It Seems You Haven't Had It Easy These Years

Tobirama Senju arrived slightly later than expected.

Initially, he had planned to arrive immediately, but upon noticing Madara Uchiha's weakened Susanoo, he saw his brother, Hashirama, already on the scene. At that moment, Tobirama determined his role: ensure Madara couldn't escape from Konoha.

To block any possible escape routes, Tobirama spent precious time coordinating the ANBU to station themselves in key areas, cutting off Madara's retreat.

Only after these arrangements did he rush to join the battle, intending to have Emiya Shigen remove the seal restricting his chakra. Once freed, Tobirama planned to swiftly pursue and eliminate the weakened Madara—this was the perfect opportunity to finally kill him again.

But... he had arrived too late.

By the time he got there, Emiya Shigen was already in the midst of subduing the rampaging Nine-Tails.

At first, Tobirama felt concerned seeing Shigen fighting the beast. However, as he observed Shigen's remarkable performance, his perspective shifted:

Given the current state of Konoha, Shigen's involvement might actually be a blessing.

Hashirama had yet to fully recover. Mito Uzumaki, who had been suppressing the Nine-Tails for years, was fatigued and far from her peak condition. Tobirama himself was temporarily unable to access his chakra due to the seal's restrictive energies.

Having Shigen handle the Nine-Tails seemed like the best possible outcome.

"Sasuke!"

Tobirama shouted to Sarutobi Sasuke, his voice sharp and commanding:

"Take a squad and assist the ANBU in locating Madara. Once we've dealt with the Nine-Tails, we'll pursue him together!"

"Understood!"

Sarutobi Sasuke quickly responded, taking his team to track Madara's escape.

Meanwhile, Hashirama's attention remained on the battle.

"Who is this person?" he murmured, watching Emiya Shigen engage the Nine-Tails with astounding ease.

There was something about Shigen's side profile that struck a chord in Hashirama's memory, stirring a vague sense of familiarity.

"He seems… oddly familiar," Hashirama muttered, frowning in thought. "It feels like I've seen him somewhere before. Am I imagining it?"

Tobirama froze for a moment, biting back a sigh.

Brother, are you seriously asking this?

Have you already forgotten how, as a child, you would sneak off to peer into the crystal coffin holding Shigen's body—only to get caught and scolded by Father?

"Brother," Tobirama said curtly, steering the conversation away from Shigen. "Let's talk about Madara instead. How did he survive?"

Hashirama's expression darkened.

"I don't know how he did it," Hashirama replied after a pause. "But once we finish dealing with the Nine-Tails, I'll leave the village for a while to investigate Madara's whereabouts.

"If he still seeks to harm Konoha…" Hashirama's voice grew firm. "I'll do whatever it takes to kill him again."

On the battlefield, Shigen's fight with the Nine-Tails was nearing its conclusion.

"ROAR!"

The Nine-Tails let out a ferocious, guttural roar of frustration, its immense claws swinging wildly in an attempt to land a blow.

But Shigen was unfazed.

"Calm down for a moment!"

With a sudden movement, Shigen landed on the ground and raised his left hand, his fingers curling as if gripping an invisible force.

"Earth Style!"

The ground trembled as countless chunks of earth and stone surged upward, rapidly enveloping the Nine-Tails' massive body.

"ROAR!"

The beast thrashed violently, its claws swiping at Shigen in a desperate attempt to break free.

However, Shigen remained calm, his fingers tightening. The earth continued to rise and solidify, reinforced by black sealing marks that spiraled outward from the ground beneath his feet.

The seals imbued the rising earth with an unyielding strength, rendering the Nine-Tails' struggles futile.

"DIE!"

The Nine-Tails swung one last desperate claw at Shigen, aiming to tear him apart.

But the strike fell short.

A towering earthen mountain, laced with glowing black seals, rose around the beast, immobilizing it completely.

The Nine-Tails' head was the only part left exposed, its massive paw frozen just a foot away from Shigen's head.

"This feels… familiar," Shigen muttered as he gazed up at the enraged beast. A faint, nostalgic smile crossed his face. "It's just like when you were younger—always coming up short at the critical moment."

"Too strong…"

Hashirama couldn't help but murmur in awe.

To anyone else, his words might sound like praise, but from the First Hokage, it carried a hint of playful sarcasm.

"Indeed," Mito agreed, her tone similarly laced with subtle irony.

Tobirama, however, offered a more analytical observation:

"No hand seals… yet he can unleash such powerful Earth Style techniques. And he even had the focus to integrate sealing energies into them…"

The strength of ancient ninja was astounding.

For Shigen, this feat was especially remarkable given that his abilities were restricted by the limitations of the Edo Tensei state.

But the battle wasn't over.

Shigen approached the immobilized Nine-Tails, his steps calm and deliberate.

Raising his fingers, he pointed directly at the beast's forehead.

"Release!"

With that command, the Sharingan's control over the Nine-Tails dissipated, its blood-red eyes returning to their natural yellow hue.

"ROAR!"

Even freed from Madara's influence, the Nine-Tails remained furious, its raw emotions overwhelming its senses. It thrashed against the earthen bindings, desperate to break free.

The tailed beast was no stranger to hatred—it was a creature born from chakra, steeped in the essence of rage and suffering.

Snap!

A sharp sound echoed near the Nine-Tails' ear.

The abrupt noise jolted the beast.

The sharp snap wasn't just a sound; it carried a peculiar weight, cutting through its fury like a blade.

Memories began to stir within the Nine-Tails' mind—ancient memories, buried for over a thousand years.

"Kurama… have you woken up yet?"

Shigen's voice carried an air of familiarity that pierced through the Nine-Tails' turbulent emotions.

For a brief moment, the beast felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, as if it were back in the ancient past—when a certain human would rouse it from its slumber to pull a cart across endless journeys.

"Let me sleep…"

The Nine-Tails instinctively wanted to grunt in protest.

But then it froze.

This wasn't the ancient era.

And that human—long since dead—couldn't possibly appear in this time.

Even the Sage of Six Paths himself couldn't achieve immortality.

"Emiya Shigen…"

The Nine-Tails' pupils constricted, focusing on the figure before it.

It recognized that face—one etched into its memories.

"It really is you!"

"How are you alive in this era?!"

"You still remember me?" Shigen chuckled softly, a look of mild surprise crossing his face. "Honestly, I'd nearly forgotten we were old friends…"

[SSS-Rank Mission Completed: Quell Konoha's Nine-Tails Rampage. Rewards: Nine-Tails Chakra (SSS Tier) and Tailed Beast Bomb. Restricted due to Edo Tensei status.]

"YOU FORGOT?!"

The Nine-Tails' rage flared again, its massive body straining against the seals.

It glared at Shigen with a mix of fury and disbelief, as if the mere thought of being forgotten was an unforgivable insult.

"You even learned how to curse now," Shigen observed, genuinely surprised.

"You idiot!"

The beast's voice trembled with fury.

"Do you think I won't kill you?!"

Shigen remained calm, extending a hand to gently scratch the Nine-Tails under its chin—like one would a pet fox.

"Your chakra has grown so volatile," Shigen remarked. "It's even affecting your emotions. Seems like these thousand years haven't treated you well."