Konan was a little uneasy. This whole situation felt... off.
Her inherent distrust of Zetsu had her on high alert, worried he was setting Nagato up for an ambush. It wouldn't be the first time.
If not for the joint betrayal by Konoha's Danzo Shimura and the Rain's Hanzo the Salamander, Yahiko would still be alive, and Nagato wouldn't be crippled.
"Relax," Black Zetsu's voice was a gloomy, hoarse rasp that practically screamed "distrust me," yet he was still trying his best to sound reassuring. "The person you're about to meet is the most trustworthy man in this world."
"Besides Yahiko and Nagato," Konan's cold stare cut through him. Her light purple eyeshadow gave her an unapproachable air that matched her hair perfectly. "There is no one in this world I absolutely trust."
"Such a narrow view," Black Zetsu's mouth curved into a smirk, mocking her small-mindedness. "When you truly see him, you'll understand just how conceited those words are."
"Is it far?" Nagato frowned, looking down at his wheelchair. His crippled legs, combined with the black rods of Yin-Yang Release jutting from his back, made any long journey a form of torture.
"He's in the Land of Rivers," White Zetsu chimed in. "Now, I know, with your condition, it would be more appropriate for him to come to you. But given his status and prestige... I'd still suggest you pay him a personal visit."
"A powerful medical ninja... and a very prestigious person," Nagato's eyes bored into them, replaying their words. His eyes widened as a thought suddenly struck him.
All this time, the masked man had claimed to be Madara Uchiha, and Black Zetsu claimed to be the will of Emiya Shirou. The last time Madara had surfaced, it was to help the resurrected Emiya Shirou quell the First Great Ninja War.
"It is that person," Black Zetsu said, clearly satisfied by the shock on Nagato's face.
"I remember..." Nagato's forehead broke into a sweat as he recalled the old legend. "That lord... he should have disappeared years ago. You told me yourself... he returned to the Pure Land after the First Great Ninja War."
"Were you deceiving us?" Konan's palm shot up, sheets of paper scattering around her, ready to attack.
"You have Orochimaru to thank for that," White Zetsu quickly explained, his hands raised in surrender. "He's a spy Konoha sent to the Akatsuki. To defeat us, he used that forbidden jutsu to bring that lord back to the human world."
"Orochimaru is a Konoha spy?" Konan wasn't surprised. She turned to Nagato. "We never should have let him join."
"But he is dangerous," Tendo Pain spoke, his voice flat. "I wasn't confident I could kill him then, so I thought it better to keep him close and monitor him. I didn't expect him to be a spy."
"Probably sent by Danzo," White Zetsu mused, stroking his chin.
The gazes of Konan, Nagato, and Tendo Pain snapped towards him, a dangerous glint in their eyes.
"Let's go see him first," Black Zetsu urged. Compared to Emiya Shirou, everyone else was insignificant.
Of course, Shirou would never think that. He believed everyone had value, even Yakushi Kabuto, the spy Orochimaru had sent to watch him.
These past few days, Kabuto's life had been... surprisingly pleasant.
He was learning so much from Shirou, not just medical knowledge, but philosophies on life. He even found himself opening up about his past, about the director of his orphanage, Yakushi Nono, seeking answers from this ancient wise man.
In the whole world, who was more qualified?
"When the director died," Kabuto confessed, "I didn't know who I was. I didn't know the meaning of my existence. I didn't have anything I particularly liked or hated. I just... didn't know why I was living." He thought of Orochimaru's guidance. "Lord Orochimaru told me to collect all the information in the world, to know everything, and then I could find the final answer."
"And before that?" Shirou asked, fiddling with some lab equipment without looking up. "I remember Danzo used your orphanage's funds to blackmail you into becoming a spy when you were just a child. Was that a life you liked?"
"I hated it," Kabuto frowned, the memory sour. "I was terrified of being discovered and killed. But the orphanage needed the funds to survive. I had to do it."
Shirou's hand paused for a fraction of a second. "When a person knows what he lives for," he said, as if it were a casual observation, "he will find that he can endure any kind of life."
Kabuto's grip on his test tube tightened.
"You are an excellent medical ninja," Shirou continued. "In some ways, not even Tsunade can compare. I thought you were living for the ninja way of a medical ninja. Now it seems..."
He sighed, his words cutting straight to Kabuto's core. "Whether it's a medical ninja, a spy, or just a ninja... none of that is what you truly want. The continued existence of that orphanage... that's the home you've always wanted."
Kabuto's arm went limp.
He's right.
For that orphanage, for the director, he could endure anything, even a life worse than death. It was for them he became a medical ninja, for them he became a spy. They were the reason he lived. Tears welled up under his glasses as he remembered the first time he'd gotten them, a gift from the gentle director who treated him like her own son. It was the first time he'd truly felt loved, valued.
"Hand me the test tube," Shirou said, as if he hadn't just shattered Kabuto's entire emotional defense. "Have the funds for that orphanage always been tight? When I was around, Konoha didn't have an orphanage. But there was an old friend of mine, Kakuzu, who was always working to sponsor some."
"Lord Kakuzu?" Kabuto's teeth clenched. "Actually, the director once met him and received donations for a time. But then Danzo forced her to refuse them, on the grounds of prohibiting collusion with rogue ninjas."
His hand tightened into a fist. "But Danzo didn't just prohibit her from accepting outside donations. As the Hokage's Assistant, he then cut the funds allocated to the orphanage from the village."
The anger in his voice was palpable. It was clear Danzo had forced them into a corner, leaving them no choice but to become his spies.
"What a terrible era," Shirou's voice was muffled.
He suddenly asked, "Was Orochimaru also sent by Danzo to destroy the Akatsuki?"
Kabuto didn't know how to answer. He didn't want to deceive this man anymore. Shirou had saved Nono's soul, had helped him resolve his inner turmoil. He was ashamed of his role in monitoring and deceiving him. But betraying Orochimaru... "I don't know," he finally said, lowering his head.
"I am only Lord Orochimaru's subordinate. But he sent word. He should be able to come to this base in a few days. You can ask him then."
"In a few days?" A flicker of regret crossed Shirou's face. If Orochimaru was only coming in a few days, they might not be meeting here.
"What's wrong?" Kabuto asked, quickly wiping away his tears. "If you need anything, I will go see Lord Orochimaru right away."
"It's alright," Shirou waved a hand. "I just want to see how much darkness is still hidden in this era, forty years later. And I want to see if I can still change it."
Kabuto nodded, his mood complicated.
Lord Orochimaru always wanted to keep him in this base, but it's obvious a place like this could never hold a man like him. But... change this era? Kabuto sighed internally.
He, too, was dissatisfied with this dark world, but he couldn't imagine how it could be changed. He wasn't even qualified to think about such things.
But if it's Lord Emiya Shirou... he can definitely do it, right?
"I will go see Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto bowed respectfully, wanting to report Shirou's thoughts, and also to think about his own future. If possible, he hoped to see the day this era changed.
Perhaps then, he could return to the orphanage and take care of the homeless children, just like the director once did.
Shirou calmly continued his experiment, as if he hadn't noticed his monitor had left.
A long time later, he looked at the Hashirama cells being cultivated in the instrument, turned it off, and said to the empty room, "It's good that you left. After all, my guests are arriving soon. The next time we meet, I will invite you again to change this world with me."