Chapter 55: Multiplayer Arena
[System Notification: Live Stream Active]
[Viewers: 118 Pure Land Residents]
[Current Donation Pool: 348 viewer points]
[VIP Highlight: Senju Butsuma - "My sons are embarrassing me from beyond the grave"]
Tobirama Senju (VIP5): Not bad, kid. Trying to maintain romantic interests in multiple directions simultaneously. I wasn't that bold in my youth.
Hashirama Senju (Regular Viewer): Tobirama, you...
Tobirama Senju: Brother, be quiet! You were emotionally entangled with Madara while married, so why can't I at least have thoughts?
Hashirama Senju: How many times must I say it? Madara and I were comrades! Brothers-in-arms!
Tobirama Senju: Enough explanations. Back then, my sister-in-law—your wife—spent countless nights alone in her chambers, often weeping. Did you ever notice? If not for me, her brother-in-law, visiting regularly to offer comfort, she might have returned to Uzushiogakure long ago.
A profound silence filled the stream.
Hashirama Senju: ...
Uchiha Izuna (Regular Viewer): Whistles lowly. These Senju brothers have hidden depths.
Uchiha Fugaku (VIP1): I believe I've uncovered something... historically significant.
Uchiha Kagami (Regular Viewer): Sensei... you actually...
Tobirama Senju: Damn it, what are you all imagining? I was merely providing familial comfort! Should I have allowed the alliance between our Senju clan and Uzushiogakure to fracture because of my brother's emotional neglect?
Hashirama Senju: Voice trembling slightly. Tobirama... tell me truthfully. After I died... did you develop feelings for your sister-in-law?
Tobirama Senju: Heaven and earth bear witness, brother! I never married precisely to care for her properly! To maintain propriety!
Uchiha Izuna: I believe I've discovered another historical revelation.
Uchiha Fugaku: As have I.
Tobirama Senju: I can't reason with you people. My conscience is clear. When my sister-in-law next visits the stream, I'll have her verify everything!
Senju Butsuma (Regular Viewer): His spectral voice boomed with paternal outrage. SILENCE, BOY! HAVEN'T YOU EMBARRASSED OUR CLAN ENOUGH?
Tobirama Senju: Father!
Senju Butsuma: Do not address me!
Uchiha Fugaku: Great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather... I never realized interpersonal relationships in your era were so... intricate.
Uchiha Madara (VIP1): Snorts disdainfully. Mere women. In my view, they exist only to facilitate Mangekyō awakening. Their emotional states are irrelevant.
Third Raikage (VIP2): As expected of a legendary shinobi! Such focus!
Hōzuki Mangetsu (Regular Viewer): I'm out of my depth here...
Ōnoki (Regular Viewer): No wonder when I visited Konoha with my father, this man had no female companions. A man of singular purpose.
Yagura Karatachi (VIP2): This is what they call "voluntarily single supremacy."
Uchiha Madara: ...
In the living world, after her brief exchange with Ren, Kurenai Yuhi turned her attention to her actual team. Just like Team 7's scheduled gathering, today was about building cohesion and understanding among the new genin.
"Alright, let's begin with proper introductions," Kurenai announced, her voice warm but carrying that subtle jōnin authority. "I'll start. I'm Yuhi Kurenai. My specialties lie in ninjutsu, particularly genjutsu. I enjoy fine sake and wasabi. What I dislike... sweets. They affect my conditioning."
She paused, a faint smile touching her lips. "And my dreams for the future... well, don't laugh. They're simple, really. To marry a good man, raise children, and continue my family line."
Her gaze drifted toward the setting sun painting the Hokage Mountain in crimson and gold. "Because... that was my father's final wish."
Yuhi Shinku (Regular Viewer): Kurenai... my girl...
In the Pure Land, the spirit of Yuhi Shinku trembled. He'd never imagined those words spoken on his deathbed a decade ago—a father's worried wish for his daughter's happiness—would be carried so faithfully in her heart, shaping her deepest aspirations.
Hyuga Hizashi (VIP1): Kurenai... I never realized she held your wish so close all these years.
Yuhi Shinku: Voice thick. I burdened her... with my own regrets.
Kushina Uzumaki (VIP1): Such a touching bond between father and daughter! Even separated by death, their hearts remain connected. Unlike my foolish son, who doesn't even know who his parents were...
Minato Namikaze (VIP1): Kushina, don't despair! I sealed a portion of your chakra within Naruto's seal! If he learns to access it, you'll be able to meet him in his mindscape!
Kushina Uzumaki: I... don't wish to speak with you presently.
Minato Namikaze: Dearest, please don't be angry. Look at Fugaku and Mikoto—see how well they get along!
Uchiha Fugaku (VIP1): Coughs. That's because I don't share your... particular speed issue.
Minato Namikaze: Speed is my trademark! The Yellow Flash of Konoha didn't earn that title by being slow!
Uchiha Fugaku: Minato... I wasn't referring to that kind of speed.
Minato Namikaze: ???
Uchiha Fugaku: Sighs. Next time you and Kushina visit the Soul Arena, come find Mikoto and me. We'll... provide some remedial instruction on pacing.
Third Raikage: What an excellent metaphor—"fast as lightning"! I appreciate the tactical insight!
Uchiha Mikoto (VIP2): ...
Kushina Uzumaki: ...
Uchiha Izuna: Speaking of which... can the Soul Arena accommodate multiple participants simultaneously? For... group activities?
The question hung in the stream, immediately diverting attention from the previous awkwardness.
Tobirama Senju: Immediately, professionally. The arena's spatial parameters can be adjusted. Current maximum capacity for simultaneous non-combat occupation is eight spectral entities. For combat simulations, four participants maximum to maintain stability.
Uchiha Izuna: So four couples could theoretically...
Senju Butsuma: ENOUGH! Must you all degrade this sacred communication channel into... whatever this is?
Hashirama Senju: Father, perhaps we should focus on the living world? Young Kurenai is continuing her introductions.
Indeed, Kurenai had moved on, gesturing for her students to begin. Hinata went first, her voice soft but clear, followed by Kiba (loud and brash) and Shino (precise and insect-themed).
Ren observed from the sidelines, his Meditation technique passively analyzing each speaker's chakra fluctuations—Hinata's gentle waves, Kiba's spiky bursts, Shino's eerie stillness punctuated by the microscopic movements of his kikaichū.
But part of his awareness remained on the stream, where a new notification had appeared:
[Soul Arena Upgrade Available]
[Multi-Combatant Mode: Unlocked]
[Maximum Participants: 4 per instance]
[New Feature: Spectator Mode - Up to 20 Pure Land residents may observe arena activities]
[Upgrade Cost: 500 Viewer Points]
[Current Balance: 348]
Ren Arakawa (subvocalizing): Well, there's a new goal. Unlock multiplayer arena, charge admission, profit.
Minato Namikaze: Ren! Are you considering monetizing our personal reunions?
Ren Arakawa: Providing a service. You want quality time with Kushina without interruptions? Pay the premium. Family discount available.
Kushina Uzumaki: I'm not sure whether to be touched or horrified.
Uchiha Fugaku: Actually... the spectator mode could be useful for tactical demonstrations. Historical battles recreated for educational purposes.
Tobirama Senju: Immediately interested. True. The Battle of the Valley of the End, reenacted with actual participants. The educational value for current shinobi would be incalculable.
Uchiha Madara: A slow, dark smile spread across his spectral face. You wish to replay our final battle, Senju? I'd enjoy crushing you again before an audience.
Hashirama Senju: Madara... must everything be conflict?
Uchiha Izuna: I'd pay to watch that. Literally. If I had money. Do we have money here?
As the dead debated arena economics, Kurenai finished the introductions and moved to basic team coordination exercises. She had Hinata practice gentle fist katas while Kiba and Akamaru worked on scent-tracking, with Shino observing and providing analytical feedback.
Ren watched, impressed despite himself. Kurenai was a skilled instructor—patient, observant, offering precise corrections without undermining confidence. Her genjutsu specialty meant she noticed the subtlest tells in her students' chakra control.
After an hour, she called for a break. As the genin drank water and caught their breath, Kurenai approached Ren.
"You've been observing quietly. Any insights?"
Ren considered. "Hinata's technical form is flawless, but she hesitates on the follow-through. Kiba and Akamaru's coordination is instinctive but lacks tactical variety. Shino... observes everything but participates too little. He's waiting for perfect data before acting."
Kurenai's crimson eyes widened slightly. "Accurate assessments. Especially about Shino. Most wouldn't notice that tendency yet."
"I notice things," Ren said simply.
"So I see." She studied him a moment longer. "You're not what I expected, Ren Arakawa."
"People keep saying that."
"Because it's true." She smiled, that warm, genuine expression again. "Would you like to join us for dinner? As thanks for your... observational contributions."
From across the field, Kiba groaned quietly. Hinata's face flushed, but she looked hopeful. Shino adjusted his sunglasses.
Hyuga Hizashi: NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Yuhi Shinku: KURENAI! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!
Minato Namikaze: This is getting complicated.
Uchiha Izuna: I'll contribute viewer points for the arena upgrade if we get to watch this dinner.
Ren met Kurenai's eyes, then glanced at Hinata's hopeful expression, then back at the stream notifications in his mind.
Ren Arakawa (subvocalizing): This is what we call a target-rich environment.
He smiled. "I'd be honored, Kurenai-sensei."
Somewhere in the Pure Land, two fatherly ghosts facepalmed simultaneously, while a certain Second Hokage began calculating the optimal pricing model for Soul Arena pay-per-view events.