The Hidden Leaf Village was far from prosperous.
At least, not in this era.
Many of its buildings were rudimentary in design, as if hastily constructed to meet the needs of a busy, overburdened populace.
Emiya Shihara, however, paid little mind to the village's simplicity. Instead, he observed the sights of the Leaf Village with quiet curiosity, taking in the world he'd returned to with keen interest.
"This is the village we call home."
As Senju Tobirama issued orders to the ANBU to tighten security, he carried on his conversation with Emiya Shihara, recounting the story of this era:
"It's been over a thousand years since your time, Lord Emiya…"
"A thousand years, huh?"
A wistful sigh escaped Shihara's lips. There was a flicker of melancholy in his eyes.
"No wonder the architecture looks so different from what I remember…"
After making his observations about the village's construction, Shihara suddenly seemed struck by a thought, and his expression brightened with a hint of excitement.
"If it's really been a thousand years, then medical ninjutsu must have advanced tremendously by now! Back in my time, we didn't have anything like techniques that could resurrect the dead. The ingenuity of those who came after me is truly remarkable."
"…"
Tobirama's expression grew complicated.
"…It's a bit embarrassing to admit."
He sighed, his voice tinged with restraint, as though hoping Shihara wouldn't hold overly high expectations.
"The technique used to revive you was actually a forbidden jutsu, designed for combat. I was fortunate just to preserve your consciousness. Modern medical ninjutsu… hasn't progressed much beyond what you originally established."
"I see…"
Shihara's expression visibly darkened, as if the ideals he held dear had just crumbled.
"So humanity has continued to use chakra primarily for war…"
To a man devoted to healing, war was the very antithesis of his beliefs.
Having grown up with tales of Emiya Shihara—the medical sage revered by the Senju clan—Tobirama had a good sense of what the man once stood for. Yet now, he could only hope this ancient figure would come to terms with reality.
"All of it… was for survival."
"To make it through the brutal Warring States Era, we had no choice but to harness chakra to strengthen our combat abilities."
Tobirama did not sugarcoat the truth. He gave Shihara a frank account of the chaos and bloodshed that defined that era. At the same time, he couldn't resist slipping in some praise for his elder brother, hoping Shihara would understand just how important Hashirama had become in this age.
"Fortunately…"
"The wars finally came to an end."
"My brother, Senju Hashirama, used his overwhelming strength to put an end to the centuries of strife and establish a system of peace through the creation of nations and hidden villages."
"We reached out to other clans and built the Hidden Leaf Village—a place where former enemies could set aside old grudges and become comrades, living and fighting side by side."
"As for the future…"
Tobirama paused, seizing the moment to sell a hopeful vision to the founder of medical ninjutsu.
"If my brother's wounds heal and his lifespan isn't affected, then with his influence, peace can be sustained in the shinobi world. Medical ninjutsu is sure to advance even further."
"…"
Shihara's gaze shifted subtly, the flicker of a complex emotion crossing his face.
But in the end, he didn't directly call out Tobirama's optimistic pitch. He simply sighed and murmured,
"Don't worry. I've never turned my back on a patient… and besides, you bear the name Senju."
"…"
Tobirama's face remained untroubled, utterly free of embarrassment.
As the acting leader of the village, he had long ceased caring about appearances. If sacrificing pride could achieve his goals, so be it.
And yet…
This saint from a millennium past seemed to carry more than just the burden of time—he seemed to carry secrets.
Tobirama recalled how relaxed Shihara had been when mentioning the Senju clan and couldn't help but probe gently for more information.
"Lord Emiya, you must have some connection to our Senju clan. All of our children have grown up listening to stories about you…"
"There's some connection, I suppose."
"If you're descendants of Asura…"
"Asura?"
"That's right."
Shihara walked beside Tobirama, speaking casually as he recounted a fragment of history long buried.
"I had a friend named Asura. He couldn't use the family name passed down from his father, so I gave him two surnames he could pass on to his descendants…"
"One was Senju."
"The other was Uzumaki."
Shihara turned his gaze toward Tobirama, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.
"So… Asura's descendants chose to carry the name Senju after all."
"…"
Tobirama's eyes widened in shock.
He hadn't expected the origin of their clan name to be so… profound.
But it couldn't be a lie—because both names did, in fact, exist.
The Senju and Uzumaki clans had coexisted for generations. They were distant relatives, each tracing their lineage back to the same ancestor.
"Actually…"
"Both names were used."
"The Uzumaki clan is our distant kin."
Tobirama took a slow breath, his voice low and steady.
"It's astonishing… To think the names of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans came from Lord Emiya…"
No doubt, once his elder brother awoke, he'd have plenty to say about this revelation.
Especially considering Tobirama had used the Forbidden Reanimation Jutsu to bring back a man so highly revered, and one who—by sheer coincidence—was personally tied to their ancient lineage.
"Time passes… The world changes."
Shihara's voice was heavy with memory and emotion, as though he were thinking of an old friend.
"I never imagined Asura's descendants would still be alive after all these years…"
"…"
Tobirama said nothing.
He could tell that Shihara and Asura must have shared a close bond.
And that was a good thing.
It meant Shihara was likely to be a friend, not a threat.
Still, Tobirama was not one to trust blindly. Despite Shihara's legendary reputation, hard-earned through centuries of reverence, Tobirama's caution always took precedence—especially when it came to matters involving his elder brother.
Like the Uchiha clan.
Even though the Uchiha were citizens of the Hidden Leaf, Tobirama could never fully trust a clan whose abilities were so volatile… so dangerous.
Just days ago, Uchiha Madara—the former clan head who had left the village long ago—returned and unleashed the Nine-Tails upon the village, wounding Hashirama grievously in the process.
Because of that…
Tobirama had ordered ANBU to increase surveillance on the Uchiha.
Although Madara had finally been killed by his brother's hand, and though the remaining Uchiha might be innocent, Tobirama could not ignore the possibility that another threat might someday arise from their ranks.
After all…
His brother's existence was an anomaly in the Senju.
But Madara's existence was not an anomaly in the Uchiha.
The Uchiha possessed a bloodline ability born from sinister chakra—the Sharingan. This eye could evolve unpredictably and was all too likely to give rise to another Madara in the future.
A dangerous potential.
"…I wonder,"
Shihara said quietly, "if Indra's descendants are still around…"
At the mention of a new name, Tobirama furrowed his brow. Sensing the unfamiliarity, Shihara offered an explanation.
"Indra and Asura were brothers."
"Indra and I… We had a falling out. Our ideals were incompatible."
"Asura and I believed chakra was a force for understanding and healing the world. Indra believed it was a power meant to rule it."
"In the end…"
"We went our separate ways."
"I don't know what name Indra's descendants might carry."
As he spoke, Shihara seemed genuinely uncertain about Indra's legacy. But he thoughtfully described a unique trait passed down through Indra's line.
"His descendants should carry a bloodline ability as well—one that manifests chakra through the eyes. With time, this ability can evolve and grant terrifying powers…"
"That eye," Tobirama said darkly, "is called the Sharingan."
A cold glint flickered in Tobirama's gaze. The revelation struck a chord—so the Uchiha and the Senju were distant kin after all, descended from two ancient brothers.
It made sense.
But it only confirmed Tobirama's suspicions.
The Uchiha were cursed from the very start.
Their ancestor, Indra, had chosen a path of domination. Compared to Asura, who stood for peace and compassion, Indra's ideology had planted the seeds of chaos.
Even a man as noble as Emiya Shihara, a paragon of virtue, had chosen not to walk the same path as Indra.
So of course…