---
The morning mist still clung to the forests of the Land of Fire when Keiji Uchiha, his shiny Gengar, and his uncle Izuna set out from the Uchiha Territory. The path ahead led toward the Hagoromo Clan's domain — a territory renowned for its serene landscapes and scholars of ancient chakra studies.
Though their journey was one of leisure and diplomacy, the Uchiha caravan carried more than gifts or scrolls. Keiji's satchel brimmed with polished wooden boards, carved figurines, smooth pebbles, dice, and cloth maps. The boy who once lived in another world now carried fragments of that world's entertainment — gifts that would ripple across nations.
His Uncle Izuna glanced back at his nephew, amused. "You're hauling all this just for play?"
Keiji smiled faintly, his crimson eyes gleaming with calm confidence. "Not just play, Uncle. Strategy, patience, luck… lessons even warriors can learn from."
"Spoken like your father," His Uncle Izuna chuckled. "Always turning leisure into training."
From behind, Gengar floated lazily, his grin wide and glowing in the dim forest light. "Gengaaaar," he rumbled, eyeing the dice pouch. Keiji gave him a mock glare.
"Touch those dice, and you'll roll yourself into another dimension."
Gengar snickered and turned invisible, his laughter echoing faintly like a playful ghost through the trees.
---
Arrival at the Hagoromo Clan Territory
By dusk, they arrived at the Hagoromo settlement — a sprawling valley adorned with tall torii gates and sacred stones etched with ancient seals. Lanterns shimmered across courtyards as monks and shinobi gathered to greet their Uchiha guests.
Gyoza Hagoromo himself welcomed them at the gates, his broad smile warm yet dignified. "Lord Izuna, young Keiji — and this must be Gengar. Our clan is honored."
Keiji bowed politely. "The honor is mine, Lord Gyoza. I've brought something… unusual, I hope it will amuse your people."
Behind him, Hagoromo shinobi curiously eyed the strange objects being unloaded from the carriage — the square boards, wooden discs, ladders, and snakes painted on parchment.
Gyoza raised an eyebrow. "You bring puzzles, young Uchiha?"
"Games," Keiji corrected. "Born from different lands, made to test mind and spirit alike."
Daigo and Daiki Hagoromo — Gyoza's two sons — exchanged intrigued looks. The younger, Daiki, the same boy Keiji had saved from kidnappers months ago, grinned brightly. "Are they like shōgi?"
Keiji's lips curled into a mysterious smile. "In some ways… but even shōgi will feel simple afterward."
---
Day 1 — Pachisi & Snakes and Ladders
The first lesson began in the Hagoromo Clan's inner hall, its polished wooden floors gleaming under the afternoon sun. Clan members gathered, curious but skeptical, as Keiji explained the rules of Pachisi — a cross-shaped race game played with shells and dice.
"You move by chance," Keiji said, setting the board. "But victory is in reading the flow — adapting faster than your rivals."
Daigo frowned thoughtfully. "Sounds like politics."
Keiji smirked. "Exactly."
Within hours, the room filled with laughter, curses, and shouting. Even Gyoza himself found his composure tested as Daiki sent his father's piece back to start — twice.
"Father, you said patience was a virtue!" Daiki teased.
Gyoza sighed dramatically. "Patience, yes. But betrayal from one's child? That is karma."
By evening, Keiji introduced Snakes and Ladders. A simple game, yet one that caused more uproar than any sparring session.
"This game teaches humility," Keiji warned. "One climb can be erased by a fall."
His Uncle Izuna, once skeptical, ended up losing repeatedly to Daigo. Gengar rolled dice for Keiji with ghostly precision, earning him suspicious looks.
"You cheat,"His Uncle Izuna muttered under his breath.
Gengar only gave a smug grin. "Gengaaa~"
---
Day 2 — Carrom & Go
The next morning, Keiji set up smooth wooden boards, each marked with circular pockets. "This," he declared, "is Carrom — where touch and control matter more than strength."
He demonstrated a flick — the striker piece knocking a disc cleanly into a pocket.
The Hagoromo youths gasped. Daigo tried and missed. Daiki tried again and knocked the striker off the board.
Laughter filled the courtyard.
Gengar floated beside Keiji, using telekinesis to pocket discs effortlessly until Keiji swatted him playfully. "That's cheating, you mischievous gas-ball."
Later that day, the tone shifted. Keiji unveiled a black-and-white grid. "This game," he said solemnly, "is called Go."
Even Gyoza's eyes narrowed in interest.
"The goal," Keiji continued, "is to claim territory… yet the true challenge lies in knowing when to retreat, when to sacrifice, and when to surround."
It was a game of intellect — silent, profound, ruthless. Hours passed in stillness as the Uchiha boy faced the Hagoromo clan head across the board.
When Gyoza finally lost, he leaned back, stunned yet satisfied. "You have the eyes of a strategist, young Uchiha. This game— it is more dangerous than any jutsu."
Keiji smiled. "That's why it's my favorite."
---
Day 3 — Chess: War in Miniature
The final day dawned with mist rolling across the training fields. Keiji set up the last of his creations: Chess — a battlefield of kings and pawns.
"Every piece has a purpose," he explained. "But even the lowliest pawn can become a queen — if it survives long enough."
Daigo, enthralled, leaned forward. "So… every piece has potential?"
"Yes. The weak are only weak until they move with purpose."
The Hagoromo elders murmured among themselves, recognizing the metaphor's weight.
His Uncle Izuna watched proudly from the side, arms crossed. "He doesn't just play. He teaches."
Throughout the day, the game spread like wildfire. Servants played in the courtyard, monks played in the shrine's shade, and scholars argued over strategy deep into the night.
By the time the Uchiha guests prepared to leave, the Hagoromo clan had fallen utterly in love with the strange inventions.
---
Day 4 — Farewell Feast
Gyoza Hagoromo hosted a farewell banquet, his laughter echoing across the hall.
"Never in my life," he declared, "have I seen my people more obsessed with anything that doesn't explode or glow."
His Uncle Izuna chuckled. "That's Keiji's doing. Even my father's hooked."
Keiji inclined his head respectfully. "These games belong to everyone now. Let them spread. The Land of Fire deserves more than war — it deserves joy."
Gyoza raised his cup. "Then to joy — and to peace between our clans."
The hall roared with cheers.
Even Gengar floated above, his spectral hands forming mock toasts.
---
Return to Uchiha Clan Territory
Two days later, their caravan wound its way back through the forested routes of the Land of Fire.
The mood was lighter. Izuna and Keiji exchanged quiet laughter, while Gengar drifted lazily overhead, humming to himself.
"Did you see how Daigo nearly cried when you beat him at Go?" His Uncle Izuna asked, smirking.
Keiji chuckled. "He'll learn. The board doesn't lie."
"You sound like you're Father when you say that."
Keiji's expression softened. "Then I'm on the right path."
When they finally reached Uchiha territory, the sun was setting — golden light spilling over the clan compound. Familiar voices greeted them, and word of their return spread quickly.
Within hours, Keiji's mother, Unohana, was fussing over him, and his father and grandfather awaited a report.
---
End of the Chapter
---