Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

In mid-June, the village leadership announced that the Chunin Exams would not be affected and that Jonin nominations could continue.

In just three months, the border conflict has resulted in far more casualties than expected, and the scale of the war is showing signs of expansion.

Inside the Hokage Building, Koharu Utatane gave her routine report on the recent battle situation, her expression becoming somewhat strange when she mentioned Sunagakure:

"Although it sounds unbelievable, the Third Kazekage most likely died at the hands of his own people."

"The intelligence department believes that Sunagakure is still in internal strife, and the Chiyo siblings are trying to divert attention from the conflict by waging war in order to select the next Kazekage."

Mitokado Homura also found this matter somewhat outrageous; the strongest Kazekage dying at the hands of his own people was something he couldn't imagine happening to Konoha.

"Hiruzen, we have already spread the word within Sunagakure, and Danzo has done his job well. Hanzo has agreed to let us enter the Land of Rain."

"Orochimaru has pushed the battle line to the edge, and we haven't seen any signs of Iwagakure yet."

Unlike Jiraiya's counterattack near the Land of Grass, Orochimaru disregarded losses and pushed Sunagakure back to its "home base" in just one month.

Such a result is outstanding, but considering the looming signs that Danzo and Orochimaru might be joining forces, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly as he replied:

"Is Danzo still in the Land of Rain?"

"The Root seems to have discovered the 'secret' of Amegakure, and Danzo believes we can win Hanzo over."

Koharu responded softly. She didn't know the details of Genbu's actions, but she believed that her old friend would not betray the village's interests.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe; his root was starting to get out of control. Orochimaru had failed to complete the task he had been given.

"Tell Orochimaru to be wary of casualties, and to return to the border immediately if there are any signs of Sunagakure and Iwagakure joining forces."

"yes!"

Upon hearing the instructions, the Anbu members puffed out their chests and responded proudly. In just two months, the village regained the initiative. This is the power of the Konoha ninja.

-

War has broken out again in the Land of Rain, which is shrouded in rain all year round. Although Amegakure issued a warning in advance, some border villages were still damaged.

Sparse raindrops fell on the blood-red earth, accompanied by inhuman roars:

"what!"

Under the cover of explosive tags, the Sand Village ninja continued their fearless charge, their meaningless shouts seemingly bolstering their courage.

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave".

"Earth Release·Earth Style Wall!"

The moment Furukawa Osamu, clad in white armor, created distance, he began forming hand seals. When he landed on the ground, he was already spitting out thin streams of water.

The Sand Village ninja in front touched the ground with both hands, raising an earthen wall. The defense was as if it were made of paper, and was instantly penetrated, causing a large amount of blood to spurt out.

"Ugh!! Ah..."

A high-speed, linear stream of water swept horizontally, and some of the charging Sand Village ninjas were unable to dodge in time and were instantly cut in half at the waist, their screams echoing everywhere.

Stimulated by the blood, the remaining Sand Village ninjas were not afraid at all. Instead, they continued to unleash their chakra with ferocious expressions and charged forward to the enemy.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The Uchiha ninjas behind Furukawa Osamu unleashed fireballs, successfully disrupting the enemy's charging formation, and the two sides resumed hand-to-hand combat.

"Follow Master Shu!"

The young Uchiha ninja roared, and then the members of several squads roared back and accelerated their charge.

"clang..."

The Sand Village ninja at the forefront slashed fiercely, sparks flying as his long sword clashed with his short sword, the force of the weapon's recoil tearing his hand.

Taking advantage of the pause, Furukawa Osamu unleashed a burst of chakra from his feet, nimbly turned around, and delivered a side kick.

"puff..."

The young man from Sunagakure was sent flying, the force of which caused his chest to cave in. He landed with blood gushing from his mouth and nose, and was beyond saving.

Osamu Furukawa leaped directly into the middle of the Sunagakure team. Upon landing, the ground cracked and rocks flew everywhere, completely disrupting the enemy's charge. The Konoha ninja following behind seized the opportunity and successfully took the initiative.

Orochimaru stood atop a dilapidated circular house, watching Furukawa Osamu calmly dodge the encirclement, each strike of his sword and kick concise and efficient, killing with deadly precision. A look of excitement appeared on his sinister face.

"What outstanding talent!"

"boom!"

The explosive tags detonated in the middle of the group, and screams filled the air. The Sand Village puppet squad, hidden in the rear, launched a surprise attack in the chaos, and the poisoned senbon caused many Konoha ninjas to fall.

Furukawa Osamu leaped into the air to dodge the outstretched hand from the ground, briefly gathered his strength in mid-air, and then unleashed a swift horizontal kick.

"ah..."

The two Sand Village ninjas' heads twisted, and they died instantly with a muffled groan. The ninja in the ground also failed to escape; when Furukawa Osamu landed, his short sword had already pierced his skull.

More and more blood was spilled on the ground; driven by the carnage, both sides had almost lost their minds.

The Uchiha clan ninjas successfully suppressed the puppet army using their Sharingan, and the antidote they had taken beforehand made them immune to poisoned weapons.

After clearing out the surrounding Sand Village ninjas, Furukawa Osamu clasped his hands together and, taking advantage of the Konoha team's retreat to create distance, unleashed another large-scale ninjutsu attack:

"Water Release·Water Crush Wave!"

The rain in the air seemed to be sucked away, and the circular water flow surrounding Furukawa Osamu continued to rise, the huge sound temporarily drowning out the heart-wrenching screams.

"You're kidding... uh!"

The puppet squad from Sunagakure and their companions murmured amongst themselves as they watched the raging torrents of water in the sky, their faces filled with despair.

"boom..."

The torrent of water crashed down from the sky with a deafening roar, clearing most of the battlefield. Orochimaru appeared beside Furukawa Osamu, hissing in a chilling voice:

"Kill them all!"

"oh!!"

At this moment, the Konoha ninjas roared and charged again. The water-style ninjutsu, which was like divine punishment, boosted their morale. The Sand Village was no match for them!

...

As evening approached, the light drizzle finally stopped, and for the first time in half a month, Osamu Furukawa saw the sunset.

At this time, there was no trace of the Sand Village ninja in this border village of the Land of Rain. The air was filled with a thick smell of blood. The Konoha ninja who were cleaning up the battlefield were already used to it, and many of them were still talking excitedly.

The Konoha ninjas cleaning up the battlefield were all quite young, only around 15 years old. Upon seeing Furukawa Osamu appear, they all bowed respectfully, their faces showing reverence.

"Master Xiu!"

"Thanks to Lord Xiu's water-style ninjutsu and the antidote!"

"Lord Xiu is truly kind..."

Furukawa Osamu nodded in response, then bent down to close the eyes of the hideous corpse on the ground. After completing the [collection], a look of grief appeared on his small face.

Orochimaru watched with great interest as Furukawa Osamu went around comforting the dead, a strange smile appearing on his pale face. Finally, he stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips...

At dinner time, Orochimaru approached Furukawa Osamu and said with a hoarse laugh:

"Shu, your performance on the battlefield far exceeded my expectations! It's a waste of your talent to be by Tsunade's side."

"Lord Orochimaru, there's no need to say that. Without Tsunade's guidance, I wouldn't have the strength I have now."

After finishing the dried meat, Furukawa Osamu shook his head in response, but Orochimaru didn't take it to heart and continued to expound on his theory:

"You can call me teacher. The Second Hokage's Water Release ninjutsu is indeed very suitable for you!"

"These Sand Village ninja are no match for you and cannot test your abilities. Xiu, I can still guide you in Wind Release ninjutsu later."

"Tsunade asked me to take care of you, but we both know that only through killing can one truly understand the meaning of life!"

Furukawa Osamu adopted a listening expression, but seeing Orochimaru's unstoppable "talk-no-jutsu," he inwardly thought helplessly:

"No wonder they're child traffickers; they're really good at fooling 'little kids'..."

"..."