"Feel this."
Emiya Shihara casually left a pitch-black cursed seal on Senju Tobirama's arm, even shaping it into the Konoha ninja swirl insignia.
"Chakra..."
"Sure enough, I can't mobilize it."
Senju Tobirama raised his finger, intending to channel his chakra, but the cursed seal on his arm flowed slowly through his body like a warm current, locking down his chakra and even causing his body to stiffen.
However...
Senju Tobirama could truly be called a genius at researching Ninjutsu.
The Hokage's advisor of Konohagakure instantly realized that he could not fight against the cursed seal's energy, and proactively guided the power of the curse to merge with his own chakra.
"This power..."
A flash of surprise crossed Senju Tobirama's face.
Once this cursed seal, imbued with Natural Energy, fused with chakra, it genuinely provided a quite formidable enhancement to a ninja's strength.
Senju Tobirama had to admit one thing: Emiya Shihara's worry that the spread of cursed seals would cause new conflicts in the Shinobi World was entirely justified!
If an ordinary ninja obtained the power of the cursed seal, they could even gain chakra comparable to a Jounin under its amplification. If that person were given proper training, they would be a combat force capable of playing a crucial role on the battlefield!
The only trouble was...
The power of the cursed seal was not so easily controlled.
Senju Tobirama only managed to learn how to guide the curse so quickly because of his deep understanding of the principles of Ninjutsu, and even so, he could not achieve perfect control.
It was a pity...
He had promised Lord Emiya not to use the cursed seal for conflict.
Senju Tobirama could only hope that Konoha would maintain peace forever, and that he would never have to use this power in the future when facing a desperate situation.
"I'll help you undo the cursed seal."
Emiya Shihara intended to help Senju Tobirama remove the curse. It seemed he had merely wanted Senju Tobirama to experience the power of the cursed seal firsthand, with no intention of using it to restrict his actions.
While slowly weaving hand signs, Emiya Shihara explained, "This kind of shallow application of Natural Energy is far too easy for people to master. I just hope this power won't bring the flames of a new war to this world..."
"Lord Emiya."
Senju Tobirama reached out and gripped Emiya Shihara's wrist, saying in a deep voice, "There's no need to rush to remove the cursed seal just yet. I need to observe how the energy of the curse you placed on me changes over time to determine how long this energy can seal my older brother's chakra..."
This medical ninja from ancient times was a bit too naive.
Perhaps it was because he was born in that ancient era of prodigious geniuses that he thought the Shinobi World of this era was full of geniuses just like back then?
Natural Energy...
Where was it ever that easy to master?
It wasn't as if Senju Tobirama had never encountered Natural Energy before.
Senju Tobirama had a very close relationship with his older brother, Senju Hashirama. He had witnessed with his own eyes as Senju Hashirama mastered Natural Energy and cultivated the powerful Sage Mode, and he had also grown curious about Natural Energy, yet he had been unable to precisely perceive the energy of the natural world.
Senju Tobirama knew very well how precious a cursed seal imbued with Natural Energy was, and a fleeting trace of shame stirred in his heart.
A cursed seal was power.
For a ninja like Senju Tobirama who had walked out of the Warring States Period, power meant the ability to live a longer life.
Power...
Meant that he could maintain a more complete control over the situation.
Whether it was the overwhelming public opinion within Konoha after his older brother was injured, or the hostile Shinobi Villages prowling around them like wolves on the outside, none of it made Senju Tobirama willing to give up this power that could make him stronger.
Senju Tobirama could only silently promise Emiya Shihara—whom he was deceiving—that he would only invoke this power in the most critical moments of his life.
Of course.
He certainly couldn't tell the other party about this reasoning.
What Senju Tobirama said was also the truth; he genuinely needed to use the cursed seal within his own body to judge just how long the curse could seal his older brother's chakra.
"You really have a very close relationship with your older brother..."
Emiya Shihara shook his head. Perhaps having witnessed the sibling conflicts of the ancient era, he still seemed somewhat unable to understand Senju Tobirama's actions, and could only helplessly remind him, "If you don't remove the cursed seal, your movements might be..."
"No need to worry."
Senju Tobirama raised his arm. On it, the mass of cursed seal energy flowed slowly like running water, yet it still did not hinder his movements.
Barring any accidents...
He would be able to completely control the cursed seal today.
"I already understand its principle."
Senju Tobirama looked toward his older brother on the hospital bed, swiftly intending to skip past this topic. "Let's apply the cursed seal to Big Brother first. He has mastered Sage Mode, which allows for a more perfect utilization of the cursed seal. Perhaps he will quickly absorb the curse for his own use..."
"I'm also worried about that issue."
Emiya Shihara shook his head with a sigh, extended his finger, and pressed it onto Senju Hashirama's arm. A pitch-black cursed seal settled into place.
Unsurprisingly.
The cursed seal vanished quickly.
The Natural Energy within the curse was instantly absorbed by the human body.
Senju Hashirama's body was extremely sensitive to Natural Energy; upon encountering it, the energy rapidly transformed into Senjutsu Chakra, allowing him to quickly enter the state of Sage Mode.
On the hospital bed.
A trace of eye shadow appeared on Senju Hashirama's face.
This resting First Hokage seemed to feel the changes in his body. A look of pain surfaced on his face, and he muttered the first words spoken while in his coma.
"Madara..."
"..."
Senju Tobirama's face darkened.
What time was it?!
Why was Big Brother still muttering about Uchiha Madara!
He was even muttering about Uchiha Madara while unconscious!
That bastard controlled the Nine-Tails in an attempt to destroy Konoha, and even injured you to the point of shortening your lifespan—why are you still obsessing over that bastard?!
"Barring any accidents..."
"The patient will wake up immediately."
Emiya Shihara breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "Although my cursed seal didn't reach the expected outcome, his body automatically absorbed the Natural Energy to enter Sage Mode. The recovery capability of his Senjutsu Chakra is also astonishing, though it might continue to damage his lifespan..."
"However, it doesn't matter."
"As long as the patient wakes up and refrains from mobilizing the chakra in his body for a while, and keeps his internal self-healing ability under control, he can avoid suffering greater damage..."
After saying this, Emiya Shihara spoke with apparent nonchalance, "As for the previous damage to his lifespan, I'll have to think of a way to see if it can be compensated for. Since I acquired the Power of Yang in that era and grew accustomed to using it to heal patients, my research into medical arts has lagged behind a bit..."
"Thank you very much."
The worry in Senju Tobirama's eyes gradually receded.
It really worked.
Emiya Shihara had saved his older brother.
Senju Tobirama recalled when he led the ANBU to the battlefield and brought back Uchiha Madara's corpse along with his severely wounded older brother, who had fallen into a coma the moment they returned to the village.
The village's best medical ninja had been completely helpless against his older brother's injuries, unable even to accurately predict when he would wake up...
No matter what...
This kindness deserved to be remembered.
Senju Tobirama's heart was truly filled with gratitude.
Moreover, Emiya Shihara did not mind that he had disturbed his soul's peace, and was even willing to proactively help think of a way to make up for the damage to his older brother's lifespan.
"I am endlessly grateful."
With a serious expression, Senju Tobirama thanked Emiya Shihara once more, and proactively praised his contributions: "Lord Emiya shouldn't sell yourself short. If not for Lord Emiya, there would never have been medical ninjas in this world willing to heal the sick and save lives..."
Having said that, without waiting for Emiya Shihara to offer any modest replies, Senju Tobirama immediately exposed his true objective: "Big Brother's life is tied to the peace of Konoha and everyone's expectations for the future. The future relies entirely on Lord Emiya."
This was Senju Tobirama's selfish motive.
In truth, Senju Tobirama was also unwilling to release the Reanimation Jutsu.
After all, by reviving Emiya Shihara, he had learned of many secrets from the ancient era and even obtained a cursed seal capable of harnessing Natural Energy.
Emiya Shihara...
Was truly a treasure trove.
If Emiya Shihara had no way to deal with the damage to his older brother's lifespan, Senju Tobirama could only have tried to stall for time, attempting to pry out more information before releasing the Reanimation Jutsu and letting Emiya Shihara's soul return to the Underworld...
However...
This medical ninja from ancient times was truly as great as the legends passed down for a millennium, wishing so selflessly to solve the problem plaguing his older brother!
This was truly...
To Senju Tobirama, it was a match made in heaven.
Senju Tobirama carefully pondered how to accommodate Emiya Shihara so as not to make the other party feel that he was slighting this respectable senior, while also keeping Emiya Shihara's identity a secret within the village to avoid arousing wild speculations from others...
"..."
Emiya Shihara also felt it was a match made in heaven.
It was just that Emiya Shihara still needed to maintain his demeanor as a medical ninja. He looked at the First Hokage on the bed with a trace of concern and softly reminded Senju Tobirama.
"The patient is waking up."
Just as Emiya Hashirama predicted—wait, Emiya Shihara said—
The brows of Senju Hashirama, who had been lying flat on the hospital bed, furrowed tightly, and the Sage eye shadow on his face rapidly faded away!
The First Hokage's flat body suddenly and directly sat bolt upright, as if he had just experienced some terrifying nightmare, crying out the name of his dearest friend with a face full of terror!
"Madara!"