It was late, but the Konoha BBQ restaurant was still buzzing with activity.
When a new group walked in, the patrons at one table looked up in surprise. They recognized nearly everyone in the party—all of them were legendary figures in Konoha, people they deeply respected. The only unfamiliar face was Emiya Shirou.
"Lord Third Hokage!"
"Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya are back!"
"Guy, Kurenai, Kakashi, you're all here..."
A faint smile touched Hiruzen's lips, but it turned a bit stiff when he spotted a familiar, mature-looking ninja among the younger crowd. It was his son, Sarutobi Asuma.
Their relationship had always been complicated. Asuma was a rebellious kid, one minute admiring his father, the next finding him insufferable. Their constant clashes eventually led to Asuma leaving the village to wander. He'd found a place with the Land of Fire's daimyo, becoming one of his Twelve Guardian Shinobi.
For Hiruzen, the whole situation was deeply embarrassing. Protecting the daimyo was technically Konoha's job. But here was the Hokage's own son, working for a separate organization that often had conflicting interests with the village. It was a mess.
Thankfully, things had changed. A recent civil war among the daimyo's guardians seemed to have given Asuma some perspective, and he had finally decided to return to Konoha. Still, the air between father and son remained thick with unspoken tension.
"Asuma," Hiruzen said, deciding against a public lecture. He kept his tone even. "Remember to stop by the Hokage's office tomorrow to re-register."
"I know," Asuma grumbled, sticking a cigarette between his lips.
"Go easy on the old man, Asuma," Jiraiya said, clapping him cheerfully on the shoulder. He then swung an arm around a silver-haired young man with a wide grin. "Kakashi! How've you been holding up?"
Kakashi shot Jiraiya a tired, listless look.
How had he been holding up?
His best friend and former comrade, Obito Uchiha, was now a rogue ninja. It turned out Obito was the one who secretly orchestrated the Nine-Tails' attack years ago—an attack that had killed so many and made him a hated figure in Konoha.
After a moment of silence, Kakashi's gaze shifted to Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade," he greeted her quietly.
"It's been a while, Kakashi," Tsunade replied with a small wave. She was still getting her own emotions in check.
As she followed Emiya Shirou, she leaned in and whispered, "That's Kakashi, Sakumo's son."
Kakashi instinctively glanced at the back of the stranger, Emiya Shirou.
"I've met him," Emiya Shirou said without turning around, his tone casual. "His Storm Release is quite impressive."
"We'll be on our way," Hiruzen announced, quickly moving to catch up with Emiya. He added over his shoulder, "Don't stay out too late, everyone."
"I should get going too," Jiraiya said, giving Kakashi's shoulder another firm clap.
Jiraiya knew what Kakashi was going through and had made a point to sit by him, offering silent support. In a way, they were in the same boat.
Jiraiya's own friend, Orochimaru, had also gone rogue, and his capacity for causing chaos was easily on par with Obito's.
Once the older shinobi had left, the younger group at the table couldn't stop themselves from talking. The gathering was supposed to be a welcome-back for Asuma, but the conversation had drifted to their old classmate, Obito Uchiha.
The topic cast a heavy mood over the table. The arrival of Emiya Shirou's group had been a welcome distraction.
"Do you think something big is happening in the village?" Kurenai asked, glancing toward the door where the others had just left. "Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya were both called back. And who was that guy with them? The Third Hokage seemed to treat him with a lot of respect."
"Maybe an envoy from the daimyo?" Might Guy suggested, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"No way," Asuma said, lighting his cigarette. "I spent a long time by the daimyo's side. I've never seen that man before."
"It's not our place to worry about it," Kakashi said, shaking his head. He didn't want this conversation to continue.
As an ANBU, he knew that Emiya Shirou's identity was a closely guarded secret. He stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Let's call it a night. We've all got missions tomorrow."
Behind a privacy screen, Hiruzen's group sat in silence, waiting for the younger shinobi to leave. Hiruzen, more than anyone, knew Emiya Shirou well.
After traveling the world with him for ten years, he was well aware that Emiya could drop a world-shattering secret without a second thought.
But tonight was different.
Emiya was quiet, simply helping Tsunade grill her meat and fetching her drinks, almost like a grandfather taking his granddaughter out for a treat.
It was the ever-restless Jiraiya who broke the silence. He had once trained a student with similar eyes, and his curiosity got the better of him. "Speaking of which, Lord Emiya, your eyes... they look like..."
"Don't ask questions that are just going to piss people off!" Tsunade snapped, shooting Jiraiya a dirty look. "Lord Emiya brought me here for BBQ, not for you to dig around for intel!"
Jiraiya's question died in his throat.
"It's fine," Emiya said, holding up a hand to calm Tsunade. He spoke casually. "I once attempted to change the ninja world. To do so, I transplanted the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, and for a time, I possessed the Rinnegan. This reanimated body I'm in now just happens to be from that period."
"Uh..." Jiraiya opened his mouth to ask more, but a sharp glare from Tsunade made him quickly shut it and focus on his food. It had been a long time since he'd seen his friend this relaxed, and he didn't want to ruin it.
Fine, I'll drop it for now.
He couldn't ask anything with Tsunade right there, but he had another idea. In a few days, he would secretly make a trip to Mount Myoboku and see what he could learn about Emiya Shirou there.
The timing was perfect. Jiraiya had been feeling lost lately. His long search for the Child of Prophecy had yielded nothing, and he was hoping the Great Toad Sage could offer some fresh guidance.
-----
A few days later, Jiraiya left Konoha and journeyed to Mount Myoboku. In the highest temple of the Toad Country, he found the Great Toad Sage sitting on its throne. The ancient toad listened with its eyes closed as Jiraiya recounted the recent events, including the resurrection of Emiya Shirou.
"Emiya Shirou... with the Rinnegan?" the Great Toad Sage murmured, its face ancient and wrinkled.
Though its eyes remained shut, it seemed to be seeing a vision from the past—the terrifying figure who once stood over the village of Ninshu. "An existence both respected... and feared."
"Feared?" Jiraiya asked, surprised.
He knew Emiya was powerful, but he didn't get a sense of fear from him at all. The man seemed cold and arrogant on the surface, but he was surprisingly patient with everyone. Even when Jiraiya had been a little out of line, Emiya had answered his questions seriously and without annoyance.
"That's right," the Great Toad Sage confirmed, its eyes slowly opening as if returning from a distant memory. "Little Jiraiya, you've seen him now. Can you tell if his heart still holds the desire to change the world?"
"Whoa, hold on. You're asking me?" Jiraiya said, feeling the Sage was giving him way too much credit. He was in his forties, famous, and had seen a lot, but compared to a figure like Emiya Shirou, he was nothing. How could he possibly know what was going on in that man's head?
"But we are running out of time," the Great Toad Sage said, a hint of regret in its voice. It shook its head slowly, like an old sage who had seen it all. "Little Jiraiya, tell me, do you believe the current ninja world needs to be changed?"
"Of course it does!" Jiraiya exclaimed, plopping down on the ground and rubbing his temples. "Why else would I be wandering the globe looking for the Child of Prophecy? And what do you mean, 'we're running out of time'?"
The prophecy was the entire reason for his quest. The Great Toad Sage had foretold that Jiraiya would train a student who would bring about a great revolution, one that could lead to either stability or total destruction.
That was why he'd been desperately searching for this destined student, hoping to guide them toward a better future. He'd dedicated years to finding someone who could change the world, and now the Sage was asking if it even needed changing?
"No," the Great Toad Sage said, shaking its head slowly but firmly. Its ancient eyes held a thousand years of wisdom. "Little Jiraiya, my question is this: if there were no Child of Prophecy, as a ninja, would you still think the world needs to be changed?"
"Let me think..." Jiraiya stroked his chin. "Things seem peaceful enough on the surface, but the villages are still fighting. Someone has to do something to change that, right?"
He paused, thinking of the old stories the Sage had told him about Ninshu, the original creed of ninja. A look of longing crossed his face. "It would be amazing if things could be like they were in the age of Ninshu, when people truly understood each other. There wouldn't be so much conflict in the world."
The Great Toad Sage fell silent.
An uneasy feeling crept over Jiraiya. Had he said something wrong?
"And yet..." the Great Toad Sage began, its eyes closing once more as it recalled Emiya Shirou's own grand ambitions. "Even in that era... there were still those who sought to fix the flaws of their time."