Kai is a Genius

Even though not everyone was as powerful as Namikaze Minato, the sheer number of individuals in the Shinobi world made up for it. Even Genin, when compared to ordinary Earthlings, could be considered superhuman.

Moreover, the Shinobi world wasn't only composed of ninjas. Among the non-ninjas, many had also trained in chakra, possessing extraordinary abilities.

These individuals could all be categorized as super players. Even the common folk, though not as strong as ninjas, still had double the number of cells compared to "normal" Earth humans. Thus, they could provide more emotional value than a regular person.

Therefore, as long as Kai could get more powerful people to play the game, he could easily complete the tasks assigned by the system.

And with that, he would receive the system's rewards.

For a brief moment, Kai once again entered dream mode, imagining how, with the system's rewards, he would break through the limits of mediocrity, fully unleash his bloodline's power, and eventually become a superpowered Uchiha who could control the Nine-Tails with just a glance!

Just thinking about it made him a little excited.

Heh heh heh!

Suddenly, a wave of intense fatigue hit him—feedback from the overuse of his Sharingan and chakra.

The exhaustion caused the game world to destabilize and begin to collapse.

Minato, who was immersed in the thrill of battle, froze as the enemies and the blood-red scenery around him began to disintegrate. He felt the world sway, and his mind seemed to blur.

When he came to, he found himself lying on a bed, with Kai sitting in a chair nearby, massaging his forehead, looking utterly drained.

Seeing this, Minato immediately asked with concern, "Kai, are you okay?"

Kai waved his hand dismissively. "I'm fine, just overusing my eyes. Maintaining the game requires a constant drain of chakra. I set a limit for myself, so when my chakra reaches a certain threshold, the game automatically shuts down."

"Still, it's exhausting."

Hearing this, Minato nodded in understanding and waited quietly for Kai to recover.

Once Kai felt better and lowered his hand from his forehead, they resumed their conversation.

Naturally, the discussion centered around the game.

Minato was highly impressed with the illusionary game, calling it a miraculous new technique with enormous potential. He even said that, if developed properly, it could rival the First Hokage's Wood Style, which was used to bring peace to the world—Minato believed that Kai's illusionary game, based on the Sharingan, was a brand-new secret technique. Such wondrous techniques weren't unheard of in the Shinobi world, and he compared it to the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju's, unique Wood Style.

Hearing such high praise made Kai scratch his head awkwardly. He couldn't help but retort, "It's amazing, sure, but comparing it to Wood Style? Aren't you giving me way too much credit?"

Minato shook his head, his expression serious. "No, I don't think I'm wrong. The sheer realism of the game surpasses any genjutsu I've ever known."

"When everything in the game feels as real as life itself, the line between reality and illusion becomes blurred. This means that if someone dies in the game, they could die in real life too. That's something no known genjutsu can achieve."

In the Shinobi world, there was a theory that the brain could be so thoroughly deceived by an illusion that if it believed death had occurred, the person could truly die in the real world.

However, no known genjutsu could achieve this level of realism. At least, not according to Minato's understanding.

Traditional genjutsu's main function was to control an enemy, with the only differences being the duration and method of control. During that control, the enemy could be killed or even forced to commit suicide.

But this wasn't direct death through the genjutsu itself—it was merely using physical means to kill the target.

Kai's illusionary game, on the other hand, was different. Having experienced it firsthand, Minato was certain that the game's realism blurred the line between illusion and reality to the point where a person could be killed in the illusion and die for real.

Even Kai had installed safety protocols in the game, which said a lot about its dangers.

Moreover, genjutsu in the Shinobi world typically worked by disrupting the target's chakra flow to manipulate their senses and mind. The same chakra flow disruption could also be used to break free of the illusion.

This was why jinchūriki usually weren't afraid of genjutsu—they could rely on their tailed beast's chakra to break free.

But Kai's illusionary game worked differently...

"Though the conditions for activating it are strict, and it can fail with even the slightest resistance, once it's successfully initiated, conventional methods of countering genjutsu don't work," Minato explained. "I actually tried using chakra to interfere with the illusion while I was in the game, hoping to break free from it."

"But I failed. While I wouldn't say my resistance to genjutsu is top-tier, it's not weak either. Both Kushina and my teacher, Jiraiya, taught me anti-genjutsu techniques, but none of them worked."

"That means even someone like the Third Hokage might not be able to break free from your illusionary game using his own power once he's inside."

"If you can overcome the activation challenges and avoid becoming immobilized while initiating it, this technique could become a deadly weapon on the battlefield."

Minato spoke with genuine admiration and awe, and even a hint of reverence. "Kai, you're undoubtedly a genius on par with the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju!"

Hearing Minato compare him to Tobirama, the "evil" Senju, Kai couldn't help but feel speechless. Clearly, Minato didn't understand that to an Uchiha, being compared to Tobirama Senju was the ultimate insult. Otherwise, Kai might have thought Minato was mocking him.

With a sigh, Kai responded, "You're giving me too much credit. I'm not some creative genius, and I certainly can't compare to the Second Hokage."

Minato, however, remained serious. "No, I've always believed you're just limited by your natural ninja talent. If your abilities matched your creativity, you'd be just as formidable as the Second Hokage."

"Two years ago, you helped me develop the Rasengan. If it weren't for you, I doubt I would have ever figured it out, let alone created the advanced versions of it."

Kai tried to downplay it. "Uh, is it possible that even without me, you would've eventually invented the Rasengan, Minato?"

Minato chuckled but shook his head. "Kai, you're giving me too much credit. People call me a genius, but that's mostly because I'm good at learning. When it comes to creating things, I can't hold a candle to you."

His words were sincere, and his attitude humble, as he genuinely believed that compared to Kai's brilliance, he was nothing but an ordinary student.

Kai didn't know how to respond to this. It seemed that, in Minato's eyes, Kai's genius was deeply ingrained.

The truth was, Kai, as a crafty outsider from another world, had been friends with Minato since they were young. Being more knowledgeable than kids his age, Kai occasionally shared some forward-thinking ideas, impressing young Minato and earning his admiration. Minato grew up thinking Kai was a genius.

Back then, Kai himself believed that, as a transmigrator, he was destined to be an unparalleled prodigy. He wanted Minato's support and admiration, so he deliberately crafted an image of himself as someone brilliant.

However, as he matured and realized his limitations, Kai abandoned those unrealistic fantasies and became genuine friends with Minato, hoping that the future Fourth Hokage might help him out when needed.

At the same time, he didn't want Minato to fall victim to a traitorous student.

That's why, when the two were 16 years old, Kai helped Minato develop the Rasengan early.

Originally, in the timeline, Minato was supposed to develop the Rasengan during the Third Great Ninja War after encountering a jinchūriki and witnessing the power of the Tailed Beast Bomb. It took him three years to create the Rasengan with Jiraiya's help, but that was near the end of the war.

For Kai, developing the Rasengan was simply copying homework, as it was Naruto's signature jutsu in the future, with detailed records of its training and advanced versions.

Thus, during his "collaboration" with Minato, Kai just provided ideas and acted as a super consultant, guiding Minato in creating the Rasengan and its future variations.

However, it seemed that Kai's earlier display of "creativity" had left such a strong impression on Minato that he fully believed Kai was an unquestionable genius, comparable to an inventor like Tobirama Senju.

The misunderstanding ran deep.

Especially now, after creating the illusionary game, the misunderstanding had only grown. Let's not forget—Minato had already compared the game to Wood Style!