Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World

"Huh? Didn't I die? What's going on? Where am I?"

"Tsunade! It's you! Ahahaha\~ Who would've thought we'd meet again."

"Wait, this is... a genjutsu world? For real? Genjutsu can be this powerful? Not even Madara could pull this off!"

"Incredible! Just amazing! This really feels like the real world! Young Uchiha, you're seriously impressive—pulling off something even Madara couldn't!"

"Huh? Who's this kid? He looks a bit like my son... wait, this is my grandson? Nawaki!?"

"Wait, what!? I actually have a grandson? Ahahaha\~ This is great! Hahahaha\~\~\~"

"Wait, what!? Nawaki's dead too? Just like me? And he was summoned into this genjutsu world early? What in the world is going on?"

"I died... and then there was a Great Ninja War? Tobirama died, and my son and daughter-in-law died in the war? Mito passed away too? It's already Year 46 of the Hidden Leaf? And there's been *more than one* Great Ninja War?"

"So peace... is really that hard to achieve?"

\[Visual: Squatting on the ground, drawing circles in despair.jpg]

All these dramatic reactions came from a single person.

Seeing the behavior of this newly summoned spirit, Tsunade facepalmed, Nawaki stood there dazed, Minato and the others broke into a cold sweat, speechless. Only Uchiha Kei remained calm.

After all, this was Hashirama Senju—the God of Shinobi and the First Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Yes, the second dead soul Uchiha Kei had summoned was none other than Hashirama Senju!

Originally, the plan was to summon Tobirama Senju, the mad scientist who could collaborate with Orochimaru. But unfortunately, that old Madara got in the way, holed himself up in the arcade, completely addicted to gaming.

Even worse, he awakened a new Mangekyō Sharingan that allowed him to "ascend beyond limits." Since Madara didn't reveal that his Mangekyō had a cooldown period, neither Black Zetsu nor White Zetsu knew about its weakness. As a result, Uchiha Kei was in the dark too and could only adapt with what he understood.

Thus, he decided to summon Hashirama instead.

Even if Hashirama could only exist within the mental network world, having him around would be a major asset—especially if Madara decided to stir up trouble again.

However, just like in the original series, once Hashirama opened his mouth, all that majestic, god-like aura immediately collapsed into pure goofiness. His sheer dorkiness shattered everyone's idealized image of him.

Sure, that image had mostly been built up through legends and embellished retellings, but the title "God of Shinobi" carried weight and prestige.

Calm, wise, unshakable in the face of crisis; sharp-eyed, stern, commanding, exuding boundless authority and gravitas—that's how textbooks portrayed Hashirama Senju.

Even in the original story, this version of Hashirama did make an appearance—during the Konoha Crush arc, when the Senju brothers were first reincarnated by the Impure World Reincarnation.

At that point, Kishimoto probably hadn't yet nailed down Hashirama's personality and design, so his first appearance matched the ideal from the textbooks: taciturn, authoritative, as if he had lions lurking behind his eyes.

Side note: Back then, Impure World Reincarnation simply meant bringing dead powerhouses back with no loss in strength. Hashirama's ultimate jutsu was *Deep Forest Emergence*—a move considered strong enough to end the Warring States Era. And the Third Hokage holding his own against the First and Second Hokage cemented his status as the strongest.

Why did the Third later turn into comic relief? Well, thank the start of power scaling collapse—beginning with the Pain Invasion arc. At first, the Six Paths of Pain were designed to be the final boss: eerie, powerful, and perfect for an intelligence-driven narrative. But due to pressure from editors, executives, merch companies, and anyone who lived off Kishimoto's work, Pain was downgraded into a mid-boss. You know the rest.

Anyway, that was the *original* story. Now, we're in the real ninja world—where everything plays out realistically.

In this reality, Hashirama's dumb antics shattered his mythos. The drastic personality gap left everyone—who had rushed in with awe in their hearts to witness the summoning—feeling downright ridiculous.

Some even started doubting whether the Academy textbooks had intentionally altered the records. Because the image of the wise and mighty First Hokage who led the ninja world from chaos into stability didn't match the clown in front of them at all.

Just like how the Boruto-era textbooks praise Naruto to such a ridiculous degree that one starts to wonder if they're even talking about the same person.

Still…

"So this is the real First Hokage, huh? Haha, honestly, he feels way more down-to-earth than the saint they described in the books."

Jiraiya laughed heartily, voicing his thoughts about the great First Hokage.

It was a spot-on observation. No one else dared say it out loud—out of respect—but everyone silently agreed.

The first impression of the First Hokage really was that of a harmless, overly friendly goofball, not some awe-inspiring legend.

Eventually, Tsunade couldn't stand it anymore. She pulled her sulking grandfather up from the ground, gave him a pep talk, and finally managed to get him to pull himself together.

Watching her struggle—awkward, conflicted, but still doing her best—Uchiha Kei couldn't help but chuckle. It reminded him of the way Tobirama and Madara used to react whenever Hashirama got like this.

Come to think of it, those two would probably scream at Hashirama, scolding him like a steel-forging master yelling at flawed iron.

Even Mito might've done the same. We never got to see her interact with Hashirama in the original, so their marriage dynamic is anyone's guess.

Still, many believe Mito had the strongest opinions about Uchiha Madara—because whenever she and Hashirama chatted, half their conversation was probably just him talking about Madara. Completely unprompted.

Kind of hilarious, actually.

But this wasn't the time to laugh out loud. Not in this setting.

At that moment, Tsunade introduced Nawaki properly to Hashirama.

Nawaki's eyes were full of admiration and longing—even after his idol had just obliterated his godlike image.

After all, Nawaki grew up hearing stories about the First Hokage. He never got to meet his grandfather—Hashirama passed away before Nawaki was even born.

And as the saying goes, the dead are always perfect.

To Nawaki, Hashirama wasn't just a relative—he was an icon, a source of inspiration, and the reason he dreamed of becoming Hokage.

Tragically, Nawaki died young. His unfulfilled dream only made him revere his grandfather even more, for having achieved peace and ushered in a new era.

Looking at Nawaki, Hashirama's heart ached.

Because this child was dead too.

It reminded him of his own departed brothers and filled him with sorrow.

"Even after the Warring States ended, there's still war... Kids like this still have to go to battle?"

Sure, a twelve-year-old in the Warring States Era was already a seasoned youth, expected to face countless missions and survive the battlefield. But after the founding of the Hidden Leaf and the creation of the Academy by Tobirama, Hashirama's view of childhood had changed.

Now, in Hashirama's mind, anyone under thirteen was still a child.

Why thirteen?

Don't forget, this is a feudal society. Thirteen-year-olds getting married and having children was completely normal in the past. Especially during wartime, most ninja clans married their kids off by age thirteen or fourteen.

Even among commoners and nobles, seventeen or eighteen was considered *late* for marriage. People would gossip if you waited that long.

It wasn't until the Hidden Village system brought relative peace that ninja could afford to delay starting families, using their early years to train and grow stronger.

But this only applied to ninja. For civilians and nobles, nothing had really changed.

Take the current Feudal Lord—married at thirteen. His wife was only twelve. Most of his concubines were twelve or thirteen as well. His latest mistress? Thirty years younger than him. That kind of age gap would get you prison time in another world.

Anyway, Hashirama was deeply saddened. Saddened by Nawaki's untimely death, and even more so by the continued chaos of the ninja world.

But he knew he couldn't show it—not to a child. Even if he had slipped up earlier, now that he was facing Nawaki directly, he forced a cheerful smile, extended his right hand, and made the symbol of friendship between shinobi.

"Nice to meet you, Nawaki, was it? I'm your grandfather. It's an honor to finally see you."

Seeing Hashirama's radiant smile, completely devoid of any elder's sternness, Nawaki blushed, overwhelmed by the presence of his idol. He eagerly reached out and completed the handshake.

His excitement got the better of him a few times, fumbling the sign, but Hashirama gently calmed him down.

They chatted warmly for a while, and then Hashirama turned his gaze to the others.

Despite being a lovable goofball, the First Hokage was a total extrovert—he waved cheerfully and greeted everyone with a grin. His manner of speech might've made him sound like he was missing a few brain cells, but his sincerity and warmth were undeniable.

He truly exuded the charisma of someone blessed by Asura's legacy.