Minato Namikaze's soul continued its ascent.
Normally, a soul that returns to the Pure Land without regret passes on peacefully. But Minato simply couldn't let go of the world.
"Father!" Naruto Uzumaki rushed to his side.
"Naruto…" Minato looked at his son, wanting to find words that could help him face the threat Emiya Shirou represented, but nothing came to mind. All he could do was try to give his son the hope of victory.
"Naruto," Minato said, using the last moments before his soul departed to encourage his son. "I'm so sorry I couldn't help solve this crisis, but the hope of stopping Lord Emiya now rests on all of you…"
"I… I'll stop Emiya!" Twelve-year-old Naruto didn't really understand what was happening.
He just knew that Emiya Shirou was an enemy of Konoha and didn't grasp the complexities of war. But seeing the hopeful look in his father's eyes, the boy gritted his teeth and made his promise.
"I believe you will," Minato said, his voice full of encouragement. "Just like your mother and I believed you would grow up to become an outstanding ninja..."
As his words faded, the soul of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, ascended completely. He was the first of the Hokage to be forcibly removed from the battlefield.
On the other side of the fight, Tobirama Senju had no time for sentimental goodbyes. As the Second Hokage, he immediately used a spirit transformation technique, desperately trying to linger in the mortal world just a little longer. He wasn't ready to give up.
But it was powerless. He couldn't even get close to Emiya Shirou. His soul rushed forward only to be flicked away by a simple gesture. All Tobirama could do was watch as his older brother, Hashirama, was beaten down—a far cry from the monstrous power of the "God of Shinobi."
Even with his technique, Tobirama couldn't hold on. His soul was finally forced from the world, a feeling of restlessness plaguing him even as he departed.
The Second Hokage was gone.
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had no time to watch his brother's soul ascend. He couldn't allow himself to feel anything, because he wasn't ready to give up either. Even the weakest of them, Hiruzen Sarutobi, refused to quit.
The Third Hokage was already forming the hand seals for the Reaper Death Seal. Summoning the Reaper was a guaranteed death sentence, and it was probably too late anyway, but the duty of a Hokage meant he could not retreat.
"Ninja Art: Reaper Death Seal!"
Resolve flashed in Hiruzen's eyes. A towering specter of the death god materialized behind him. The moment it appeared, it saw Emiya Shirou, silently opened its mouth, and swung its blade.
"You still haven't learned your lesson…"
Emiya Shirou merely raised a hand and clenched his fingers, as if crushing an invisible skull. He had learned from his previous encounter with the Impure World Reincarnation.
His "communication" with the death god in the Pure Land had been enough to instill a deep fear in the entity, ensuring the Reaper Death Seal would no longer be an obstacle.
It proved effective.
The moment the death god saw Emiya Shirou's gesture, it remembered the terror of encountering that powerful soul in the Pure Land. As if meeting a natural predator, it quickly retreated. The Reaper's specter wavered and faded away, so terrified that it fled without even claiming Hiruzen's soul.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen's body was already failing. Summoning the death god had consumed the last of his life force. The result was bitterly disappointing. Even as the ruler of the Pure Land, the death god was like a frightened animal before Emiya Shirou, utterly unable to trouble him.
"..."
Hiruzen couldn't understand why. But the sight of the Reaper fleeing plunged some of the onlookers into instant despair.
Jiraiya had believed the Reaper Death Seal was Hiruzen's final trump card—a ultimate sacrifice that could finally stop Emiya Shirou. After all, there was no jutsu in Konoha more powerful. It was a technique that had once sealed away the mighty Nine-Tails.
But even that final hope was brushed aside with ease.
Now, in all of Konoha, who was left to oppose Emiya Shirou?
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, clapped his hands together. Even though he knew he couldn't win and that his defeat was certain, he still gave it his all. Until the very last moment, Hashirama refused to give up.
But his unwavering resolve only served to highlight Emiya Shirou's overwhelming power.
A massive wood dragon coiled around Shirou, but with a single burst of energy from his arm, he shattered it into a rain of splinters. He dashed toward Hashirama and struck him with an open palm.
Hashirama's Impure World Reincarnation body was instantly smashed by the attack, and his soul was knocked free.
"Lord Emiya Shirou…" the First Hokage's soul said as it ascended, his voice filled with anxiety. "Choosing to kill for peace is never the way to true peace..."
"There's nothing more to say." Emiya Shirou couldn't see Hashirama's face, but he knew what he intended to say and cut him off. "I'm not interested in wasting any more time here."
His goals had all been met.
It was a pity, though. Achieving this success brought him no joy. He couldn't show any happiness. After all, Black Zetsu was still by his side.
This resurrection was only the beginning. In truth, this complex plan wasn't just about gaining the power to protect himself; it was also designed to force the true mastermind, Black Zetsu, to make his move.
"Black Zetsu, let's go." Emiya Shirou floated in the air, nine Truth-Seeking Orbs swirling at his feet, and passed straight through the assembled Konoha ninja. The faces of every ninja showed a mixture of fear and awe, all of them pinned in place by the terrifying chakra pressure he exuded.
"Yes…" Black Zetsu followed, a sinister smile on his face.
But his smile was strange. As he watched the Truth-Seeking Orbs at Emiya Shirou's feet, he couldn't ignore a problem that even he found extremely tricky.
Emiya Shirou… he was a bit too strong.
Truth-Seeking Orbs were the product of mastering all seven ultimate chakra nature transformations. This was a power that could only be created by someone who had truly mastered the power of the Six Paths. It meant Emiya Shirou was nearly a match for Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, himself.
Such power… could threaten Kaguya.
If Emiya Shirou's power was equal to the Sage's, controlling him in the future would be difficult. Using him as a vessel for Kaguya's resurrection might not even work.
"Our plan should be fine, though," Black Zetsu muttered to himself before speaking to Shirou, cautiously broaching the subject. "Wei Yuan, after we get back, is it time to find a way to revive Madara…?"
He added, almost as an afterthought, "Madara… after all, is our comrade, too…"