Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World

Upon hearing that, Hashirama Senju fell silent.

After a while, the man once hailed as the strongest in the shinobi world wore a confused expression. "Um, Kei-kun... What are the Sage Body and Sage Eyes you're talking about?"

He truly looked puzzled. Although for any diehard Naruto fan, the concept of the Senju's Sage Body and the Uchiha's Sage Eyes is basic lore, for someone like Hashirama—the walking cheat code of the Senju Clan—this was completely uncharted territory.

After all, even in the original story, that theory wasn't introduced until much later. In the earlier parts, there was no talk of Sage Bodies or Sage Eyes. The Senju were simply known for abundant chakra and insane vitality, while the Uchiha had powerful chakra and their terrifying Sharingan.

Clearly, the Senju were a "pre-timeskip" clan—they never got that kind of intel.

But Uchiha Kei wasn't surprised. Looking at the original series, Hashirama was always portrayed as powerful and a bit... well, goofy. Aside from being Asura's reincarnation and having that god-tier Wood Style, he really didn't seem all that knowledgeable. His whole vibe was "Wait, what? What are you guys talking about?"

When it came to deep shinobi lore, he was no match for his little brother Tobirama. Now that guy had a scholar's mind and an obsession with research.

Of course, even Tobirama couldn't hold a candle to Orochimaru—the future top archaeologist of the shinobi world. That man died once and still managed to leave behind enough legacy for Kabuto to dig up an entire museum's worth of ancient secrets.

Right now, what Uchiha Kei was aiming to demonstrate was intel-gathering on a whole different level. Even Jiraiya plus Orochimaru plus sneaky Madara combined wouldn't compare.

As for why he wasn't comparing himself to Black Zetsu—come on. The original series barely showed anything about that guy. Who knows what kind of dirt the shinobi world's biggest lurker and #1 filial son stockpiled over a thousand years?

In canon, Black Zetsu just revealed the tip of the iceberg before turning into Kaguya's accessory. From then on, he was basically reduced to talking nonstop while being glued to her. As for what he truly had under his belt? Pure speculation.

Still, even if he couldn't match that shady legend, the intel Kei had was more than enough to bamboozle Hashirama.

So Uchiha Kei, facing Hashirama's curious gaze, began to explain slowly:

"Hashirama-dono, in the shinobi world, we've never had a consistent habit of recording history. Or rather, the endless conflicts over a thousand years have caused a lot of history to be lost. But some of it... some of it has survived as stories."

"As time passed, history became stories, stories turned into legends, and legends into myths."

"That's the state of our world's recordkeeping."

"Even you, Hashirama-dono—revered as the God of Shinobi, founder of the village system, wielder of power that could shake the entire world—there are things even you've forgotten. Things like the origins of the Uchiha and the Senju."

"The truth is, our Uchiha ancestors and your Senju ancestors were brothers—actual blood brothers. Both were sons of the Sage of Six Paths."

"In other words, the Uchiha and Senju are family. We come from the same bloodline."

"The Uchiha inherited the Sage's eyes—the Sharingan. The Senju inherited the Sage's body—explaining your clan's monstrous chakra reserves and life force."

"When those two bloodlines reach their peak and merge, they awaken the original bloodline—the power of the Rinnegan, said to represent all creation."

"Madara-sama... in your final battle at the Valley of the End decades ago, what he truly wanted was your chakra and your cells. Because you and Madara-sama were the pinnacle of your respective clans—the only ones capable of unleashing the full power of your heritage."

Kei's explanation ended there.

Hashirama's face, however, was frozen like he'd just been hit by a revelation straight out of a fairy tale. If someone were to draw him now, it'd be one of those "cat-staring-at-the-wall" memes.

After a long silence, he scratched his head and then, with serious eyes, said, "I see... So Madara did all of that in pursuit of the Sage of Six Paths' power? I get it now. That actually... makes sense."

Uchiha Kei blinked. "Eh? You're just going to believe me, just like that? Hashirama-dono, aren't you going to question my words, or act shocked at least?"

Hashirama scratched the back of his head, showing the same goofy grin Naruto often wore. "Ahahaha, well, I *am* surprised! I mean, the Sage of Six Paths and all that—those are basically mythical figures. If you hadn't been the one to say it, I'd think it was a joke."

"But personally, I think you're amazing, Kei-kun. Plus, Tsunade and the others all trust you, and talking with you doesn't feel like you're the lying type. And considering you can summon the dead, it makes sense that you'd know stuff the rest of us don't, right? You probably heard this intel from people who knew the truth after they passed."

Kei raised an eyebrow—surprised that Hashirama, goofy as he appeared, had pieced it together so quickly.

But it tracked. Hashirama had always been a "deceptively clever" type. He might seem all carefree, but when the time came, his instincts were sharp—like a wild animal's.

Kei smiled. "That's right. I learned all this from those who truly understood—the Sage of Six Paths included."

It was honest. No lies at all. After all, back when Kei watched Naruto in his past life, this information had been revealed through the words of the Sage and others like him.

Hashirama could tell Kei wasn't lying. His face turned thoughtful. "The Sage of Six Paths... So he really existed. And he was the ancestor of both the Senju and Uchiha..."

"But then... how did our clans end up becoming bitter enemies?"

He looked genuinely confused.

Uchiha Kei replied, "It all started with the Sage's two sons. Their ideals clashed, and from that clash came hatred. That hatred was passed down through their descendants—the Uchiha and Senju."

"Also... the Uzumaki Clan and the Senju actually share a common origin. They just split paths over time due to the chaos in the shinobi world and eventually became different clans."

Hashirama's eyes widened. The Senju and Uzumaki being blood relatives? Of course he knew that. Or at least, both clans had always believed it to be true—even if they couldn't trace it back with concrete records.

Now, Uchiha Kei had just confirmed one of his long-standing questions.

And then, Hashirama frowned deeply. "So that means... Madara did awaken the Rinnegan from our battle, and he really did inherit the power of the Sage of Six Paths? But why? What was he trying to accomplish? From what I know of Madara... he was never obsessed with power for its own sake. He always pursued strength for a reason."

Uchiha Kei snapped his fingers. "Exactly! You hit the nail on the head, Hashirama-dono. Madara-sama sought the Rinnegan not out of selfish ambition—but to realize his vision of lasting peace for the shinobi world."

Hashirama froze for a moment.

Then he looked utterly stunned. "You're saying... everything Madara did... was for the sake of eternal peace?"

Uchiha Kei nodded solemnly. "Yes. I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. Everything Madara-sama did—was to achieve a dream he thought couldn't be realized any other way."

Hashirama's expression changed over and over again—confusion, sorrow, pain, wistfulness—before finally settling into a mix of clarity and bittersweet relief. "So that's it... Madara never changed at all..."

His words came from the heart of the God of Shinobi. They weren't just a reflection on the past—they were the resolution of a doubt that had followed him to his grave.

He had thought his best friend had gone mad, had thrown away everything for the sake of power. But in reality, Madara had never abandoned his ideals. He had simply taken a path he believed was the only one left.

This truth hit Hashirama hard.

The sudden emotional spike was so intense, Uchiha Kei actually raised an eyebrow. He was stunned.

Because in that very moment—he received a burst of Golden Spirit!

What the hell?! He hadn't even started the game yet, and he was already triggering Golden Spirit drops? Was this the power of the God of Shinobi himself?

Uchiha Kei stood there in awe, eyes wide with reverence.

In his mind, he was already spinning up at least a hundred strategies to make Hashirama rain gold coins in the spirit realm.