When Uchiha Kei saw this, he couldn't help blurting out, "A perfect re-enactment."

After all, Nawaki had originally died from an explosive tag trap set by Hidden Stone Village shinobi. And now that he was alive again, disguised as Naruko, he still got blown up by an explosive tag trap—it was tragically poetic.

Thankfully, this was just a game. At the critical moment, Naruko—having already been blown up once—dodged slightly, so she didn't get killed outright. Her health bar just turned red.

In the end, the three little brats were shocked but managed to rescue Naruko in time, saving her from turning into a loot box.

Naruko was stunned by the blast and took a while to recover. When she finally came to, she looked at Rin Nohara treating her wounds with concern, then glanced at Kakashi and Obito holding off the enemy. Her expression turned awkward.

"Um… Sorry, I let my guard down."

Rin shook her head. "No, it's not your fault, Naruko-senpai. None of us expected that, even with us already on the ropes, the enemy would still lay traps."

She wasn't lying. Though Kakashi was a prodigy and Rin was careful by nature, they were still young. Even in the Ultimate Ninja Storm games, they rarely faced coordinated ambushes.

Today was their first real taste of what it felt like to be in a full-scale shinobi war. The enemy was so cautious that they not only overwhelmed them but also left traps behind.

Of course, it might have been another team that laid those traps for the team ambushing them.

Either way, it gave these top-tier kids a taste of how brutal and underhanded the real battlefield could be.

For Naruko, Rin's kind reassurance just made her feel even worse—frustrated and full of self-loathing.

After all, unlike the kids, Naruko had lived through a real Shinobi World War—and died in it.

She had already experienced death once. And now, to run into the same type of situation and fall for it again… it made her feel utterly useless.

What followed was an overwhelming sense of guilt. The three kids didn't blame her—in fact, they comforted and protected her. That only made her feel more worthless… and made her even more torn up inside, especially because she had been lying to them.

All these tangled emotions came to a head when the three continued to protect her during their retreat. Obito gave a passionate speech to boost morale, Kakashi calmly laid out a battle plan, and Rin tried her best to use Medical Ninjutsu to treat everyone.

Naruko felt increasingly out of place. She even thought about confessing everything.

But a sliver of rationality held her back. Uchiha Kei had warned her never to reveal the gender-switch mechanic in the game—that was a shared secret of the Genjutsu World.

Plus… Naruko was scared. Scared the three would see her differently if they knew the truth.

Now she deeply regretted her impulsiveness. At the time, she just wanted to try playing with a gender swap because of past trauma—and also because her great-uncle did it first.

But now? After experiencing genuine warmth from the three kids, all she felt was guilt.

Especially when they laughed together, roasted enemies as a team, or bantered while fighting. Every time she started to enjoy herself, she'd remember she was lying. And it hurt more and more.

To the three kids, Naruko wasn't as strong as Minato Namikaze, but she wasn't weak either. She was on par with Kakashi and Obito, blending into the team effortlessly.

Her loud, cheerful personality made her easy to get along with. Even though she was older, she meshed well with Kakashi and Obito's conversations. She didn't feel like an older sister at all—more like one of the boys.

As for Rin, her gentle nature meant she was happy just watching everyone be lively. She never felt left out even if Naruko didn't join in on "girl talk."

So all three kids had grown really fond of Naruko. They got along great.

It's just that Naruko would suddenly get all moody and emo. When asked, she'd brush it off. The kids were baffled—and curious.

They were even planning to ask Minato about it.

And so, Naruko spent the whole afternoon hanging out with the trio. By the time she left, she had made up her mind: next time they met, she would show them her true self.

Afterward, Naruko—well, Nawaki—sent a long message over WeChat to his confidant, Uchiha Kei, explaining everything.

And that's how Kei came to see the replay of Naruko's entire afternoon.

After reviewing it all, Uchiha Kei thought for a moment, then messaged Minato about it. Next, he found Nawaki and said straight-up:

"Nawaki, I've seen what happened. And I support your decision. In fact, no matter what you choose, I'll support you."

Nawaki's eyes lit up, a smile spreading across his face—until Kei added:

"However, there's something else you need to think about."

Nawaki blinked. "What is it?"

Kei spread his hands. "You're supposed to be dead. A lot of people in the Hidden Leaf Village still remember you. If you appear in-game using your real identity, people will definitely notice. How are you going to explain that?"

Nawaki's face froze. Only now did he remember that part of the reason for using the Naruko disguise was to hide his identity—not just to vent over being dumped by his great-uncle.

Originally, he was going to disguise himself as an adult or change his appearance—just not swap genders.

But now, after bonding so much with the three kids, he didn't want to lie to them anymore.

Kei understood. After all, genuine bonds are easiest to form among children.

Besides, in the Hidden Leaf, friendship and camaraderie are borderline superpowers. The chakra system literally allows people to connect emotionally and spiritually.

So Kei wasn't surprised Nawaki was won over so quickly.

And let's be honest—Team Minato is the prototype for Team 7. They've got that same "main character squad" energy. Plus, Rin's warmth and likability far surpassed that of Sakura Haruno in the future. It was only natural for Nawaki to be drawn in.

Seeing Nawaki still struggling with what to do, Kei continued:

"Nawaki, even if you can't reveal your true identity publicly, it's fine if just those three know. Once they understand your situation, they'll keep your secret."

"That way, you won't need to keep pretending, and you can still have fun playing with them."

Nawaki's eyes lit up even more. He burst out, "R-really? I can really tell them?"

Kei nodded. "Of course. But… it's better if someone else breaks the news for you."

Nawaki tilted his head. "You mean you?"

Kei shook his head, smiling. "Don't worry—I've already told someone. He's probably handling it right now."

...

About ten minutes earlier, outside the Hokage Residence, Minato Namikaze was stretching after finishing a long day.

As his joints cracked, Nara Shikaku walked by, cigarette in mouth.

"Minato, work is important, but don't forget to take care of your body. Don't rely on youth too much or you'll be plagued by random ailments when you're older."

Minato scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Shikaku. I know, I've been trying to get some exercise every day."

Shikaku nodded and left after a brief chat.

Minato was about to head home when he saw a message from Uchiha Kei on WeChat. His eyes flickered with recognition, and he instantly used Flying Raijin to teleport away.

The other ninja nearby weren't surprised. Since becoming acting Hokage's assistant, Minato had been teleporting to and from work daily. What was jaw-dropping at first had become routine.

Though of course, they were still jealous. Flying Raijin was just that useful—if only it weren't so ridiculously hard to learn.

Back home, Minato opened the message and the video clip of "Naruko."

His expression turned into that infamous "old man on the subway looking at his phone" meme.

It was hard to imagine the ever-sunny Minato making that face, but the situation was that absurd.

Still, once he remembered his girlfriend Kushina Uzumaki also played the game using a gender-swapped avatar, he relaxed.

Why should only his girlfriend be allowed to gender-swap?

Yes, Minato already knew Kushina played a male character. She never kept secrets from him—and her gender-swapped avatar wasn't for deception. She just thought it was fun.

She'd shared all her gaming joy with Minato.

After some initial confusion, Minato came to terms with it.

As long as no one's getting their feelings played with, and she's happy, that's what matters most.

Besides, as a ninja, using Transformation Jutsu is routine—sometimes as a man, woman, or even animal. In that context, a gender-swap in a game didn't seem like a big deal.

He'd even teamed up with Kushina a few times in-game.

Of course, while Minato also used a disguised avatar, he didn't swap genders. There was no reason to. Plus, Kushina wasn't interested in seeing her boyfriend gender-swapped.

So this was just another day for Minato.

Except...

"Wait, this still feels weird. I know about Kushina, but Obito and the others have no idea about Nawaki-senpai's disguise. Isn't that kind of… emotional manipulation, like Kei-dono said?"

Minato frowned. Knowing the truth versus not knowing makes a huge difference.

Luckily, Kei's next message asked him to explain the truth to the three kids. Minato was relieved.

His sunny smile returned. "That works out. Nawaki-senpai's real identity shouldn't be leaked, and those three are trustworthy. I'll just use a sealing jutsu to lock away their memories of it, in case of mind-reading jutsu from enemy shinobi."

Even though he was confident in their safety, Minato believed in being prepared—especially after the Danzo and Root fiasco.

So he tracked the Flying Raijin marks on the trio, found them together, and teleported straight to them.

Then came a heart-to-heart… and a teleport back to his place… where he slowly explained everything about Nawaki to the three kids.