"Sorry, I'm not interested," Shirou replied, just as Tobirama had predicted. He didn't even glance at the new mission request that had popped up on his panel.
D-Rank Request: Win against Tsunade once at the gambling table.
His request list was perpetually stuck at [Unfinished Requests (2/3)], meaning he could only accept one more mission at a time.
To avoid any catastrophic mistakes, Shirou never dared to randomly accept requests—not since the incident in the Land of Iron. He'd accepted a quest to frame Danzo for something, as a petty punishment for the boy's earlier deception. It had turned into a logistical nightmare that took ages to resolve, teaching Shirou a valuable lesson in caution.
Of course, the most important reason was that Shirou had zero faith in his own luck. As a transmigrator, his luck was so abysmal that it had landed him a thousand years in the past, forcing him to manipulate ancient gods and primordial ooze just to scheme his way back to his own time.
What if he could never beat Tsunade?
Would he be stuck here forever over a D-rank quest?
The thought was a cosmic joke. Or worse, what if he won his first game, accepted the quest, and then embarked on a legendary losing streak that lasted until after he'd dealt with Kaguya? That would be an even bigger, more infuriating joke.
A mastermind's thousand-year plan, a scheme spanning life and death, all to complete one final mission and leave this world... only to be thwarted by three little dice. The sheer absurdity of it would be enough to make his soul self-destruct.
"Huh?" Little Tsunade, having finished counting her money, looked up at him with genuine curiosity. "You're not even interested in winning money?"
"There are more important things in this world to like and do," Shirou's gaze fell on her.
His eyes, a product of his reanimated form, were as still as a calm lake, yet they couldn't hide the strange brilliance that seemed to emanate from him. Anyone who looked at him saw a deep-seated compassion and kindness, an aura that even his undead state couldn't fully conceal.
"Little Tsuna, let me introduce you," Hashirama said, putting away the dice cup with a gentle laugh. "Remember the stories Grandma and Grandpa tell you every night before bed?"
"The stories of Lord Emiya Shirou?" A bright light immediately sparked in Tsunade's eyes. As a child, she lived for those bedtime stories, especially the ones Hashirama told, which always had a fairy-tale quality and a happy ending.
What five-year-old girl wouldn't love a story where, just as she felt sad for the villagers dying from a mysterious illness, the hero, Emiya Shirou, would appear to cure their diseases and save them from the brink of death?
Of course, Hashirama's stories were simple. For Tsunade, they were just a sweet dessert before bed. The real meal came from Uzumaki Mito. Her stories were more complex, more captivating, and unbelievably realistic.
She painted a picture of Shirou that was far more three-dimensional. When someone in Mito's stories dared to question his medical skills, little Tsunade would get genuinely angry.
Undoubtedly, these were the better stories. The protagonist, Shirou, rode in a massive cart pulled by a nine-tailed fox bigger than their house, a cute little slug often perched on his shoulder.
This strange and endearing trio traveled the ninja world, bringing hope to villages suffering from hardship. She had been heartbroken when the nine-tailed fox, worried its size would scare patients, wanted to be sealed away, but Shirou refused, valuing its freedom over convenience, leading to the fox's reluctant departure.
These stories, filled with truth, goodness, and beauty, were perfect for a five-year-old girl. They made her admire the protagonist, Emiya Shirou, more than anyone. It was because of them that she dreamed of becoming a great medical ninja herself.
"We tell her his stories every day," Hashirama said, a fond smile on his face as he recalled his own childhood. "Little Tsuna is just like I was. After hearing Lord Emiya's stories, she wants to be a medical ninja too."
He beamed with pride. "And she's already started refining her chakra! Her control is even better than mine was at her age! Maybe she's even stronger than me. In the future, she might really become an excellent medical ninja!"
"I definitely will!" Tsunade shot up, pouting as if her great-grandfather had slighted her. The money in her lap scattered across the floor, forgotten. "I won't give up like you, Great-Grandpa! I'll become the most amazing medical ninja, just like Lord Emiya Shirou!"
"I'll endure the pain the world can't endure and save the people who can't escape their suffering!"
Shirou watched the little girl's passionate declaration, a rare, thoughtful silence falling over him. Then, he spoke. "I'll be staying in Konoha for a while. If you have any questions, you can come and find me."
"Ah?" Hashirama's face lit up with pleasant surprise.
Tobirama, however, wasn't surprised at all. He understood Shirou's character. The man never hesitated to share his medical knowledge, carefully documenting every case and treatment plan for the benefit of future generations.
In the past ten years, his agents had brought back piles of these scrolls, enough to fill a secret room—a priceless treasure for the world. A great pity, then, that these case scrolls held none of the power-enhancing secrets Tobirama was actually interested in.
"I am Emiya Shirou," Shirou said, standing up and extending his hand to the dumbfounded Tsunade. "A medical ninja."
Tsunade just stared, her big eyes wide with disbelief. Shirou was so serious, so solemn, that she was slow to react. She could only gaze at his face, and then, almost mechanically, extend her own chubby little hand to meet his.
"My name is Tsunade," she mumbled, her face a mask of confusion and shock, still trying to process that the hero from her bedtime stories was standing right in front of her.
Hashirama's expression became equally solemn. Even the usually aloof Tobirama couldn't help but straighten up, his demeanor serious.
This was a moment they would likely never forget: a legendary figure, the founder of medical ninjutsu, crossing a millennium of life and death to acknowledge a child's dream and pass on his will to the future.
Of course, they would never know the full truth. They would never know that the crystal coffins—both the one in the Senju clan's vault and the backup in Shikkotsu Forest—had always been prepared for Tsunade.
She had always been the destined candidate, the one meant to bring Shirou's legacy back into the world. If Tobirama hadn't recklessly used the Impure World Reincarnation, it would have been Tsunade who revealed the crystal coffin to the world.
Even now, the candidate to control the second crystal coffin was still her.