Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

At the end of June, the rugged fortress of Iwagakure welcomed caravans coming and going. Beneath the massive earthen walls, the Chunin lazily conducted their routine inspection at the gate.

"Honestly, vegetable prices have been going up again lately, and the village doesn't seem to care about these unscrupulous merchants."

"We can still afford to keep up with our obligations, but life as genin (lower-ranking ninja) is going to be tough."

"Lord Tsuchikage should have made a decision sooner!"

"..."

Completely different from Konoha, Iwagakure has very little greenery. At a glance, there is only a little green among the pointed buildings, giving people a sense of oppression.

The middle-aged man who left with the caravan chatted with his companions while keeping an eye on the surroundings. Once they were completely away from the fortress, he used the excuse of convenience to temporarily leave the group.

"Hurry up! We have several urgent shipments coming up soon, everyone better be on your guard!"

The team leader shouted loudly at the front, and soon scattered responses followed.

The straight road leading out of the village is flanked by rock walls several meters high. The road looks as if it was carved out of a plain, with no obstructions on any side.

"Captain Shikaku, the target has reached the designated location."

Several kilometers away from the main road, Hyuga Shuichi reported from behind a rock wall. Nara Shikaku, standing beside him, breathed a sigh of relief and whispered a few words of advice:

"We'll move when it gets dark, get the scroll, and then leave immediately."

Since arriving in Iwagakure, the situation has gradually deteriorated, as the village's spies have yet to appear.

If it weren't for the Byakugan noticing that the other side was outwardly relaxed but inwardly tightening martial law, according to the original plan, the four members of the team would have been surrounded by Iwagakure ninja stationed on the outskirts.

Several squads were lying in ambush at the West Gate outpost. Thinking about what had happened in the past few days, Nara Shikaku even suspected that there was a traitor among the crew on this mission.

The coded spells obtained in advance were rendered useless, and Nara Shikaku had no intention of trying to use the perception barrier. As the captain, he was prepared for the mission to fail.

"What should we do about Jiraiya-sama?"

Kakashi, worried about the mission's failure, asked again, but Shikaku shook his head, offering little explanation.

"My priority is to get you to safety."

"..."

Furukawa Osamu was still trying to sense things, and seeing that the Iwagakure pursuers hadn't reappeared, he immediately whispered a reminder:

"We should have shaken off their sensory ninjas. Captain Shikaku is right. If we don't leave soon, the ninjas stationed on the outer perimeter will surround us."

The Byakugan and sensory-type ninjas play a crucial role in this situation. Nara Shikaku pondered for a moment, still uneasy, and continued to instruct:

"After receiving the scroll at night, take the secret medicine and prepare for an ambush."

...

As night fell, the distant Iwagakure village was not as brightly lit as Konoha.

Upon arriving at the designated location, Hyuga Shuichi successfully obtained the information scroll. Seeing the hand gesture made by Furukawa Osamu in the distance with his Byakugan, he immediately sprinted at full speed.

The Iwagakure sensory ninjas lying in ambush did not expect that the enemy would detect their presence, and the detection range was far beyond what was expected, ruining their plan.

The square-faced Jonin captain didn't blame his subordinates; instead, he fired a signal flare and immediately gave the order:

"Chase after them and stop them."

Unlike the "small fry" hired on the black market, the two teams silently accelerated, getting faster and faster.

Noticing the light behind him, Nara Shikaku cursed inwardly. He hadn't expected the other side to value this information so much, and for a moment he could only grit his teeth and run.

The flat terrain was very advantageous to Iwagakure, and with the help of the sensory ninja, they quickly located the Konoha team.

When they reached a low rock wall, before Hyuga Shuichi could warn him, the ground beneath his feet began to crack, and with a loud crash, rocks scattered everywhere.

"Earth Release: Earth Split Palm!"

The combined ninjutsu was incredibly effective thanks to the advantageous terrain. When the four regained their footing, Nara Shikaku was bleeding from the head, clearly having been hit by a rock.

"Kakashi!"

Osamu Furukawa gave a low shout as a reminder, and Kakashi activated his body at an extremely fast speed, squeezing out chakra a second time.

As lightning crackled on their short swords, a tearing, screeching sound began to echo through the night.

Ignoring his head injury, Nara Shikaku unleashed his full power after taking the secret medicine, instantly controlling two squads as the enemies approached.

"Bang..."

Gravel flew everywhere as Furukawa Osamu and Kakashi, charging at full speed, split up and attacked. The moment the Iwagakure ninja paused, screams of agony rang out in succession:

"Ugh! Ah!..."

The sharp chakra dagger sprayed blood everywhere. When Furukawa Osamu arrived in front of the burly Iwagakure Jonin, the man had already begun to struggle.

"No!"

Furukawa Osamu's chakra erupted once more, and the Iwagakure Jonin roared in despair as a blue light blade slashed across his waist.

Blood splattered everywhere, and the upper body that fell to the ground struggled for a moment before falling silent.

"Revive the crisis!"

Hyuga Shuichi spun around, unleashing a burst of chakra that deflected the incoming shuriken, while Nara Shikaku, whom he was protecting, knelt on the ground.

Before the Shadow Imitation Technique could be activated again, the square-faced Iwagakure Jonin, seizing the opportunity, had already completed his ninjutsu:

"Earth Release: Earthquake Core!"

The sudden eruption of the stone pillar sent Nara Shikaku into the air, interrupting his ninjutsu. The Iwagakure team then launched another ninjutsu.

"Earth Release: Flying Gravel!"

"Revive the crisis!"

On the other side, Kakashi successfully killed three team members and seriously injured the Jonin leading the team. Hearing a loud noise behind him, he hurriedly accelerated and sprinted back.

Bleeding profusely from a huge wound in his waist, the Iwagakure Jonin, who had narrowly escaped death, clutched his wound and took deep breaths, his face filled with fear.

They intended to use the terrain to their advantage to continue their ninjutsu, but with the arrival of Osamu Furukawa and Kakashi, the Iwagakure team's formation was immediately disrupted.

After kicking Kakashi away, the square-faced Iwagakure Jonin hurriedly retreated, his shadow chasing after him swiftly on the ground, forcing him to create distance for the time being.

On the other side, the divided squad also encountered a crisis. Hyuga Shuichi got close and quickly attacked a Chunin. Furukawa Osamu weaved between the two, with short swords and kunai clashing one after another.

The Iwagakure Chunin, who was trying to create distance, had just jumped to the back when, before he could activate his ninjutsu, Furukawa Osamu ducked down and took the lead:

"Earth Release: Earth Split Palm!"

The earth cracked rapidly, and shattered rocks flew everywhere. The two Iwagakure Chunin hurriedly retreated, but were eventually overwhelmed by the effects of the ninjutsu.

Nara Shikaku seized the opportunity and fired an explosive tag kunai. The violent explosion caused the square-faced Iwagakure Jonin, who was trying to return to help, to curse under his breath:

"hateful!"

A huge cloud of dust appeared on the plain, and by the time the Iwagakure squad regrouped, Furukawa and the others had already disappeared from sight.

Another seriously injured Jonin had no color in his face and collapsed to the ground when he reached his teammates.

The square-faced Iwagakure Jonin noticed the terrified looks in his team members' eyes and stopped ordering a pursuit. Looking at the scene before him, he murmured softly:

"This power, achieved by a child using Earth Release..."

-

As dawn broke, the four who had successfully escaped were nearing the border. Apart from Osamu Furukawa, the other three, who had taken the secret medicine one after another, could no longer hold on.

Kakashi and Hyuga Shuichi were covered in injuries and panting heavily. Nara Shikaku, whose face was covered in blood, was leaning against a broken rock wall.

Shikaku noticed Furukawa Osamu forming hand seals and nodded, then smiled wryly and whispered:

"Hopefully the information will be useful..."