Uchiha Shin — this man was not born into the Uchiha clan. He was one of Orochimaru's experimental subjects, possessing a special constitution that allowed him to receive organ transplants without any risk of rejection. Danzo's arm had been transplanted from his body.
Because of that unique physique, he naturally caught Orochimaru's attention and became one of his test subjects.
No one knew exactly when, but this guy eventually escaped.
If Orochimaru hadn't shown up on the battlefield, they might not have recognized him at all. His tone, his mannerisms, everything matched the Uchiha Shin from memory — so Orochimaru had called out to test him, and unexpectedly, it really was him.
"Uchiha Shin?"
Kiyosuke suddenly recalled something. There was someone like that once — a man who obsessively worshipped Itachi, even going so far as to change his name to Uchiha Shin. He had dreamed of reviving the Akatsuki and destroying the world in order to bring about some twisted form of peace… or something along those lines.
He couldn't remember the details clearly, but what surprised him most was that Black Zetsu had actually chosen this guy as Obito's replacement — and apparently, it had worked.
And why wouldn't it? With an old schemer like Black Zetsu pulling the strings, Uchiha Shin had been molded into quite the believer.
"Another one from the Uchiha clan?"
In the crowd, Uchiha Fugaku was dumbfounded.
"Is every Shinobi World War started by us Uchiha now?"
Madara was one thing — he'd been brought back through Edo Tensei, and he already had a record. But this Uchiha Shin? Where had he come from? Fugaku was certain there was no such member in the clan.
Orochimaru gave a thin smile.
"No, this guy isn't really one of the Uchiha. He just renamed himself. His real name was something else entirely."
He chuckled darkly. "And it seems he rather enjoys his current identity."
"It's been a long time, Orochimaru-sama. When I heard you'd died, I was actually a little sad."
Uchiha Shin removed his mask, revealing a face that could give nightmares.
His skin was deathly pale, like a corpse. One eye was a Rinnegan; the other, a Mangekyō Sharingan. The Rinnegan had no eyelid, exposed directly to the air. On top of his head were three more Sharingan, staring in all directions — a sight that could make anyone's stomach turn.
A small, grotesque creature with a Mangekyō Sharingan climbed onto his shoulder.
"Yes," Uchiha Shin said. "I am Uchiha Shin — a devout follower of Itachi. But I don't believe his ideals can truly save the world. I will use the power of the Ten Tails to destroy this world… and bring forth true peace."
Kiyosuke turned to Madara.
"This one's your doing too?"
Madara's mouth twitched.
"Not me. Black Zetsu dug up… whatever this is."
That kind of thinking didn't match his own philosophy at all. Destroy the world with the Ten Tails' power? How was peace supposed to exist after that?
Oh, right — if everyone's dead, there's no one left to fight.
True nuclear peace, huh?
Hashirama sighed.
"As expected, no matter the era, war never ends. Everything we've done still isn't enough."
Madara snorted.
"Hashirama, you're too shortsighted. All you did was suppress the world with your strength. The moment you died, the First Great Ninja War broke out almost immediately. And now look — this is the Fourth! Haven't you realized the truth yet?"
"I believe in my descendants," Hashirama replied, unshaken. "As long as they keep trying, one day they'll achieve true peace."
Madara and he had always disagreed on that.
Kiyosuke crossed his arms.
"If you two had joined forces back then and flattened the entire shinobi world, maybe we wouldn't be standing here today."
In chaotic times, only harsh measures work. Back when the five great villages were newly founded, the Warring States period had just ended — but everyone still distrusted each other. The wars that followed grew larger and bloodier, from family skirmishes to village-scale conflicts.
If Hashirama and Madara had combined their strength to unify the world, maybe a new era could have begun.
A Buddha wrapped in Susanoo armor — two men wiping out four nations!
"Young man, that kind of thinking is dangerous," Hashirama said, shaking his head. "It would only lead to even greater bloodshed."
"No," Kiyosuke countered. "I think the sacrifices would've been temporary. With the two of you at full power, you could have crushed every village leader in a single strike and taken control. No one could oppose you. Then, if Tobirama had governed with strict policies and solid structure, resistance would've dwindled generation by generation. In the long run, the casualties would've been far fewer than in all these ninja wars combined."
That was Hashirama's weakness — too soft-hearted, too unwilling to watch others die. But if he had taken that ruthless path back then, the world might have turned out very differently.
Madara's eyes lit up — a road he'd never considered before. If he and Hashirama had done that... perhaps peace really could have been achieved.
But then he shook his head.
"No. Hashirama would never do it. He's too sentimental."
"Yeah, yeah," Kiyosuke muttered. "Yet he had no problem stabbing you without hesitation."
Both Madara and Hashirama froze.
Did he really have to say it like that?
Kiyosuke went on calmly, "If the two of you had united the villages and turned the shinobi world into a single nation — one voice, one order — I doubt things would've turned out this messy."
Madara nodded in agreement.
Kiyosuke continued, "People would still die, yes. But that would be a necessary sacrifice — like the ones your clansmen made on the battlefield to protect their families. War without death doesn't exist."
"It was to stop those sacrifices that Madara and I founded Konoha," Hashirama said quietly.
"But the wars never stopped, did they?" Madara's voice was low, his gaze cutting. "And with the formation of the villages, the casualties multiplied exponentially."
Hashirama fell silent.
Kiyosuke sighed.
"Things are already beyond repair. We can only move forward one step at a time. Madara — I'll stop you."
"Hahaha! I look forward to seeing you try."
Madara didn't dislike Kiyosuke — in fact, he found the young man interesting. In another era...
If only.
...
At that moment, Uchiha Shin glanced down at his severed arm without saying a word.
A White Zetsu rose from the ground beside him.
"Take my arm instead."
Uchiha Shin nodded, tore off the limb, and attached it to himself. White smoke hissed from the joint, and after a moment, the arm flexed smoothly — as good as new.
"Sasuke!"
"Itachi!"
The Uchiha brothers locked eyes.
Blood streamed down both their faces.
"Amaterasu!"
"Amaterasu! Kagutsuchi!"
Black flames roared to life. The fire twisted into blades that pierced Uchiha Shin's body, burning into his insides.
"Aaagh!"
Uchiha Shin screamed in agony, his body writhing as he was engulfed in the searing darkness.
Madara rose to his feet with a cold snort.
"Pathetic. To think such trash could be taken down so easily."
Black Zetsu had found him a clown indeed.