"I was just... trying to keep you from being used by that fiend Madara!" Tobirama growled, his brow furrowed in a tight knot. He struggled, but the cursed seal had him completely paralyzed. He couldn't move a muscle.
So he did the next best thing.
"Soul Transformation Technique!"
His soul ripped free from his body. Even if the cursed seal could bind his flesh and chakra, it couldn't hold his spirit.
This jutsu, his own invention, allowed his soul to leave his body and, if necessary, invade an enemy's to snuff out their own spirit. He rocketed towards Shirou's body. The distance was negligible. There was no room for error, no possibility of being stopped.naruto.fandom
In most situations, the Soul Transformation Technique was a terrifyingly effective S-rank kinjutsu.
Against Emiya Shirou, however, it was just a flashy, elaborate form of suicide.
The moment Tobirama's soul entered Shirou's body, his head involuntarily snapped back. He found himself staring up at a soul as vast and majestic as a god.
"Well... this is a bit of a shock," Tobirama managed, his usual composure utterly shattered.
No wonder. No wonder Madara was so obsessed with this man.
The power of a soul was a direct reflection of its strength in life. Shirou's power dwarfed even his brother Hashirama's. This was what Madara had been coveting all along.
It all clicked into place—that first confrontation in Konoha, Madara's failed attempt at genjutsu. He wasn't just after healing his eye; he was after the ancient power Shirou possessed.
"You really are asking for it," Shirou's soul looked down at the tiny, insignificant speck that was Tobirama. He sealed his own spiritual space, trapping Tobirama inside.
Even though his voice was calm, amplified by the sheer scale of his soul, it boomed like thunder. "You've gotten a little too arrogant, Tobirama."
He reached out a hand, as if to pluck a toy from the air.
This wasn't just walking into a trap; it was diving in headfirst. In a battle of souls, Shirou wasn't just one step ahead; calling it a "complete crush" would be a laughable understatement.
No matter what other bizarre jutsu Tobirama had up his sleeve, at this moment, he was utterly, hopelessly outmatched.
Unless...
Tobirama's soul frantically formed hand seals. As Shirou's massive hand descended, a look of grim resolve flashed in his eyes. "Thanks to you telling me the secrets of the underworld, Lord Emiya, I happen to have learned a sealing jutsu that targets the soul."
Serpent - Boar - Ram - Hare - Dog - Rat - Bird - Horse - Serpent!
His hands crossed. The entire spiritual space trembled as a ferocious phantom of the Reaper emerged from his soul. It was a monstrous figure, its size rivaling even Shirou's soul, with long horns and a mouth full of fangs. The legendary god of the underworld, the devourer of souls.
"Sorry," Tobirama said, watching Shirou casually dodge the Reaper's blade, his heart finally calming. "I can only use this method to seal you, Lord Emiya. The Reaper will surely be able to catch your soul and seal you away."
"Although my own soul will be sealed for summoning it, it's a necessary sacrifice to prevent your power from falling into Madara's hands. The moment you are sealed, not even the Impure World Reincarnation can bring you back."
It was a mutually destructive tactic, but his only option. It seemed a bit unfair to Shirou, but it would solve the Madara problem permanently.
However, when the Reaper reached out to grab Shirou, Shirou's hand shot out and grabbed the Reaper's first. He threw a single, devastating punch that sent the god of death flying, crashing miserably behind Tobirama.
Tobirama's face went blank.
Shirou... how could he be so powerful? Even the Reaper was no match for him?
"Tobirama," Shirou flexed his wrist, as if feeling a faint twinge from the punch. His gaze fell on the tiny soul. "You wanted to use the Reaper to seal me, but you probably don't know that I've been fighting that thing in the underworld for centuries. I've been guiding the lost souls from the crack between life and death back to the Pure Land. It's one of the reasons I dared to let Hashirama go there."
Tobirama's soul began to tremble.
Not good. I've done something incredibly stupid. I've made an irreversible mistake.
He remembered what Shirou had said: only those with god-like power could travel freely in the Pure Land.
Emiya Shirou was a true god.
Shirou held his forehead, as if struggling with how to phrase his next words. "I didn't expect you'd try to seal me away forever, just on the suspicion that I might help Madara. On you... I see no hope at all."
"You people can obtain anything, yet you refuse to let others share. You close yourselves off, hostile to everyone else."
"Sorry," Tobirama's soul slowly backed away, still trying to slander Madara. "It's because I've personally seen the suffering he once brought to the world."
"Then tell me," Shirou looked down at the tiny soul, "did the Madara of the past also let the Reaper devour souls? Did he do anything that would cause a soul to fall into unliberated suffering?"
Tobirama had no answer.
"You may not be his equal," Shirou continued, his voice calm but cutting. "You disturbed my peace with your jutsu. You tried to deceive me to get the secrets of the ancient era. You had Danzo secretly monitor me. You used my ideals to make me work day and night saving your injured shinobi."
"You tried to use me to win your war. To me, these are all trivial matters. I don't mind your small offenses. But you, who have done all these things, how dare you think you are more suitable than Madara to receive my favor?"
Tobirama's soul was almost sweating. He'd never thought Shirou had seen through everything. Or maybe... Madara had snitched.
That bastard!
Colluding with a god like Shirou, he surely had no good intentions.
"To get rid of the Reaper, I have to pay the price of returning to the underworld once," Shirou said, nine pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orbs floating out from behind him. "Only in this state can it be dealt with. The Impure World Reincarnation will be automatically released, because this power cannot be contained by a reanimated body."
Tobirama subconsciously retreated. The Reaper behind him was retreating too, trembling. It was afraid.
"But it doesn't matter anymore," Shirou said, unconcerned. "When someone breaks the taboo of the boundary between life and death, the rules of the pact are no longer observed."
"Don't," despair filled Tobirama's eyes. The Reaper was his taboo. He had truly angered this god.
"No need to despair," Shirou said, a hint of something unreadable in his voice. "Now you can be proud. To have schemed against a being you might respectfully call a god... that's enough to make you proud."
His hand shot out and grabbed Tobirama's soul. "I also want to learn from a ninja of your era... just how you can so meticulously scheme against others."
In a place Tobirama couldn't see, a pair of Rinnegan quietly appeared in Shirou's eyes. The next moment, Tobirama felt his memories being forcibly extracted.
Flying Thunder God, Impure World Reincarnation, Soul Transformation... every jutsu he had ever developed, every secret he held, was ripped from his soul and absorbed by Shirou. It was his greatest harvest from this resurrection.
After all, to maintain his persona, he'd never shown any interest in these jutsu before.
Finally, it was over. Shirou tossed Tobirama's soul to the ground. The pain was excruciating. "My memories..." Tobirama struggled to stand.
"Your soul doesn't look very noble," Shirou commented, looking down at him.
The Reaper floated silently, its mouth open. Tobirama's soul was its payment.
"Take his soul, and go."
The Reaper didn't hesitate. It grabbed Tobirama's soul and threw it into its maw. As he fell, Tobirama felt a faint sense of release. Through the gaps in the Reaper's fangs, he saw Shirou.
What will he become now? he wondered. After what I did, after what Madara did... what will he become?
Maybe... there was still hope. The Uzumaki clan had a way to release a soul from the Reaper's body. Perhaps, a long time from now...
But as he was swallowed, Shirou's ordinary eyes just stared back at him. "Still holding onto hope?
None of that is necessary anymore. The moment you can come out of the Reaper, you will become a new pawn."
His soul returned to the living world, but his reanimated body was already crumbling. He couldn't stay for long. He looked up at the sky, a strange attachment to this colorful world filling him.
He should be arriving soon, he thought. Madara would have sensed the change.
He and Black Zetsu would be rushing here now.
Using the Soul Transformation Technique he had just acquired, Shirou's soul flew at an astonishing speed. He still had to leave his last words.
On the other side, Madara and Black Zetsu were indeed rushing towards the area.
"What is that?" Madara said, looking up at a high-speed luminous object heading towards them.
"That's Lord Emiya's soul!"
"Wei Yuan!"
Shirou's soul quickly descended. "Tobirama is dead," he said, a look of dissatisfaction on his face. "Before he died, he thought my connection with you would threaten the world, so he released my Edo Tensei. He even tried to use the Reaper to seal my soul. Now, to escape it, I have to return to the underworld."
"That despicable villain!" Madara hadn't expected this day to come so quickly. It was one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Shirou returning to the underworld was a shame, but Tobirama being dead...
Madara had to feel happy about that. "Hmph. This kind of shameless behavior is really his style." A wicked smile appeared on his lips.
Shirou frowned.
"I know you hope for the dead to be respected," Madara said, noticing his attitude, "but your character is too kind, to the point of weakness. Forget it. Now you have also seen peace."
"You don't have to feel sad when you return to the underworld. Return in peace, Lord Emiya. This era will be calm for a while, at least."