Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

In early June of Konoha Year 46, on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, hired bounty hunters suffered a devastating blow.

In less than 10 days, all the supply points were destroyed, and the Konoha ninjas mercilessly slaughtered the enemy, once again demonstrating the absolute power of a great nation!

At 4 a.m., a stronghold closer to the Land of Grass was silently wiped out.

In the dense forest, Hyuga Shuichi, maintaining his Byakugan, looked at the white chakra blade extending from the chest of the opposing ninja and offered his praise:

"Such swift swordsmanship!"

"No matter how many times I watch it, the amount of chakra gathered is always astonishing!"

Having completed the pursuit, Furukawa Osamu drew his short sword. The blade was spotless; it was a New Year's gift from Tsunade—a chakra metal weapon.

The black market ninja lying on the ground had a contorted expression. He'd escaped so far, only to be caught and ultimately killed by that brat...

"It's just sharper."

"This mission was all thanks to Byakugan. Shuichi-kun will definitely be highly valued when he returns to the clan."

Ignoring the blood seeping from the ground, Furukawa Osamu, clad in gray armor, calmly sheathed his short sword back into his back; killing had become almost instinctive.

As a member of a branch family, Hyuga Shuichi is not as sunny and harmless as he appears on the surface. He responded with self-deprecating humor after hearing Furukawa Osamu's words:

"Even if you are given important responsibilities, you are still just a caged bird."

"It may be inappropriate to say it this way, but my final destiny is still to die on the battlefield, and that will not change."

Unable to find words of comfort, Furukawa Osamu shook his head helplessly and changed the subject, saying:

"We're almost at the rendezvous point. These are the last few mission objectives, so don't let your guard down."

"Only by staying alive can we have a chance to change everything. The pursuit is now in your hands."

With his Byakugan eyes returning to normal and no longer menacing, Hyuga Shuichi smiled, watching Furukawa Osamu complete the "cremation" process, and muttered to himself:

"Should we survive?"

The ninjas inside the base were "cleared out" by Nara Shikaku and Kakashi. After the two sides met, they nodded to each other and then sped off to their next target.

The killing has only just begun.

-

As evening fell and the three teams arrived one after another, the team leader, Yamanaka Inoichi, frowned in thought. Akimichi Choza, standing nearby, offered words of comfort:

"Jiraiya-sama and the others have most likely encountered some minor troubles, and they still have time."

As usual, Nara Shikaku sat leaning against a large tree early in the morning, completely lacking energy. He stroked his chin and muttered:

"Ninja tools, food, and supplies at resupply points indicate that the enemy has already launched a war mobilization."

"Lord Jiraiya's goal this time is to find out about the situation of Iwagakure's 'weapons'. We also have to cross the Land of Grass. This is really a troublesome mission."

Although the group didn't say anything, they were quite nervous about the matter, as it involved the Jinchuriki of Iwagakure.

After the village's spies sent back a message, they completely lost contact. Yamanaka Inoichi was worried that Iwagakure might have set a trap in advance, and he had been feeling anxious these past few days.

"Captain Inoichi! Lord Jiraiya and the others will be here soon!"

After sensing the hand seals, Furukawa Osamu spoke up to remind him. Yamanaka Ino nodded, temporarily relieved, and smiled in praise:

"Well done, Xiu!"

Every time they team up, Yamanaka Inoichi intentionally gives some pointers. He is very satisfied with Furukawa Osamu's talent, and his perception ability is no less than that of the Yamanaka clan.

After confirming the direction, Hyuga Shuichi activated his Byakugan to observe, and after a second confirmation, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"call out..."

As soon as the four-person team arrived, Minato Namikaze explained apologetically:

"We suddenly encountered an Iwagakure (Ancient Stone Village) team, which took some time and caused you all some trouble!"

Jiraiya laughed heartily, and seeing that no one was injured, he immediately made arrangements:

"It seems everyone has completed the mission admirably. Next, we'll split into two groups. I'll leave the task of gathering intelligence in Kusagakure to Inoichi and Choza."

"Lu Jiu, your squad is responsible for picking up the infiltrators in the village."

"If anything unexpected happens, I'll cover the rear."

Nara Shikaku immediately responded upon receiving the scroll. After reading it carefully, he subconsciously scratched his head, feeling that this mission might not achieve its objective.

The long-haired, effeminate boy and the short-haired, dark-skinned, chubby guy were Minato Namikaze's teammates. After the mission was assigned, they both plopped down on the ground and complained:

"Iwagakure has gone mad, hiring so many black market bounty hunters."

"The shame of the Five Great Nations! Kusagakure has actually sided with them, even though they were protesting against Kumogakure's barbaric looting during the Chunin Exams."

Soon, everyone started sharing their opinions, and those on the front lines all knew that war was only a matter of time.

"The main reason is still the contracting. We have indeed squeezed the market, but the village has to do this if it wants to develop rapidly."

Minato Namikaze spoke solemnly about the village, and noticing everyone looking at him, he continued:

"The Hokage's arrangement is correct. We cannot take the initiative to invade like the Hidden Cloud Village did."

"More and more chambers of commerce are choosing Konoha because we have the best business environment. Peace is the only way to attract more people, and that is a precious asset."

Only with commerce and population can there be more tax revenue. Increased revenue for the Land of Fire will allow Konoha to continue to strengthen its power.

Although Minato Namikaze was young, his words were endorsed by the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who were staunch supporters of the Third Hokage and strongly disliked the "hardliners."

"Minato-kun is truly an outstanding ninja; many people in the village acknowledge his talent."

Around the campfire, Hyuga Shuichi murmured his admiration with a hint of envy. Kakashi listened for a while, then lost interest; he couldn't be bothered to think about how to govern the village.

"Not everyone likes him. You've seen the situation now. Ninja tools and food supplies come first, and war will follow."

"..."

Kakashi rarely talks a lot. He actually prefers to take the initiative, but Yamanaka Inoichi reminded him, so he remained silent most of the time.

Jiraiya joined in, also wearing gray armor, and without any of the airs of the Three Legendary Sannin, sat down beside the three and asked with a smile:

"How about that? Minato is a ninja born with the mindset of a Hokage!"

"That's really impressive! From what I've observed, most ninjas don't like to think about these things."

Furukawa Osamu smiled and praised him, while Jiraiya, in high spirits, laughed heartily and continued to support his disciple.

"Kakashi, I know what you're thinking. You should think independently like Shu. Remember, a ninja is someone who can endure everything."

"To start a war simply because of provocation from an enemy country will only bring more suffering and hatred."

"Great powers should not play this role. You will understand what I mean once you infiltrate this time."

Jiraiya, with his serious expression, was quite charming at that moment, but the Toad Sage quickly changed the subject:

"Kakashi, how's my latest manuscript?"

Furukawa Osamu glanced at Jiraiya and noticed that the latter had once again revealed a lewd smile. Looking at Kakashi's shifty eyes, he could only silently mutter to himself:

"They wouldn't show 'The Imperial Uncle' to kids, would they...?"