Chapter 56: Uchiha Madara Comes to See Him Off

Senju Hashirama was dead.

The entirety of Konoha was shrouded in a heavy sorrow.

To the villagers of this hidden village, the existence of Senju Hashirama was like their ultimate pillar of support; it was precisely because of him that they finally had a place to call home.

At Senju Hashirama's funeral, the villagers of Konoha turned out almost in a collective mass. Ninjas from every clan came to the cemetery, dressed in black garments, placing white flowers one by one upon the tombstone of the First Hokage.

"I miss Grandfather..."

Little Tsunade wiped the tears from her small face.

"Death is not the end of life."

Emiya Shihara held the little one's hand and stood at the very forefront. His gaze was fixed upon the framed portrait surrounded by white blossoms as he spoke calmly, "As long as Konoha continues to exist, Hashirama's name will live forever in the hearts of these people. They will remember the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, who brought an end to the Warring States period, and their descendants will remember the founder of Konoha..."

"Human life is always terribly brief."

"In order to make their lives last longer, humans subconsciously make a great deal of effort. Some humans go to any lengths to extend their lifespans or even achieve immortality, while others choose to let something more precious exist in their stead..."

"Such as children who carry on their bloodline..."

"Such as the will that passes on their spirit..."

Emiya Shihara's voice was calm and solemn, echoing in the ears of those surrounding him: "As long as someone still remembers his name, as long as someone still remembers his past achievements in pacifying the Warring States era, Hashirama has not truly died. He still lives on in this world..."

"I will always remember Grandfather..."

Little Tsunade bit down hard on her tiny baby teeth. Her large eyes turned resolute and strong, and her small hand clutched tightly onto Emiya Shihara's temperature-less fingers.

"..."

A group of Konoha ninjas could not help but shed tears as they listened.

Senju Tobirama stood in the middle of these Konoha ninjas, his arms still crossed over his chest, his expression dark and inscrutable as he gazed at the memorial portrait surrounded by white flowers.

"Lord Emiya is right."

Senju Tobirama suppressed his deep grief, his voice turning somewhat cold and devoid of human warmth, yet stubbornly persuading the crowd in a loud tone: "As long as the First Hokage's legacy—the will to protect Konoha—is passed down through us, he will never truly die..."

The funeral came to an end.

Raindrops began to fall from the sky.

Senju Tobirama led a group of ninjas away.

Following Senju Hashirama's death, amidst the overwhelming expectations of the people, Senju Tobirama had succeeded him as the Second Hokage, and he still had a mountain of work to attend to.

In the past, due to Senju Hashirama's obstruction, many hardline policies could not be implemented. Now, Senju Tobirama could finally stabilize Konoha's internal affairs according to his own visions, and he also needed to figure out as quickly as possible how to protect Konoha now that he had lost the shelter of his elder brother.

In front of the tombstone, only little Tsunade remained, unwilling to leave. Emiya Shihara held a wide tree leaf in his hand, helping the little one block the raindrops falling from the sky.

With everyone else gone,

little Tsunade's mind began to wander wildly.

"Lord Emiya."

"Did Grandfather pass away because I won...?"

Tsunade's little face was stained with tears, still blaming and reproaching herself for winning the final round of gambling against Senju Hashirama: "It must be because I beat him in that last game..."

"This is not your fault."

Emiya Shihara furrowed his brow, sensing that someone had appeared nearby: "Tsunade, we should leave now. There are others who wish to pay their respects to Hashirama."

"There's no need to hide from me, Lord Emiya."

A familiar, arrogant voice rang in Emiya Shihara's ears.

Uchiha Madara.

Only Uchiha Madara would appear at a time like this.

Yet Uchiha Madara seemed neither to care about being discovered by Emiya Shihara and little Tsunade, nor to worry about being sensed by Uzumaki Mito, nor did he fear the Konoha village that had lost the protection of Senju Hashirama.

As a man who had once been both a sworn enemy and a bosom friend to Senju Hashirama, having experienced their rupture and pursuit of one another, upon learning of Hashirama's death, Uchiha Madara had ultimately chosen to come and see his old friend off on his final journey today.

Of course,

accompanying him was Black Zetsu, lurking deep within the earth.

Over these past years, Black Zetsu had constantly trailed by Uchiha Madara's side, secretly helping him figure out ways to evade Senju Hashirama's hunt.

Amidst the curtain of rain,

Uchiha Madara walked forward step by step.

He paid no mind to his long hair being drenched by the rain.

In Uchiha Madara's hand was also a bouquet of white flowers. He offered them before the tombstone, his expression still complex as he looked upon that memorial portrait of Senju Hashirama.

"I had originally intended..."

"To let Hashirama see the future ruled by me..."

"..."

Little Tsunade hid behind Emiya Shihara in fear.

Although Uchiha Madara was exceptionally tall, with his long, flowing hair veiling half of his face in a striking manner, he always gave children a menacing feeling.

"This brat..."

When Uchiha Madara turned back and saw little Tsunade's reaction, a wave of unpleasant memories suddenly surged up, causing him to involuntarily knit his brows.

Hadn't he presented himself as friendly enough?

This brat...

What on earth are you afraid of?

Do I really look that terrifying?

"This is Hashirama's granddaughter."

Emiya Shihara squatted down, handing the leaf in his hand to little Tsunade so she could shield herself from the rain and leave: "Tsunade, go on back first."

"Lord Emiya..."

Little Tsunade stubbornly wanted to stay.

"Be a good girl."

There was a sternness on Emiya Shihara's face that immediately caused little Tsunade to shrink back instinctively. Failing to keep a firm grip on the leaf, she turned and hurried away directly into the driving rain.

"It's not like I'm going to bully a little brat."

Uchiha Madara let out a cold chuckle, seemingly curious: "It appears Lord Emiya is quite fond of that kid..."

"She is the child with the highest aptitude for medical ninjutsu."

Emiya Shihara gazed fixedly at little Tsunade's stumbling, running figure.

"So that's how it is..."

Uchiha Madara understood Emiya Shihara's sentiments quite well. After nodding, he brought up the main business at hand: "Hashirama is dead. If nothing unexpected happens, the peaceful order he left behind will soon collapse..."

"..."

Emiya Shihara remained silent, offering no response.

Such a thing...

Many people could foresee it.

The entire ninja world was eyeing the Land of Fire, occupied by Konoha, like a tiger eyeing its prey.

Whenever any sort of hierarchy existed in the world, someone would inevitably vie for the top position. Konoha, where Senju Hashirama resided, was the strongest ninja village in the ninja world; his death now signaled that the formidable Konoha was no longer an entity beyond others' prying eyes...

"Perhaps it has nothing to do with me anymore; I should be returning to the Pure Land."

Emiya Shihara had no desire to discuss the matter of war. He simply uttered words that profoundly shocked both Uchiha Madara and the hidden Black Zetsu.

"Hashirama is already dead."

Emiya Shihara looked up at the rain falling from the sky, then lowered his gaze back to Senju Hashirama's memorial portrait, speaking to himself: "The patient died during the course of treatment, and the doctor summoned through the Reanimation Jutsu naturally has no further purpose."

"That would be far too much of a waste of Lord Emiya's talents..."

Uchiha Madara raised his eyes, gazing at Emiya Shihara like a starving wolf. He still hoped to extract even more secrets from Emiya Shihara!

Emiya Shihara was a treasure trove!

Senju Tobirama was not the only one who had realized this!

Uchiha Madara believed that once he awakened the Rinnegan in the future, guided by Emiya Shihara, he would be able to master the power of the Rinnegan all the more swiftly, thereby expediting the execution of the peace plan left behind for this world by the Sage of Six Paths!

"..."

Compared to Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu, hiding underground, was visibly panicking inside, because its heart relied even more heavily on Emiya Shihara.

"Leave earlier."

"Mito's sensory perception is extremely keen."

"Your appearance may already have been detected by her."

Emiya Shihara seemed to have no intention of chatting further with Uchiha Madara. He simply offered a few words of persuasion, hoping the other party would not linger here too long, and equally wishing that Uchiha Madara would not start a war with Konoha.

"Hashirama has only just departed this world. I imagine that if you wage war against Konoha at this moment, it might prevent him from leaving in peace, and it would also grant me a brief moment of final tranquility..."

"Rest assured."

Uchiha Madara chuckled softly. He would hardly waste his strength at a time like this: "Before acquiring the Rinnegan, I have no intention of making any extraneous moves..."

"Besides..."

Uchiha Madara turned his gaze back to the memorial portrait, looking at the still-gentle Senju Hashirama upon it: "I came to Konoha today merely to see Hashirama off."

"Then that couldn't be better."

Emiya Shihara nodded slightly, speaking casually: "As a token of gratitude to you, before the time comes for me to leave this world, if you harbor any perplexities, you may come to find me once more. Hashirama is already dead, and you carry upon your shoulders another hope for peace in the ninja world..."

"Compared to answering questions..."

Uchiha Madara laughed, unsatisfied with Emiya Shihara's promise: "I would much rather obtain Lord Emiya's guidance..."

"Think it over carefully..."

"Lord Emiya, you will soon discover..."

Uchiha Madara's voice vanished along with his figure, his words carrying that same arrogant confidence: "This world will soon plunge into war once again. The path Hashirama wished to walk is doomed to be wrong; the path I intend to walk is the correct one!"

Black Zetsu did not quietly slip away alongside him.

In fact, shortly after Uchiha Madara departed, Black Zetsu's figure hurriedly materialized right in front of Emiya Shihara!

Yet without even waiting for Black Zetsu to speak, Emiya Shihara completely scrambled its brains with just a few sentences. His technique for deceiving Black Zetsu was already perfected to a masterclass level.

As Emiya Shihara looked at Black Zetsu, a smile bloomed on his face, as if he were about to impart the most wonderful news imaginable to it.

"Black Zetsu."

"I have found the Sage of Six Paths."

"As long as we can secure the help of the Sage of Six Paths, our Eye of the Moon Plan to resurrect Lady Kaguya will surely proceed much more smoothly..."

"..."

Black Zetsu remained completely silent, simply screaming profanities over and over in its mind.

Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, damn you to hell.