Translator: PapaSmurf0700
The Konoha of this era was far from prosperous. Many of its buildings had a rough-hewn, almost temporary feel, as if constructed in a hurry by villagers with more pressing matters to attend to. Emiya Shirou didn't mind the simplicity; he was too busy curiously observing the scenery, fascinated by everything he saw in this world after his resurrection.
"This is the village where we live," Senju Tobirama said, signaling for the ANBU to maintain their perimeter as he struck up a conversation with the ancient sage. "It must be over a thousand years since your time, Lord Emiya."
"A thousand years?" Shirou seemed to drift for a moment, then sighed softly. "No wonder the architecture is so different from what I remember." After his brief comment, a realization dawned on him, and his expression turned joyful. "Speaking of which, if a thousand years have passed, medical ninjutsu must be incredibly advanced now! In my time, there was certainly no jutsu for resurrecting the dead. The wisdom of later generations is truly brilliant!"
Tobirama's expression suddenly became… subtle. "It is somewhat shameful," he began, letting out a long sigh. He hoped the man wouldn't be too disappointed. "That forbidden jutsu is primarily for combat. It was only by a stroke of immense luck that you were able to retain your consciousness. The medical arts of this era are, for the most part, still just as you established them."
"Is that so?" Shirou's face fell, his earlier excitement deflating like a punctured balloon. "In the end, did humanity still use the power of chakra for fighting?" For a medical ninja, war was the most detestable thing imaginable.
Tobirama had grown up hearing stories of Emiya Shirou, whose crystal coffin his clan had guarded for generations. He could guess the sage's ideals, but he needed this predecessor to accept reality. "Everything was for survival," he stated plainly. "To survive the brutal Warring States period, we had no choice but to continuously apply chakra to advance our combat abilities."
Tobirama held nothing back, recounting the chaos of the era. He also made sure to praise his older brother, hoping to impress upon Shirou just how vital Hashirama was to this new age. "Fortunately, the war has finally ended. My brother, Senju Hashirama, used his immense power to bring the chaotic era of the Warring States to a complete stop, establishing a peaceful system of nations and ninja villages. We invited other clans to create Konoha, allowing ninjas who once killed each other to put aside their hatred and become comrades."
He paused, seizing the opportunity to make a grand promise to the founder of medical ninjutsu. "As long as my brother's injuries can heal without affecting his lifespan, his prestige will surely maintain peace in the ninja world. Then, medical ninjutsu will certainly make great progress."
Emiya Shirou's gaze also became subtle. In the end, however, he chose not to expose the hollowness of Tobirama's promise. He sighed faintly. "Rest assured, I never fail a patient. Especially not when your surname is Senju."
Not a trace of embarrassment showed on Tobirama's face. Konoha's second-in-command had never cared much for his own pride; as long as he achieved his goal, the means were of little consequence. However, it seemed this deified sage from a thousand years ago had a story to tell. Recalling Shirou's relaxed demeanor at the mention of the Senju, Tobirama couldn't resist probing. "Lord Emiya, you must have some connection to our clan. The children of the Senju have all grown up listening to stories of you."
"You could say there's a small connection," Shirou mused. "If you are descendants of Asura."
"Asura?"
"That's right." Walking beside Tobirama, Shirou casually mentioned a piece of history he had witnessed firsthand. "I once had a friend named Asura. He couldn't use the surname his father left him, so I helped him choose two alternatives for his descendants." He looked at Tobirama. "One was Senju. The other was Uzumaki. It seems Asura's descendants chose the Senju name after all."
Senju Tobirama's pupils abruptly dilated. He had never imagined the origin of his clan's name came from this man. It couldn't be false. Both surnames existed, and the clans that grew from them—the Senju and the Uzumaki—were known to be distant relatives sharing a common ancestor.
"Actually," Tobirama said, taking a deep breath to steady himself, "both were used. The Uzumaki clan are our distant relatives." His voice was heavy. "It is truly unexpected that the surnames of both the Senju of the Forest and the Uzumaki clan came from you, Lord Emiya." He could already imagine his brother would have a few things to say about this when he woke up. Not only had he revived a globally respected figure with a forbidden jutsu, but that figure also turned out to be a close friend of their ancestor.
"Time flies, and the world changes," Shirou said, his tone filled with the weight of ages and a deep nostalgia, as if reminiscing about an old friend. "I truly didn't expect that after so much time, Asura's descendants still exist."
Tobirama remained silent. He could hear the genuine affection in Shirou's voice; he and this ancestor named Asura must have been very good friends. This was a good thing. It meant the man was likely to be friendly. Yet, even with a reputation as solid as Emiya Shirou's, tested by a millennium of history, Tobirama was pathologically cautious when it came to his brother. His nature made it impossible to fully trust a power he could not control.
Like the Uchiha clan.
Though the Uchiha were members of Konoha, Tobirama could not bring himself to trust a clan whose abilities were so volatile. Just a few days ago, their former leader, Madara Uchiha, had attacked Konoha with the Nine-Tails, leaving his brother grievously wounded. It was precisely for this reason that he had ordered the ANBU to increase their surveillance. Madara may have been killed, and the current Uchiha may be innocent, but Tobirama could not guarantee another dangerous figure like him wouldn't emerge from their ranks.
After all, his brother's appearance in the Senju clan was an exception. But Madara Uchiha's emergence in the Uchiha clan felt like an inevitability. Their kekkei genkai, the Sharingan, was born from what he considered evil chakra. It could evolve under unpredictable circumstances, and sooner or later, another dangerous, malevolent person like Madara would surely be born. It was a hidden danger that gnawed at him.
"I wonder," Shirou said suddenly, breaking the silence, "if Indra's descendants are still around." Seeing Tobirama's confusion, he began to explain. "Indra and Asura were brothers. Back then, Indra did not agree with our philosophy. Asura and I believed that chakra should be a power for people to understand and help one another. Indra believed chakra was a power to rule the world. In the end, we went our separate ways. I don't know what surname Indra's descendants took."
As he spoke, he feigned ignorance but carefully described their traits. "However, his descendants should have also inherited a miraculous and powerful kekkei genkai. This power generates a unique chakra in their eyes, and upon evolution, it can unleash strange and powerful eye techniques."
"That eye technique is called the Sharingan," Tobirama supplied, his voice flat. The Hokage's aide's eyes darkened. So, Indra and Asura were brothers. That troublesome clan also shared roots with the Senju.
However… so the Uchiha were inherently evil! The ancestor of the Uchiha clan was just that depraved! Compared to the righteous ancestor of the Senju, Asura, the Uchiha's progenitor, Indra, had the wicked ambition of using chakra to rule the world. No wonder even a medical ninja with a character as noble as Emiya Shirou was unwilling to associate with their vile Uchiha ancestor.