At this moment, Uchiha Kei was horrified.
He had just received five points of Golden Spirit Energy—all from a single person!
And according to the system's tracking, the one who triggered it was none other than Madara Uchiha. Whenever someone generated emotional value and Golden Spirit Energy, Uchiha Kei couldn't know exactly who they were, but the system allowed him to lock onto their signature—ensuring he wouldn't misidentify them if it happened again.
That was exactly the case now. Madara Uchiha, who hadn't released any Golden Spirit Energy for over half a month, had suddenly erupted—and with a huge payload!
That, however, wasn't the scary part.
What truly alarmed Uchiha Kei was the location the system showed: less than thirty kilometers from him. Based on memory comparison, it matched the site of the Naka Shrine.
Why had Madara Uchiha, one foot in the grave, suddenly come to Naka Shrine? What happened?
Uchiha Kei didn't know—but he was shocked to his core.
Cold sweat began to drip down his forehead.
It wasn't that Uchiha Kei was cowardly—just that Madara showing up near the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf without a sound was like a classic horror game jump scare.
This was Madara Uchiha. Even if he could barely walk anymore, once he exploded in action, the Hidden Leaf wouldn't be able to take it.
Even if he no longer had the Rinnegan and couldn't use its overwhelming power, his base strength alone could crush nearly anyone in the shinobi world. Not even Minato Namikaze in his golden chakra mode would be on the same level.
Unless Minato completely synced with Kurama and entered full Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, no one knew what would happen in a real clash against Madara—especially since Madara could manifest Susano'o with just three tomoe. And with his collection of Sharingan, even using them like Danzo Shimura's "revive coins" would be a nightmare to deal with.
Uchiha Kei's head throbbed.
Still, it wasn't like he was in a panic. Though Madara's sudden appearance outside the village was shocking, he hadn't done anything aggressive yet. He was clearly just playing his genjutsu games again—not looking to scare the world just yet.
Besides, Uchiha Kei knew Madara's true desire was still the Eye of the Moon Plan. To achieve that, the proud Uchiha had played the long game like a turtle in hiding for half his life. Kei didn't believe he'd throw it all away on some random rampage.
So, in fact, the Hidden Leaf was still safe—for now.
After thinking it through, Kei didn't tell anyone about this. Doing so would only spread panic or provoke someone to act rashly.
That would be suicide.
After all, outside of Hashirama Senju, no one had ever seen Madara fight seriously. Everyone else judged his strength based on their limited understanding.
So telling people now would only cause unpredictable chaos.
Of course, Kei didn't plan to keep it hidden forever. He was just waiting. When the time was right, he would personally confront the old man. For now, it was best to lie low.
"Anyway... might as well do a pull."
Muttering to himself, Kei spent his Emotional Value and Golden Spirit Energy on a ten-roll draw. And this happened to trigger the 300-roll guaranteed jackpot.
Yes, in the half-month since his last big pull, he had already accumulated the quota for the 300-draw pity counter. He just hadn't spent it yet, waiting for new Golden Spirit Energy to appear.
Now, thanks to Madara's "generosity," he had five new points. Kei wouldn't miss this chance.
A radiant glow burst from the system's interface, and the long-awaited golden item appeared.
And just like last time—it wasn't a normal gold item.
It was a dark-gold enhanced item.
Excited and nervous, Kei checked it out.
Then fell silent.
[Ultimate Driving Technique (Gold, Enhanced): Allows mastery of all vehicles—regardless of prior exposure or awareness. The moment the host touches a vehicle, they gain full mastery of its controls and can operate it as an ace pilot. Also provides instant diagnostics of any safety hazards or mechanical faults.]
[From bicycles to infantry carriers, tractors to tanks, speedboats to aircraft carriers, toy planes to aerospace fighters, and passenger shuttles to space warships—the host will be able to use any vehicle in extreme survival situations!]
[Special Note: Many people will develop animosity toward the host for blocking their path or stealing their interests. To prevent sabotage while using transportation—like planted bombs or staged breakdowns—the host must master all vehicle types and respond calmly to any tampering.]
Yes, this was the new skill: a permanent passive ability triggered by simply touching any vehicle.
No doubt—it was extremely useful. In fact, borderline overpowered. True to the system's consistent style, it was a conceptual skill, affecting nearly all aspects of life.
Of course... assuming Kei lived on Earth.
But in the shinobi world?
Given its abstract technology and bizarre tech tree—even accounting for the movies—the only possible use he could think of was piloting the flying fortress from the Sky Ninja arc.
And that was non-canon.
Even if that thing existed, it didn't require advanced piloting. Any average shinobi could fly it after learning basic controls. Why would he need Ultimate Driving Technique for that?
So... was this skill useless?
Conflicted, frustrated, speechless.
In the end, Uchiha Kei could only sigh and mutter: "If Susano'o and the Wood Style Great Buddha really are considered 'mechs' and 'Gundams' like those dumb netizens say... maybe then this would be useful."
"Or is the point to let me drive the vehicles I draw from the system? But in the shinobi world, those things are worthless. Any Jōnin can blow them up with a single jutsu."
Muttering to himself, Kei sighed again and spent another three Golden Spirit points on three more ten-rolls.
As expected, he got three purple items:
A healing spray for external wounds, an armored motorcycle that can reach 300 km/h, and a sleek luxury sports car that would be instantly wrecked by the shinobi world's terrain.
Great. He got two usable vehicles right after pulling a driving skill.
Too bad they were all form over function.
Helplessly, Kei sighed again. He had nothing more to say.
This dumb system was as stubborn and tone-deaf as ever—still convinced he was on Earth.
More than once, Kei wondered if the system had bound itself to the wrong host—maybe got swapped with a proper shinobi world system by mistake.
So someone in the city got a superpower system, while Kei ended up with a game development system.
Still, that was just his inner complaint. At this point, no amount of venting would change things. All Kei could do was use the system to get stronger—strong enough to face the shinobi world's threats.
Also, he intentionally saved one of the five Golden Spirit points. Why?
Because the last time he hit the 300-draw pity timer, he hadn't had enough Golden Spirit Energy to roll—and ended up wasting days waiting.
To avoid that again, he resolved to always keep one point in reserve.
But why did Madara suddenly release so much Golden Spirit Energy?
Could it be...
Did the old man play *Outlast*?
Very likely. Despite his cold and proud demeanor, Madara was actually incredibly emotional. If he encountered a scene—without spoilers—where two companions were captured by villains and sacrificed themselves to save the player, he'd be deeply shaken.
Even Uchiha Masanobu, current clan head, awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan after experiencing that scene.
Yes, Masanobu succeeded.
As expected, however, the awakening of the Mangekyō burned through the last of his energy.
Unlike Uchiha Setsuna, Masanobu wasn't so lucky. His health was far worse, and even with the "Fat Otaku Thursday Combo Meal" the system provided, he couldn't recover.
His HP bar was already near zero.
The meal could restore stamina and vitality, but not max HP. So Masanobu's end was inevitable.
The meal extended his life for about two months—but that was it.
Though a sad loss for the Uchiha clan, it was seen as a dignified farewell. Only the higher-ups and Uchiha Kei were informed. The rest of the clan was kept in the dark.
After Masanobu's death, his Mangekyō Sharingan would be preserved and eventually transplanted into Uchiha Fugaku—making him the second Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan user after Madara.
That was also why Kei was currently ignoring Madara. He was waiting—for Fugaku to complete the evolution.
Even if Fugaku still couldn't defeat Madara, he would be enough to participate in an operation against him.
With Minato and other Kage-level fighters from the Hidden Leaf joining in, they might really take down the old man.
Time was on Kei's side.
All of the above was Kei's conclusion—based on canon lore and the wild theories of dumb netizens.
But what Kei didn't know was... his butterfly wings had stirred quite the storm.
Beneath the Naka Shrine, Madara Uchiha looked at himself in a mirror handed over by White Zetsu.
His eyes, hidden under Tobi's wrappings, were clearly visible: Mangekyō Sharingan.
He was surprised.
"So... I've awakened them again? I see. Even using someone else's Sharingan—so long as they belong to the Uchiha—you can still awaken the Mangekyō?"
"But for an old man like me... awakening the Mangekyō is a huge burden. My body... feels exhausted..."
He closed his eyes, slumping wearily into his Zetsu throne. The overwhelming aura he'd displayed earlier had faded—replaced by the heavy stillness of one nearing death.
His body was already barely hanging on. This awakening had drained the last of his vitality.
Even with the support of White Zetsu's cells and life support—and even with Tobi as a host—his days were numbered.
If his health were rendered as game data, both his HP and stamina would be visibly draining. The life-support system merely slowed the drop. It couldn't reverse it.
Madara knew he didn't have much time left. His plans had to change. He couldn't wait for the Fourth Great Ninja War.
He needed a successor—fast.
In his mind, the best candidate was Uchiha Kei.
Even if *Outlast* had shaken him to his core, he admired Kei even more for it.
Despite its twisted horror and gut-wrenching emotion, the game had proven to be immensely effective.
It had even triggered a reawakening.
That alone earned Kei the highest praise.
Unfortunately, Kei was under heavy protection in the Hidden Leaf. Unless Madara threw caution to the wind and launched a suicidal assault, there was no way to capture him.
And if he were going to burn it all in one final act, what was the point of kidnapping Kei?
So, Madara reluctantly gave up on him and shifted his attention elsewhere.
He ordered the White Zetsu clones to monitor his other candidates.
Besides Obito—the original successor—there was Fugaku, Uchiha Osamu, and several others, including a five-year-old Uchiha Shisui, just admitted to the Academy.
Madara's selection was broad. Anyone he considered promising and suitable was a target.
The only common trait?
Mangekyō Sharingan potential.
Except for Kei, of course. That guy was just... special.