Conspiracies and schemes...
It had been a long time since Emiya Shirou had bothered with such things. Fortunately, the basic principles were still fresh in his mind.
For example, if you want to hijack someone else's plot, you first weave yourself into it. Then, you leak just enough of the original plan to cause chaos. Finally, you take over and become the new mastermind.
But this time was different. The stakes were too high. He had to be exceptionally careful, not just for himself, but for the lives—and even the psychological well-being—of countless others. He wasn't just planning for the living; he even had to account for the dead.
Luckily, he wasn't too rusty. After considering every possible angle and making sure there were no oversights, he handed the first part of his plan, written on a scroll, to Kabuto Yakushi.
When Kabuto unrolled the scroll, his eyes widened in shock. "This is... fascinating." He stared at the contents, his pupils shrinking. "How is this possible... That boy... he's the Fourth Hokage's son..."
"It's a well-known secret among Konoha's higher-ups," Emiya Shirou said, patting Kabuto on the shoulder.
His tone was serious. "In a little while, that boy will be graduating from the Ninja Academy. Think of this scroll as a graduation gift from me to him. I just need your help..."
"Understood," Kabuto replied, his expression grim.
"So be it," Shirou murmured, thinking about his time in Konoha. "I've formed a bit of a bond with the kid. He might be sad when I leave, so let's make him happy first."
He paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "Let's also give him a choice. The boy has a lot now. Let's see if his heart is greedy enough to choose another path."
"That's the first thing," Shirou continued, his eyes fixed on Kabuto. "Now for the second. I remember Orochimaru had you make contact with Danzo. I want you to use that connection to leak a piece of news to him."
He leaned in closer. "Tell him the leader of the Rain Village, Hanzo of the Salamander, was killed by someone with a Rinnegan. Tell him this person has already taken over the village and is looking for a chance to get revenge on him and Konoha."
Kabuto's eyes widened in alarm. This was huge.
Why would they give Danzo—of all people—such a critical piece of intel in advance?
It would only make him more cautious.
Shouldn't they keep him in the dark?
"Just do it," Shirou said calmly. "We need to give Danzo a small taste of a crisis. Make him understand that he can't sit on the sidelines of what's coming. If he wants what he desires, he'll have to get his own hands dirty."
Shirou's voice grew distant, almost philosophical. "What is owed to him, I will give. And what he owes me... I will take back."
After finishing his instructions, he gave Kabuto one last warning. "Once you've done these two things, stay out of it. Don't get involved in the rest. Orochimaru is about to stir up a massive storm. If you get too close, you'll be in danger too."
A flicker of warmth stirred in Kabuto's heart.
He glanced at the scroll one more time. "I'll go contact that chunin, Mizuki. The one who admires Lord Orochimaru."
"Be careful," Shirou said, his voice steady. "If you run into trouble, don't hesitate to use your full power. What we're doing now is just paving the way, making our path a little smoother. Even if the plan hits a few snags, it won't stop us from reaching our final destination."
"Yes, sir," Kabuto said, bowing his head.
-----
At the Ninja Academy, it was time for another generation's graduation exams.
Naruto Uzumaki, the former "dead last," still had terrible academic scores. But thanks to his constant training, his combat skills were now top-notch, almost rivaling Sasuke Uchiha's.
There was just one problem: the graduation exam required the Clone Jutsu. Naruto was terrible at the basic version. What he was good at was the far more advanced Shadow Clone Jutsu—and even the ridiculously difficult Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Jiraiya, being his teacher, had naturally taught him the technique, knowing it was one of the boy's greatest strengths.
So, this exam wasn't a challenge at all. In fact, it was about to make his teacher, Iruka Umino, pick his jaw up off the floor.
"Ninja Art: Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a proud grin, Naruto formed the hand sign, ready to show off.
In the next instant, the entire classroom was flooded with identical copies of him. The clones spilled out into the hallways, drawing a crowd of stunned students who stared at the sea of Narutos.
"Heh heh," Naruto said, wiping his nose smugly. He looked at his two examiners, Iruka and Mizuki. "So, Iruka-sensei! How was that? Did I pass? I passed, right?!"
"You... pass," Iruka managed, shaking off his astonishment. He marked the sheet with a sigh and tried to lecture his student. "But ninjutsu isn't for showing off, Naruto. It's for protecting the people who are important to you."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Naruto said with a dismissive wave.
"You..." Iruka looked at Naruto with a complicated mix of emotions. He knew he couldn't teach this kid much anymore.
Maybe he never really could.
As a teacher, he felt he had failed. His own parents had died in the Nine-Tails' attack, and his feelings toward Naruto, the jinchuriki, had always been a tangled mess.
Sometimes he was like a strict father; other times, a gentle mother. To outsiders, it probably looked like he'd done more than enough—he was always cleaning up Naruto's messes and treating him to ramen.
But deep down, Iruka felt he hadn't done enough, because he could never truly let go of his own grudge.
"Well then," Mizuki said with a smile, "that's a pass. Congratulations on graduating."
He added with interest, "I bet from now on, students will remember the graduate named Naruto Uzumaki who summoned a thousand clones for his exam."
Naruto's grin grew even wider.
That happy feeling carried over to the graduation ceremony. The parents of the other graduates filled the academy grounds, beaming proudly at their children. Naruto couldn't help but feel a pang of envy watching them, but on this important day, he wasn't alone.
"Lord Jiraiya!"
"It's one of the Sannin!"
Every parent in the crowd turned to look at the tall, white-haired man standing next to Naruto, their faces filled with awe. Jiraiya had come as Naruto's guardian, and his presence made him the most high-profile guest at the entire event.
Only Sasuke Uchiha watched the scene with a cold, indifferent expression. He couldn't care less about this pointless ceremony.
He just wanted to find a quiet place to train. He needed more power to get his revenge, not waste time reminiscing or... feeling jealous of Naruto.
And that jealousy... that damn emotion was sprouting up so easily. Naruto, the loser everyone used to ignore, was now the center of attention, with one of the legendary Sannin by his side.
And him? The top student of his class had a mediocre exam performance and was completely alone at his own graduation. The loneliness only fueled his hatred. He once had all of this—a family, recognition.
That man, Itachi, had taken it all away.
Suppressing the boiling rage for his brother and the bitter envy toward Naruto, Sasuke slipped away and headed to the riverside where they often trained.
But he wasn't alone. Someone was already sitting by the water.
Since Jiraiya was Naruto's teacher, Naruto had invited him to the ceremony. He considered Emiya Shirou more of a friend, so he hadn't asked him to come as a guardian.
As a result, Shirou was also feeling a bit lonely today. He wasn't surprised to see Sasuke; he had been expecting him.
Shirou didn't say a word. He didn't ask about the ceremony. He just sat quietly by the river, writing on a scroll.
Sasuke trained until his chakra was completely depleted, until he had vented all his frustration. Finally, he collapsed onto the grass, exhausted.
"Thanks," Sasuke said suddenly. He felt an urge to thank the man for being there, for keeping him company in his loneliness, even if Shirou was probably just killing time.
"..." A flicker of confusion crossed Shirou's face, as if he couldn't understand why the boy was suddenly thanking him.
Sasuke didn't explain.
He glanced at the man by the river and silently cursed himself for saying too much. This man... he never seemed to care that he had helped them. He never seemed to realize the impact of his casual actions.
What did this man even care about?
Was there anything in the world that could make him happy or sad?
If Sasuke had given in to his curiosity and peeked at the scroll, he would have seen a list of familiar names, including his own. But Sasuke rarely let himself be curious. Whenever the feeling arose, he stamped it out, telling himself he needed to focus only on revenge.
Shirou, seemingly unaware of the boy's thoughts, drew a line on the scroll, connecting four names: Uzumaki Naruto, Mizuki, Yakushi Kabuto, Orochimaru.
He looked up at the sky, at the fiery clouds on the horizon being swallowed by the approaching night. This night was a beginning.
From this night on, the darkness of the ninja world would truly begin to fall. The man who once brought so much light to the world had decided, at last, to share the darkness he once held.
"Today is an important day," Shirou said softly, his voice drifting over the river.
"It's not that important," Sasuke shot back, thinking Shirou was talking about the graduation.
Lying on the grass, he stared up at the sky. "It's not important at all."