Chapter 292: Link Protocol

TP/Link Protocol

This is a protocol proposed by the esteemed "Net Administrator," Link.

Why it's called that—nobody but Link himself really knows. It's a nod to the "TP-Link" brand of network equipment, a cultural joke from another world that the shinobi of the Narutoverse can't possibly understand.

Basically, the Protocol sets rules for using the Net Jutsu, including banning offensive speech or insults (with violators getting muted), prohibiting "adult" content, gambling, drugs, extreme violence, "loot-boxing," and so on. Right now it's still a work in progress.

At first, Link assumed all these prestigious shinobi wouldn't bicker or throw insults like some band of online trolls. But the special environment of the Pure Land—combined with an utterly unrestricted version of the Net—taught him a lesson.

When it was new, the dead shinobi from different villages were initially cautious, probing conversations a bit. After all, in the Pure Land, there's no sleeping or the like, so everyone's effectively idle 24/7. Before, they simply "slept" away eternity, unaware of anything.

But with Link occasionally bothering them, and since they were all bored out of their minds, they gradually let their guards down and started listening. Once the Net Jutsu appeared, every deceased person who'd been "tagged" by Summoning was automatically included. Those who hadn't been tagged were still susceptible to Link's "fishing line" approach—no one wanted to miss a chance to communicate with the living.

Note that souls in the Pure Land do have chakra. Take the Third Kazekage, for example: a genius who quickly figured out how to inject chakra into the Net's cords, replicating and tossing them out to others. It was so straightforward they didn't need a teacher.

Thus, without Link even knowing, the Net Jutsu spread "virally" in just three days, its user count multiplying many times over. By the time Link checked the Pure Land's Net a week later, he was stunned:

Inside were everyone from ancient Warring-States-era fossils to freshly dead shinobi of other villages—elite soldiers of the Five Great Nations, small-country cannon fodder, big names like Uchiha Izuna, Hanzo, Yakushi Nono, Yakushi Kabuto, Uchiha Shisui (folks capable of shifting entire storylines), plus deceased members of Yahiko's Akatsuki, fallen Konoha Anbu (including the protagonist's dad), the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist who were killed in all sorts of ways, and even past Kage. It was a "Pure Land Grand Package."

Link didn't even get a moment to rejoice over all these new potential allies. He realized the forum and "Bulletin Board" he'd developed had turned into a cesspool—just like real-world internet boards can do.

There was cursing, quarrels, sarcasm-laden posts, trolls and sockpuppet armies running wild. Turns out these shinobi, with bits of modern knowledge, adapt to "online" life alarmingly fast. And in the Pure Land server—open 24 hours, no adult supervision—it was total chaos.

Within a single week, you had dead shinobi from major villages grouping up, while small-nation shinobi formed cliques, launching "attacks" on others.

Ninjas are already trained in infiltration and disguise, so in an online setting they're basically unstoppable. Villagers from places like the Blood Mist or Sand, used to repressed emotions, were now "joyriders" stirring up drama, hurling insults at people they never had beef with while alive—because everything was anonymous, user IDs could be changed on a whim, and there were zero restrictions. Pure freedom led to pure disaster.

Not just the bulletin board, either: a bunch of powerful shinobi had used their chakra to create countless weird apps—covering all sorts of "vices." It was a disaster.

Link was frantic—his mom and dad were on there! He rushed to clean up the mess, creating a rudimentary ban on insults: if you're caught swearing, you're muted. Simple and rough.

But how to actually enforce it?

He was the only user with admin powers. He couldn't watch the Pure Land server 24/7. Did he need to appoint someone to monitor everything, gather up the worst posts, and wait for him to log in and unleash the ban hammer? Even aside from that, how would he handle cryptic insults, traps, and sabotage?

In this predicament, an unexpected person approached him:

Yakushi Kabuto.

Kabuto voluntarily sought Link out, wanting to share his insights on the Net Jutsu—and to offer his service. Link initially wanted to refuse, but Kabuto's sincerity was obvious.

Compared to Senju Tobirama and Orochimaru, Kabuto—who existed purely as a soul in the Pure Land—had ample time and research materials to study the Net Jutsu in great depth.

Fundamentally, the Net is about forging mental connections via chakra. The bulletin board, anonymity, and other features are just manipulations of the trust and distance between participants at a spiritual level, all realized because of Link's "Net Administrator" authority.

In the beginning, when Link tested the jutsu on rabbits, he could only "block" or "blacklist" them, because rabbits couldn't "understand" anything. Once more ninja joined, the vast collective of spiritual energy meant that, at least in theory, if everyone wanted the same thing, they could accomplish wonders in the Net's intangible domain.

But a single person can barely keep track of all their own thoughts—let alone if thousands of minds gather. The chance of uniting them fully is basically zero. Many disliked the toxic environment of the board, but there was only one person who could genuinely alter the Net's core operation: the Net's master, Link.

Individuals with huge chakra reserves could spin off private "mini-apps," but that couldn't force a fundamental system change. The "app" only worked if users accepted it, or on those who already recognized it. Expanding forcibly across the entire Net was impossible.

So Link invests chakra, and an idea, and the Net autogenerates something akin to the feature he wants, stemming from mutual "consensus." The main impetus behind the new moderation system was that most people despised the chaos. Kabuto used that shared distaste to establish a new set of rules, jokingly named the TP/Link Protocol. People joined the Net under that Protocol. Recognized by virtually everyone, it became a self-regulating force: the Net itself punishes those who violate the rules.

After all, even if someone hates the rules, in their heart they likely admit they're necessary. Very few truly believe that toxic chaos was good. So in a Net shaped by communal will, rabble-rousers can't do much damage.

Link, impressed, promptly decided to hire Kabuto. He summoned both Kabuto and Yakushi Nono, then sent them to the orphanage, making everyone happy. Yakushi Nono went on to be reincarnated alongside Uchiha Shisui. Kabuto, though, asked to remain in the Pure Land to keep researching the Net Jutsu. He thought there was still vast, untapped potential. Sure, it currently can't affect the real world physically, but who knows about the future?

Link didn't mind. Senju Tobirama had also mentioned that at the current growth rate, letting the Net's collective spiritual power influence the physical realm would take thousands, maybe tens of thousands of years—basically impossible for now.

Having stabilized the Pure Land server, Link was worn out by all the weird "apps" and disturbing "forums" there—vivid proof of humanity's worst side. Returning to the tamer Net in reality, which only occasionally saw a few anonymous users hurling insults, felt like a relief by comparison. Link thanked his lucky stars he'd discovered the issue in the Pure Land first; if that kind of fiasco had kicked off in the living world, it would've gone from verbal abuse to literal swordfights in no time.

~~~

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