"The gap between life and death…"
Senju Tobirama's expression darkened. A question rose unbidden in his mind. "What exactly is the gap between life and death? Apart from souls returning to the Pure Land or being devoured by the God of Death, is there somewhere else the dead appear?"
Shihara Emiya's calm eyes met his. "The gap between life and death is the rift between the Underworld and the living world," he said softly. "It is a place where souls cannot find liberation, because they are chained to an obsession they could not release at the moment of death. It is an existence even more desolate than the Pure Land…"
Tobirama fell silent, brow furrowing. As the creator of the Impure World Reincarnation technique, he understood something of what Shihara meant. That forbidden jutsu called souls back from the underworld, but only from the Pure Land itself. A soul caught in this rift—adrift between life and death—might be beyond even his reach.
Perhaps the Pure Land really was the only final destination.
And the gap between life and death was a place worse than death itself.
If a soul could not free its obsession, it would be like a body condemned to endless hunger, unable to satisfy its most basic desire. The space between life and death must be incredibly painful.
Shihara's gaze drifted to Hashirama. "It is also the space where the Sage of Six Paths resides."
"It would be… interesting to meet him." Hashirama actually smiled. He had already decided, regardless of the risk, to try. "I really want to ask him a few things myself."
"I must remind you," Shihara said quietly. "If this plan fails, your soul may remain forever in that rift. You will be neither living nor dead."
His eyes held Hashirama's steadily. "A soul whose obsession cannot be resolved becomes lonely and tormented. It seems connected to both the world and the underworld, but in truth it is an isolated island. There is no time, no space, no past, no future. You will not even know what you are doing. You will have only one thought: to satisfy the obsession you held at death. Only when that obsession is fulfilled can your soul awaken. Only by dissolving it can you return to the underworld as a conscious soul and find satisfaction in the Pure Land."
"Brother!" Tobirama's voice was low, but there was a flicker of regret in it. "If you end up in that gap, even my Impure World Reincarnation might not be able to summon you back."
Hashirama barely seemed to hear. He was deep in thought, ignoring his brother's warning as he searched himself for the obsession that bound him.
"My obsession…"
"It must be Madara, right?"
Tobirama's face darkened. "Brother… what nonsense are you talking about? You're on the edge of death and still obsessed with Uchiha Madara? Wasn't a ten-year hunt enough?"
But even as he scolded, he understood. Uchiha Madara had been his brother's greatest friend and greatest rival. Their bond had been forged in childhood, broken by war, tested by betrayal, and carried through a decade-long pursuit. It was natural that Madara would be the last thing on Hashirama's mind.
"So…" Hashirama said slowly. "All I need to do now is go to death carrying my obsession with Madara?"
"That's right." Shihara nodded. "Letting your soul's will appear in the underworld this way is the easiest way to contact the Sage of Six Paths."
"Before that…" Shihara raised his palm. "Before your life ends, before your soul leaves your body, I will place you on the border between life and death and draw your consciousness into that space. In simple terms, you may die, or you may live. Your life will temporarily be in a strange state, like the vegetative patients once treated at Konoha Hospital, lasting only until your body truly dies."
His brow creased. "This time will be very short. If the Sage does not act, your body will die within minutes. We can only wait for your soul to return in that brief window."
"Only a few minutes lost…" Hashirama chuckled, lying back with a relaxed expression, softer than he had worn in years. "I'll hope my luck holds."
"Then go to death with your obsession." Shihara's eyes narrowed slightly as he placed his hand on Hashirama's body, feeling his life ebbing away. "Die with it, praying you meet God at the brink."
"Say what you need to say now," he added quietly. "This may be your last chance."
"I understand." Hashirama's gaze flicked to the still-sleeping Tsunade beside him. A smile touched his lips before he looked back at Shihara. "Thank you… Lord Emiya. I've troubled you so much over the years…"
His voice weakened. His eyes shifted to his younger brother. "Tobirama… the future of Konoha… it's up to you now…"
"I understand, big brother." Tobirama's reply was heavy. He had already been publicly nominated as the Second Hokage; he had long prepared to shoulder that burden. In truth, he had been carrying it for years, safeguarding the village his brother built. If Hashirama truly died, Tobirama would not allow Konoha to collapse.
"That's good… that's good…" Hashirama's eyelids slowly closed. Chakra drained from his body as he murmured the name of the friend he had pursued his entire life. "Madara…"
Tobirama's expression was dark as he watched his brother slip toward death, whispering the name of his former friend. The room fell silent.
Hashirama's body lay still on the bed. Strands of emerald chakra pierced his body like long needles, barely sustaining a sliver of life. The First Hokage's consciousness was gone. He lay as if forever dying—the man who had once reigned supreme in the Warring States Period now completely silent.
"Is this… a success or a failure?" Tobirama's eyes darted from Shihara to his brother's strange state. "Lord Emiya, when will we know if our plan worked?"
"Perhaps…" Shihara shook his head. "If the Sage wished to save him, he would have acted at the instant between life and death, returning his soul to the living body. We can only know the outcome after his body is completely dead…"
But then Shihara bent, gently lifting the sleeping Tsunade from Hashirama's arm. "Let's prepare Hashirama's funeral in advance," he said quietly, turning to go.
Tobirama's face tightened. He had anticipated his brother's death when he entrusted him to Shihara as a last resort, yet his heart still clenched with pain. Big brother might really be gone. Even their last hope might be shattered.
"Why won't the Sage intervene…" he murmured, looking down at the man he had always admired. "Is it really as Lord Emiya says—that the peaceful era we built is insignificant to that almighty god?"
"To him…" Shihara replied calmly, adjusting the child in his arms so she slept more comfortably, "perhaps there are truly no people worth noting in this era. Even your brother and Uchiha Madara, brilliant as they are, may be only tiny candle flames in the darkness of a room—while the gods dwell in a sky lit by sun and moon. Such flickers are not worth a second glance."
Even I am the same, he thought. But as time passed, Shihara also believed his test of the Sage had at last yielded results.
Just as he was about to leave with Tsunade, the body on the bed suddenly stirred. Hashirama Senju's eyes snapped open.
"Brother!" Tobirama cried in joy, hurrying to the bedside. "Sir Emiya, he's awake!"
Shihara's heart clenched. Hashirama's awakening could only mean one thing. Was the Sage finally going to intervene in the human world? How much power did the legendary god still possess?
"Sorry… Tobirama…" Hashirama said with a faint smile. "I may disappoint you. This may just be a brief reunion. My life is indeed insignificant in the vastness of history… hahaha…"
But his gaze shifted to Shihara, and for the first time a look of true respect and admiration crossed his face. "Yet in this world there is still a radiance of life even gods respect. The Sage of Six Paths asked me to apologise to Lord Emiya…"
To lie to one person is wrong.
If you lie to someone, you must lie to their whole family.
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