The Sengoku era wasn't just the time of the Uchiha and Senju clans.
From the moment he was born, Izuna had witnessed too much death—including that of his own family, his brothers.
Izuna didn't have only one brother, Madara. But now, only the two of them remained. The others had died on the battlefield—some never even made it to adulthood.
The same was true for Hashirama and Tobirama. They, too, had more brothers once.
This was the sorrow of the Sengoku era—only a few survived, and the entire time was shrouded in death.
Izuna's goal was to break through that darkness and carve out a new path in this era.
This wasn't Madara and Hashirama's era.
It wasn't Tobirama's era either.
This era belonged to Izuna.
In the history of the ninja world, the true turning point of the Sengoku era was when Tobirama used the "Flying Thunder God Slash" to severely wound Izuna. After that, Izuna succumbed to his injuries.
It was Izuna's death that tipped the balance between the Uchiha and Senju clans.
But in reality, making this happen was much harder than it seemed.
Normally, even if Izuna had died—let's say a few years ago—the Uchiha clan would never have stopped fighting. That's why Izuna had been waiting for the right moment.
He waited until he became the pillar of the Uchiha clan, growing from weak to strong, step by step, until he became their greatest support.
Two days later, outside the Uchiha clan's territory, Shanks and Shamon finally arrived.
At that moment, a group of people surrounded them. Both Shanks and Shamon were wearing cloaks that hid their faces, but the aura coming from Shanks was simply too powerful.
It made the Uchiha clan members hesitate to act.
"You two, this is the Uchiha clan's land. Outsiders are not welcome here. You should leave."
An old man leaning on a cane spoke. His eyes were tightly shut, and his face bore several deep scars.
Anyone who had lived to such an old age in this era—regardless of strength—had an important status.
"Great Elder!"
"Great Elder, these two are very strong."
"..."
Someone nearby spoke up, trying to warn him. It wasn't that they hadn't tried to stop them—it was just that they never even got the chance.
Well… at least not in front of Shanks.
"We came here to meet someone. I hope you can pass along our request."
Shanks spoke, while Shamon kept a wary eye on the people around them. This was his first time witnessing the power of the Uchiha clan.
The presence of these people alone felt dangerous. He could tell their strength wasn't below his own—in fact, many of them were probably much stronger.
"So this is the Uchiha clan of the Land of Fire? Their power is ridiculous."
At that moment, Shamon finally understood why Reto had sent him along with Shanks. It was to open his eyes to the world.
But compared to Shanks, these Uchiha clan members didn't seem nearly as overwhelming. This "samurai" standing beside him was on a whole different level.
"You're looking for someone in the Uchiha clan?"
The Great Elder looked at Shanks. Though he couldn't sense any chakra from him, the feeling this man gave off was even more dangerous than Madara.
It was the kind of instinct honed through countless battles. And his gut told him one thing—this man was one of the strongest in the shinobi world.
"Sorry, there's no one here for you to find."
The Great Elder shook his head. Shanks was too dangerous. He didn't want him getting involved with the Uchiha clan. It was better to get someone like him to leave as soon as possible.
"Great Elder, he hasn't even said who he's looking for yet," a nearby Uchiha member reminded him.
"..."
Hearing his own clansman say that, the Great Elder was speechless. Do they not understand what I'm trying to say?
"Who are you looking for?"
The Great Elder asked reluctantly.
"Uchiha Izuna."
Shanks replied.
"Izuna?"
"He's here for Izuna?"
"I see, so you're a friend of Lord Izuna?"
"That makes sense. With his strength, it's only natural that he would be friends with Lord Izuna."
When they heard that Shanks had come looking for Izuna, the surrounding Uchiha clansmen were surprised at first, but then everything seemed to click into place.
Someone this strong, knowing Lord Izuna? That was reasonable.
And seeing the sword Shanks carried, they thought of Izuna's swordsmanship. Yes, that made even more sense.
"Lord Izuna should be over by the shrine, right?"
A girl spoke up. Not many people went to the shrine, but Izuna often visited that place.
"If you're here to see Izuna, I'll take you to him."
The elder finally relented.
"Go inform Izuna that he has a visitor."
"As for the other guest, please wait somewhere else for now."
The elder spoke, and Shamon didn't mind. As long as Shanks was fine, he had nothing to worry about.
"My lord, I'll wait for you elsewhere, then."
Shamon looked at Shanks, and Shanks nodded.
"Go ahead."
The elder led Shanks into the Uchiha clan's territory. Compared to the "ruins" Shanks had seen before, this place at least looked like a proper settlement.
Though there were far more buildings than people, making it feel a bit empty, it was still much better than those ruins.
Meanwhile, Izuna received word from the clansmen and left the shrine, heading toward the Uchiha clan's main hall.
"A man from the Land of Wind… and he's strong?"
"Yeah, judging by his clothes, he came from the Land of Wind."
"The guy is really powerful. Our clansmen couldn't even see his attacks before they were taken down. But luckily, he doesn't seem hostile, and no one was seriously hurt."
The Land of Wind… and someone this strong?
Izuna was well-informed about the ninja world. At the very least, he had a good grasp of the big picture when it came to the Five Great Nations. He didn't just focus on the Land of Fire or the conflict between the Uchiha and Senju clans.
"I got it. You can leave now. I'll handle this."
Izuna nodded.
"Clear out the main hall. Don't let anyone near it, and don't let anyone else inside."
"Understood, Lord Izuna."
The nearby clansmen immediately went to carry out his orders. In the Uchiha clan, Izuna's commands were absolute.
How should one put it? Madara might be the clan leader and the strongest fighter among the Uchiha, but he never concerned himself with the day-to-day affairs of the clan. Managing the people had always been Izuna's responsibility.
And that was fine—Madara didn't need that kind of "authority." Strength alone was enough for him.
"A powerful warrior from the Land of Wind… Retto?"
Izuna thought of Retto. Retto was one of the most well-known fighters in the Land of Wind, though his reputation wasn't built on raw strength alone. For years, he had traveled between different tribes.
Because of Retto's presence, wars in the Land of Wind had slowly started to fade.
The situation in the Land of Wind was different from the Land of Fire. The real conflict there came from struggles between tribes and fights over resources. And the latter—the fight for resources—was the true cause of their wars.
The Land of Fire's situation was much more complicated. The conflicts were far more intense, and it wasn't just about resources.
But thinking about the issue at hand, it didn't seem easy to solve.
"Reto has always been active in the Land of Wind, so why would he suddenly show up in the Land of Fire and visit our Uchiha clan?"
"Could he be looking for our clan's support?"
Izuna shook his head at the thought. That didn't seem necessary.
The Land of Wind wasn't a place where peace could be achieved through sheer strength alone.
Before long, Shanks was led to the main hall.
"Lord Izuna is waiting inside. I won't be going in."
The elder pushed open the courtyard gate to the hall. Izuna had forbidden anyone from entering, and that included even him.
With that, the elder closed the door.
Shanks turned to see Izuna standing not far away. He looked almost identical to Sasuke—at least a ninety percent resemblance—but his presence was completely different.
In fact, he was more like Shisui.
At the same time, Izuna got his first look at Shanks.
"So strong!!"
A shock ran through Izuna's heart.
This man was far stronger than his brother. He had no doubt about that feeling.
Other than Hashirama and his own brother, Izuna had never encountered someone this powerful before.
Shanks didn't bother to hide his strength at all. Just like when Madara had first met him, a single glance was enough to tell that he was on another level.
This was the kind of instinct honed on the battlefield.
Anyone who had survived in battle for this long would have it to some extent.
"Please, have a seat. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the situation in the Land of Wind."
Izuna spoke calmly.
Even though Shanks was incredibly strong, Izuna didn't sense any threat from him.
And he had never heard of Reto using force to interfere with the tribes of the Land of Wind.
That alone made Izuna feel a natural sense of respect for the man in front of him.
"Even though he has great strength, he hasn't used it to intimidate others.
Instead, he has spent all these years working toward peace in the Land of Wind through peaceful means?"
To Izuna, Shanks was someone just like him—someone fighting for peace.
That made him even more interested in hearing Shanks' thoughts on the Land of Wind.
As for Shanks…
"You want to hear my views on the Land of Wind?
Izuna really is different from the other Uchiha.
A person with this kind of vision… no wonder he was considered a true rival to Tobirama."
"The first thing you ask isn't who I am, but rather about the Land of Wind.
Someone with such a broad vision and strong presence… no wonder Madara had doubts about Izuna's death."
Shanks took a seat and pulled back his cloak.
"I'm also quite interested in learning more about the famous Uchiha clan."
When Izuna saw Shanks' hair, he was momentarily stunned.
Why did it look so much like the Uzumaki clan's hair?
But that aura—his overwhelming presence, the air of a true leader—was something no Uzumaki had ever possessed.
"So this is the man from the Land of Wind?
With someone like him, the Land of Wind might actually have a real chance at peace."
Izuna also took a seat.
The two men could see the mutual respect in each other's eyes.
This kind of admiration, given without hesitation, made them both feel like they had met too late in life.