"You must have noticed the situation with the Uchiha clan. While we have large numbers and strong unity among our people, that very unity makes it impossible for us to accept outsiders."
Izuna spoke bluntly. He believed the man in front of him could also see this issue.
"Not being able to accept outsiders isn't necessarily a bad thing. In a time like this, letting others in could be a potential threat.
But if the Uchiha clan continues this way without a strong enough leader, they could end up in real danger."
The Uchiha clan's pride wasn't a weakness, but being proud and thoughtless at the same time was a recipe for disaster.
Konohagakure's isolation of the Uchiha was proof of this. And when faced with that isolation, the clan had no way to respond.
"So, while the Uchiha are strong, the way they are now, they can't end this war.
As long as the clan remains unchanged, the Land of Fire's situation will stay the same."
"If it were you, how would you handle the Uchiha's situation?"
Izuna asked with a smile.
"If the problem lies within, then the solution is simple—break that pride at the right moment.
Once their pride is shattered and the clan loses its sense of security, change will follow naturally.
At least for a while. Of course, that also depends on what price the Uchiha are willing to pay. Meaningless sacrifices aren't necessary."
Shanks spoke. This was a clan matter—if change was the goal, then everyone in the clan had to change.
It was just like when he faced those 'pirates' on the sea. If he wanted change, he had to make them pay a price.
Once they had paid that price and he acknowledged them as true 'legends of the sea,' then they became legends of the sea.
Hearing Shanks' words, Izuna couldn't help but nod.
"As expected, this is the only way to break the Uchiha's current state. Without sacrifice, nothing will change."
"And I… am that necessary sacrifice."
Izuna thought to himself.
"But aside from that, there's another path."
Shanks continued. The Uchiha were undoubtedly strong, and a little pride wasn't a problem. But their biggest issue was… they still weren't strong enough.
"What other way?"
"If the Uchiha can become powerful enough to dominate all other ninja clans, their pride would be untouchable.
And that would also bring an end to the war in the Land of Fire."
"The first method requires the Uchiha to sacrifice themselves. The second requires making others pay the price."
Shanks' expression carried an air of dominance. Pride, in itself, wasn't a bad thing.
"But that's impossible. And if we fail, the cost will be too high."
Izuna was shaken by Shanks' overwhelming presence. If it were truly possible, he wouldn't want the Uchiha to make such sacrifices—or to drag the entire ninja world into it.
"So the best option is the first one. If you want to end the Land of Fire's war, Izuna, you need to think carefully about it."
"But the Land of Fire's situation is far more complicated than the Land of Wind. There are many more factors to consider."
Hearing this, Izuna's eyes lit up. Even this had crossed Shanks' mind? As expected from the ruler of the Land of Wind.
Yet… even someone like him hadn't fully resolved the Land of Wind's issues?
"In your opinion, how should the situation in the Land of Wind be handled? What can be done to bring peace?"
Izuna was curious—how was the Land of Wind supposed to solve its biggest resource problem?
"The wars in the Land of Wind are secondary. The bigger issue is resources.
On top of that, the way resources are distributed is also a huge problem…"
When it came to the Land of Wind, Shanks had too many thoughts. Political struggles were one thing, but the resource problem was the real crisis.
This was where his knowledge of geography came in handy. So as he explained, he couldn't help but go on and on.
Izuna listened with great interest.
He realized that Shanks wasn't just talking about peace; he was also discussing ways to improve the lives of ordinary people in the Land of Wind.
Shanks wasn't just thinking about the needs of certain families—he was thinking about the entire country, including the people at the very bottom.
From this alone, it was clear that Shanks' vision and ambition were far beyond his own.
"No wonder… A man with such a strong presence wouldn't choose to use brute force to crush the wars in the Land of Wind. Instead, he's taking a gentler approach, using his wisdom to help the country escape its crisis."
The more Shanks explained, the more respect Izuna felt for him.
This man… was anything but ordinary.
"To do so much for the Land of Wind… Your ambition is truly admirable," Izuna said sincerely.
"Hm? I haven't done anything for the Land of Wind, though?"
Shanks was stunned. He had only shared his thoughts on the situation. What had he done for the Land of Wind?
Now he was eyeing Izuna cautiously. Did this guy misunderstand something again?
"Uh… But everything you just said…"
"I was just talking about possible solutions for the Land of Wind. Of course, I also mentioned these ideas to Reto.
What the Land of Wind needs is a rich and stable base. That alone would help the country break free from the chaos of war."
Shanks continued, explaining that resource distribution was secondary. The most important thing was having enough resources in the first place. How they got divided later depended on the people's abilities.
"Hm?"
But as soon as Shanks finished speaking, Izuna froze.
"Wait… Aren't you Reto, Lord of the Land of Wind?"
"No, I'm Shanks."
"Then why did you come looking for me?"
Now Izuna was the one caught off guard, feeling a bit embarrassed.
So this guy wasn't Reto? No, wait—Shanks might not be Reto, but his ambition and intelligence were undoubtedly on another level.
Not to mention his strength.
"I'm here for the memory scroll recorded in your family's shrine. I made a promise to someone, but right now, we can't break the seal on it."
Shanks explained the real reason for his visit.
Madara had only asked him to look into his brother's death—he never expected things to turn out like this.
But now, Shanks had gone straight to the source, coming back from history's downstream to ask the dead directly.
So when Izuna heard Shanks say this, his mind completely froze.
Then, his face showed an expression that was… hard to describe.
That thing… He had only just finished writing it, so how did someone already find it?
"You mean… you found the scroll I left?"
"Wait, I just wrote that memory scroll. No one really goes to the shrine either…"
"You… are from the future?"
Izuna didn't even give Shanks a chance to speak—he figured it out on his own.
The guy in front of him didn't even belong to this era.
"..."
When Izuna looked at Shanks, there was more than just admiration in his eyes—there was also disbelief.
You came all the way from the future just to ask me about this scroll?
Logically, it made sense, but… why did it feel so strange to him?
Was he just not able to keep up with Shanks' way of thinking?
"I'm from a few decades in the future. But to avoid influencing things too much, I've done my best to stay hidden."
Shanks had indeed tried his best to stay hidden.
"…You could probably try a little harder."
Hearing Shanks' explanation, Izuna felt this guy wasn't reliable at all. No matter how you looked at it, it just didn't sound believable.
Unbelievable.
That was exactly the problem.
Only someone like Madara would actually trust Shanks with something like this. Shanks had indeed done the job, but if Madara knew how he went about it, he would probably lose his mind.
Even Izuna was starting to lose his mind. After understanding the whole situation, his frustration shifted to his brother instead.
Shanks' strength, character, and resolve were trustworthy, but his way of doing things…
"My brother is as unreliable as ever."
"So, does that mean the memory scroll I left behind was never opened?"
"I'm not sure. But later, Tobirama developed the Edo Tensei jutsu, which can bring people back from the spirit world.
I think that technique might have something to do with you."
Now that Shanks understood how Izuna died, a lot of things suddenly became clear to him.
With Tobirama's personality, if he realized Izuna had set him up, and that Izuna died trying to break the Uchiha clan's beliefs and disrupt the balance of the Land of Fire…
He would definitely bring Izuna back with Edo Tensei.
"Knowing Tobirama, I wouldn't be surprised if he actually did something like that."
Izuna shook his head. But hearing about such a future from Shanks wasn't so bad.
"So Tobirama actually became Hokage? I guess the future after my death turned out alright."
"But… if only I could see your new era with my own eyes."
"I really wish I could see that era—an era of both pirates and ninja."
"You will."
Shanks smiled. At that moment, he was certain—Tobirama definitely knew about Izuna.
"Thank you for coming back from the future to see me, even if it was because of my brother."
"And thank you for answering my questions. Now, I can return with the answers I came for."
Shanks stood up with a smile.
Izuna, now aware of parts of the future, looked deep in thought.
"Shanks, if you ever see me in the future..."
"Don't worry, Izuna. I'll be waiting for you there. I won't let your sacrifice be in vain."
Shanks waved his hand as he reached the doorway, cutting Izuna off before he could finish.
A look of admiration appeared on Shanks' face.
Uchiha Izuna—this was the name of this era.
He gave up his own life to shatter the chaos of this time. One life, in exchange for saving thousands.
"To use one's own life to put an end to an era of turmoil... Uchiha Izuna might just be the greatest strategist of this time."
"He stepped into the game himself and broke the limits of his age."
With that, Shanks and Shamon left the Uchiha clan's land.
Looking back, Shanks felt a hint of sorrow in his heart.
Uchiha Izuna shouldn't have been just another nameless figure in history, a mere stepping stone for others.
His name wasn't meant to be Senju Tobirama's footrest, nor should it be forgotten by the world.
"Wait a second... Am I not traveling through history right now?"
A thought suddenly struck Shanks.
If that was the case, couldn't he just write two "Poneglyphs"? There was nothing stopping him from recording Izuna's story as well.
Meanwhile, Izuna stood outside the Uchiha clan's land.
"Shanks really is someone you can count on… If only I could go with him and see it for myself..."
Izuna sighed.
That "New World"—he wanted to see it too.
Just then, Madara, who had just arrived, heard Izuna's words and froze.
He fell silent, as if he had shown up at the wrong time.