Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

Chapter 211 A Ninja's Fatherly Love (Changes in the Sand Village Environment, No Main Character)

In early February of Konoha Year 55, as the Iwagakure ninja began probing attacks on the border of the Bird Country, the Sunagakure ninja, who had been focused on development during the Fourth Shinobi World War, had no choice but to launch a counterattack.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had just asked Konoha for help a few days ago. It was thought that Iwagakure would put on a show and then negotiate, but the other side was completely unreasonable and attacked directly.

Although it wasn't a large-scale operation, the raid by the 100-man squad still caused a lot of trouble.

What the Sand Village ninja found most unacceptable was that the trade routes were cut off. After the Iwagakure village warned the Amegakure village, the Land of Rain immediately surrendered, and the Amegakure village merchants quietly changed their routes.

In less than a week, Sunagakure's trade was greatly affected, and it was only then that Rasa realized that the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, had been plotting this for a long time.

The other party had already set its sights on the Sunagakure lineage when it was preparing to replace the Jinchuriki; this operation was merely a pretext.

In three years, Sunagakure, which did not participate in the Fourth Shinobi World War, returned to normal.

Even though the commissioned missions were exploited by Konoha and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind cut budgets, the Sand Village ninja, united as they were, managed to get through the most difficult time as long as there were no casualties.

The children of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, grew up happily during peacetime. Although 6-year-old Temari and 5-year-old Kankuro had a tough time, they were much happier than their younger brother.

Gaara, who just turned 4 last month, is the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast. He has been highly regarded since the day he was sealed away, and Rasa has been teaching him ninja knowledge since he was 3 years old.

To the Kazekage's delight, his son's aptitude was excellent. Chiyo was right; Gaara was arguably the best Jinchūriki since Bunpuku.

Rasa announced this good news to the Sand Village ninja, and the whole village was thrilled. Everyone was eagerly anticipating Gaara growing into a perfect Jinchuriki like Killer Bee.

With the village developing healthily and acquiring the "Tailed Beast Cannon," its future separation from Konoha is just around the corner.

Whenever the Jonin members painted such a rosy picture for the young Sunagakure ninja, the boys would look on with longing, knowing that one day they would be able to hold their heads high in front of the Konoha ninja!

The sudden outbreak of war disrupted the Sand Village ninja's plans, and the frequent meetings made even the genin realize that something was wrong.

Temari, who has blonde hair tied in pigtails, has been looking worried lately. The girl feels that her father's gaze towards her younger brother has changed, and it's making her a little scared.

In the evening, when Temari returned home, she saw her uncle, Yashamaru. The girl was about to ask him anything when Kankuro, standing in front of the sofa, shouted, "Has Father gone mad? How could he send four-year-old Gaara to the front lines?"

"He's so young, he can't do anything at all!"

"Was it the elders' opinion? I don't believe Father would do such a thing..."

Kankuro questioned him with an evasive attitude, while the handsome Yashamaru could only manage a wry smile.

As a father, Rasa's actions were excessive, but as the Kazekage, manipulating the Tailed Beasts when necessary was the correct preventative measure.

"Don't be nervous. It's just to guard against the Iwagakure ninja using unconventional powers. The seal on Gaara is very strong."

"You all stay home and don't need to get involved in these things."

Yashamaru soothed him in a low voice, while Temari approached her uncle with concern and asked, "Will my brother die? Everyone loves him so much, why make him fight?"

Seeing the girl's worried expression, Yashamaru didn't know how to explain it to the child.

Since the Fourth Shinobi World War turned into a Tailed Beast War, the purpose of regular ninja forces has been to occupy and deplete territory.

The attacks were all primarily carried out by the tailed beasts, and the actions of the jinchūriki were amplified to an extreme degree!

Although the Sand Village ninjas bowed to Konoha, they were all filled with fervor when they saw Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and Kaguya, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, being suppressed by the Cloud Village under the leadership of Kaguya.

As a ninja village with a long history of sealing techniques, the Sunagakure leadership set up the "Jinchuriki Plan" three years ago, sparing no effort to cultivate Gaara.

Against this backdrop, although Gaara participated in many inhumane experiments, the Sand Village ninjas held great expectations and respect for this child.

At the age of 3, Gaara was even called "the hero of revival" by many Sand Village ninjas, and the entire village placed its hopes for a resurgence on the Jinchuriki.

Temari and her brother became even more popular because of her brother, but unfortunately, all their beautiful dreams were shattered by the sudden outbreak of war...

"Everyone will fight to the death to protect Gaara. With me here, Gaara will not be harmed in any way."

Yashamaru gently patted Temari's head and responded softly. The two siblings fell silent again. Gaara, who had been sitting on the other sofa, suddenly stood up: "I... I want to protect everyone!"

"Shouldn't heroes protect everyone? Just like my mother protected me..."

Four-year-old Gaara had difficulty falling asleep because of Shukaku's presence, and he had thick dark circles under his eyes. When he said these words, a look of longing appeared in his green pupils; he wanted to be a hero!

Looking at his younger brother with his red hair, Kankuro suddenly fell silent. The boy understood the price of the ninjas' care and concern.

Rather than loving his younger brother, he worshipped the monster's power.

Young Kankuro couldn't accept his father's choice and didn't know how to persuade his younger brother, so he looked at his older sister with anxious eyes.

No one could disobey their father's orders. Temari lowered her head and remained silent, the girl could only pray silently.

"I'm taking Gaara away first. Take good care of yourself during this time."

"Don't worry, it's difficult for the enemy to enter the border. Once they cross the border, Lord Kazekage will take immediate action."

Yashamaru comforted the two again, then pulled Gaara away. Watching their retreating figures, Kankuro suddenly sat down on the ground, wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes, and whispered, "What if the monster goes out of control? Gaara was badly injured last time."

"We've all been deceived. Nobody cares about Gaara at all, not even Father..."

"Stop talking! Father has his own reasons."

Temari interrupted her younger brother's complaints. The girl recalled the "burning" gaze of the Sand Village ninja earlier, and felt uneasy. Although she was still young, she instinctively felt that there was something wrong with the village.

The two went to the window and watched their uncle and Gaara leave, silently praying that their younger brother would return safely.

Inside the Kazekage Building in the center of the village, as the old guys left one by one, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, sitting at the head of the long conference table, couldn't help but hold his forehead.

He didn't even care about his reputation, he just wanted to focus on developing his village, but Iwagakure and Kumogakure still wouldn't let the village go.

"That's how ninjas are; they only respect strength. If Shukaku could release the Tailed Beast Ball at will, this kind of thing would never happen."

"That old bastard Onoki has actually learned to plunder like the Hidden Cloud Village. He must have a grasp on the progress of our Tailed Beast development."

"The nature of the war has changed, Rasa. You must have sensed it. Some ninjas are afraid to fight and are pinning their hopes on the tailed beasts. What an ugly choice."

Chiyo, leaning back in her chair, grumbled in a low voice, while her younger brother Ebizo glanced at the opened door and then added slowly, "The cooperation between the Shadows and the Tailed Beasts has become a new form of warfare."

"Sister, there's no need to worry. As long as we defend, with Rasa's gold dust and Shukaku's help, even if we encounter a tailed beast in the desert, they won't be able to break through our defenses."

"As for the Cloud Village ninjas invited by Iwagakure, those guys aren't like Furukawa Shura. They're just Lightning Release ninjas; our Wind Release squad is more than enough to handle them."

Hearing the unpleasant name, Chiyo sighed, then continued, "You're right, in these battles between teams of a hundred, the Kage and the Tailed Beasts are the key."

"It doesn't matter how many there are, as Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure have already proven."

"What I'm worried about is the change in the mentality of the Sand Village ninjas, placing their hopes on Gaara, a mere child. This behavior has already eroded the spirit of the Sand Village ninjas."

Chiyo, somewhat displeased with Rasa still facepalming, tapped the table and continued to remind him, "The Konoha ninjas who came to support us won't be doing their job. With so many casualties over the past three years, they're already tired of war."

"Minato Namikaze is no naive brat. Even if Jiraiya wanted to help, it wouldn't matter. Konoha wants to test our strength now."

Rasa had remained silent while listening to the two advisors' conversation, but upon seeing his youngest son arrive, a complex expression flashed in his eyes. He then replied in a deep voice, "Gaara's 'Sleep Technique' still has some problems. After waking Shukaku, his chakra will erode his body."

"We've only practiced twice before. Once the Tailed Beasts are used, I'll take over immediately. This will increase the power of both large-scale ninjutsu and Tailed Beast Balls."

"Yashamaru, prepare the sealing tea cauldron. If anything goes wrong, bring Shukaku back with you."

Gaara looked at his uncle, puzzled. Yashamaru trembled slightly, knowing that Rasa was prepared to lose his Jinchūriki.

Containers can be found again, but tailed beasts are precious resources that cannot be lost.

"Yes, Lord Kazekage."

Yashamaru finally responded in a low voice. Chiyo saw this but didn't say anything. This was the fate of a ninja. For the future of the village, even the Kazekage's son had to be prepared to sacrifice.

When the Konoha support team arrived at the front line of the Land of Birds, both sides had already made several attempts to probe each other.

The Iwagakure side, led by bounty hunters and wandering ninjas, charged forward. Despite being a ragtag group, they still caused considerable trouble for the Sunagakure ninjas.

Jiraiya immediately tried to communicate with the Yellow Earth, but the Iwagakure side refused to accept it.

Iwagakure has pushed the battle line back to the border region of the Land of Wind, and the Iwagakure ninjas have demonstrated extremely high ninja skills in terms of bravery in combat.

Some of the Cloud Village squads have once again disrupted the battlefield, replicating the situation of the Third Shinobi World War, breaking through the defenses and penetrating deep into the heart of the Sand Village.

The barren land was covered with piles of rubble. The environment along the border of the Land of Wind was becoming increasingly harsh, and after traveling a little further, they would even be entering the desert.

The battles on the front lines are temporarily irrelevant to Itachi Uchiha. This time, Fugaku Uchiha is personally leading the team. In addition to maintaining peace, his more important task is to train his son.

Back at the camp, Fugaku Uchiha saw his son intently organizing ninja tools and nodded in approval. Even in such harsh conditions, Itachi adapted perfectly; he truly was the son Fugaku had chosen. "Get ready, Itachi. This afternoon we will support our allies and destroy their current stronghold."

"A ninja who has never experienced war cannot be considered a true ninja!"

"Itachi, do not disappoint your clan. The Uchiha clan and the village need your strength."

With a serious expression, Fugaku Uchiha gave a low order. This was a rare opportunity, and he had fought for a long time to get Itachi to join the group.

"It's Father, I'm ready."

Uchiha Itachi stood up, bowed his head in response, and followed his father out of the tent. The yellow sand blown by the wind seemed to carry the smell of blood, and occasionally a piece of gravel hit his face, making his body feel pain again.

"Damn Iwagakure ninja!"

"It's shameful that we, as ninjas of the Five Great Nations, have to hire servants for every war."

"Once Lord Kazekage arrives, we must slaughter them all!"

In another camp, the Sand Village ninjas receiving treatment from medical ninjas were all cursing, their eyes filled with hatred. The conflict between the two sides had propelled their hatred forward for many years.

The pent-up hatred erupted, and at this moment, most of the Sand Village ninjas only wanted to kill their opponents, especially those ninjas who had witnessed the sacrifice of their comrades, most of whom had ferocious expressions on their faces.

Dust billowed in the distance. Itachi Uchiha turned his head to look at the smoke and dust from the explosion of the ninjutsu and vaguely heard some screams.

Wearing his Jonin combat uniform, Fugaku Uchiha crossed his arms, carefully assessing the current battlefield environment. He looked down at his son and earnestly instructed him again, "This is the real world I told you about."

"Do not be afraid. All excellent ninjas go through this. Death will become nourishment for the power of your bloodline!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Sand Village ninjas in the tent suddenly shouted excitedly. Uchiha Itachi, who had adjusted his headband, also turned his head and his pupils contracted when he saw a handsome ninja holding a child's hand.

"Kage-sama! Gaara-sama!"

"Those who underestimate the Sand Village ninjas must pay the price."

"Kill those damned Iwagakure ninja! Let them see Lord Gaara's power..."

With the power of the tailed beasts, there was no need to continue fighting. Many Sand Village ninjas shouted loudly, and the morale of the entire camp was greatly boosted.

Gaara was somewhat frightened; the intense gazes of the Sand Village ninjas around him made him instinctively hide behind Yashamaru.

"It's okay, I'll protect you!"

Yashamaru leaned down and whispered words of comfort, a gentle smile appearing on his fair face. Gaara nodded, gradually getting used to being addressed as "Lord Gaara" by those around him.

"The Fourth Kazekage suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of your teacher, and nearly died in the Land of Rain back then."

"But to be able to let his son shoulder this responsibility, his magnanimity is truly worthy of the title of Kazekage..."

As Fugaku Uchiha walked to the other end of the Konoha camp, he took the opportunity to teach his son. Upon hearing his father's words, Itachi Uchiha's expression stiffened. After observing carefully, he realized that his father was serious.

"To gain power, one must inevitably pay a price."

"Although I do not agree with some of the views within the clan, the nature of the war has changed, and this is indeed the best time to restore the glory of the Uchiha clan."

Fugaku Uchiha's teachings continued, but Itachi Uchiha, with his head down, suddenly thought of his younger brother Sasuke. If he failed his father's expectations, would Sasuke also go through the same thing?

Upon reuniting with the Konoha ninja and arriving beside the young Uchiha ninja, Itachi clenched his fists, his eyes turning crimson: "I absolutely cannot let my brother live in such an environment..."