Not long after, the grand event finally came to a close. Although Minato's team delivered peak comedy, giving the audience enormous entertainment value, all good things must end—so did the demo for "Left 4 Survival."
After all, it was only a trial version, with just two short stages. Once completed, that was it.
The other three teams made it through without issue. Though they encountered several mutated monsters, none were over-the-top powerful. The demo wrapped up smoothly.
Afterwards, the players were thrilled, claiming the game was incredibly fun and emotionally satisfying.
Combat? Awesome!
Team-based combat? Even more awesome!
The audience applauded these lucky test players warmly, making them feel like celebrities.
Still, the most popular group was Minato's team.
Their difficulty level was clearly higher. And with two chaos magnets constantly bickering, the entertainment value skyrocketed.
Due to their internal conflict, they ran into trouble in Stage 2. While bickering, they blundered into the strongest wave of undead, facing numerous mutated creatures.
With their HP already low from fighting each other, Kakashi and Obito got hit by an acid-spitting mutant.
This monster sprayed a corrosive green fluid that created a damaging pool on the ground—stand in it too long, and your HP drains rapidly.
Usually, players would lose a bit of HP, but if they were quick on their feet, they'd escape in time.
Too bad Kakashi and Obito had both dropped below 1/6 HP and entered the "Weakened" state, slowing their movement speed by 30%.
They couldn't dodge. Both collapsed on the spot.
In the game, getting downed doesn't mean instant death—you enter a near-death state for one minute, unable to move. If another healthy player helps you up, you survive. If not, or if you take another fatal hit, you die.
But during the onslaught, Rin Nohara rushed to help them, only to be constantly interrupted by undead and mutant attacks.
The zombies didn't let up on the downed duo either. Obito and Kakashi could only lie helplessly on the ground as they were mercilessly pummeled.
Eventually, both were beaten to death—Obito screaming in fear, Kakashi growling in frustration.
Suddenly, the team was down to two members. Rin was barely holding on.
Then came the turning point—Minato Namikaze, Konoha's most dazzling, seemed to activate some passive skill.
Armed with a tachi and a kunai, Minato dashed through the battlefield, slaying monsters left and right, like a human meat grinder.
Even against control-type mutants, the heavily nerfed Minato could dodge with the smallest of movements—and often strike back at the same time, like a martial artist on a blood-soaked battlefield.
When fine dodges weren't enough, he'd pull off complex evasions. For example, leaping into a tree parkour-style, using momentum to run along the trunk, then backflipping away—all while beheading a mutant mid-air.
His moves screamed cool factor.
Thanks to this solo performance, Minato miraculously pushed through the hardest part.
The iconic moment came when Minato revived a dying Rin amidst a pile of monster corpses.
The legend of the Yellow Flash only grew stronger—proof that even weakened, Konoha's top young prodigy remained peerless.
As for the unlucky Kakashi and Obito, they could only float behind Minato and Rin as spectators, utterly useless.
Eventually, after Minato and Rin reached a critical checkpoint, the two respawned.
In-game, as long as the team isn't wiped, dead members can be revived at safe zones—cabins, caves, tents, tree hollows, etc.—where they're found locked up and freed by teammates.
Despite their clownish antics, Kakashi and Obito's deaths served as a tutorial for what to do when a teammate goes down.
Minato's team finished last but earned the loudest applause—especially Minato, whose popularity crushed everyone else's.
Rin was thrilled. Kakashi and Obito, embarrassed, began blaming each other again. Truly the definition of best bros: eternal bickering.
And thus the event ended. Over 5,000 excited attendees returned home or left the Hidden Leaf to spread the word.
From that day forward, "Illusion Game" would spread across the shinobi world, becoming a household name.
As Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood that many new spies would soon appear in the village, trying every trick to uncover the game's secrets—and if confirmed, they'd stop at nothing to seize the tech.
But unlike other secret techniques, this one was fully controlled by the Uchiha.
And who could steal from the Uchiha in this era?
Any spy targeting them was basically walking into a death trap. Though annoying, they'd serve to harass and distract the Uchiha—a classic tactic of "balance" valued by Konoha's top brass.
So Hiruzen wasn't worried about other villages stealing the game. The core tech was untouchable.
Even if others adopted a "destroy what you can't have" mentality, well… this was the Hidden Leaf, backed by military might—and it was the Uchiha. What would other clans even use to destroy it?
Now that this secret art had become Konoha's prized tech, and seeing the Uchiha had allied with other clans to form a dedicated business guild to distribute the game, the long-reigning Hokage immediately weighed the pros and cons.
And so, "Left 4 Survival" was chosen as a key product. With improvements, it could become a powerful training tool for genin squads.
Hiruzen dispatched the Anbu to the Uchiha with detailed suggestions.
The Uchiha still respected the Third Hokage, so the suggestions were swiftly passed to Uchiha Kei.
Looking at the long list of issues, Kei pondered, then began replying—each answer revolving around one thing:
"Left 4 Survival" would soon launch a special Survival Mode—an ultra-realistic apocalyptic trial to maximize its use as a training tool.
After receiving the reply, Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction. Then he signed an order to support the newly formed "Konoha Gaming Guild."
He understood well: when even the clans behind the "Konoha Four" had joined, opposing them would only cause unnecessary offense. Better to lend support and go with the flow.