"Heh..."
Madara Uchiha couldn't help but sneer. While he never thought he'd be surpassed by two brats like Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, he certainly didn't expect the future trouble to be resolved like this.
Itachi Uchiha… he had really done him a big favor.
Even though Emiya Shirou had exposed the truth, it was too late. The Konoha ninjas could no longer accept an unstable element like Sasuke Uchiha, who could destroy the village at any moment—especially since he had just come so close to succeeding.
The Konoha ninjas' gazes toward Itachi became strange. They hadn't expected the former rogue ninja to be so loyal to the village. Unfortunately, his good intentions had led to a terrible outcome, causing Sasuke to hate Konoha.
"You... you knew all along..."
Itachi couldn't believe that all his actions had been seen through by Emiya Shirou. He could even less imagine that he had created such a massive mistake in his brother's life.
"Of course I knew," Emiya Shirou replied, his attitude toward Itachi surprisingly friendly. "But you don't have to worry. As a reward for being willing to act as my pawn back then, I will help arrange a suitable place for Sasuke..."
"Heh heh..." A smile curved on Madara's lips. He understood Emiya Shirou's meaning and was quite satisfied with the arrangement. "Then let the brat follow me. It just so happens that I need a sparring partner..."
Madara was fond of the boy, especially since Sasuke's progress could actually keep up with his own. The peace in the ninja world was, ultimately, only on the surface.
Or rather, it was just an internal peace. The real external threat had not yet emerged.
Facing that threat from outsiders, Madara knew he couldn't slack off. He also needed to supervise Sasuke's training, lest they be completely powerless to resist when the time came.
"The most important thing now is to stop their fight," Tsunade sighed.
She didn't comment on what Itachi had done. She couldn't blame him, nor did she dare argue with Madara and Emiya Shirou about Sasuke. The priority was ending the battle between Naruto and Sasuke.
However, her only hope of achieving that rested with Emiya Shirou.
"Don't worry," Emiya Shirou said. "I won't let them continue fighting. In any case, my goal has been achieved."
He had no intention of letting the fight go on, lest he injure the companion he had arranged for Madara. More importantly, he had to prevent Naruto and Sasuke from suddenly and inexplicably reconciling in the heat of battle.
The next moment, Emiya Shirou's body floated into the air.
A Susanoo, a thousand meters tall, suddenly appeared. It looked like a true god of war, with wings so vast they seemed to block out the sky. It flew directly from the heavens toward the battlefield.
"That's..." Tsunade couldn't help but gasp. Even though she had heard about Emiya Shirou's power from Naruto, it was nothing compared to the shock of seeing it with her own eyes. Every Konoha ninja watched with faces full of fear.
If Sasuke Uchiha's Perfect Susanoo was enough to make Konoha worry, then Emiya Shirou's Susanoo made them unable to muster any will to resist.
How could anyone possibly stand against such a person?
His intervention made it impossible for Naruto and Sasuke's fight to continue. Their battle was easily stopped by a giant, light-blue sword. Even the golden Nine-Tails and the purple Perfect Susanoo were no match for it.
"Hmph..." Sasuke Uchiha scowled at Emiya Shirou's arrival.
At that moment, he vaguely guessed the meaning behind the words Shirou had spoken to him after their final battle. This man definitely knew about Itachi's plan all along.
But just as Emiya Shirou had said, the current Sasuke had nowhere to go after causing this scene. It wouldn't be right for him to return to Konoha. And besides… he didn't want to go back.
When Sasuke landed and saw the reanimated Itachi in the crowd, a look of complexity and anger flashed in his eyes.
This brother...
"Sasuke..." A hint of guilt appeared in Itachi's eyes.
However, Sasuke refused to look at him, wanting no further communication.
No matter the reason, he could never accept that Itachi had planned to use genjutsu to alter his will. If Itachi wanted him to do something, he should have just told him everything.
"Alright," Madara chuckled, understanding the junior who shared his personality so well.
He offered a way out. "Sasuke, come back with us. The threat to the ninja world hasn't truly disappeared. It just so happens that we both need a training partner."
"Hmph," Sasuke snorted coldly but didn't refuse. He stepped to Madara's side, showing his decision.
"Sasuke!" Naruto still wanted to stop him.
"Naruto..." Jiraiya placed a hand on his student's shoulder and gently shook his head. His own eyes were complicated as he looked at Madara and Sasuke.
His student didn't understand, but Jiraiya saw it clearly.
After Sasuke had nearly destroyed Konoha, the village ninjas could no longer tolerate such a threat. Letting him stay would only bring unhappiness to everyone.
Just as they had hated and feared the Nine-Tails after its attack years ago, they would now fear Sasuke, who could destroy Konoha at any time.
But Sasuke was not Naruto. He didn't care about the recognition of Konoha's ninjas. Unlike Naruto, he wouldn't work tirelessly to do things for the village just to gain everyone's approval. To be honest, even the current Naruto hadn't gained the recognition of everyone in Konoha.
"Then... farewell, until we meet again." Emiya Shirou nodded slightly at the crowd. A space-time portal opened behind him. The darkness swallowed him, Madara, Sasuke, and the others.
Tsunade and the Konoha ninjas watched helplessly. She didn't expect that this meeting would also be her final farewell with Emiya Shirou.
From that day on, besides the members of the Akatsuki, no one ever saw Emiya Shirou again. The man seemed to have vanished, never again appearing before anyone in the ninja world.
THE END
Note: From what I know, the author wanted to start a new world from here, but gave up since writing about a protagonist who had lived for a thousand years was just too hard. Still, we got a great Naruto world!
P.S Thanks for reading all the way to the end! I hope you enjoyed it.
P.S. 2Naruto: A Century's Burden — another fanfic I've worked on. Feel free to check it out.