"Where is this?"
Black Zetsu was somewhat confused about the location.
"What time is it?"
Black Zetsu was somewhat unclear about the time.
"Am I in the Shinobi World a thousand years later?"
Black Zetsu began to suspect there was something wrong with its life.
Meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land.
Normally, this was a joyous occasion.
Yet, meeting someone who absolutely should not exist at the wrong time often brings not joy, but doubt about one's own reality.
Take Black Zetsu, for example.
Black Zetsu was pondering a reality that had gone wrong.
What on earth was going on here?
Having truly lived for over a thousand years, working diligently to instigate wars throughout this long era, and earnestly spreading the philosophy of the medical ninja, there was certainly nothing wrong with the timeline.
Then...
Had it lived in a blur?
Why else would it see Emiya Shihara appearing right here!
Wasn't this fellow Emiya Shihara from over a thousand years ago? How could he possibly appear in this Shinobi World a millennium later!
Could it be that living for too long had made it a bit schizophrenic?
Slightly bewildered, Black Zetsu lurked in the shadows, watching Emiya Shihara, suspecting that its sanity had malfunctioned.
No matter how one looked at it, a person like Emiya Shihara should never, ever appear before it!
Yet...
This person had appeared so abruptly.
And he even seemed to be living quite happily in this era.
"Let's try to distract the patient during this time."
Emiya Shihara acted as though he hadn't noticed Uchiha Madara hiding in the dark at all, nor did he seem to guess that Black Zetsu must be hiding near Uchiha Madara.
As a medical ninja, Emiya Shihara remained extremely dedicated in this era, showing the utmost concern for his patients' psychological well-being.
"Killing his friend has caused him a great deal of pain."
"As a family member, it would be best to help the patient find a new focus as soon as possible..."
Emiya Shihara spoke while observing Senju Tobirama, probing to see if the other man could sense Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu lurking nearby.
However...
Senju Tobirama showed no abnormality whatsoever.
Although Senju Tobirama possessed exceptional sensory abilities, there was no need to employ powerful sensory techniques within the heavily guarded Konohagakure.
Furthermore, Senju Tobirama had not yet fully mastered the Cursed Seal given to him by Emiya Shihara, and during this period he could not freely mobilize the chakra within his body.
"Let me think..."
Unable to detect anyone lurking nearby, Senju Tobirama simply lowered his head, pondering how to help his older brother shift his focus: "Compared to that evil fellow Madara, Big Brother surely cares more about the people in the village..."
Understanding his older brother thoroughly, Senju Tobirama quickly thought of a suitable method: "Then let Big Brother spend more time interacting with the children of the village during this period. Those children are truly the future he wants to protect..."
"That's fine too."
Emiya Shihara fully approved of Senju Tobirama's idea and took the initiative to state his own stance: "I will do my utmost during this time to figure out a way to extend his lifespan..."
"Many thanks."
Senju Tobirama breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
Though Senju Tobirama could not think of any solution himself, he still hoped that the other party might genuinely find a way to resolve his older brother's illness.
However...
One must always prepare for the worst.
"It wasn't convenient to ask back at the hospital."
With a cautious expression, Senju Tobirama prepared to ask the question he cared about most: "Lord Emiya, now I want to know the answer to one question..."
"If..."
"Your Excellency finds no solution..."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Senju Tobirama asked the question in a slow yet resolute voice: "How much time does... Big Brother have left?"
The night wind was somewhat still.
The air in this street seemed to grow quiet.
Whether it was Senju Tobirama standing before Emiya Shihara or Uchiha Madara hidden in the shadows, both held their breath at that exact moment.
For Uchiha Madara, his friend Senju Hashirama had to stay alive, because once he obtained the power of All of Creation, he wanted to prove to his former friend Senju Hashirama that he was the one who had been right! He wanted to let Senju Hashirama witness the path he had found!
For Senju Tobirama, his older brother Senju Hashirama had to survive, because Konohagakure and the Land of Fire had established the system of shinobi villages and nations, relying entirely on Senju Hashirama's martial might to occupy vast fertile lands and unite the various shinobi clans of Konohagakure.
Once Senju Hashirama died...
The situation across the entire Shinobi World would inevitably undergo turbulent changes.
Senju Tobirama was accustomed to keeping future developments within a controllable range; emotionally, he could not accept his older brother's death, but rationally, he had to make preparations in advance to maintain Konohagakure's stability after Senju Hashirama passed away.
"Ten years."
Emiya Shihara stated a precise number.
"If I find no solution whatsoever, even if he abstains from all combat from now on, his lifespan is unlikely to exceed ten years."
"Ten years?"
Senju Tobirama's mood grew heavy.
Ten years.
That time might seem long.
Yet, for someone still in the prime of his life like Senju Hashirama, it was far too cruel; and for a fledgling, newborn shinobi village like Konohagakure, it was far too brief.
Senju Tobirama was always in the habit of preparing for the worst.
As Konohagakure's true ruling administrator, he did not want to see the village they had built together fall apart after his older brother's death.
Before his older brother passed away from illness...
He had to find a path that would allow Konohagakure to genuinely survive.
Even though the various shinobi clans within Konohagakure submitted to the name of Senju, most of them did so merely because of his older brother's prestige and martial might.
Once his older brother died, there was no guarantee these clans wouldn't break away from Konohagakure. Within the village, these clans remained independent, and many shinobi still took pride in their own surnames; they had not yet truly accepted themselves from the bottom of their hearts as shinobi of Konohagakure.
It seemed...
He had to devise a viable plan as quickly as possible.
A flash of determination crossed Senju Tobirama's eyes. He rarely revealed his inner thoughts to anyone other than his older brother; he simply nodded toward Emiya Shihara, acting almost indifferent to the fact that his older brother had only ten years left to live.
"I understand."
Accelerating his pace slightly as he walked toward the Hokage's office, Senju Tobirama brought up his arrangement plan for Emiya Shihara.
"If Lord Emiya stays in Konohagakure as a guest during this time, there might be some inconveniences. Tomorrow I will arrange for Sasuke and the village's ANBU Shinobi to accompany Your Excellency. If you have any requests, feel free to command them..."
"It's no trouble."
Emiya Shihara's attitude was very friendly, and he spoke his thoughts in a casual manner: "If it's convenient, I'd also like to see more of this era..."
"I hope..."
A pious and sacred look appeared on Emiya Shihara's face: "To meet someone in this era to whom the future of medical ninjutsu can be entrusted..."
"You certainly will."
Senju Tobirama nodded inwardly.
Did this medical ninja from ancient times want to find a disciple for his legacy?
For Konohagakure, this was truly wonderful news.
Even though Konohagakure's own medical ninjas were not bad, compared to Emiya Shihara, they fell short by more than a few levels!
Based on Senju Tobirama's brief interactions with Emiya Shihara, the man undoubtedly mastered numerous secret medical techniques, and these techniques ought to have been passed down selflessly by such a great medical ninja, though unfortunately, they had completely died out during the Warring States Period.
The footsteps of Senju Tobirama and Emiya Shihara gradually faded into the distance.
Once the two of them had walked far away, Uchiha Madara's figure quietly stepped out from the dark corner, gazing into the distance at their departing backs.
"Ten years?"
Uchiha Madara narrowed his eyes, then stepped back into the shadows, heading covertly toward Konoha Hospital.
However...
Black Zetsu did not follow Uchiha Madara.
This pitch-black entity oozed out, glanced at the departing Uchiha Madara, and then turned its gaze back toward the direction where Senju Tobirama and Emiya Shihara had vanished.
Let's talk about the timeline.
It's basically the Naruto timeline I used previously.
It's primarily based on the anime settings, supplemented by the manga settings.
Judging by the current plot, Tsunade won her bet against the First Hokage, which is why the First Hokage died. He must have lived for a considerable period after the great war—for instance, after capturing the Nine-Tails and bringing it back, he then captured the other Tailed Beasts and distributed them to others...