Senju Hashirama was dead.
A blanket of sorrow descended upon Konoha. For the villagers, he was their pillar, the very reason they had a place to call home. At his funeral, it seemed all of Konoha attended. Ninjas from every clan, clad in black, placed white flowers on the First Hokage's tombstone.
"I miss Great-Grandpa," little Tsunade whispered, wiping tears from her small face.
"Death is not the end," Emiya Shirou said, his voice calm as he held her hand. They stood at the very front, his gaze fixed on the funeral photo. "As long as Konoha exists, Hashirama's name will live on in these people's hearts. They will remember the man who ended the Warring States period. Their descendants will remember the founder of Konoha."
He continued, his voice a solemn echo in the quiet grief. "Human life is short. To make it feel longer, people do many things. Some try to extend their lifespan, even to achieve immortality. Others choose to let more precious things exist in their place, like children who carry on their bloodline, or a will inherited through spirit. As long as someone remembers his name, Hashirama is not truly dead. He still lives in this world."
"I'll always remember Great-Grandpa," Tsunade clenched her tiny fists, her eyes becoming resolute. Her small hand tightened around Shirou's cold fingers.
A group of Konoha ninjas couldn't help but shed tears at Shirou's words. Tobirama stood among them, arms crossed, his expression unreadable as he stared at the photo.
"Lord Emiya is right," he said, his voice cold and impersonal, yet loud enough for the crowd to hear. "As long as the will to protect Konoha, left by the First Hokage, is passed down, he will never be dead."
The funeral ended. Rain began to fall. Tobirama led a group of ninjas away. By popular demand, he had already taken over as the Second Hokage. He had a lot of work to do.
Many of his tougher policies, previously blocked by his soft-hearted brother, could now be implemented.
Only Tsunade remained in front of the tombstone, unwilling to leave. Shirou held a large leaf over her head, shielding her from the rain.
With no one else around, her mind began to wander. "Lord Emiya," she said, her small face stained with tears. "Was it because I won... that Great-Grandpa passed away? It must be because I won that last bet..."
"It's not your fault," Shirou said, frowning as he sensed a presence nearby. "Tsunade, we should go. There are other people who want to pay their respects."
"No need to hide from me, Lord Emiya," a familiar, arrogant voice cut through the rain.
Madara Uchiha.
Of course.
Only he would show up at a time like this. He didn't seem to care that he'd been spotted, nor was he worried about Mito's sensory abilities or the entire village of Konoha. After their long and complicated history, Madara had come to see his old friend off.
And with him, of course, came the ever-lurking Black Zetsu, who had spent years helping Madara evade Hashirama's pursuit.
Madara walked over, letting the rain soak his hair. He held a bouquet of white flowers, which he placed in front of the tombstone. His expression was complex as he looked at Hashirama's photo. "I was still thinking of letting you see the future I will dominate," he murmured.
Tsunade, terrified, hid behind Shirou. Even though Madara was tall and handsome, his long hair draped over his face gave him a fierce, intimidating aura.
"This little brat," Madara grumbled, some bad memories resurfacing as he saw her cower.
Am I not acting friendly enough? What's she so scared of?
Do I really look that scary?
"This is Hashirama's granddaughter," Shirou said, squatting down. He handed the leaf to Tsunade. "You go back first."
"Lord Emiya," she stubbornly wanted to stay.
"Be good," Shirou's voice became stern, which immediately made her shrink back. She fumbled with the leaf and hurried away into the rain.
"I'm not going to give a little brat a hard time," Madara sneered, a hint of curiosity in his tone. "It seems you're very fond of her."
"She has the highest talent for learning medical ninjutsu," Shirou replied, his gaze following Tsunade's stumbling retreat.
"So that's how it is," Madara nodded, understanding. He got to the point. "Hashirama is dead. The peaceful order he left behind will soon collapse."
Shirou was silent. It was an obvious truth. The entire ninja world was eyeing the Land of Fire with greedy eyes.
"Perhaps it has nothing to do with me," Shirou said, changing the subject to something that shocked both Madara and the hidden Black Zetsu. "I should be returning to the underworld. The patient died during treatment. A doctor resurrected by Edo Tensei is of no use anymore."
"That would be a waste of your talents," Madara's eyes lifted, staring at Shirou like a hungry wolf. He still hoped to get more secrets from him. Shirou was a treasure, and Madara knew it just as well as Tobirama did.
Compared to Madara, Black Zetsu was clearly panicking. It relied on Shirou far more.
"You should leave soon," Shirou said, not wanting to chat. "Mito's sensory ability is very strong. Your appearance may have already been detected. Hashirama has just left this world. If you start a war with Konoha now, it might not let him rest in peace, and it will also allow me to spend my last moments in peace."
"Don't worry," Madara chuckled. "Before I get the Rinnegan, I won't make any extra moves. Besides," he looked back at the photo, "I came today just to see Hashirama off."
"That would be for the best," Shirou nodded. "As a token of my thanks, if you have any confusion before I leave this world, you can come find me again. Hashirama is dead, and you also carry another hope for peace."
"Compared to answering questions," Madara smiled, "I would rather hope to receive your guidance. Think about it carefully, Lord Emiya. You will soon find out that this world will fall into war again. The path Hashirama wanted to take is destined to be wrong. The path I want to take is the right one!"
His voice disappeared along with his figure.
Black Zetsu did not leave with him. It hurried to appear in front of Shirou, but before it could speak, Shirou completely stunned it with a few perfectly crafted sentences, his technique for deceiving the primordial being now perfected.
A smile appeared on his face. "Black Zetsu," he said, as if sharing great news. "I have found the Sage of Six Paths. As long as we can get his help, our Project Tsuki no Me to revive Lady Kaguya will surely be smoother."
Black Zetsu was silent, not saying a word, just cursing profanely in the deepest, darkest corners of its non-existent heart.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo, you...