Bullying Me Because I'm an Old Fossil, Huh?

Outside a ward at Konoha Hospital.

Tobirama Senju sincerely hoped that Shirou Emiya would not reveal the secrets of the Ancient Era to anyone else, especially not to his elder brother, Hashirama Senju.

Because he knew exactly what kind of person his elder brother was.

Once his brother learned that the ancestors of the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan had been brothers, and were even both descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, he would become even more tolerant toward the Uchiha Clan.

That would interfere with Tobirama Senju's future plans to keep the Uchiha Clan in check.

If possible, Tobirama Senju would actually have preferred for Shirou Emiya to reveal only the evil Uchiha ancestor, Indra. That would have made it easier for him to suppress the Uchiha Clan.

However, Tobirama Senju knew that Shirou Emiya was an upright man. He would surely recognize that such words were intended solely to target the Uchiha Clan, and would probably not agree to it.

So...

Tobirama Senju chose his words very carefully.

"Lord Shirou."

"Konoha's current situation is very unstable."

Tobirama Senju's voice was somewhat heavy as he began lying through his teeth without the slightest hesitation. "If these secrets from the Ancient Era were leaked, they would certainly stir up discussion..."

"Although that fellow Madara Uchiha wanted to destroy Konoha, we still wish to regard the Uchiha Clan that joined Konoha as our own companions..."

"Once the people in the village learn Indra's story, they will certainly suspect that the Uchiha Clan is evil by nature. They will inevitably reject the Uchiha Clan even more."

"..."

Shirou Emiya's expression turned somewhat strange.

What was this?

Bullying me because I'm an old fossil?

I was only dead, not old.

The idea that Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage of Konoha Village, hoped the village would not reject the Uchiha Clan sounded like a joke no matter how he heard it.

Besides...

Weren't you the one leading the charge in excluding the Uchiha?

However...

Tobirama Senju was exceptionally skilled at justifying himself.

The Hokage Assistant's argument was truly beyond reproach.

"My brother has always treated the Uchiha Clan very generously in order to help them integrate into Konoha. Once he learns that the ancestors of the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan were brothers, and remembers that he had no choice but to kill his former friend Madara Uchiha to protect the village, he may feel that he owes his friend a debt. He will certainly treat the Uchiha Clan with even greater closeness."

"Under such circumstances..."

"The other ninja clans in the village will feel that it is unfair..."

"If the people in the village learn that our ancestors, Ashura and Indra, were brothers, they will certainly begin questioning whether my brother handles matters impartially..."

"My brother is Konoha's First Hokage."

"At present, the relationships among Konoha's various ninja clans are extremely fragile. If someone questions whether the Hokage is sufficiently impartial, the peace we struggled so hard to achieve could easily collapse..."

Tobirama Senju took a huge detour before circling back to his original intention. "Lord Shirou, for the peace of Konoha and the Shinobi World, I can only ask you to seal away these ancient secrets of the ninja clans..."

"..."

Shirou Emiya truly could not find a reason to refuse.

After all, Tobirama Senju spoke so pleasantly, and every word placed him on the moral high ground. He was practically openly questioning Shirou Emiya: as a good man from the Ancient Era, surely he did not want to see the Shinobi World fall into chaotic war once again?

These days...

Being a good person was truly too difficult!

If one wanted to be a good person, one had to be prepared to be morally blackmailed.

Fortunately.

Shirou Emiya was even better at morally blackmailing others.

"I can only try my best not to say anything wrong."

Shirou Emiya shook his head and explained somewhat hesitantly, "In our era, people often used Chakra to communicate during spiritual cultivation. Everyone generally did not conceal their thoughts, nor did they lie to the companions around them..."

"I am truly sorry."

"I can only do my best."

A trace of apology appeared on Shirou Emiya's face, as though hoping Tobirama Senju would understand what a man of noble character he was. "After all, I am not very good at hiding my true thoughts..."

"I should be the one apologizing."

Tobirama Senju did not blame Shirou Emiya. He let out a long sigh, feeling a distant yearning for the Ancient Era Shirou Emiya had described.

"I have also heard some legends left behind by the Sage of Six Paths. They say that in the era when he founded the Ninja Sect, people respected and understood one another..."

"I never expected..."

"Those legends to be true..."

"Actually, it was not absolute."

Shirou Emiya rubbed his brow somewhat awkwardly and seemed to casually explain, "For example, the people of the Ninja Sect could never understand the ideas of Indra, the Uchiha ancestor. In the end, he chose to leave the Ninja Sect and tried to use the power of the Sharingan to destroy the Ninja Sect's village. Ashura ultimately joined everyone's Chakra together and defeated him..."

"What!"

Hearing a pattern that sounded all too familiar, Tobirama Senju instinctively condemned Indra. "That Uchiha ancestor who was evil from birth!"

That behavior!

It was exactly the same as Madara Uchiha!

Madara Uchiha had left the Konoha he helped found and also sought to destroy it. In the end, he too had been killed by Tobirama's elder brother, thwarting his evil scheme.

Neither Madara Uchiha nor his ancestor was any good!

"Speaking of which..."

Shirou Emiya abruptly changed the subject and casually praised Tobirama Senju. "You have a very good relationship with your elder brother. Such harmonious brotherhood is truly rare..."

"That is only natural."

Tobirama Senju could not help feeling sentimental as he recalled how earnestly his elder brother had protected him when they were children. "After all, my brother has always taken care of me since we were young..."

Shirou Emiya...

That good man really was rather good.

At least, Tobirama Senju felt that he had had a very pleasant conversation with him.

Based on Shirou Emiya, one could infer that the ninjas of the Ancient Era had all been good people. That era must have been a true paradise on earth.

Well...

Except for that Uchiha ancestor who was evil from birth.

"Let's go in."

Tobirama Senju pushed open the ward door, his attitude toward Shirou Emiya becoming more humble. "We are powerless to help with my brother's injuries. We can only entrust him to you, Lord Shirou."

"No need for that."

Shirou Emiya waved his hand and turned to enter the ward. His back seemed to grow serious. "Please rest assured. I am a Medical Ninja, and I will not fail my patient."

A faint floral fragrance filled the ward.

Shirou Emiya's gaze fell upon the man lying in the hospital bed.

The man had long black hair. His body was tightly wrapped in bandages, and he lay motionless on the bed with his eyes closed, though his breathing was very steady.

Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage.

Without question, the strongest ninja of this era.

"My brother has never been this weak before."

Standing beside Shirou Emiya, Tobirama Senju's expression was especially grim. "The battle with Madara Uchiha a few days ago nearly exhausted all his Chakra..."

"Let me see..."

Shirou Emiya placed his fingers on the patient's wrist.

"A Wood Release user?"

Shirou Emiya seemed somewhat surprised and fell into thought. "In theory, Wood Release originates from the power of the God Tree. Ashura only awakened Wood Release after receiving Chakra bestowed by the Sage of Six Paths. Such power should not have been able to be inherited by later generations..."

"My brother awakened his Wood Release after reaching adulthood."

Tobirama Senju immediately committed the secret Shirou Emiya had mentioned to memory before taking the initiative to remind him to focus on the patient. "Lord Shirou, how is his condition..."

"Do not worry."

Shirou Emiya looked at Tobirama Senju and reassured him, "The patient's self-healing ability is extremely strong. It is only because his Chakra has been nearly exhausted that his injuries have not yet recovered. As long as his Chakra recovers, he will be fine..."

"..."

Tobirama Senju felt that the other man was stating the obvious.

After all, even he could see his brother's condition.

"However..."

Shirou Emiya paused before raising the issue Tobirama Senju cared about. "The patient has overused his self-healing ability, accelerating cellular division and regeneration, which has already damaged his lifespan. On top of that, he has excessively used his own life energy to enhance the power of his Wood Release. This is rather troublesome..."

"Rather troublesome?"

Instead of becoming nervous, Tobirama Senju looked somewhat relieved. "In other words, Lord Shirou can solve it?"

"In the Ancient Era, this was a minor issue."

"I only need to treat him with Yang Power."

Shirou Emiya narrowed his eyes slightly, seeming somewhat regretful. "However, in my current state, I am no different from a dead man. I simply have no way to use Yang Power..."

If only I could truly be perfectly resurrected...