Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World

Even though their idealized image of the First Hokage had been shattered, everyone still held deep respect for him. After all, regardless of his personality, there was no denying the immense feat of ending the Warring States era, founding the Hidden Leaf Village, and ushering in the shinobi village system.

They were genuinely grateful to him. If not for Hashirama Senju, many of them likely wouldn't even be alive today.

Some fanfics claim that the Great Ninja Wars were more brutal than the Warring States era, dismissing Hashirama's contributions and labeling the village system as garbage, even saying more people died under it.

That's an incredibly narrow-minded and one-sided take—it honestly leaves you speechless.

Yes, the intensity of the Great Ninja Wars did surpass the chaotic clashes of the Warring States period.

But intensity doesn't equal higher death rates.

During the Warring States era, fights broke out almost daily. People died left and right. While the battles may have lacked large-scale devastation, they were frequent, and the death toll was massive.

And civilian shinobi? They had no shot at survival. If even the elite clans like the Uchiha and Senju regularly lost children before they were even teenagers, imagine how terrifying the death rate was for commoners.

It was thanks to Hashirama Senju's shinobi village system that civilians were even allowed to become shinobi in significant numbers. Once the village system was in place and clans were centralized, village leaders finally had resources to spare and distribute. Only then could benefits trickle down to the common folk, allowing civilian shinobi to emerge and thrive.

So discrediting Hashirama's achievements? That's just absurd.

Sure, you could argue he lacked the vision to unify the shinobi world like a true conqueror—he's no Emperor Qin. But claiming he was bad at institutional design? That's pure nonsense.

To a world plagued by war for a thousand years, the village system he pioneered made Hashirama Senju the unquestionable God of Shinobi.

And only those who've lived through the shinobi world's bloodstained history truly understand his greatness.

People like Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Minato Namikaze—shinobi born from civilian backgrounds—revere and deeply appreciate Hashirama from the bottom of their hearts. Without his legacy, they might not have even been born. The Warring States era was a cesspool where not disturbing civilians wasn't even a rule. Their parents wouldn't have stood a chance, let alone left behind orphans.

As for these "kids" of Konoha, Hashirama found them both admirable and delightful. Seeing these outstanding young shinobi, he couldn't stop smiling, already envisioning Konoha's present-day glory.

Even though he believed disturbing the souls of the dead wasn't exactly moral, he refrained from saying anything about it—partly because the atmosphere was good, partly because Tobirama wasn't around, and mostly because this forbidden jutsu wasn't Tobirama's creation. The great God of Shinobi could only grumble about his little brother in moments like this.

When it came to others, Hashirama always cared what they thought.

(Tobirama: "Yup, I carry everything on my back.")

After exchanging greetings and helping Hashirama get familiar with everyone, the group tacitly gave the stage to the three Senjus.

Nawaki eagerly grabbed Hashirama and led him toward New Konoha, excited to show him the results of a month's hard work between him and Tsunade.

When he saw New Konoha, Hashirama froze. Then, his eyes sparkled brighter and brighter, and his smile began to morph into something almost... deranged.

Forgive the term, but the expression really was exaggerated—his jaw dropped, eyes bulged, and his face practically turned into a Picasso painting. If you didn't know better, you'd think he was having a seizure.

But joy is infectious. Nawaki was swept up in it and beamed just as brightly. After all, this was praise from his great-grandfather!

He eagerly began explaining the layout and buildings of New Konoha in detail.

Though this version of Konoha was nothing like the real one, Tsunade had supported Nawaki's vision fully. The new design was based on his memory of Konoha. While it did differ from Hashirama's version, many of the buildings had existed back in his day. Tobirama had once gathered a whole team of professionals to draft the original architectural blueprints, which Hashirama had personally approved to get construction rolling.

So when Hashirama saw the New Konoha, it felt surprisingly familiar. Nostalgia surged within him, stirring deep emotions and a desire to contribute.

Hashirama had always been a man of action. Without hesitation, he declared, "Nawaki, let me help you!"

Nawaki's eyes lit up, and he immediately handed over a building panel, guiding Hashirama through the tools of this world.

Hashirama learned diligently, visibly amazed as he nodded again and again: "So that's how it works!" "Incredible—this is possible too?" "Amazing! This illusionary world is something else!" "Whoa\~ it's already built? If we'd had this stuff back when I was building Konoha, I wouldn't have needed to exhaust myself using Wood Style for everything!"

Nawaki couldn't help laughing—his great-grandfather was so full of personality, and being around him felt completely stress-free.

Wait a minute—Wood Style? For houses?

Nawaki was stunned. "Great-Grandpa, you used Wood Style to build houses? You built the original Konoha yourself?!"

Hashirama nodded enthusiastically. "That's right! Back then, Konoha was just a forest—there was nothing. We were barely surviving.

"So I modified my Wood Style, and that let me create housing. The original Senju and Uchiha clan compounds? I built them with Wood Style.

"It took a lot of chakra and energy, sure—but the construction speed was amazing. Just give me a little time, and I could build the entire village!"

"Too bad Tobirama made me stop. Even Madara disapproved. They said every clan and person joining Konoha needed to build their homes with their own hands. Otherwise, if people got houses without effort, they'd lack a sense of belonging.

"Honestly, they made good points, but I still think they were too cynical. Konoha is our home—who wouldn't want to protect it after joining? The only reason someone wouldn't feel at home is if they were never truly welcomed to begin with."

These were Hashirama's honest thoughts—his heartfelt complaints.

This is, after all, the man who once bowed his head to others during a Five Kage Summit.