Shirou Emiya

Konoha Village.

In a dim underground secret chamber.

At the center of the chamber stood a sealed Crystal Coffin.

This Crystal Coffin was somewhat strange. Exquisite patterns were engraved upon it, yet it contained only half a corpse.

Looking through the Crystal Coffin, one could even clearly see the internal organs in the half-corpse, making it resemble a medical specimen for those studying medicine.

The scene made the secret chamber seem especially eerie.

The silver-haired man standing in the secret chamber had long grown accustomed to such an unsettling environment. His gaze rested on the Crystal Coffin before him, cold determination showing in his red pupils.

"Lord Tobirama."

A masked Anbu ninja walked in, dragging a bound ninja behind him. He reported in a low voice, "Quite a few enemy ninjas have infiltrated the village these past few days to gather intelligence. We searched through the prison cells, and this Hidden Sand Village ninja who snuck into the village last night has the strongest Chakra in the entire prison..."

"My brother's condition..."

Halfway through his words, Tobirama Senju realized he was speaking to a subordinate and changed his form of address. "How is the Hokage's condition now?"

"He is still receiving treatment."

The Anbu ninja spoke with some concern. "No one has ever seen the Hokage suffer such severe injuries. Lady Mito said they might endanger his lifespan..."

"..."

Tobirama Senju's expression immediately darkened. After a moment of silence, he asked again, "Has the Uchiha Clan made any unusual moves?"

"Not at present."

The Anbu ninja gently shook his head and continued, "Ever since word spread yesterday that Madara Uchiha was killed by the Hokage, the Uchiha Clan members have merely been somewhat frightened. We have not discovered any other abnormalities..."

"Continue monitoring them closely."

After giving the order, Tobirama Senju lowered his head to look at the bound Hidden Sand Ninja and said solemnly, "Have the other Anbu Squads strengthen their patrols in the village. Assign one squad to guard outside. No one is permitted to approach this Forbidden Jutsu Chamber."

"Yes, Lord Tobirama!"

The Anbu ninja hurriedly withdrew.

"Mmph, mmph..."

The tightly bound Hidden Sand Ninja made muffled sounds, looking up at the silver-haired man with an anxious expression as though he desperately wanted to say something.

"I know what you want to say."

"But I have no interest in hearing your explanation."

Tobirama Senju cast him a disdainful glance, as though looking at a dead man. "You infiltrated this place only to gather information about my brother. Or rather, you merely wanted to know whether he had perished together with that bastard Madara..."

"Hmph..."

"Keep dreaming."

Tobirama Senju raised his head to look at the Crystal Coffin before him, as though he intended to use it to prove something to the petty fools of the Shinobi World who wished to challenge Konoha.

"This Crystal Coffin is the origin of Medical Ninjutsu throughout the Shinobi World."

"Shirou Emiya."

"You should have heard that name."

"..."

The Hidden Sand Ninja looked at the Crystal Coffin with some surprise.

Shirou Emiya.

That name was truly renowned.

The entire Shinobi World knew of this saint who had lived a thousand years ago. He had created the concept of Medical Ninjutsu and had even established the system for Medical Ninja.

Legend said that he never cared about a patient's identity when saving lives. Legend said that no matter how grave the illness, he could cure it. Legend said that he had saved more people than lived in an entire nation...

What earned him the greatest respect was...

Even Shirou Emiya's death had been magnificent.

To ensure that Medical Ninjutsu could be passed down through the Shinobi World, to make it easier for more people to study medicine, and to dispel the Shinobi World's prejudice against surgery and dissection as methods of treatment, Shirou Emiya had ordered his body divided before his death and made into two Crystal Coffins, which he left behind for the Shinobi World.

Even during the thousand years of chaos in the Warring States Period, when ninjas slaughtered one another and wrought destruction, everyone tacitly agreed not to damage Shirou Emiya's two Crystal Coffins.

Even though most people in the Shinobi World had never seen them.

Looking at the half-corpse within the Crystal Coffin, the Hidden Sand Ninja felt both surprise and respect, yet also a growing unease.

What could someone from the past...

Possibly have to do with the present?

A Medical Ninja who had died a thousand years ago could not possibly come back to help treat the First Hokage, no matter how superb his medical skills were, could he? Could the Crystal Coffin contain the secrets of Medical Ninjutsu?

"Our Senju Clan has always been known for excelling at Chakra control. We have always been the ninjas of the Shinobi World best suited to practicing Medical Ninjutsu."

"Legend says that this Crystal Coffin containing Shirou Emiya's medical specimen was personally designated by him before his death to be left to the ancestors of the Senju Clan..."

"Even though most of our clan never deliberately practiced Medical Ninjutsu for the sake of battle, we have always regarded this Crystal Coffin as an honor of our clan..."

Tobirama Senju narrowed his eyes. His fingers stroked the exquisite patterns on the Crystal Coffin, and his voice gradually lowered. "I never imagined that one day, I would destroy it with my own hands..."

"..."

The Hidden Sand Ninja's eyes filled with terror.

"But..."

"For my brother..."

"Everything can be sacrificed!"

Tobirama Senju stared at the Crystal Coffin before him. A glow of Chakra appeared in his palm, and he slammed it down against the coffin!

Crash!

The Crystal Coffin suddenly shattered!

The half-corpse that had been lying inside fell out!

Sitting on the ground, the Hidden Sand Ninja watched the half-corpse hit the floor. The sight was so horrifying that terror instantly flooded his eyes!

"Only my brother can guarantee Konoha's peace..."

Tobirama Senju rapidly formed hand seals, his voice as calm as an ancient well. "Even if there is only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, even if it means desecrating the soul of the dead, I must do this..."

As he spoke the final words, Tobirama Senju slammed his palm onto the ground, and his voice abruptly turned chilling!

Ninja Art: Impure World Reincarnation!

Black incantation marks appeared beneath Tobirama Senju's palm!

Lines of incantation rapidly slithered across the floor, forming two separate barriers around the Hidden Sand Ninja and Shirou Emiya's half-corpse.

Before the Hidden Sand Ninja's terrified eyes, Shirou Emiya's half-corpse turned into dust and ash, drifting through the air before slowly attaching itself to the living man's body!

The Hidden Sand Ninja felt an unprecedented sense of suffocation. The despair of approaching death gradually filled his eyes with terror as the dust and ash slowly covered his vision...

Until, at last...

This Hidden Sand Ninja's body was completely shrouded.

Tobirama Senju stared fixedly at the figure slowly emerging from the ashes. The weight in his heart finally eased; at least, it appeared that his technique had succeeded.

Impure World Reincarnation.

It was a forbidden summoning technique.

Using the life of a living person and a sufficient amount of a dead person's flesh as materials, this technique could summon the dead soul from the Underworld into the mortal world.

Under normal circumstances...

Tobirama Senju could never have had a chance to revive someone who had died a thousand years ago.

After all, no corpse could possibly remain preserved for over a thousand years, especially during the thousand years of chaos in the Warring States Period, when many corpses had ultimately become wandering ghosts in mass graves.

However, Shirou Emiya, the founder of Medical Ninjutsu, was an exception.

Because his corpse had been preserved so well as a medical specimen, Tobirama Senju had gained the opportunity to summon and revive him.

Dust swirled through the secret chamber.

The Impure World Reincarnation Body was slowly changing its appearance.

A summoned dead soul would reshape its body into the form it had possessed in life.

A strange smile appeared at the corner of the Impure World Reincarnation Body's mouth before swiftly vanishing without a trace, as though its features had become distorted before the body was fully completed.

Finally...

This Impure World Reincarnation Body was fully formed.

This dead man returned from the Underworld looked somewhat young. His face bore a compassion for all living things that did not match his age, perfectly fitting the world's impression of him.

The dead man slowly opened his eyes. He looked down at his body, confusion gradually appearing on his face, as though he did not understand why he was alive again or why he had appeared here.

The technique had succeeded!

The revived dead man still possessed his consciousness!

Tobirama Senju finally breathed a sigh of relief!

After all, this was his first time using the forbidden technique Impure World Reincarnation. He had wagered on that one-in-ten-thousand chance for his brother's sake, and this forbidden technique had truly succeeded!

"Lord Shirou?"

Tobirama Senju's expression was solemn and respectful as he introduced himself in a deep voice. "I am Tobirama Senju, the caster who summoned you from the Underworld back into the mortal world..."

"My apologies for disturbing your rest."

"However, we require your assistance in treating someone extremely important to the Shinobi World. Left with no other choice, I have desecrated your soul. I hope you will not blame me for my offense..."

"Your surname is Senju?"

Shirou Emiya seemed to relax upon hearing that.

"If it is for the sake of saving someone, then it is not unforgivable."

This Medical Ninja, renowned for his noble character, did not become dissatisfied because the peace of his soul had been disturbed. Instead, he habitually began paying attention to the patient's condition.

"Where is the patient?"

"In the village... I will lead the way."

Tobirama Senju gradually relaxed as well, discreetly withdrawing the fingers he had intended to use to control the other man's movements.

If Lord Shirou truly was as good a man as the legends of the past thousand years claimed, there was no need to waste time and effort negotiating with him.

Naturally.

Tobirama Senju had failed to notice something else.

Because Tobirama Senju had not controlled the other man's movements, nor sensed his emotions, Shirou Emiya's eyes carried the dead stillness imposed by his Impure World Reincarnation Body. When the patient was mentioned, his gaze had not actually contained any particular concern.

Perhaps...

Saving too many people had simply become a habit.

Perhaps...

Where the patient was did not matter at all.

What mattered more to him was whether his strength still remained.

Reconnecting Ninja System...

Welcome back online, ninja Shirou Emiya.

There are still unfinished mission commissions. You cannot leave this world...

Unfinished ninja commissions (2/3)

SSSSS-Rank Mission: Defeat this world's ultimate villain—the immortal and indestructible Chakra Progenitor, Kaguya Otsutsuki.

SSSSS-Rank Mission: Defeat this world's final protagonists—Naruto Uzumaki (Six Paths Sage Mode) and Sasuke Uchiha (Rinne Sharingan).

The system was indeed still there.

The power he had once obtained still remained.

A red glint flashed through Shirou Emiya's eyes. This plan spanning time had finally, fortunately, reached this era.