Bonds
Although the Three Little Ones were curious, they didn't press Yamada for details he clearly didn't want to share.
After their meal, Chong Jie and Qing Yu left together—clearly a date—while Yamada claimed he was off to meet an "old friend." But Shirō suspected it was a female old friend.
Not knowing the local specialties, Shirō simply went with the flow, casually buying small items based on the others' preferences. It wasn't a big deal—just a habit he carried over from his previous life. Back then, whenever he returned from a trip, he would always bring back small gifts for his friends. This was the first time he'd done the same here. The last time he left the village, the war had been too intense for such leisurely thoughts.
To be honest, there weren't many people he felt like giving gifts to. He didn't mingle with kids his age—acting cute and childish was a tactic, not a genuine part of his personality. And adults saw him as too young to relate to.
So, the list of gift recipients was short. His family, naturally. Then, Maito Dai and his son, Might Guy—two of the few characters from the original plot that Shirō had personally met. He'd encountered them during early morning training, and even though the anime exaggerated some features, these two were unmistakable in real life.
After all, a bowl-cut hairstyle, green jumpsuits, and an obsession with shouting things like "YOUTH!" and "BURNING PASSION!"—that kind of visual assault stood out anywhere, even in the ninja world.
What shocked Shirō was how truly simple-minded they were—perhaps even more so than in the anime. He'd trained with them once, just a single morning. His training volume had been much lighter, but he had earnestly expressed admiration for their Ninja Way. In the original work, both Dai and Guy had proven themselves with conviction and grit—qualities Shirō deeply respected.
Those few words moved Maito Dai to tears—literally. From that day on, if they were in the village, the father and son duo showed up to drag Shirō into their daily morning workouts. His father gave him odd looks for weeks afterward.
Thankfully, with more missions, Shirō's morning training with the two gradually tapered off, helping him shake his father's strange suspicions.
Of course, training together was a loose term. Even at four years old, Might Guy's workout volume nearly matched Shirō's. And Shirō was barely three years old at the time!
To that, Shirō could only sigh in admiration—Might Guy is truly Might Guy. No wonder he achieved so much later.
For them, any small gift would suffice. Shirō knew what Dai really wanted—but there were lines even he wouldn't cross.
A good relationship was one thing. Wearing that forgiving green jumpsuit was another. Never. Not in this life. As for the "you'll grow to like it" trope? Shirō scoffed. Over his dead body.
While Dai and Guy were easy, she was the tough one.
A key character in the plot: Uzumaki Kushina.
Yes, that Kushina—the future mother of Naruto Uzumaki.
Shirō had met her by what could only be described as accidental inevitability. Back then, he hadn't even graduated from the Academy. One day after class, while wandering through the village, he spotted a red-haired girl—and instantly recognized her.
That was it. He decided then and there—he had to cling to this thigh!
Due to the ongoing war, Minato Namikaze, Kushina's lover, was constantly away on missions. Meanwhile, Kushina, as the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, was confined to the village under ANBU surveillance.
Perfect, Shirō had thought. Minato's busy. Kushina's stuck here. If she's lonely, that's my chance.
(Yes, it sounded predatory, but he didn't care. It was war. Desperate times, desperate measures.)
Playing the innocent child, he approached her. Though he knew about the ANBU watchers, he wasn't too worried. In truth, the Third Hokage only gave a brief glance into his background—confirming the Emiya family's long-standing but unremarkable history in Konoha. Harmless, civilian clan. Known. Monitored. Cleared.
And so began Shirō's first foray into acting cute.
That day, seeing Kushina walking alone, he took a deep breath and made his move.
"Big sister, why is your hair red? It's so pretty!"
Ever since falling for Minato, Kushina had come to love her red hair—something she once disliked. So yes, love really does make you blind.
At the compliment, Kushina smiled like she'd swallowed a love story whole.
"Haha, little guy, it's inherited! But what are you doing out here alone?"
Though her smile nearly blinded him, Shirō endured.
"I'm not little! I'm a ninja! I can go out by myself!"
"Ohh, a ninja, huh? Do you know any ninjutsu then?"
"Ninjutsu? Real ninjas don't need ninjutsu! They fight head-on!" Shirō shouted, his cheeks puffed with effort and chakra.
"Haha, that's brave! Alright, how about big sister treats you to something?"
"…Mom says not to take food from strangers."
"Then let's not be strangers! I'm Uzumaki Kushina. What's your name?"
"I'm not little! And I'm Shirō. Emiya Shirō."
"Okay, okay—Shirō is not little, he's a big man! So now we know each other. How about a treat?"
"…Okay."
(Internally: Success! Free food + high-level bond unlocked!)
Kushina, perhaps genuinely lonely with Minato away, opened up easily. While eating, she shared stories—including her relationship with Minato. She glossed over darker moments, like the kidnapping by Kumogakure, keeping things light but meaningful.
Later, she asked, "Little Shirō, are you learning ninjutsu?"
"Yes, but it's hard… I haven't learned much yet…" Shirō looked down, pretending to be embarrassed.
"It's okay! Big sister's a ninja too! I can teach you!"
"Really? That's awesome!"
From that day forward, whenever Minato was away, Kushina would guide Shirō through basic ninjutsu. Their bond grew. Eventually, he even met Minato. Over time, Kushina saw through Shirō's "innocence"—and while that earned him the occasional beating, their friendship remained intact.
Thinking of all this, Shirō paused mid-step, smiling as he gazed up at the sky—imagining Dai, Guy, Kushina, Minato… even Yamada and the others.
Why does that feel ominous…?
"So… I've made this many bonds in this world," Shirō murmured. "Then I'll work even harder. This time, I won't let your plan succeed, Madara… I'll stop the Nine-Tails Incident!"
Yes, in the original timeline, Obito triggered the incident. But Shirō was convinced that Madara's hand was behind it too. There were few better opportunities to cripple Konoha than just after the Third Shinobi War.
Of course, saying anything now was pointless. Even if he guessed where Madara was hiding, who would believe a kid? Worse, he couldn't detect White Zetsu, so speaking up might alert the enemy. And even old and near-death, Madara could still kill him with a glance.
So, Shirō's current strategy: Lay low until the Nine-Tails incident.
Originally, he planned to stay quiet until Pain's invasion—the one where Konoha got flattened and then revived. That was the perfect reckless window.
But… he gave in too soon.
Still, not a bad outcome.
Thinking back on his life in the village, Shirō's smile widened.
"Forget it. Let's see if there's anything decent to buy."
In the end, the small town had little to offer. After browsing briefly, he bought some random gifts and returned to the inn.
There, he resumed practicing Reinforcement Magic. Projection Magic wasn't useful yet—his chakra reserves weren't enough to recreate even the weakest Noble Phantasm. So he focused on honing Reinforcement, burning through chakra and reviewing the previous day's battle. He analyzed his mistakes, especially the subtle combat differences between projected ninja tools and real ones.
Eventually, Yamada and Qing Yu returned—along with a pile of bags.
"What's all this?" Shirō asked, raising an eyebrow. "These aren't for me, right?"
"Hehe, smart kid," Qing Yu grinned. "C'mon, help us seal them."
"Why not ask Yamada-sensei?"
"I'm out of scrolls. You're the only one on the team who still has some—and the only one who knows how to use them!" Yamada replied, looking far too smug.
"…I regret learning sealing from Kushina," Shirō muttered.
Speaking of which, his sealing skills were indeed taught by Kushina. When she first offered, Shirō thought she was crazy. Why pass on such a precious Uzumaki technique?
Turned out… she wasn't. She only taught him basic sealing techniques, nothing inherited or clan-exclusive.
Even so, it was knowledge he wouldn't trade for anything.