Tobirama's reaction was strange.
He didn't seem shocked that Emiya Shirou was involved with a rogue ninja organization, nor was he surprised that Shirou had hurt Tsunade.
"Tobirama…" Hashirama's expression darkened. He had a sudden, unsettling thought. "What is the reason for this?"
"…"
Tobirama fell silent. The question… was too awkward to answer.
The fact that the revered medical ninja, Emiya Shirou, had become the leader of a dark organization probably had something to do with the trouble he had caused just before his own death—a conflict that had started with Shirou.
But the blame… wasn't his alone to bear.
"It does relate to me," Tobirama admitted, looking slowly at Emiya Shirou. He then added, "But the true mastermind… was Madara."
In that moment, Tobirama realized a great deal. He had even guessed the most important part of the puzzle.
"Madara?" Hashirama was both surprised and confused.
How did this all lead back to Uchiha Madara?
"Uchiha Madara?"
Everyone present immediately thought of Hashirama's terrifying rival, and their expressions grew heavy. This was especially true for the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As a child, Hiruzen had seen Madara and Emiya Shirou together more than once. The Akatsuki organization, founded by Shirou, definitely had something to do with Madara.
"Tobirama, what exactly happened?" Hashirama pressed his brother. "How did you get so mixed up with Madara, Lord Emiya?"
"Brother… after you died… Madara had much more contact with Lord Emiya. He never stopped trying to use him for his own schemes. Before I died, Madara had managed to convince and trick Shirou into helping him realize his hidden, dark ambitions…"
Tobirama couldn't hide the truth from his brother, even if it made him look bad. He began to explain the roots of his old conflict with Emiya Shirou. And he wasn't going to blame Shirou for it. Hashirama knew what kind of person Emiya Shirou was—a respected medical ninja. Even Tobirama himself had to admit that Shirou used to be an utterly good person.
"Is that really what happened, Lord Emiya?" Hashirama couldn't help but scratch his head.
If his old friend Madara had somehow pulled Shirou into all this, he felt a little guilty.
Alright.
If it was because of Madara… maybe he could talk some sense into Shirou. Hashirama wasn't confident in his powers of persuasion, but he was determined to help Emiya Shirou see the danger his old friend posed.
"No, that's not it," Emiya Shirou said, calmly shaking his head. He actually defended the absent Uchiha Madara. "Madara did not trick me. To be precise, I was the one who led Madara to find the path to eternal peace. That is why the Akatsuki exists now."
"Eternal peace?" Hashirama frowned.
He saw nothing wrong with Emiya Shirou guiding Madara; he had been guided by Shirou himself in the past. After all, back then, Shirou never hesitated to guide his juniors.
Many of Hashirama's own questions had been answered by Shirou. He had always assumed Madara learned much the same things. But he also knew that the answers Madara found would not be ones that everyone could accept.
"Eternal peace… you and Madara both once sought that," Emiya Shirou said, looking at Hashirama as if lost in old memories.
He made no attempt to hide the reason for his change. "Hashirama, you also once carried the hope of achieving it."
"I once saw two futures for the ninja world. One was rooted in you, the other in Madara's Sharingan."
"Madara did not deceive me."
"When you died, the ninja world erupted into a massive war. That only proved that putting hope in you was not the right choice. I wanted to see if Madara's path could succeed instead."
"And your brother…" Emiya Shirou's eyes slowly turned toward Tobirama, his ancient, calm gaze making the Second Hokage shudder internally. "Tobirama did just enough to prove something crucial to me: perhaps I should have chosen Madara all along."
"You were simply walking further from peace under the guise of protecting it, while Madara's path was the correct one. So, I finally chose to guide Madara toward a different solution for this world."
"!!!"
Hashirama quickly turned to look at his brother again.
"Tobirama…" A sense of dread crept into Hashirama's heart.
Just what did his little brother do?
"So that's what happened," Orochimaru said, his eyes narrowing as he spoke in a low, eerie tone. "Because the Second Hokage used Lord Emiya's power for war, and Madara helped Lord Emiya end the First Great Ninja War?"
"…"
Tobirama's face tightened. He spoke deeply, "Madara helped Lord Emiya end the First War, perhaps only to win his trust and learn more of his secrets and power…"
This wasn't slander.
In his mind, Tobirama was making a logical deduction about Madara's motives based on everything he knew.
As for his own use of Emiya Shirou… at the time, he did it because he felt he had to protect Konoha. For Konoha, he would pay any price. He would accept the consequences of his mistakes.
But there was one thing Tobirama could never hide—the offense he committed against Emiya Shirou as he was dying.
"I am sorry, Lord Emiya," Tobirama said, hesitating before continuing in a deep voice. "To stop Madara from using your power to threaten Konoha and the ninja world, I tried to use the Reaper Death Seal to seal you inside the Shinigami just before I died. I offended you."
"!!!"
Hiruzen's eyes widened in horror. Even Minato Namikaze stared in disbelief.
The Reaper Death Seal was the ultimate forbidden jutsu, a technique that sealed an enemy's soul to ensure they would find no rest, even in death. Since everyone faces death, dishonoring a soul by preventing it from reaching the Pure Land was considered the greatest disrespect imaginable.
No way… the Second Hokage… This went far beyond a mere "offense"!
And his target was Emiya Shirou! The Second Hokage had actually tried to seal him within the God of Death.
"Granduncle…" Even Tsunade, who had been injured by Shirou, looked terrified after hearing Tobirama's admission. She never knew things had gone so far between her granduncle and Emiya Shirou.
"No wonder…" Even Orochimaru's eyelid twitched at the revelation. Now he finally understood why Tobirama's soul had been sealed in the Shinigami.
"Tobirama, you…!" Hashirama looked distraught, his anger quickly turning to regret.
He knew there were deep flaws in his brother's way of thinking. This brother of his had always viewed Madara as the ultimate enemy, especially after Madara attacked Konoha with the Nine-Tails. He was determined to eliminate Madara no matter the cost.
But his methods were far too extreme.
Even in trying to stop Madara, he didn't need to hurt Emiya Shirou like that. Hashirama remembered a world where stories of the medical ninja Emiya Shirou were passed down.
Shirou didn't care about anyone's status—he would help any patient who suffered, even Madara.
Shirou helped everyone, regardless of their allegiances. Was it right to trap such a kind soul in the Death God just to deny that help to an enemy?
No… that was just too much.
If Tobirama's Impure World Reincarnation had already disturbed Shirou, trying to seal his soul so he could never find rest was… too cruel, even for an enemy, let alone for someone who had helped them all countless times.
"It doesn't matter," Emiya Shirou said, his eyes devoid of emotion as he glanced at Tobirama, as if he truly didn't care about what Tobirama had done. "I no longer care."
"If it weren't for you, I might never have understood that this world is truly beyond saving."