Even Shikamaru and Chōji were stunned.
They were Natsuki's friends, yet this was the first time they were hearing about it. Even Ino had known earlier than them!
Then they looked over at Shino—completely calm. That guy clearly had known all along.
Sasuke, too, was wide-eyed. Originally, he had come to learn more about Natsuki's fighting style and clever tricks in battle... only to discover the guy actually had a girlfriend.
What could he even say? Surprised? Shocked?
He couldn't really put it into words—Natsuki just felt like a walking mystery.
Tenten blushed slightly, but spoke openly, "We only made it official recently. I hope you'll all take care of us."
"Of course, of course! Same to you!"
Everyone quickly responded—couldn't be rude now.
Shikamaru turned to Shino. "You knew, didn't you?"
Shino gave a rare, smug look. "Of course I did. I played a big part in getting them together, you know."
Wow. So that's how it was. Seriously? They didn't tell us something this big? Are we even friends anymore?
Still, it wasn't the right time to bring that up—Tenten was right here. Wouldn't want to make things awkward.
Tenten, cool as ever, pulled out a scroll, formed a few seals, and slapped her palm down. Poof! A box appeared.
Everyone gasped. They didn't expect Natsuki's girlfriend to know Kuchiyose no Jutsu! At this age? That was rare. Natsuki clearly had good taste.
"This is the card game Natsuki invented. It's called Ninja Kill."
Tenten opened the box and began introducing it. "Let me give you a quick rundown. The game has several types of cards: Identity Cards, Character Cards, Health Cards, Skill Cards, and Ninja Tool Cards. There are four modes of play: one-on-one, one-versus-many, team battles, and Hidden Village Defense Mode.
The first three don't need Identity Cards—just draw Character Cards and fight using their abilities.
The fourth mode, Hidden Village Defense, is based on a ninja village invasion scenario. Enemy ninjas, rogue nin, traitors, and spies infiltrate the village. The village's Kage and their allies must uncover and defeat them. Identity Cards include: Kage, Ally, Enemy Ninja, Rogue Ninja, Traitor, and Spy. The bad guys win if the Kage dies. The Traitor must eliminate everyone else. The Kage and Allies win by defeating all the threats."
As she explained, she handed out the detailed rule sheets.
Everyone was instantly intrigued. A ninja-themed battle card game? That was a first.
And defending the village as a mode? That sounded super fun.
Tenten then brought out the cards themselves. Identity Cards were self-explanatory. Health Cards tracked HP. Character Cards were based on historical Konoha heroes, some even had secret techniques.
For example, Uchiha characters had the Sharingan—discard two red cards to activate it. After activation, they could ignore basic attacks and counter big attacks with just one card as a dodge.
Byakugan characters like those from the Hyūga clan could activate their dōjutsu by discarding two black cards, then peek at opponents' hands and dodge any attack with just one card.
There were also characters from the Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Aburame clans—some even from other villages.
All had been officially approved by the Hokage, so no problems there.
Skill Cards included ninjutsu, genjutsu, and secret arts. Ninja Tool Cards included things like kunai and shuriken, even Medical Ninjutsu cards like Shōsen Jutsu. Natsuki had clearly put a lot of thought into it.
Shikamaru flipped over a card and read the back: "Will of Fire. Where the leaves dance, the fire burns eternally."
Now that's politically correct. Totally safe.
Once everyone had a general grasp of the game, Tenten said, "No point explaining too much—let's try a round. We'll start with one-on-one duels so I can help out and guide everyone. Once you're all familiar, we can do Hidden Village Mode. Oh! And as thanks, not only is lunch on us, but each of you will get a free deck!"
Naruto lit up. Free cards? Heck yeah! He immediately challenged Sasuke.
Sasuke seemed interested too, so he accepted. The others decided to watch first to get a feel for the gameplay.
Each drew a Character Card. Sasuke lucked out and drew an Uchiha. Naruto got a member of the Inuzuka clan.
Based on their characters, they received their Health Cards. Each drew ten cards, and the game began.
Sasuke went first, drew two cards, then discarded two red hearts. "Activate Sharingan! Then—Kunai Slash!"
Naruto scratched his head and played a dodge.
But Sasuke grinned. "Naruto, I activated the Sharingan. That means my attacks now require two dodges to block. Either play two dodges, use a Substitution Jutsu, or lose HP."
"What?! That's cheating!" Naruto complained.
"Hmph! That's the power of the Sharingan! Hurry up—dodge or take the hit!"
"Fine! I'll lose HP!"
Naruto dropped one health. But Sasuke wasn't done—he kept attacking with Kunai Slash, Shuriken Slash, Shunshin Slash—Naruto's HP was dropping fast.
Fortunately, Sasuke soon ran out of cards—meaning he was out of stamina and chakra.
Now it was Naruto's turn to fight back.
Kiba, who was watching eagerly, shouted, "Naruto! Use the Fang Over Fang secret technique! It'll drain Sasuke big time!"
But Naruto hated being told what to do. After drawing two cards, he instead used Medical Ninjutsu to recover some HP, then equipped a Suiton Skill Card. He discarded two cards and launched a Suiton attack.
Sasuke calmly dodged. With Sharingan active, he only needed one card.
Naruto attacked again. Sasuke dodged again.
The two went all out. Sparks flew—literal and metaphorical.
When Natsuki returned, he found the yard buzzing with energy. The game was in full swing—those playing were completely absorbed, and those watching were equally hooked.
Kiba, frustrated with Naruto's chaotic gameplay, even asked Tenten for another deck so he could play with Shikamaru and Chōji instead.
"Yo! Looks like you're all having fun. I'll go cook now."
Natsuki grinned as he walked in with a mountain of groceries, drawing everyone's attention—but just for a moment. They quickly turned back to the game.
It was just like back in the day with old-school consoles—parents would call for dinner and you'd ignore them mid-game.
In a world , where good games were rare, something like Ninja Kill was bound to become an addiction.
Natsuki was confident: once Ninja Kill hit the market, it would explode. He'd be raking in the ryo—no more worrying about future marriage funds.
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