Just one look, and Reto instinctively went on guard.
He couldn't believe it. That a swordsman this powerful existed in the world… How was this even possible?
Reto was highly skilled in ninjutsu, mastering a vast range of techniques with excellent combat ability.
But… he was no match. He was nowhere near Shanks' level.
Reto was certain—even if he used the unconventional tactics that shinobi excelled at, he still wouldn't stand a chance against Shanks.
That gaze—it felt as if it could see straight into his soul.
"Sir, Queen of Roran has been waiting for you."
Shanks' voice rang out from the distance, snapping Reto back to his senses.
Looking at the "shinobi" standing beside Shanks—frozen in place, trembling, not daring to move—Reto took a deep breath to steady himself.
"Where did this monster even come from? I've never heard of any swordsman like this from the Land of Iron."
Reto stepped forward, doing his best to stay calm.
"I am Reto of the Land of Wind. And you are?"
"Shanks, a wandering swordsman from the Land of Iron. Right now, I serve as a diplomat for the Kingdom of Roran."
Shanks sheathed his sword and nodded at Reto, his tone surprisingly calm and polite.
Even Reto was a little surprised—despite being such a powerful warrior, this man showed no arrogance at all.
"A wandering samurai from the Land of Iron?"
Reto made a mental note. He never imagined that the Land of Iron actually had warriors this strong. It seemed he had been too ignorant.
At that moment, Shamon arrived.
When he saw the two bodies on the ground—one of which looked exactly like him—he felt a chill run down his spine.
"Did this man do all of this?"
The thought alone made Shamon feel a sense of horror as he looked at Shanks.
"Since you two are here for diplomacy, go ahead and head inside."
Shanks motioned for them to enter, and Reto nodded.
"Shamon, keep up. Don't be rude."
"My apologies," Shamon said to Shanks before following Reto.
One after the other, they walked into Roran City.
But the moment they stepped inside, Reto, who had been calm the whole time, suddenly leaned against the city wall, his face pale.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
Even Shamon, who usually had a stern and intimidating expression, was the same.
"What kind of monster is this? A warrior this strong should be in the Land of Fire with those two guys—why would he be in a place like this?"
"Reto-sama, was that attack just now really from that man?"
Shamon's face was just as tense as Reto's.
"Yeah."
"What kind of Ninjutsu was that? Could it have something to do with Roran's secret?"
"It wasn't Ninjutsu. Just a normal slash—he didn't use any chakra at all. And… I couldn't sense any chakra from him in the first place."
Reto shook his head. He knew plenty of Ninjutsu, including sensory techniques, and his skill in them was quite advanced. If Shanks had used chakra, Reto would have been able to detect it clearly.
"Let's go inside first. We can talk about this after we come back out."
Reto and Shamon made their way toward Queen of Roran's palace. Meanwhile, many people in the city were looking up at the sky, curious about the two white streaks that had appeared.
Seeing the excitement and curiosity in the crowd, Shamon and Reto both felt a headache coming on.
"Reto-sama, who exactly is that man?"
"A samurai from the Land of Iron. He's also Roran's Minister of Foreign Affairs."
Reto answered.
"Minister of Foreign Affairs? Then why didn't he come in with us?"
Shamon was cold and ruthless, quick to make decisions in battle. Compared to Reto, his political sense wasn't as sharp.
But that didn't mean he was weak. The only reason he seemed less intelligent was that Reto was simply too outstanding. If he were being compared to the Third…
Of course, not the Third Hokage—I'm talking about you, Third Kazekage.
Shamon might not have been as brilliant as Reto, but as the future Second Kazekage, he was the one who created Puppet Ninjutsu and developed the technique to control sand.
And in terms of politics, he wasn't completely lacking either—at the very least, he managed to ensure the Land of Wind remained one of the Five Great Nations.
The Third Kazekage had the ability of "Magnet Release," allowing him to freely control iron-containing materials. Because of this, he was called the "strongest Kazekage."
Later, however, he was assassinated by Sasori, who was born in Sunagakure.
You could say his downfall was just as humiliating as that of the Third Hokage.
But right now, neither Reto nor Shamon had any idea that such an unbelievable event would happen in the future.
To Shamon, Reto was still the future of the Land of Wind, someone he deeply admired. Though Shamon was technically Reto's "bodyguard," he was more like his "student," constantly learning everything from him.
"He's already finished."
Reto answered.
Shanks' two sword strikes were the best form of diplomacy.
"Using force isn't the best way to negotiate, but letting others see your strength is."
Reto explained. That was the difference between having a weapon and knowing how to use it.
Hearing this, Shamon seemed to only half understand.
By this time, they had already arrived outside the palace of Roran.
"Please, follow me."
An elderly man approached them.
"Thank you."
Reto nodded politely and warmly.
Before long, the two of them were brought before the Queen of Roran.
However, the setting didn't feel particularly formal.
"Your Majesty, we've come today to discuss something important with you."
"I know—you want Roran to support your next plan, don't you?"
The Queen of Roran responded with a smile.
"So the Queen already knows."
Reto didn't try to hide anything. Since she was already aware, it made the discussion much easier.
"When Lord Reto arrived, he must have spoken with our Minister of Foreign Affairs. That was my request."
The Queen of Roran had spent the entire night analyzing and thinking things over. In the end, she made up her mind—Reto was someone she could trust.
After siding with the Land of Wind, Roran hadn't attracted any powerful enemies. It wasn't until Namikaze Minato's time that Roran began to decline.
Compared to the Land of Whirlpools, Roran's situation was much better. At least during the reigns of the First and Second Kazekage, Roran remained completely safe.
Having the protection of the Land of Wind for decades was already a great deal.
"Have they already prepared the details of the diplomatic agreement?"
Reto murmured.
Did they already know what he was coming for and prepare everything in advance?
"Lord Reto, please take a look and see if this agreement is acceptable."
The Queen of Roran handed over the document.
After reading it carefully, Reto couldn't find a single flaw.
It seemed their Minister of Foreign Affairs was truly exceptional.
However, among all the terms of this agreement, there was one clause that stood out—it was unrelated to their cooperation.
It was about taking Shanks to the Land of Fire and arranging for him to meet someone from the Uchiha clan—Uchiha Izuna.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Fire…
The Land of Fire is the richest and most populated among the Five Great Nations.
Because of that, it also suffers from the most wars.
The most well-known of these conflicts is the battle between the Uchiha and Senju clans. But calling it a battle wouldn't be accurate—they were blood enemies.
In this chaotic era, war and killing had already become the norm. No one questioned why wars even started.
Because hatred never stops growing, and as long as it exists, war cannot end.
The Uchiha and Senju clans had reached a point where they couldn't stop fighting.
Izuna was different from most of the Uchiha.
Unlike the typically proud Uchiha, Izuna was gentle and selfless.
In both intelligence and personality, he was exceptional—flawless, even. His strength was second only to Madara.
"I may not be able to see who is pulling the strings behind all of this, but there's no doubt that someone is watching from the shadows of the ninja world, controlling the war from behind the scenes."
"This war cannot go on any longer.
The Uchiha and Senju clans keep losing people, and so do all the other clans. This war has dragged on for too long."
Inside the Uchiha clan's shrine, Izuna was recording his thoughts and memories bit by bit.
He had been writing all day, sealing away fragments of his memories, trying to find a way to end the war.
But… he found nothing.
Putting the sealing scroll aside, Izuna looked at the ancestral tablets in the shrine, lost in thought.
When he was young, his older brother would secretly meet with Hashirama, and as the younger sibling, it was his job to keep watch for Madara.
Of course, Tobirama did the same for Hashirama.
Although they weren't as close as Madara and Hashirama, Izuna and Tobirama still considered each other close friends.
After all, as younger brothers, they were always cleaning up after their reckless older siblings.
At the same time, Izuna and Tobirama recognized each other's intelligence. It was this shared brilliance that made them true friends.
"Sorry, brother… Tobirama…"
"The way things are now, the only way to change the situation is to sacrifice myself. Rather than being a pawn in someone else's game, I'd rather destroy myself on my own terms."
After thinking for a long time, Izuna made up his mind.
"What a shame… If only I weren't so smart. If only… I weren't so strong."
"But the truth is, Tobirama, I'm just as smart as you. And in terms of strength, I am your equal."
Izuna shook his head and stepped out of the Uchiha shrine.
This war had to stop.
He had to break the balance between the Uchiha and Senju clans.
Madara and Hashirama would never truly defeat each other, and the same went for him and Tobirama.
As long as neither side could completely overpower the other, hatred would continue to fuel the war.
The Uchiha and Senju wouldn't think about peace.
They would only think about eliminating the enemy.
That was the nature of hatred. That was the helplessness of being caught in this cycle.
As one of the strongest Uchiha, Izuna had no choice but to stand at the front lines, representing the will of his clan.
Madara, Hashirama, himself, and Tobirama… all four of them were trapped in the same fate.
But on the battlefield, they wouldn't die, and the longer the fight dragged on, the more people would lose their lives on both sides.
It wasn't just about the two clans—other tribes in the Land of Fire would suffer the same fate.
"If my death alone can end the war in the Land of Fire and save countless lives, then no matter how you look at it, it's a good deal."
At this moment, Izuna had made up his mind.
He believed in his status and strength. In the Land of Fire, he was second only to Hashirama and Madara. Among the Uchiha, his influence was not much weaker than Madara's.
If he died, the unity of the Uchiha clan would crumble.
In the past, his death might not have had such an effect, but after more than ten years of war, Izuna had built enough prestige.
"Everyone's sacrifice has meaning, and so does mine."
"Brother, Tobirama… when you find this scroll, please forgive my selfishness."
Far away in Roran, thousands of miles from the Land of Fire, Shanks and Shamon were traveling toward the Land of Fire under the setting sun.
Outside the Uchiha clan's shrine in the Land of Fire, Izuna slowly closed the doors.
The last rays of sunlight cast a golden glow on his back. Standing in the warm light, he gently closed his eyes.
The surrounding houses stood in neat rows, yet the area was unusually quiet. Some homes had been empty for a long time, but even abandoned houses were still cleaned regularly.
As long as the Uchiha clan lived, these houses would never be covered in dust.
The Uchiha never forgot their own. As long as one of them remained, the clan would survive—until the day the last Uchiha was gone.
This was the Uchiha.
And because of this, Izuna held no resentment toward them.
He willingly became their shield, leading the charge on the battlefield.
Leaning against the shrine's door with his eyes closed, Izuna suddenly seemed to hear the laughter of children playing.
From those empty houses came the voices of men and women, the warmth of families sharing moments together.
In the alleys, children chased each other with bright, innocent smiles.
For a moment, a gentle smile appeared on Izuna's face.
"If only there were no war…"
"If there were no war, no hatred, then my brother and Hashirama would have been great friends. Tobirama wouldn't always glare at me. Maybe… we would have been friends too."
Izuna opened his eyes. The cheerful, happy sounds had vanished.
He gazed at the empty alley, then slowly walked toward his home, his figure lonely and solemn.
The sun had set. And Izuna… was gone.