In the Stone Village camp, Shirou was being treated like a guest of honor. Even his plus-one was the Second Mizukage himself.
However, the attitudes of both the Second Tsuchikage, Mū, and the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki, were crystal clear: "We'll grant any of Lord Emiya's requests... except for ending the war."
"We, too, hope to seek justice for Lord Emiya," Gengetsu said, his face a perfect mask of a concerned, good person. "That fiend, the Second Hokage, desecrating the soul of the dead—and a great medical ninja like Lord Emiya, no less! Our sense of justice simply cannot tolerate it!"
Onoki, standing by to serve, was gobsmacked by the sheer, unadulterated shamelessness of the man with the tiny mustache. How could he say something so outrageously false with such a smooth, silky delivery, right to the man's face?
"I will persuade Tobirama not to use that forbidden jutsu anymore," Shirou said with a frown, his voice laced with a convincing lack of confidence. "To me, whether my soul is desecrated or not is irrelevant. What's necessary is to end this war and prevent more innocents from dying."
"So it is a forbidden jutsu used by that insidious Hokage?" Gengetsu immediately seized the opening, as if he'd just uncovered a massive conspiracy. "Such a jutsu is simply too despicable and shameless!"
Shirou gave him a strange look.
Why do you sound a bit like Madara?
"Lord Emiya," Mū chimed in, his face a mask of pained reluctance, as if he hadn't been the one to start this whole mess. "We know of your noble character. However, we have already launched this righteous war. Stone Village's supplies are already on their way to the front lines, and Mist Village's ninjas are crossing the sea as we speak. We can't simply stop everything now. The situation in the Land of Earth is complex... this was a joint decision with the Daimyo. My hands are tied."
"The Land of Water is even more complex," Gengetsu added, stroking his mustache with an air of grave difficulty. "If we just pack up and go home, some of the ninja clans might see it as weakness. There could be a rebellion."
Onoki, listening from the side, felt a second-hand wave of shame. He knew perfectly well that the Tsuchikage held sole authority in military matters. If he wanted to end the war, he could.
But his teacher was a different man today. He wasn't even choking on his words as he delivered this masterclass in political theater.
"Is there really no other way?" Shirou asked, his face a picture of dejection, as if he genuinely believed their flimsy excuses. "Must blood really flow like a river?"
"Unless the First Hokage is resurrected," Mū said, throwing out an impossible condition with a completely straight face. "Only someone with his strength and heart for peace could make our nations submit willingly."
"Unfortunately, Hashirama is already dead," Shirou sighed, looking utterly helpless. "My power is not what it once was. But... if I were to make a move... I could try to pacify this unnecessary war. Do I need to defeat everyone here to end this?"
A look of shock flashed across Mū's face. Gengetsu, too, was taken aback. Everyone knew Shirou was a brilliant medical ninja. But a fighter?
It seemed unlikely.
"Lord Emiya," Mū said, hesitating. "Are you saying you want to end this war by yourself?"
"Yes," Shirou nodded. "If I make a move, there shouldn't be too many casualties, and you'll have a convenient excuse when you go back."
"We don't want to harm Lord Emiya," Mū subconsciously protested, launching into a long-winded speech. "Stone Village owes you a great debt. I should have agreed to your request in the first place. How could I..."
He even shot a meaningful glance at Onoki, as if to say, Listen and learn, kid.
Gengetsu, however, had no patience for this. He was about to cut him off, but Shirou spoke first.
"You don't have to worry about hurting me. A reanimated body is immortal. You can only stop me by destroying my body and sealing me."
Mū fell silent, helpless.
"How about this," Gengetsu said, sensing an opportunity. Stroking his mustache, he proposed, "Since Lord Emiya won't be injured, let me and the bandage man here attack together. If we lose, we'll end the war. After all, if the Kage of two villages both lose, no one else on the battlefield could stop you."
"You're too shameless," Mū whispered to Gengetsu, wanting to curse him out. "And you think I would lose to Lord Emiya?"
"Nonsense!" Gengetsu shot back. "He's a ninja from the ancient era. Even as a medic, he might have some strange fighting methods. We absolutely cannot lose! If two Kage lose, it would be too embarrassing."
"Indeed," Mū's mentality was surprisingly stable. His eyes grew dim. "So, just don't hold me back."
Shirou remained silent, not answering.
These two... they really are thick-skinned.
The Mizukage wanted to team up on him. He glanced at his mission panel. Three requests had just popped up.
[S-Rank Request: Defeat the Second Tsuchikage, Mū.]
[S-Rank Request: Defeat the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki.]
[SSS-Rank Request: Pacify the First Great Ninja War.]
So, if I beat these three, the war ends. Simple enough.
He accepted the mission for Mū first. The reward was likely Dust Release, a power he'd always wanted to add to his collection. He thought for a second, then made a suggestion. "How about we also invite Lord Shamon, the Second Kazekage? Perhaps that would make things less troublesome."
The two Kage stared, shocked.
Is he serious?
It seemed he was. And when the news reached the Second Kazekage, he immediately agreed.
"Lord Shamon," his jonin advisor, Chiyo, protested. "Lord Emiya once saved our ancestors. The antidote for scorpion poison we still use today was left by him. If the people knew you were fighting him..."
"The war must continue!" Shamon snapped, his reputation be damned. "If Stone and Mist pull out, Sand gets nothing! If we win, we form a new alliance and attack Konoha! If we lose... well, we'll just be following His Excellency's wish to end the war. No one back home can complain. Either way, it's a win-win." In truth, he knew as well as the others that only a figure with Shirou's legendary prestige could end a war in such a bizarrely peaceful manner.
-----
The news of the "gambling match" spread like wildfire. Ninjas from all five great villages gathered to watch.
"Cloud has already prepared the alliance ceremony," said A, the Raikage's guard and future Third Raikage, standing beside the Konoha representative, Sarutobi Sasuke. "If this match fails, we'll have to start a joint operation."
"Lord Hokage is on his way," Sasuke replied with a sigh. "If peace can be achieved this way, it would be for the best."
"Who do you think will win?" A asked.
"It should be Lord Emiya," Sasuke said confidently. He'd seen the man pacify the Nine-Tails.
"But can they really keep their promise?" A was skeptical. "The people of Iwa are notoriously cunning."
"Are they going to break their promise to Lord Emiya?" A surge of fighting spirit appeared on Sasuke's face. "If they dare, the ninjas of Konoha will fight to the death to protect his reputation!"
A didn't know what to say. Konoha's position was already morally shaky, having desecrated Shirou's soul in the first place.
But they soon didn't have to worry. Because the person presiding over the match finally appeared. With a deafening boom, a figure in red battle armor landed in the center of the field, radiating an aura of wild arrogance that struck fear into the hearts of everyone present.
Madara Uchiha
Only he could guarantee the promised peace.
"Hmph," Madara sneered, looking contemptuously at the three Kage. "Your luck is good, getting Lord Emiya to end the war this way. Besides the dead Hashirama, the only person in this world who could defeat me is Lord Emiya."
The Tsuchikage's heart sank. The faces of the Mizukage and Kazekage changed. They had no idea about this piece of information.
Not good... did we pick a fight with someone even more troublesome than Madara?
"It's not the same," Shirou spoke up, stopping their wild thoughts. "At that time, your condition was just excessively weak. Your power was originally above mine."
"Hmph," Madara laughed, satisfied. His gaze was still arrogant, but his words were a sincere praise for Shirou. "Although I'd like to accept that praise, I still don't have enough confidence to fight him. I'm not as confident as these three."
Madara wasn't lying. The sheer scale of Shirou's soul was something he had no confidence in fighting. Besides, challenging a medical ninja, especially one at a fraction of his power, was just... embarrassing.
And ganging up on him? Even more so.
"This gambling match," Madara declared, his voice dripping with disdain for the three Kage, "is for a false peace. If Lord Emiya can defeat you, Stone Village, Mist Village, and Sand Village will withdraw from the war. If you break this promise, you will be provoking my honor."
"In the name of the Tsuchikage, Stone Village will not break its promise," Mū agreed immediately. Lying was one thing, but breaking a promise supervised by a god of death like Madara was another.
"In the name of the Mizukage, Mist Village will not break its promise."
"In the name of the Kazekage, Sand Village will not break its promise."
"In the name of Emiya Shirou," Shirou said calmly, raising a finger.
"Similarly," Madara's voice turned cold. "If Lord Emiya is defeated, he will no longer interfere in this war. However, he will set up a medical camp outside the battlefield to provide care for all the seriously wounded who can no longer participate."
A murmur went through the crowd of over ten thousand ninjas. They had heard of this ancient medical ninja, but had treated him as a figure from a bedtime story. Now, they heard Madara's words. It was a thankless, almost unbelievable task.
But the medical ninjas in the crowd understood. They knew his character, passed down through a thousand years of medical ninjutsu.
"Because he is a medical ninja."
"Enduring the pain that the world cannot bear, saving the people who cannot escape their suffering—this is the will of a medical ninja, this is the ninja way of a medical ninja!"