"Emiya, what are you doing!" Naruto stared at him in shock.
Emiya Shirou!
How could it be Emiya Shirou?
How could he appear on the battlefield at this moment?
And why was he helping Konoha's enemy attack Tsunade, who was maintaining the Four Red Yang Formation?
For Naruto, who had lived with Emiya Shirou for years and had always been cared for by him, the thought that Shirou would ever stand against him was unimaginable.
Compared to Naruto's confusion, those in Konoha who truly understood Emiya Shirou's character were completely shaken.
No one could have imagined that the greatest medical ninja in the history of the ninja world was secretly the master of a dangerous organization filled with S-rank rogue ninjas.
The two were completely unrelated. There was no logical connection between a savior-like medical ninja, respected across the world, and an organization filled with wanted criminals.
"Lord Emiya…" the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, whispered.
The old man's body trembled, his face pale. He looked nothing like the mighty ninja he once was, simply because he couldn't believe Emiya Shirou was here, now.
"This can't be…" Danzo Shimura, who had been hiding and waiting for an opportunity, felt his eyes widen as he saw Emiya Shirou attack Tsunade.
Even Danzo couldn't believe Emiya Shirou was the mastermind behind the Akatsuki. As two people who had once traveled the world with him, they had seen Shirou save and heal countless lives.
To them, he was a kind-hearted man who would never threaten the ninja world or hurt anyone. That was precisely why Danzo had thought he could take advantage of him.
How could a person like that be the master of the Akatsuki?
"This isn't real!" Despite her injuries, Tsunade struggled to stand, trying to walk toward Emiya Shirou. "Lord Emiya can't be…"
"When," Emiya Shirou began, his voice piercingly cold as he looked at the staggering Tsunade, "did you start to believe that what you knew of me was the whole truth?"
"No…" Tsunade faltered at his words but stubbornly kept walking toward him.
She tried to defend him, tried to find an answer for herself. "Lord Emiya would never…"
She didn't believe it.
Tsunade refused to believe it. The man who had shown her gentle warmth beneath a cold exterior, who had given her a perfect childhood and unforgettable dreams… that man would never hurt the world.
How could he choose to hurt her in this moment?
But as soon as Tsunade got close, Emiya Shirou raised his hand. A blade of emerald-green chakra sliced through her chest.
In that instant, Tsunade became his enemy. At least, in that moment, he treated her as one.
Blood sprayed from the emerald light of the chakra scalpel protruding from her back. Everyone stared in horror at the blade of light, fear flickering in their eyes.
"Tsunade!"
"Tsunade!"
"Lord Emiya…" Tsunade ignored the others, stubbornly looking up at him. She wanted to see sadness on his face, to find some hidden reason for why he had hurt her.
But there was nothing. No warmth hidden beneath his coldness—only ice-cold eyes, nothing like the man from her memories.
Emiya Shirou gently steadied her shoulder, his voice carrying no guilt, only a coldness that cut deeper than the blade.
"You've only seen a single leaf… why do you stubbornly believe you've seen the entire towering tree?"
"!!!"
Something inside Tsunade broke.
"But… I suppose it shouldn't be surprising." A hint of confusion slipped into Emiya Shirou's voice, but it quickly turned to resignation, as if he had already answered his own question. "A single leaf I left in this world was enough to block your sight."
Blood flowed quietly. Tsunade's face twisted in pain, but as she glanced at the emerald blade in her chest, a flash of hope appeared in her eyes. Her voice grew firm.
"You're wrong about one thing! Lord Emiya, you're a medical ninja." Tsunade grabbed his arm, her expression free of pain or resistance. A small, joyful smile even bloomed on her face. "A mistake like nearly missing the heart in battle is not something we should make…"
"..." Emiya Shirou frowned, puzzled by her stubbornness. "That was enough to take you out of the fight. I need your blood to summon the Slug; if you died, I couldn't complete the contract."
"If that makes you happy, then you can be happy for a moment. But soon, your life and death will mean nothing."
Emiya Shirou calmly pulled free from her grip, watching as she collapsed in despair. He formed a hand seal and pressed his palm into the air. "Summoning Jutsu."
Using Tsunade's blood, he completed the summon right before her desperate eyes—a technique only those with the same summoning contract could perform.
Poof!
Smoke filled the air, and a giant slug appeared from the mist.
"Lord Emiya!" The Slug immediately sensed his chakra.
After centuries, it had once again been summoned by Emiya Shirou. It looked at him excitedly, about to express its longing, but then it saw Tsunade collapsed on the floor. "Huh? Lady Tsunade? I'll heal—"
"Don't bother with her," Emiya Shirou cut it off calmly, his gaze shifting to Nagato and Konan. "Slug, go check their injuries."
"Huh?" The Slug looked at him in disbelief. It had just been treating Tsunade.
Weren't Nagato and Konan the enemy? Why was everything so different?
"They are my comrades now," Emiya Shirou said, lifting his gaze.
"Yes, Lord Emiya." The Slug didn't dare ask more. It immediately split into two and slid toward Nagato and Konan.
"..." Tsunade heard him. She weakly watched the Slug leave, her gaze growing empty. Those words… Emiya Shirou had never spoken them to her. He had never talked to her about comrades.
Now… it was true. The Akatsuki really was his organization. Its members were his comrades.
"Now… your life or death really doesn't matter anymore." Emiya Shirou looked down at Tsunade and slowly raised his hand. The emerald chakra scalpel appeared again.
"Tsunade!" Hashirama and the others tried to rush forward in shock. If the first attack was a mistake, this was clearly an attempt to kill.
But they were too far away. Not even the Flying Thunder God could reach her without a marker.
The one closest to her had already rushed over when she was first injured.
"Tsunade!" Jiraiya lunged at Emiya Shirou. Seeing Tsunade's confused and pained expression filled his heart with rage.
"You…" Jiraiya gritted his teeth, spinning up a Rasengan and thrusting it at Shirou's chest. "Do you have any idea how much she looked up to you?!"
His face was contorted with fury, the Rasengan flashing with his anger. Tsunade had always seen Emiya Shirou as her spiritual support, as one of the most important people in her life.
How could this man treat her like this? He was destroying her entire world.
But the moment Jiraiya fought Emiya Shirou as an enemy, he felt the true gap between them.
Shirou dodged the Rasengan, grabbed Jiraiya's wrist, slammed an elbow into his chest, and hurled him to the ground.
"Ugh…" Jiraiya spat out a mouthful of blood. But the tall, strong man ignored his own wounds and slammed a hand to the ground, his eyes burning with anger—just like a boy from long ago.
Jiraiya glared at Emiya Shirou, his voice hoarse. "Tsunade dreamed of becoming a medical ninja just like you. She copied everything about you…"
"A pity I'm no longer who I was," Shirou said without even looking at him. "Why should I praise a poor imitation from someone so narrow-minded they can't even begin to understand my true thoughts?"
"..." Jiraiya gritted his teeth, swallowing the blood rising in his throat.
"..." A bitter smile touched the corner of Tsunade's mouth. She had done so much… but in his eyes, she was still someone who couldn't understand him.
"Little Tsuna…" The First Hokage, Hashirama, looked at his granddaughter with pain.
Anyone who knew how Emiya Shirou had doted on her as a child would never believe he could hurt her. But now, it had happened.
The next moment, Hashirama clenched his fist, glaring furiously at Emiya Shirou. But as their eyes met, his rage turned to helpless confusion. He felt the same grief he'd felt when his oldest friend became his enemy.
"How did it come to this?" Pain flickered in Hashirama's eyes. He murmured, as if to himself, or as if questioning everything, "Why… did it turn out like this?"
Hashirama was overcome with sadness. He remembered his dependable younger brother and muttered, "Tobirama… why did Lord Emiya become like this? The man we knew wasn't someone who would hurt others…"
"..." Tobirama's gaze slowly dropped.
"Tobirama?" Hashirama didn't hear a response and felt something was wrong. His brother never refused to answer, even if the truth was difficult.
"Wait…" Hashirama suddenly turned to his brother, staring at Tobirama's serious face. He finally realized a huge secret was hidden. "Tobirama… do you know something?"