In front of the Konoha Hospital ward.
Senju Tobirama sincerely requested that Emiya Shigen keep the secrets of ancient times hidden from others, especially from his elder brother, Senju Hashirama.
Tobirama knew his brother too well.
If Hashirama learned that the ancestors of the Senju and Uchiha clans were brothers — both descendants of the Sage of Six Paths — he would treat the Uchiha clan with even more tolerance and kindness.
And that would hinder Tobirama's plans to suppress the Uchiha in the future.
If possible, Tobirama would prefer that Emiya Shigen only reveal the story of the Uchiha ancestor Indra's evil, making it easier to justify keeping the Uchiha in check.
However, Tobirama knew that Emiya Shigen was a righteous man — too righteous to play along with such manipulations.
Thus, Tobirama crafted his words carefully.
"Lord Emiya."
"The current situation in Konoha is very unstable."
Tobirama's voice took on a somber tone as he began to spin his carefully woven tale.
"If these ancient secrets were to be revealed, it would spark widespread discussion... While Madara Uchiha tried to destroy Konoha, we still wish to treat the Uchiha who joined the village as comrades."
"If the villagers hear about Indra's story, they'll undoubtedly believe that the Uchiha clan is inherently evil. They will isolate and reject them further."
"..."
Emiya Shigen's expression turned a little strange.
Wait a minute...
Are you trying to bully me because I'm from ancient times?
I'm dead, not senile!
Hearing Senju Tobirama claim that he wanted to prevent the village from rejecting the Uchiha clan sounded utterly ridiculous.
Come on...
Aren't you the one leading the charge against the Uchiha?
But Tobirama was very skilled at making his lies sound reasonable.
"My brother has always been lenient toward the Uchiha. He invited them to join Konoha and treated them kindly."
"If he learns that the Senju and Uchiha share a common ancestor, and given his guilt over having to kill his old friend Madara, he'll treat the Uchiha even more favorably."
"In that case..."
"The other clans in the village will feel it's unfair."
"If people find out that our ancestors Asura and Indra were brothers, they'll start to question my brother's impartiality."
"And my brother is the First Hokage."
"The relationships between the ninja clans in Konoha are still fragile. Any doubts about the Hokage's fairness could cause the hard-earned peace to collapse."
Tobirama circled back to his original point.
"Lord Emiya, for the sake of Konoha and the peace of the ninja world, I must ask you to keep these ancient secrets hidden."
"..."
Emiya Shigen struggled to find a reason to refuse.
Tobirama's argument was so well-crafted and morally sound. His words practically shamed Shigen into agreeing, as if saying:
You wouldn't want to see the ninja world fall into chaos again, would you?
Being a good person is so exhausting...
Fortunately for Shigen, he was also good at moral manipulation.
"I'll try my best not to say anything wrong."
Shigen shook his head, hesitating slightly as he explained, "In my time, people often communicated through chakra during spiritual training. We were open with each other and rarely hid our thoughts."
"I'm not very good at hiding my true feelings."
"I apologize in advance if I accidentally slip up."
Tobirama sighed deeply, his expression thoughtful.
"No need to apologize. If anything, I envy the way things were in your era."
"I've heard legends about the Sage of Six Paths," Tobirama said wistfully. "It's said that during the early days of the ninja religion, people respected and understood one another."
"I didn't expect those legends to be true..."
"Not entirely," Shigen corrected with a sheepish smile. "For example, no one in the ninja religion could understand Indra's ideology. That's why he left and tried to destroy the village using the Sharingan. In the end, Asura united everyone's chakra to defeat him."
"What?!"
Tobirama's expression darkened.
"That inherently evil Uchiha ancestor!"
The story sounded eerily familiar to him.
Madara Uchiha had also left Konoha and tried to destroy it. In the end, Hashirama had to kill him to stop his evil plot.
Madara and Indra were cut from the same cloth!
"By the way..."
Shigen changed the topic with a subtle smile.
"You seem to have a good relationship with your brother. That kind of sibling bond is rare."
"Of course."
Tobirama's expression softened as he thought of his brother. "He's taken care of me since we were children..."
Emiya Shigen...
He's really a good person, Tobirama thought.
The two of them had a pleasant conversation, and Tobirama felt that Shigen confirmed his belief that ancient ninjas were genuinely kind-hearted people.
Except, of course, for the inherently evil Uchiha ancestor.
"Let's go in."
Tobirama pushed open the door to the hospital ward, his tone turning respectful.
"My brother's injuries are beyond our ability to heal. We can only rely on you now, Lord Emiya."
"No need to be so formal."
Shigen waved his hand dismissively and walked into the room. His demeanor became more serious.
"I'm a medical ninja. I won't let my patient down."
The room smelled faintly of flowers.
Shigen's gaze fell on the man lying on the bed.
The man had long black hair and was wrapped in bandages from head to toe. His breathing was steady, but he remained motionless.
The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
Without a doubt, the most powerful ninja of this era.
"My brother has never been this weak..."
Tobirama stood beside Shigen, his expression grim. "His battle with Madara Uchiha drained almost all of his chakra."
"Let me take a look."
Shigen placed his fingers on Hashirama's wrist, checking his condition.
"A Wood Release user?"
Shigen looked surprised, lost in thought.
"Theoretically, Wood Release originates from the power of the God Tree. Asura only awakened it after receiving chakra from the Sage of Six Paths. It's not a power that should be inherited by later generations..."
"My brother awakened it as an adult," Tobirama interjected, carefully noting Shigen's words.
"How is he?"
"Don't worry."
Shigen offered a reassuring smile.
"His self-healing abilities are remarkable. His injuries haven't healed yet because his chakra is depleted. Once his chakra recovers, he'll be fine."
"..."
Tobirama frowned. That much was obvious to him already.
"But..."
Shigen's expression grew serious.
"His overuse of self-healing has caused his cells to divide too rapidly, shortening his lifespan. He's also used too much of his life energy to strengthen his Wood Release."
"Is there a solution?"
Tobirama's tension eased.
"Can you fix it?"
"In ancient times, this would've been a minor issue."
Shigen's eyes narrowed slightly in regret.
"I could heal him with Yang Release. But in my current Edo Tensei state, I'm as good as dead. I can't use that power."
If only I could achieve a true resurrection...
Shigen's gaze lingered on Hashirama for a moment before turning to Tobirama.
What a pity.
If someone more gullible had resurrected me...
I could've used my Rinnegan to achieve full revival by now.