This really is… a case of your worst fears coming true.
Tsunade's body instantly stiffened.
Even after becoming Konoha's Fifth Hokage, she always felt she carried the weight of the village and shouldn't be afraid of Emiya Shirou, her former teacher who was now an enemy.
But the fierce blow she had suffered from him during their last battle had left an indelible shadow in her heart. She was afraid to face him again. Even just standing before Emiya Shirou, Tsunade was scared she might not be able to bring herself to fight.
However, just as Tsunade couldn't understand the Fourth Raikage's fear of Uchiha Madara, the Raikage couldn't understand her fear of Emiya Shirou.
"Tsunade," the Fourth Raikage stated bluntly, his deep voice a reprimand. "You're scared. Fear isn't something that should exist in warriors like us."
"..."
Tsunade turned and gave him a disdainful look. Was this guy really saying that? she thought. Who was just shaking with fear when we mentioned Uchiha Madara?
"Don't look at me like that!" the Fourth Raikage instantly fumed.
"Relax." Tsunade sighed, turning to leave the infirmary. She needed to prepare to assemble Konoha's ninja to confront the Akatsuki's attack.
To call it preparation, however, was optimistic. It was really just a desperate struggle. After all, during the Chunin Exams, a single burst of chakra from Emiya Shirou had been enough to overwhelm ordinary Konoha ninjas.
But Tsunade had expected as much. Now, she could only hope that Orochimaru and Uchiha Obito could give the Akatsuki some trouble, hopefully forcing them to retreat and regroup.
-----
At the border of the Land of Rain, Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Obito stood atop a hill, watching Emiya Shirou's group depart.
"Now," Obito began, not looking back as he gave Kakashi orders, showing little regard for his old friend. "Our plan can begin. Madara is probably at the Akatsuki's base. I'll try to draw him out—you sneak into their base and find out where the tailed beasts are."
"Obito…" Kakashi started to say something.
"We don't have time to waste," Obito scoffed, his body twisting into the Kamui dimension. "I don't need to talk with you any more than necessary."
His final message was left on the wind: "This so-called cooperation is just you borrowing my other eye to fight the Akatsuki."
There was one more thing Obito didn't say out loud.
This plan wasn't safe. He could very well die at Uchiha Madara's hand. If he died during this mission, there was no point in saying anything more now.
-----
Inside the Akatsuki's base, Madara and Sasuke were still training.
Madara used his Susanoo again to knock Sasuke to the ground, sighing softly. "Letting you follow Lord Emiya to Konoha wouldn't have been a bad choice. Attacking Konoha might have given you the chance to awaken the Mangekyo."
After all, Sasuke grew up in Konoha. If he could truly let go of his past there, the emotional turmoil might be enough to awaken his Mangekyo.
"No need," Sasuke said, shaking his head seriously. "I'll find a way to counter Susanoo myself."
"Then you'll have to exhaust his ocular power," Madara said, revealing the secret of the Mangekyo Sharingan and explaining Uchiha Itachi's weakness in full. "Unless you awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, which never goes blind, a regular Mangekyo loses its ocular power every time a technique is used. This results in gradual vision loss until total blindness."
He added a warning, "But if his ocular power is exhausted and he becomes blind, I can't guarantee you'll be able to transplant his eyes and awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."
"I just want to kill him," Sasuke replied coldly, showing no interest in the power of the Eternal Mangekyo. "Whether I awaken the Eternal Mangekyo is irrelevant to me."
"Hah…" Madara laughed. "That really is disappointing for us. Lord Emiya and I see you as the successor to the Moon's Eye Plan."
"No interest," Sasuke repeated flatly.
"Tch… blinded by hatred, huh?" Madara clicked his tongue and shook his head, though he didn't dislike Sasuke's rebelliousness.
In fact, he understood it quite well. "Let's talk after you've finished your revenge."
"..."
Sasuke was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke. "Thank you. After I kill him, I'll think seriously about this so-called Moon's Eye Plan."
After all, Madara and Emiya Shirou had treated him well. Everything they had done was for the sake of eternal peace. If their ideas really worked, Sasuke didn't mind helping.
"..."
Madara laughed again, having nothing more to say. If their plan succeeded, they wouldn't need Sasuke then.
By that time, Sasuke himself would be caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi's dream. Maybe in that world, his parents and clan would all be alive, and he would still be a boy cherished by his family.
Inside Kamui's space, Obito was making his final preparations. He needed a way to lure Madara out of the Akatsuki's base while also escaping his control.
"Don't worry," Orochimaru said with a light smile, telling Obito not to worry.
He glanced at the coffins behind him, his eyes turning cold. "This time, the Impure World Reincarnation is very close to perfect. Their powers are nearly at their strongest from when they were alive."
He continued his assessment, "Even if it can't deal with Emiya Shirou, it shouldn't be hard to deal with Madara."
"Doesn't matter," Obito sneered, clenching his fist. "So long as we get those eight tailed beasts, I'm just one step away from becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. As long as our plan succeeds, that Emiya Shirou guy won't trouble us anymore. Old relics from ancient times belong in stories."
"Let's begin." After he finished speaking, Obito turned his eyes to his long-standing ally. "Kisame, the first step is yours."