Chapter Four: So You Think I'm an Old Fossil, Huh?

In front of the ward at Konoha Hospital.

Tobirama Senju earnestly hoped Emiya Shigen would not reveal the ancient secrets of the bygone era to others, especially not to his elder brother, Hashirama Senju.

He knew all too well what kind of person his elder brother was.

If Hashirama were to learn that the ancestors of the Senju and Uchiha clans were brothers, even descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, he would surely treat the Uchiha clan with greater leniency.

That would hinder Tobirama’s future plans to suppress the Uchiha clan.

In fact, if possible, Tobirama preferred that Emiya only expose the evil ancestor of the Uchiha, Indra Otsutsuki, as that would be more convenient for suppressing the clan.

However, Tobirama understood that Emiya was a man of integrity and would surely see through such a biased intent to disparage the Uchiha. It was unlikely he would agree to this.

Therefore...

Tobirama chose his words with great caution.

“Lord Emiya,” he began.

“The situation in Konoha is very unstable now.”

His voice grew heavy as he bluntly began to speak untruths. “If these ancient secrets were to leak, it would undoubtedly spark much gossip…”

“Although that fellow Uchiha Madara sought to destroy Konoha, ultimately we still wish to regard the Uchiha clan who have joined Konoha as our comrades…”

“If the villagers were to learn the story of Indra, they would surely suspect the Uchiha clan of being inherently evil, and their rejection of the Uchiha would only deepen.”

...

Emiya’s expression shifted oddly.

What’s this?

They think I’m some old relic?

I may be dead, but I’m not old.

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, hoping the village would not ostracize the Uchiha—how laughable that sounded.

Besides...

Aren’t you the very one leading the charge against the Uchiha?

Yet...

Tobirama was a master of self-justification.

His argument, offered by the Hokage’s deputy, was truly impeccable.

“My elder brother has always treated the Uchiha clan generously in order to help them integrate into Konoha. If he were to find out that the ancestors of the Senju and Uchiha clans were brothers, coupled with his feeling of indebtedness for having to kill his old friend Uchiha Madara to protect the village, he would surely become even more sympathetic to the Uchiha.”

“In such circumstances…”

“Other ninja clans in the village would see this as unfair…”

“If the villagers learned our ancestors, Asura and Indra, were brothers, they would inevitably begin to question my elder brother’s impartiality…”

“He is the First Hokage of Konoha.”

“The relationships among the ninja clans within Konoha are very fragile. If people begin to doubt the Hokage’s fairness, the hard-won peace could easily collapse…”

Tobirama circled around to his original point: “Lord Emiya, for the sake of peace in Konoha and the ninja world, I can only implore you to keep these ancient clan secrets sealed…”

...

Emiya truly could find no reason to refuse.

After all, Tobirama spoke well and took the moral high ground, his words clearly challenging Emiya: as a good man from the ancient era, surely you do not wish to see the ninja world descend into chaos and war again?

These days…

Being a good person is so difficult!

To be good, one must be prepared to be morally burdened.

Fortunately,

Emiya was even better at morally burdening others.

“I will try my best not to say anything wrong.”

Emiya shook his head, hesitating as he explained, “In our era, when people practiced spiritual training, they often communicated through chakra. People rarely hid their thoughts or lied to their comrades…”

“I’m truly sorry.”

“I can only do my best.”

A trace of apology crossed Emiya’s face, hoping Tobirama would understand his noble character: “After all, I’m not good at hiding my true thoughts…”

“No, I should be the one apologizing.”

Tobirama harbored no resentment toward Emiya. He let out a long sigh, somewhat wistful about the ancient era Emiya described.

“I’ve heard some legends about the Sage of Six Paths. They say that in his time when he founded the ninja religion, people respected and understood each other…”

“I never thought…”

“Those legends were true…”

“Though, not entirely so.”

Emiya rubbed his brow sheepishly and casually explained, “For example, the followers of the ninja religion couldn’t understand the ideas of Indra, the ancestor of the Uchiha. Eventually, he chose to leave the religion, seeking to use the Sharingan’s power to destroy the villages. In the end, Asura united everyone’s chakra to defeat him…”

“What!”

Tobirama, hearing this familiar story, instinctively denounced Indra: “That naturally evil ancestor of the Uchiha!”

Such behavior!

It was exactly like Uchiha Madara!

Madara left the village he founded, Konoha, wanting to destroy it, only to be killed by my elder brother, thwarting his evil plans.

Neither Madara nor his ancestor were good men!

“By the way…”

Emiya suddenly shifted his tone and casually complimented Tobirama, “You and your elder brother share a very close relationship. Such harmony between siblings is truly rare…”

“That’s only natural.”

Tobirama felt a surge of emotion, recalling how his elder brother had always cared for him since childhood.

Emiya...

This good man was truly quite pleasant.

At least Tobirama felt they had a very enjoyable conversation.

From Emiya, he inferred that the ninjas of the ancient era were all good people; that era must have been a true earthly paradise.

Hmm...

Except for that naturally evil Uchiha ancestor.

---

“Let’s go in.”

Tobirama pushed open the ward door, his attitude toward Emiya becoming more humble. “My elder brother’s injuries are beyond our capability. We can only entrust him to Lord Emiya.”

“No need for that.”

Emiya waved his hand and stepped into the ward, his demeanor growing serious. “Rest assured, I am a medical ninja and will not betray my patient.”

A faint floral scent lingered in the ward.

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

This man had long black hair and was tightly wrapped in bandages, eyes closed, lying motionless, but breathing evenly.

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

Without a doubt, the strongest ninja of this era.

“My elder brother has never been this weak.”

Tobirama stood beside Emiya, his face unusually grim. “The battle with Uchiha Madara a few days ago nearly drained all his chakra…”

“Let me take a look…”

Emiya’s fingers lightly touched the patient’s wrist.

“A Wood Release user?”

Emiya seemed somewhat surprised, pondering: “In theory, Wood Release comes from the power of the Divine Tree. Asura awakened Wood Release thanks to chakra granted by the Sage of Six Paths. Such power shouldn’t be inheritable by later generations…”

“My elder brother awakened Wood Release after reaching adulthood.”

Tobirama immediately noted this secret Emiya mentioned, then reminded him to focus on the patient. “Lord Emiya, how is his condition…”

“Don’t worry.”

Emiya looked at Tobirama and offered reassurance: “The patient’s self-healing ability is very strong. It’s just that his chakra is almost completely depleted, so his wounds haven’t yet healed. Once his chakra recovers, he will be fine…”

...

Tobirama thought this was pointless to say.

Even he could see his brother’s condition clearly.

“But…”

Emiya hesitated, then mentioned something that concerned Tobirama: “The patient has overused his self-healing ability, causing accelerated cell division and regeneration, which has damaged his lifespan. Additionally, he has excessively used his life energy to enhance Wood Release power. This situation is somewhat troublesome…”

“Somewhat troublesome?”

Tobirama’s face relaxed rather than tensed. “So, Lord Emiya can solve this?”

“In the ancient era, this was a minor problem.”

“As long as I apply the power of Yang for treatment, it will be fine.”

Emiya’s eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of regret in his voice: “However, in my current state, I am little more than a corpse and cannot use Yang energy…”

If only...

I could truly and perfectly come back to life.