Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

In mid-October of Konoha Year 46, the Konoha ninja were in particularly high spirits due to the large number of commissioned missions.

The higher-ups did not relax; instead, they continued to stockpile food and ninja tools. The Anbu and Root also mobilized half of their personnel, making intelligence work even more important at this time.

Having been in meetings for the past two weeks, the busy Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, finally had a moment to relax. Looking at Tsunade as she came to report, he smiled and said:

"Thanks to you in the village, these medicines can play a huge role."

"Orochimaru has been lacking enthusiasm for his work lately. You should talk to him when you have time. There are some things I can't say."

Tsunade knew her teacher was referring to Orochimaru and Danzo's close relationship. She wasn't interested in such matters and simply shook her head in response:

"If there's a problem, just call him over."

"Old man, you know his personality. Orochimaru isn't after power."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. Tsunade hadn't realized Orochimaru's personality had changed, and he didn't want to say anything more about it, so he changed the subject.

"Jiraiya and the others should have already infiltrated the Land of Earth. We need to check on the progress of our opponents' development of the Tailed Beasts."

"It's not just Iwagakure; the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki of Kumogakure is a huge problem. Once they master this 'weapon,' the village will have to be prepared."

"What suggestions do you have for the development of sealing techniques?"

After Uzumaki Village was destroyed by a coalition of nations, its sealing techniques were looted by various ninja villages. Konoha, thanks to the presence of Mito Uzumaki, has preserved its techniques relatively intact.

Tsunade inherited many precious techniques, and thinking of the Four Symbols Sealing Technique used for the Tailed Beasts, she said helplessly:

"Sealing techniques are a higher level of ninjutsu than summoning techniques. Teacher, you overestimate me. I simply cannot solve the problem of tailed beasts through jutsu."

"When a Jinchūriki is absorbing the chakra of a Tailed Beast, the Tailed Beast is also absorbing the Jinchūriki's chakra."

"In this state, one can only rely on the power of the Jinchūriki himself."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. Although he had the title of "Professor," he didn't have a good way to develop the power of the Tailed Beasts.

Involuntarily recalling his previous Wood Release experiment, Hiruzen Sarutobi ultimately put the idea out of his mind. Wood Release was good, but the price was too high.

"If you have time, could you look after Kushina? The Anbu reports that she keeps having nightmares, and the Nine-Tails' power is constantly affecting her."

Tsunade frowned slightly upon hearing her teacher's suggestion, but ultimately didn't mention the matter of supervision.

"At least let her have a normal relationship with Minato. Old man, you're still too conservative on this matter."

Without arguing with his disciples, Hiruzen Sarutobi needed to eliminate any potential threats. Having some freedom was better than the Nine-Tails going out of control. As he grew older, he unconsciously became more conservative.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Since you're staying in the village, you could reconsider Jiraiya, after all, you're getting old..."

"Old man, what are you saying!"

The documents on the desk jumped up, and seeing Tsunade's fist slammed on the table, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only give a wry smile.

After Tsunade stormed off in a huff, Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on a cloud of smoke, staring at the group photo on the table. In the photo, his hairline hadn't receded yet.

"I'm getting old..."

-

Jiraiya's team, who had infiltrated the Land of Earth, had been having an exceptionally tough time. At night, they continued to eat dry rations in the rock face, and the closer they got to their target, the more cautious they had to be.

The cave, carved out using Earth Release, was very clean, but since they hadn't had hot food for half a month, Jiraiya had to speak up to comfort them:

"We still have three days' journey left. When we get back to Konoha, I'll treat you to a big meal."

"Don't worry about safety. Once you reach the valley, guard the markers. If things go wrong, Watergate can take everyone away immediately."

Seeing his teacher's confident demeanor, Minato Namikaze felt a considerable amount of pressure, but he knew he had to shoulder the responsibility, so he immediately put on a bright smile:

"The teacher is right. As long as we protect the coordinates, my Flying Thunder God Technique can ensure everyone's safety."

"The Jinchuriki of Iwagakure may not have developed much power, so there's no need to worry too much about the mission."

The white-haired, dark-skinned, chubby man let out a sigh of relief. If it weren't for Jiraiya leading the team, facing a Jinchuriki head-on would have been suicide. But he trusted his teammates and immediately responded:

"Minato is right, we don't need to scare ourselves..."

"You're the only one worrying! I trust Minato and Jiraiya-sensei completely!"

The man with long black hair and an effeminate demeanor casually made a sarcastic remark, and the two started arguing again. To this, Minato Namikaze could only scratch his head and chuckle twice.

The team supporting Jiraiya consisted of members from the Hokage's direct Anbu and Root ninjas. Osamu Furukawa, a sensory and medical ninja, joined the team and, wearing a mask, whispered a reminder:

"A ninja is approaching our previous marker."

A ninja from the Root Aburame clan immediately added in a muffled voice:

"My parasite is moving; it destroyed a marker."

Osamu Furukawa's sensory range is close to 10 kilometers, though he publicly claims it's around 6 kilometers. Within the team, Minato Namikaze's sensory range is also extremely large. At this moment, his finger touches the ground as he looks at Jiraiya:

"Teacher, should we eliminate these targets?"

Several members of the Anbu also looked at Jiraiya. Everyone knew Minato's strength and speed, and this suggestion was not just empty talk.

"We've kept one site, that's enough. We'll speed things up from here on out."

A sense of urgency arose in Jiraiya's heart, but he ultimately decided against the risky attack. Noticing the serious atmosphere within the team, he perked up again:

"Well done, Xiu. A ninja must always be vigilant!"

"Haha, no wonder the Toad Sage has taken a liking to him."

Minato's two teammates breathed a sigh of relief, but they were almost discovered just as they approached the valley where the Jinchūriki was located, and the situation was not optimistic.

"Lord Jiraiya, we are responsible for clearing out the guards outside the valley. Once we have placed the markers, the guild will notify you."

"Once you enter the valley, Iwagakure may send out a reaction force within 10 minutes, so please be extra careful."

The Dark Guard captain, wearing an animal mask, gave another warning. Jiraiya nodded solemnly, knowing they might have to conserve their energy as they might face two Jinchuriki.

-

Two days later, in an unnamed valley, the outer guards of the Iwagakure ninja gradually fell silent.

From the high outpost, Furukawa Osamu silently drew a short sword from behind the Iwagakure ninja, and then the parasitic insects on the ground took over the body, maintaining the standing posture.

There were some noises during the assassination, but they were quickly quelled. When the four members of the team regrouped, the leader of the assassination unit nodded in satisfaction.

Furukawa immediately formed hand seals and used a secret technique to transmit a message. Sensing that Jiraiya's team had begun to move, he reported in a low voice:

"Lord Jiraiya and the others have begun their infiltration."

The Root ninja of the Aburame clan played a crucial role in the operation; this time, the enemy's sensory ninja was eliminated by their special poisonous insects. Before the captain could speak, they suddenly spoke up:

"I have other tasks to complete!"

Just as he was about to move, the captain of the dark forces immediately appeared in front of him, his hand also on the hilt of his sword, and coldly reminded him:

"You intend to disobey the Hokage's orders?"

Another member of the Anbu silently stood beside the Aburame clan ninja. Furukawa Osamu, speechless, could only move closer to the Anbu captain and remind him again:

"We haven't even made contact with the target yet, seniors. You don't want the mission to fail, do you?"

"..."