In Konoha, Tsunade had brought back a crystal coffin. She tucked it away in her private medical room, but a secret that big was bound to be noticed, especially since everyone knew who was inside.
Fortunately, the public relations nightmare from the last time Konoha used Emiya Shirou was still fresh in everyone's minds. Most of the higher-ups didn't dare entertain the thought of using him again.
Most of them, of course.
Shimura Danzo, the newly appointed Hokage's Assistant, was not one of them. Having witnessed the absolute, overwhelming power of the First Hokage, Danzo had become a true believer in the gospel of strength. He desperately wanted Shirou's cursed seal to bolster the ninjas under his command.
But there were two problems. First, he hadn't learned the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu.
In fact, no one had.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had strictly forbidden it, hoping to prevent another international incident.
Second, Tsunade was guarding the coffin like a hawk, studying beside it day and night. And her identity—the First Hokage's granddaughter, wielder of Shirou's cursed seal—made her someone Danzo couldn't easily cross.
The secret of the coffin, however, couldn't be kept from her friends. Orochimaru, fresh from his training at Ryuchi Cave, immediately noticed something was off with his teammate.
During his training, he'd grown even more handsome, but there was a sinister new edge to his aura. Holding a medical scroll, he approached her, his curiosity piqued.
"Tsunade, you seem a bit... restless lately," he observed. "Didn't you say you were going to look for Shikkotsu Forest? I've already secured the summoning contract for Ryuchi Cave."
"Ugh, don't mention it," she slumped onto the table, exhausted. "I found it. Passed Katsuyu's test and everything."
"Isn't that something to be happy about?" Orochimaru asked, surprised. He refilled her teacup. "I thought you always liked slugs."
"But..." Tsunade wanted to tell him about the crystal coffin, about the late nights spent studying beside it until she was completely drained. But the name "Emiya Shirou" was still taboo in Konoha. She just took a sip of tea. "Forget it. Let's not talk about it."
"Then let's talk about something worth being happy about," Orochimaru said, sliding a plate of tea snacks towards her. "Speaking of which, didn't Jiraiya say he was going off to train? Any word from him?"
"That oaf," Tsunade shook her head, clearly not in the mood to discuss her unreliable teammate.
"Miss me?" Jiraiya's voice suddenly boomed through the room. He appeared with a flash of over-the-top confidence. "I heard a fantastic story on Mount Myoboku! Tsunade, you'll definitely be interested! The Great Toad Sage once met a certain someone!"
"Not interested," she waved him off dismissively. "It's probably just some boring story about the Sage of Six Paths, right? I've had enough of those."
"It's not!" Jiraiya declared, his face a mixture of excitement and the lingering shock of what he'd heard. "Remember the village taboo? The name we can't say? Emiya Shirou!"
Tsunade's expression changed instantly. A flicker of curiosity appeared on Orochimaru's face. While Konoha tried to bury that chapter of its history, the truth was out there for anyone willing to look.
"Didn't expect that, did you!" Jiraiya crowed, snatching the tea snacks and chugging Orochimaru's tea directly from the pot.
"Spit it out or get out," Tsunade said, her patience wearing thin.
"Hehehe," the white-haired buffoon grinned, reveling in his secret knowledge. "You'll never guess! Emiya Shirou used to really dislike the Sage of Six Paths! The Great Toad Sage once invited him to join Ninshu on the Sage's behalf, and he refused!"
"And then?" Tsunade leaned forward, intrigued.
"Uh..." Jiraiya scratched the back of his head, his bravado deflating. "That's it. The Great Toad Sage didn't tell me the rest."
"Throw him out," Tsunade said flatly.
A faint smile touched Orochimaru's lips. He grabbed Jiraiya by the collar, dragged him to the window, and unceremoniously tossed him out.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Jiraiya yelped, clinging to the window ledge. He scrambled back inside, indignant. "I was telling you out of the kindness of my heart! Aren't you two always interested in him?"
"But your story," Orochimaru said with a light, mocking smile, "wasn't interesting at all."
In fact, the scraps of information he'd gathered at Ryuchi Cave were far more tantalizing.
The White Snake Sage spoke of Shirou with a deep sense of regret. "A man who was not obsessed with power," she'd said, "yet by a strange twist of fate, obtained the power of a god. He used it to save people who shouldn't have been saved, and forfeited a life that shouldn't have ended."
"Tch, nothing new," Jiraiya grumbled. "We want stories! Interesting stories! Like how he died saving people!"
"There's nothing good to hear about that, either," Tsunade said, standing up. "I'm going to review some medical cases. You two can chat here."
"I didn't hear much more," Orochimaru admitted, changing the subject. "Has something happened in the village recently?"
"Like what?" Tsunade asked, oblivious.
"You," he said, his snake-like eyes narrowing. "You've been spending too much time in that secret medical room, haven't you? You haven't noticed that many of our ninjas have been sent on missions? The situation is... abnormal. Our conflicts with the Stone and Sand villages have been escalating."
-----
While these young shinobi were focused on their own drama, an old man was making his move.
With so many Konoha ninjas away, he infiltrated the village, his face hidden by a hood. He didn't go to the bustling commercial street or the Hokage's office. He made his way, step by trembling step, to the deserted Uchiha district.
To the Naka Shrine.
"Madara," Black Zetsu's form oozed out of the shadows. "Can you still hold on? If not, I can get a White Zetsu..."
"Cough, cough... I'm fine," the elderly Madara rasped, his hair completely white. He shuffled towards the ancient stone tablet. Finally, he could read the last of its secrets. He opened his eyes, revealing a pair of Rinnegan, and gazed at the text.
Years ago, he had learned from the tablet that the fusion of positive and negative forces would create Shinra Banshō—all things in nature.
He'd gone to great lengths to obtain Hashirama's cells, but all he'd gotten was the Wood Style. It was Shirou who had later revealed that Shinra Banshō was the Rinnegan, and that it just needed time to awaken.
Now, it finally had. Just as Shirou had predicted, the eye he had sacrificed to Izanagi had not only recovered but had evolved into a Rinnegan along with the other.
"Infinite Tsukuyomi," Madara read, a look of profound understanding dawning on his face. "No wonder," he smiled. "Now I see why Lord Emiya would never tell me the truth. This jutsu... it truly is the choice for when humanity reaches its worst."
"I was going to tell you," Black Zetsu said carefully, still playing the part of Shirou's faithful will. "But Lord Wei Yuan always thought this was a last resort. After he quelled the last war, the world has been at peace. And your body... perhaps we should delay the plan."
"Cough, cough... A delay is necessary, yes," Madara nodded, but then retorted, to Black Zetsu's alarm, "But not because of peace. The next great war is already brewing. This world is getting worse. The Infinite Tsukuyomi must be executed. We're delaying because I'm weakening. I can't snatch the Tailed Beasts from the other villages in my current state."
"We'll go back and discuss a new plan. I need to find someone who can bear the Rinnegan's power, someone to collect the Tailed Beasts in my place."
"In the end, he will use Rinne Tensei to revive me, and I will complete the final step." He let out a self-deprecating sigh. "If I had known, I would have taken more of an interest in Lord Emiya's medical arts. Asked him for a jutsu to keep my body at its peak."
"Hehehehe," Black Zetsu laughed along, not daring to mention that it had no idea what medical arts Shirou might have left behind.
Of course, if it had been paying attention, it would have known about Tsunade's Yin Seal.
"Alright," Madara said, turning to leave, his steps heavy. "We should go. Fortunately, it's me executing this plan. If it were Lord Emiya, with his personality, who knows when he would ever make up his mind for the sake of eternal peace."
"Lord Wei Yuan is just like that," Black Zetsu said, its voice a mixture of mockery and fondness. "He always has to consider others, thinking he can save the world from its suffering. In the end, he's the only one who suffers."
"I won't be as soft-hearted as him," the old man limped out of Konoha, a smile spreading across his wrinkled lips. "If he were still here, he'd probably try to stop the next war. Unfortunately for this world, he can never appear again. This world has long been beyond saving."