him.
He was intelligent, open-minded, and free from dogma. In Tsunade's eyes, he was a much better fit than herself.
But the timing wasn't right, and the conservatives still held sway. So Tsunade planned to use her time as Hokage to clear the path for Minato—playing the bad cop so he could enjoy the fruits later.
And if that made her a target?
Please. This was the shinobi world. Tsunade wasn't some helpless figure—she was one of the legendary Sannin. And the other two? Her comrades.
Besides, the future Fifth Hokage Minato would be on her side. And Kei? Definitely.
That meant the Uchiha and Senju—founding clans—stood with her.
Oh, and she still had a "nuclear weapon": her grandfather, the First Hokage Senju Hashirama!
If she were ever bullied, she could just ask Kei to arrange a little appearance. No conservative would survive that.
Don't say "the First Hokage doesn't meddle with the living." Hashirama wasn't dead—he lived in another world. If his beloved granddaughter tearfully came to him for help, what do you think he'd do?
He spent every day with Tsunade after Kei "revived" him. Of course he'd step in.
Tsunade had no fear. She trusted the future.
And if all this meant owing Kei too many favors…
Well… she could just offer herself to him, couldn't she?
At this point, rumors about her and Kei were already swirling. The whole village practically treated them as a couple.
Annoying? Yes. But if she really thought about it… it wasn't so bad.
After all, over the past few months, she'd developed strong feelings for him.
It wasn't like she was desperate—but let's be real, suitable partners in the village were rare. Most were too old, too unattractive, or like Minato—devoted to one true love. Not options.
At first, the rumors made her furious. But over time, she got used to them.
And the Senju elders? They started visiting uninvited, probing for information, then praising Kei to the heavens. "Yes, he's younger—but he's a perfect match!"
Thanks to her Yin Seal, Tsunade would stay young and beautiful long after Kei aged. So really, there was no issue.
Senju elders praising an Uchiha—was that a dream?
Well, Kei had changed. He'd brought prosperity to the village. Even the Senju who had abandoned their name were benefiting.
Why wouldn't they support him?
When the rumors first broke, the Senju were stunned—then angry—then, after cooling off, absolutely thrilled. A perfect match!
Tsunade was over thirty. If she didn't marry soon, it might be too late. The Yin Seal could preserve beauty, but not fertility.
They couldn't let her grow old alone!
So when a brilliant man like Kei appeared, of course they'd support the match. He was miles better than that flake Jiraiya or the late Dan.
And thus began the barrage of gossiping aunties that gave Tsunade constant headaches.
But the final blow?
Her two blood relatives in the spiritual network—Hashirama and Nawaki.
Both constantly sang Kei's praises.
Even though Kei clarified to them that the rumors were false, the two Senju men were genuinely disappointed. They *wanted* Tsunade with Kei.
Nawaki often teased her, making it clear he'd happily accept Kei as his brother-in-law.
Each time, she met him with a "loving" iron fist. But Nawaki was resilient—and relentless.
Hashirama, meanwhile, played the stern grandpa, constantly pushing Kei as a once-in-a-generation catch.
With this environment surrounding her, Tsunade couldn't help but be affected. The more she thought about it, the more she realized Kei *was* an exceptional man.
Sure, he had other women in his life—but was that really a problem?
In her world of nobles, daimyōs, and aristocrats, polygamy was common. She'd long accepted it as normal.
Contrary to what others might think, Tsunade was one of the most open-minded people in the village—she just never met a man she approved of.
So, marrying Kei wouldn't be a bad thing.
But would Kei accept *her*?
Would Kikyo Uzumaki accept it? What about Uchiha Jiri, clearly another with strong feelings for Kei, likely handpicked by the clan as a perfect heir-bearer?
Would a household like that accept someone like her?
These were the thoughts weighing on Tsunade's mind.
Still, she kept those worries private. Instead, she threw herself into her work.
After all, it was still early. They'd only known each other for less than two months. They had time.
Let it happen naturally.
With that mindset, she messaged Kei back:
"Kei, go all in! If you need help, just say the word!"
"The Hidden Leaf will fully support you in rolling out the network!"
A promise—and action.
Even as she messaged him, she summoned Minato and told him to put aside everything else and prioritize assisting Kei.
She also had the ANBU summon key personnel to inform them: the internet would soon be deployed within a 300-kilometer radius of the Hidden Leaf.
A historic moment. The village was entering the internet age.