Shirou Emiya? Madara Uchiha?

"Where am I?"

Black Zetsu was having trouble making sense of the place.

"What time is this?"

Black Zetsu could not make sense of the time.

"Am I in the Shinobi World a thousand years later?"

Black Zetsu began to suspect that something had gone wrong with its life.

Meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land.

It should have been something worth celebrating.

Yet meeting someone who absolutely should not have appeared at the wrong time often brought not joy, but doubts about one's own life.

Like Black Zetsu.

Black Zetsu was pondering what had gone wrong with its life.

What exactly was going on?

It had truly lived for over a thousand years. Throughout those long years, it had diligently stirred up wars and tirelessly spread the ideals of Medical Ninja. There could not possibly be anything wrong with the time.

Then...

Had it lived so long that it had become muddle-headed?

Why was Shirou Emiya here?!

Wasn't Shirou Emiya someone from over a thousand years ago? How could he possibly appear in the Shinobi World a millennium later?!

Had it lived for too long and developed some kind of split personality?

Black Zetsu hid in the shadows, watching Shirou Emiya in confusion and suspecting that something was wrong with its mind.

No matter how one looked at it, Shirou Emiya should never have been able to appear before it!

Yet...

This man had appeared out of nowhere.

He even seemed to be living quite happily in this era.

"Let's try to divert the patient's attention for a while."

Shirou Emiya seemed utterly unaware of Madara Uchiha hidden in the darkness, as though he had not guessed that Black Zetsu was surely lurking somewhere nearby.

As a Medical Ninja, Shirou Emiya remained highly dedicated in this era and cared deeply about his patients' psychological well-being.

"Killing his friend has caused him great pain."

"As his family, it would be best to help the patient find a new source of support as soon as possible..."

As he spoke, Shirou Emiya watched Tobirama Senju, testing whether the other man could sense Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu lurking nearby.

However...

Tobirama Senju showed no sign of anything unusual.

Although Tobirama Senju possessed exceptional sensory abilities, there was no need to use any powerful sensory techniques within heavily guarded Konoha.

Moreover, Tobirama Senju had not yet fully mastered the Curse Mark Shirou Emiya had given him, so he could not casually use the Chakra within his body during this time.

"Let me think..."

Unable to detect anyone lurking nearby, Tobirama Senju merely lowered his head and considered how to distract his elder brother. "Compared to that evil Madara, my brother must care more about the people in the village..."

Tobirama Senju understood his elder brother very well and quickly came up with a suitable solution. "Then let my brother spend more time with the children in the village. Those children are the future he truly wants to protect..."

"That would be good."

Shirou Emiya strongly approved of Tobirama Senju's idea and took the initiative to state his own position. "During this time, I will do my best to find a way to extend his lifespan..."

"Thank you."

Tobirama Senju felt a weight lift from his heart.

Though Tobirama Senju could not imagine what solution Shirou Emiya might have, he still hoped the man could truly find a way to treat his elder brother's illness.

However...

Everything had to be prepared for in the worst-case scenario.

"It was inconvenient for me to ask at the hospital."

Tobirama Senju's expression grew solemn as he prepared to ask the question that concerned him most. "Lord Shirou, I would now like to know the answer to a question..."

"If..."

"If you cannot find a solution..."

Tobirama Senju folded his arms across his chest. His voice was slow but resolute as he asked the question. "How much time... does my brother have left?"

The night wind was quiet.

Even the air along the street seemed to have fallen silent.

Whether it was Tobirama Senju standing before Shirou Emiya or Madara Uchiha hiding in the darkness, both seemed to hold their breath at that moment.

To Madara Uchiha, his friend Hashirama Senju should remain alive. After obtaining the All Things of Nature Power, he still wanted to prove to his former friend Hashirama Senju that he had been right. He wanted Hashirama Senju to see the path he had found!

To Tobirama Senju, his elder brother Hashirama Senju had to survive. Konoha and the Land of Fire had established the system of shinobi villages and nations, and it was only by relying on Hashirama Senju's strength that they had occupied so much fertile land and united Konoha's many shinobi clans.

Once Hashirama Senju died...

The entire Shinobi World would inevitably be thrown into upheaval.

Tobirama Senju was accustomed to keeping future changes within controllable bounds. Emotionally, he could not accept his elder brother's death, but rationally, he had to prepare in advance so that Konoha could remain stable after Hashirama Senju's death.

"Ten years."

Shirou Emiya gave an exact number.

"If I fail to find any solution, then even if he never uses force again in these coming years, he is unlikely to live beyond ten years."

"Ten years?"

Tobirama Senju's heart grew heavy.

Ten years.

It sounded like a long time.

Yet it was far too cruel for someone like Hashirama Senju, who was still in the prime of his life, and far too short for a young shinobi village like Konoha.

Tobirama Senju had always been accustomed to planning for the worst.

As Konoha's true ruler, Tobirama Senju did not wish to see the Konoha they had built together fall apart after his elder brother's death.

Before his elder brother died of illness...

He had to find a path that would allow Konoha to truly endure.

Even though Konoha Village's many shinobi clans obeyed the Senju name, most of them did so only because of his elder brother's prestige and strength.

Once his elder brother passed away, there was no guarantee that those clans would not leave Konoha. They remained independent within Konoha, and many shinobi still took pride in their own surnames. They had not truly accepted, from the bottom of their hearts, that they were shinobi of Konoha.

It seemed...

He had to find a feasible plan as soon as possible.

A trace of determination flashed through Tobirama Senju's eyes. He rarely revealed his inner thoughts to anyone other than his elder brother, and merely nodded to Shirou Emiya, as though he did not care at all that his elder brother had only ten years left.

"I understand."

As Tobirama Senju quietly quickened his pace toward the Hokage Building, he brought up his arrangements for Shirou Emiya.

"While Lord Shirou is staying in Konoha as our guest, there may be some inconveniences. Tomorrow, I will arrange for Sasuke and the village's Anbu shinobi to accompany you. If you need anything, feel free to instruct them..."

"That won't be necessary."

Shirou Emiya was very friendly as he casually voiced his thoughts. "If possible, I would also like to see more of this era..."

"I hope..."

Shirou Emiya's face took on a devout, almost sacred expression. "...to meet someone in this era to whom I can entrust the future of Medical Ninja."

"You certainly will."

Tobirama Senju nodded to himself.

This Medical Ninja from the Ancient Era wanted to find a disciple to inherit his legacy?

For Konoha, that was truly good news.

Though Konoha Village's Medical Ninja were not bad, they were nowhere near Shirou Emiya's level!

Based on the time Tobirama Senju had spent with Shirou Emiya, the man surely possessed many medical secret techniques. Those techniques had likely been selflessly passed down by this great Medical Ninja, only to be completely lost during the Warring States Period.

Tobirama Senju and Shirou Emiya gradually walked away.

After the two had gone far enough, Madara Uchiha quietly stepped out from a dark corner and watched their departing backs from afar.

"Ten years?"

Madara Uchiha narrowed his eyes. His figure vanished into the darkness once more as he secretly headed toward Konoha Hospital.

However...

Black Zetsu did not follow Madara Uchiha.

The pitch-black creature emerged, glanced at the departing Madara Uchiha, then turned back toward the direction Tobirama Senju and Shirou Emiya had gone.