Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

In early January of Konoha Year 45, the arrival of the New Year brought bustling activity to the village's commercial street once again.

Theaters, which are usually unpopular, have seen a surge in moviegoers. In the newly opened teahouses and dessert shops on Tea Street, many people choose to enjoy tea while watching Naruto's Shadow Rock.

While most people were celebrating the New Year, several figures dressed in black casual clothes lingered for a long time in front of the memorial monument not far from the training ground.

"Neither life nor death has any meaning."

"If death has any meaning, it only exists when it can be used."

"Sakumo has escaped the fate of a ninja; he no longer needs to fight like a beast."

Orochimaru, who had been silent all along, looked at Sakumo Hatake's tombstone and spoke these words in a low, hoarse voice. Jiraiya, standing beside him, frowned and instinctively retorted:

"You're spouting nonsense again. This world will eventually change."

"Jiraiya, you're still so naive! The so-called child of prophecy won't solve any problems."

Orochimaru, expressionless, looked at his companions and gave his opinion, then, ignoring their emotions, continued in a low voice:

"In my view, if life has any meaning, it must be in the time when life is eternal."

"Xiu, perhaps you can understand me. When we first met, I saw in you a longing for 'life'."

Tsunade, in a bad mood, turned and glared at Orochimaru. Since the Second Shinobi World War, her comrade had changed a lot, and now she was even acting strangely.

"Eternity? The Sage of Six Paths will dissipate, and even a ninja like my grandfather will eventually meet his end."

"Orochimaru, you still prefer those pointless fantasies!"

After a brief exchange among the three Sannin, none of them could convince the other two. Tsunade, with her blonde hair, didn't want to discuss this nonsensical topic any longer and decisively said in a low voice:

"I don't like Root's tacit assessment of ninjas. They were the ones who first started this rumor."

"Ninjas who have experienced war are often not that strong. Konoha ninjas are not tools."

For the sake of the village's stability, Root conducts regular evaluations of each ninja.

Loyalty, life direction, and mission inclinations are all thoroughly investigated by Root, with the evaluation of the Uchiha clan being particularly rigorous.

Furukawa Osamu didn't immediately join the discussion among the three. It wasn't until Tsunade fell silent again that he took over the conversation:

"Perhaps this is also a manifestation of the trauma of war."

"Jonin Takagi also chose to commit suicide after completing his mission, and a similar situation has occurred at Konoha Hospital."

"I respect Professor Sakumo's choice, but life really shouldn't be like this."

After Ichiro Furukawa and his wife sacrificed themselves for the mission, Jonin Takagi, who led the team, returned to the village and committed suicide out of guilt less than a month later.

One reason was that he was injured and unable to continue his ninja career, but the main reason was his emotional breakdown after witnessing the tragic death of a friend he had known for many years.

"Someone will change all of this; this is the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage!"

"War will end, and people will eventually understand each other..."

Jiraiya suddenly spoke up to encourage him, and when talking about the Child of Prophecy, he couldn't help but recall the three disciples he had taught in the past, and a resolute expression appeared on his face.

"Why are you still so naive after everything you've been through?!"

"Sarutobi-sensei will respond soon. Once friction occurs among the five major powers, war will break out again."

After Orochimaru's brief response, a mocking expression appeared on his face. He then slowly turned around and reminded Furukawa Osamu once again:

"Some high-ranking officials have suggested that young geniuses participate in this year's Chunin Exams in order to showcase the village's strength."

"Shu, get ready. Tsunade's teachings are too lenient. I expect you to kill all your opponents..."

"Orochimaru, don't you dare tell me what to do!"

Tsunade responded loudly, quite annoyed, and looked at Orochimaru's back with a rather unpleasant expression.

It was definitely Danzo and his group who suggested participating in the Chunin Exams; they had clearly assessed Furukawa Osamu's strength.

Lately, most of the time the three of them met ended badly, something Jiraiya had gotten used to. He scratched his head helplessly, then tried to smooth things over for the higher-ups:

"When you went to the Land of Hot Springs to purchase herbs, Danzo and the others discussed this matter, but at that time, no one in the Jonin class recommended Shu to participate in the Joint Exams."

"The two advisors sided with Danzo, and the old man didn't object in the end, so it shouldn't be that dangerous..."

Tsunade, her anger rising, was about to retort, but Furukawa Osamu calmly replied:

"As for the Chunin Exams, I can handle it alone. Guy lacks experience and needs to gain more experience over the next few years."

"I can agree on behalf of the higher-ups! I'll get myself in the right mindset over the next few months."

Jiraiya responded with a serious expression, then turned to see Tsunade already clenching her fist. He immediately jumped away, then turned and left, muttering to himself:

"I'll help look after Kakashi, don't worry, the Toad Sage's new book can cure everything!"

"..."

Only two people remained in front of the memorial tablet. Tsunade let out a long breath, still furious at her teacher and the higher-ups for making such a unilateral decision.

"It's alright, teacher. After all, he's a disciple of one of the Legendary Sannin, so many people are curious about him."

"At most, they're just a few years older than me. Ninjas aren't judged by age... um..."

Seeing Furukawa Osamu clutching his forehead, Tsunade withdrew her right hand, then crossed her arms and earnestly instructed him:

"My original plan was for you to become a Chunin after you turned 10, so you wouldn't have to take this kind of exam. My recommendation would have been enough."

"If war breaks out in the future, I would prefer you to help the village as a medical ninja."

"You should know the three principles of medical ninjas. Jiraiya and Orochimaru have also promised me that they will take good care of you."

While Furukawa Osamu was grateful for the plan, he needed to complete the "gathering" during the war to unlock some of the secrets of his bloodline limit.

"Death means losing everything, and that's not what I'm after. With Tsunade's new technique, the Grim Reaper won't come after me."

"Hey kid, stop showing off in front of me! There's a chestnut yokan place on Mingcha Street that's pretty good. Jingyin really likes it. Come with me to buy a few servings."

-

In mid-January, Might Guy, who had been given a new mission assignment, was struggling to cope, as he couldn't understand Kakashi's change.

The village kept the news of Sakumo Hatake's suicide a secret, and all the ninjas who knew the inside story kept quiet. In March, Konoha's White Fang would end his ninja career as a hero.

After four hours of intense sprint training, Kakashi, covered in sweat, continued to silently practice his short sword in front of the wooden stake.

He stopped complaining and stopped shrugging. In half a month, Kakashi didn't say more than 10 sentences, and he was like a puppet.

"Xiu, what exactly happened?"

Might Guy, perched on a tree branch, asked in a low voice with a worried expression. After a moment of silence, Furukawa Osamu turned his head and said:

"Give Kakashi some more time, he'll recover."

"..."