Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

In mid-May, the weather warmed up.

Inside the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, frowned as he looked at the latest report, while Homura Mitokado calmly said:

"Hiruzen, we all knew this would happen sooner or later."

"The effects of low-priced commissions are spreading. Both Sunagakure and Iwagakure have noticed this. As the other side's commissions gradually decrease, war will inevitably break out."

Konoha ninjas are numerous, have a good reputation, and are relatively inexpensive, which makes more people seek commissions.

The impact was most severe on Rank C and Rank B missions. Some merchants in the Land of Wind even abandoned the Sand Village ninjas, all of which were the result of the events in Konoha.

"We certainly won't plunder like the Hidden Cloud Village, but the result will be the same."

"Resentment is inevitable among neighboring countries, and war is the best solution for them."

"Taking the initiative is a good strategy; passive peace is not true peace."

Koharu Utatane, squinting, also offered her opinion: at this point, cutting off the enemy's outstretched "arm" would indeed not solve the problem.

"We will not drag the Konoha ninja into the war; this is a strategy we formulated long ago."

"Onoki recently hired some people from the black market, and now he needs to give a warning to those who accepted his commissions."

"Jiraiya has received accurate information that the Jinchuriki of Iwagakure seem to be making some moves, and this time they are splitting up."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that the Tsuchikage's prestige had been completely undermined by employing black market bounty hunters, a situation he considered a disgrace. He planned to teach the Tsuchikage a lesson to prevent Iwagakure from actually starting a war.

"Jinchūriki? What stage have we reached in developing the Jinchūriki system?"

Danzo, who had been playing a supporting role, suddenly opened his eyes and asked a serious question. Hiruzen Sarutobi still couldn't give a definite answer to this question:

"Having Jinchuriki participate in the battle is the worst option. Every village's sealing techniques have flaws, and if they get out of control, they will be a nightmare for both sides on the battlefield."

Some time had passed since the last inquiry, and it was clear that the development of the Jinchūriki was still not up to expectations. Danzo was somewhat dissatisfied with this and spoke up to remind him:

"It's time for the sealing techniques we inherited from the Uzumaki clan to come into play."

"If the opponent uses a Jinchūriki, the village must be prepared. Hiruzen, the only weapon we need is one that we can control."

Danzo offered his advice expressionlessly, but the two advisors were somewhat surprised to hear this; their old friend seemed to be paying special attention to Jinchūriki.

What the three people in the room didn't know was that Root was secretly training Wood Release ninjas, and as the test subjects grew, their ambitions also increased.

Although it can't compare to the First Hokage's Wood Release, it's enough as long as it can suppress the Tailed Beasts!

"If you can't handle this, you can hand it over to the Root..."

Faced with his silent "old friend," Danzo offered his advice again, which Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally refused, stating firmly:

"This isn't the work of the roots!"

Danzo was still disappointed by the rejection. If he could master the Wood Release and the Nine-Tails' power, the position of Hokage might no longer be a problem.

After discussing the matter, Hiruzen Sarutobi insisted on strengthening security and once again rejected the strategy of taking the initiative.

No one questioned that the war was uncontrollable, and for Konoha, maintaining the stability of the village remained the top priority.

As Danzo left the room, he narrowed his eyes again. The appearance of Wood Release made him value Orochimaru's talent even more, and he also had new ideas about the power of the Tailed Beasts:

"The root requires a controllable human support."

-

The decisions made by higher-ups have little impact on lower-ranking ninjas. Recently graduated students are engrossed in D-rank missions, and even the best teams can only carry out C-rank missions at most.

Obito Uchiha, who finally got a holiday, was busy helping an old lady again. The old lady was a great help in his recent D-rank mission!

As Obito said goodbye to the old man at the hospital entrance, he received the candy with a bright smile. Just as he was about to leave, he heard the girl's voice again:

"Obito, are you helping an old lady again? This week's mission is all thanks to you!"

Rin Nohara greeted him while holding her notebook. Seeing the girl's sweet smile, Obito felt all his fatigue vanish and happily responded loudly:

"Haha, I'm glad I could help Lin. It's my turn to take care of you now!"

Upon seeing the handkerchief handed to him by Rin Nohara, Obito's face immediately turned red. He awkwardly wiped his face twice and then whispered:

"I'll return it to you after I wash it. Thank you, Lin!"

Ignoring the handkerchief, Nohara Rin nodded and then shared the information she had received:

"Feizhu-kun plans to join the intelligence squad, so he might not be able to team up with us for a while."

"Shizune told me they'll be adjusting the team leader later; we might have an excellent Jonin leading the team!"

"Thanks to Obito's hard work, Team 7 achieved the best results of all the teams!"

Obito couldn't really comment on that strange teammate, but after nearly two months together, the other person chose to leave, leaving him somewhat disappointed.

"Rin, are you leaving to join the medical team too? It's safer to be a medical ninja, right?"

"I might really not be able to protect you all..."

"What are you talking about, Obito! Didn't you say you were going to become Hokage?"

Rin Nohara stopped and looked at Obito with a serious expression. Obito realized that the girl seemed angry and immediately started to stammer in a panic.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Obito, you're really amazing."

"I'll stay in Class 7 and watch over you!"

"Lin..."

Encouraged, Obito's eyes reddened slightly; being cared for by his beloved felt like having the whole world.

"Let's do our best together! If we become Chunin, maybe we'll have a chance to team up with Kakashi again!"

"If I'm going to take the exam, I need to work twice as hard now. The seniors say it's very difficult to pass the first time..."

Rin Nohara, lost in her daydreams about the future, didn't notice the twitching at the corner of Obito's mouth. For the girl, Kakashi remained her idol.

-

At 4 a.m. at the end of May, Furukawa Osamu routinely completed his training in the Hundred Healings Technique, and the Sage Chakra was stored methodically in his forehead.

"Master Xiu, the progress is rapid! The senses have strengthened again."

The slug swayed its tentacles on his shoulder. Furukawa Osamu, who was sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes, subconsciously touched his forehead, and then said in a low voice with some regret:

"It would be great if we could absorb natural energy and refine it ourselves."

Furukawa Osamu was looking forward to the Qi Refining stage of cultivation, but the live slug couldn't understand and could only continue to comfort him in her soft, sweet voice.

"I might not be able to summon you for the next two months. This joint operation seems to be proving to be a problem!"

"It's alright, Master Xiu."

"..."

Around 5 o'clock, fully armed Osamu Furukawa arrived at the village gate. Kakashi waved to him, and the Chunin boy from the Hyuga clan nodded in return.

The three leaders, "Ino-Shika-Cho," solemnly instructed the three teams as soon as the appointed time arrived:

"In addition to 'cleaning up,' we also need to cooperate with Jiraiya's team to complete the infiltration."

"Give it your all, let's go!"

"..."