Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

Unlike the brightly lit commercial district, the Uchiha clan compound under the moonlight had a very different atmosphere than other parts of the village, even though it was located in the "second ring".

As they were about to leave the area, Furukawa Osamu, with his hands in his pockets, looked into the shadows and spoke up to warn them:

"You've been following me for so long, don't make me invite you out."

"..."

With no response, the Root ninja hidden in the corner held his breath, formed hand seals, and tried to aim at his target to use the Mind-Body Transfer Technique.

The pupils behind the mask suddenly contracted, and the Root ninja, who was kneeling on the ground, realized that Furukawa Osamu had disappeared. He silently shouted "Body Flicker Technique".

"Well..."

Osamu Furukawa grabbed the Root ninja by the throat and lifted him into the air. The Root ninja, whose throat was being choked, made unconscious noises, and the childlike face behind the mask became ferocious due to lack of oxygen.

"What a despicable tactic, sending children to spy on us, a pointless test."

Furukawa Osamu commented in a low voice, casually throwing the Root boy to the ground. He was sure that the boy had already been marked with the seal of the tongue curse, so "talk no jutsu" was useless.

In previous missions, the ninjas of the Root Aburame clan had left a deep impression on Osamu Furukawa. If it weren't for his Chidori Stream catching them off guard, the battle wouldn't have ended so easily.

The children of the mountain clan in front of us likely possess special talents as well, since Root always manages to absorb these outcasts from powerful ninja clans.

"The mountain captain took care of me; next time, send an adult instead."

"Just report back truthfully."

Furukawa Osamu only showed the other person his back. The Root boy, who was lying on the ground gasping for breath, barely managed to prop himself up. He didn't feel relieved; instead, a sense of loss welled up inside him.

"I have disappointed Lord Danzo..."

-

At 5 a.m., Furukawa Osamu finished refining the Sage Chakra at home. Under the influence of the Spirit Transformation Technique, the Sage Chakra mist stored in the Hundred Healings Seal became even denser.

His body was slowly absorbing this power. As he grew older, the most obvious change in Furukawa Osamu was that his strength increased and he was extracting more and more chakra.

The slug on my shoulder began to wiggle its antennae merrily again, its senses growing stronger each day:

Will Lady Tsunade become Hokage?

Furukawa Osamu was somewhat surprised to hear the slug's soft, sweet voice, and asked curiously in return:

"Even a slug cares about these things? The Hokage title doesn't mean anything to you, does it?"

"It's just a guess based on Tsunade's transformation. She told me about this dream when we were little."

The live slug's tone became lighthearted; the Contractor's dream coming true was also an interesting experience for her.

Furukawa Osamu hadn't expected this immortal to have such a hobby. Thinking of Tsunade's increasingly diligent work, he said softly:

"Tsunade-sensei has a great chance, but ultimately it depends on the village's decision."

"I just wanted to give the teacher a push. As for the result, it wasn't that important. After all, I didn't have high expectations."

"Most people don't like sharing power. Disrupting the balance can cause turmoil, and the 'darkness' at the root can continue to spread."

The slug flicked its antennae; too lazy to think it through, it simply sighed casually:

"Human thoughts are so complex!"

...

The disappearance of the Third Kazekage has heightened tensions in the ninja world. Konoha has begun to strengthen border patrols and accelerate the stockpiling of supplies.

At Konoha Hospital, the number of wounded is increasing again, making C-rank missions more dangerous, and injuries to genin are inevitable.

In the hall, Nohara Rin solemnly used healing magic to complete the initial treatment. The girl had been busy from morning to afternoon, and her body had reached its limit. When she stood up, she swayed involuntarily.

"Lin, don't push yourself too hard! Leave the wounded to me."

Shizune helped the girl up, and Nohara Rin smiled brightly, responding softly:

"It's okay, I only need a few minutes to rest."

In the evening, when Obito Uchiha visited Rin Nohara at the medical team, he saw that the girl looked pale and immediately asked her with concern:

"Why are you so tired, Lin? Don't push yourself too hard!"

Perhaps it was the sight of the two being so affectionate that irritated the ninjas who had lost their comrades, for one of the lower-ranking ninjas, with his right arm in a sling, spoke up sarcastically:

"Can staying in the hospital and receiving subsidies be considered working incredibly hard?"

"It's naive brats like you who embolden the enemy. You cowards only advocate passive defense..."

Obito could tolerate others' sarcasm and ridicule, but when it came to Rin Nohara, he immediately rushed over, grabbed her collar, and shouted angrily:

"Apologize to Lin right now! Or you'll regret it!"

"Do the Uchiha clan only bully us commoner ninjas?"

"Get out, you Uchiha clan bastard!"

"..."

The Uchiha symbol aroused the wounded in the hall. Obito was unaware that as the local conflict intensified and war was imminent, many people were filled with anger and fear.

As Obito was gradually surrounded by the crowd, he tried to argue loudly, but the ninjas were not very good-tempered and soon began to push and shove each other.

Just as a conflict was about to erupt, a "tsk tsk" sound suddenly appeared.

The chakra senbon, crackling with blue lightning, struck the legs of the group with pinpoint accuracy, causing them to collapse to the ground.

Obito also fell to the ground. When he looked at his legs, he saw nothing. Just as he was about to get up and continue arguing, he heard a familiar voice again:

"Conflicts are prohibited here."

Osamu Furukawa appeared in the hall wearing a medical ninja's protective suit. The Chidori Senbon he had just used had calmed everyone down, and they all bowed their heads and said in unison:

"I'm sorry, Master Xiu..."

The Chunin responsible for maintaining order in the hospital finally "stepped forward" at this moment. They also wanted to see the Uchiha suffer a setback, having been watching the show from the sidelines.

The oblivious Obito Uchiha didn't notice the details; his eyes were only on Rin Nohara. He immediately went to the girl's side and asked with concern:

"Are you alright, Lin? Those guys were awful. I'll protect you."

Rin Nohara keenly noticed the recent changes at the hospital. The girl connected the dots to the war, but seeing Obito's concerned expression, she still smiled and said:

"Thanks to Obito! Don't worry about what others think; many people have lost their comrades."

Obito smiled upon receiving the praise, but after a moment, he remembered the tense atmosphere in the village and muttered to himself unconsciously:

"War?"

-

In mid-February, news of the Third Kazekage's disappearance and suspected internal strife in Sunagakure spread widely throughout the village.

While Sunagakure chose to send more ninja troops to the border, the "hardliners" in Konoha once again volunteered for war.

It's unclear when exactly, but a rumor began circulating in the village that if the war was won, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind would entrust the task to Konoha.

Although careful consideration reveals that this is impossible, many ninjas still choose to believe it, and the "hardliners" have stirred up a huge wave of voices.

Tsunade was in a bad mood, buried in her documents in the office early in the morning. War always made her think badly, and the calls for the village to fight made her feel even more disgusted.

"Even Tsunade needs to balance work and rest; frowning will cause wrinkles."

Furukawa Osamu handed her a cup of hot tea. Tsunade glanced at it irritably, then sat up straight and muttered:

"What is the village trying to do? Spreading these rumors, and the old man didn't stop them."

"Teacher, the project can't hold on any longer. It seems like war could solve this problem."

Having too many "tools" means you have to use them up, and you can also gain more benefits along the way. Tsunade understands this, but she still felt uncomfortable after hearing what Furukawa Osamu said.

"This is none of your business, you brat! Go get me another cup of tea."

Furukawa feigned helplessness, and Tsunade finally smiled, watching her disciple's retreating figure and sighing inwardly:

"Too much talent can indeed be a problem..."

"..."