Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

At the end of June in Konoha 47, on the border of the Land of Rain, the Sand Village retreated completely to the Land of Wind, and Konoha achieved a phased victory.

The reason for such a decisive victory was mainly due to Orochimaru's reckless fighting style.

In addition, Fugaku Uchiha's appearance on the battlefield immediately after his son's birth greatly boosted morale!

The clan leader led the charge, and the Uchiha ninjas went "crazy" in the battle.

After pushing the enemy back to their "home base" in one fell swoop, Orochimaru had to wait for instructions from the village's higher-ups. With the supply lines stretched out, he didn't want to venture too far in rashly.

Despite Danzo relaying the message of an alliance agreement with Amegakure to the front lines through Root, Orochimaru remained unconvinced and conducted only routine inspections in the last few days of June.

...

The incessant drizzle caused the house to become moldy. Inside the dilapidated room, Fugaku Uchiha listened intently to his trusted aides' report, his brow furrowing when he heard about the Root organization:

"The village hasn't decided to launch a surprise attack on the Land of Wind yet, but Danzo has already started urging Orochimaru."

"We haven't received any accurate information about the alliance with Amegakure. It seems the Root ninjas started their operation quite some time ago."

"Aside from the losses, this operation was a great success. Clan chief, will the village leadership recall Orochimaru?"

The white-haired Uchiha Yatsuho, also dressed in Konoha's white armor, showed a proud look on his face when talking about his achievements, noting that the Uchiha clan suffered very few casualties.

Fugaku Uchiha only participated in the last few localized conflicts. Unlike his confidants, he wasn't optimistic; instead, he responded in a deep voice:

"If the village chooses to recall at this time, it is bound to cause huge dissatisfaction, because we have not gained much benefit at present."

"Just like in previous wars, the village's rewards are not enough to meet the expectations of the ninjas who went into battle."

"The recall may also indicate the higher-ups' dissatisfaction with Orochimaru, who is too close to Danzo and has a very aggressive style of doing things."

The Eighth Hokage hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. He felt that being more aggressive was better, as it would allow the Uchiha's reputation to be displayed on the battlefield...

Seemingly sensing what his confidant wanted to say, Fugaku Uchiha simply cut to the chase, staring at him and whispering:

"If there's anyone in the higher-ups who's been hostile to us, it's Danzo."

"Don't harbor any illusions; the Root ninjas have never given up monitoring the Uchiha clan!"

"If the village recalls, we will increase our support for Tsunade. The new Hokage will not allow his advisor to take away his power. This is our opportunity."

The existence of Root is the greatest threat to the Uchiha clan, and the die-hards led by Danzo will not give any Uchiha ninja any chance to enter the upper echelons.

Uchiha Yatsuho, who still harbored dreams of becoming Hokage, was somewhat frustrated. He had originally planned to suggest to the clan head that they make a name for themselves in the war, but it turned out the other party had no such intention at all.

"Yes, Chieftain, I understand!"

"Many clan members currently admire Osamu Furukawa; the Senju clan has indeed produced an outstanding ninja."

Fugaku Uchiha nodded. He had also learned about Osamu Furukawa's record. Apart from being somewhat merciful, he had performed exceptionally well in other aspects.

-

The Uchiha clan members were discussing Danzo, while the Root leader was trying to sow discord between Orochimaru and the Hokage.

As an outpost, Danzo led his officers to complete the mission successfully, reaching an agreement with Hanzo that if an attack were launched, the Land of Rain would even be willing to provide some supplies as support.

However, the arrival of the Hokage's direct ANBU thwarted Danzo's plans, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, halted the advance.

Orochimaru also chose a dilapidated house as his camp, but his environment was slightly better. He rarely went out these days and spent most of his time directing operations from the rear.

Danzo, carrying a long sword, exuded a chilling aura, and his bandaged right eye added to his fierce appearance in the dim light.

"Hiruzen has indeed grown old! He wasted our opportunity, Orochimaru. It seems your teacher no longer trusts you."

"Having achieved such a record, yet ultimately choosing to recall you—losses? That's just an excuse."

Orochimaru didn't take Danzo's provocation to heart. In fact, he had expected it all along; his teacher wouldn't risk the lives of Konoha ninja for unseen benefits.

"Maybe you're right, but I don't want to waste my time here."

"It seems that Sunagakure is shifting its internal conflicts onto the war, and killing those tools of war means nothing to me."

"I know what you're worried about, Danzo. You can't stop Tsunade from becoming Hokage. If she wants it, the position will belong to her."

Orochimaru's pale face showed a mocking expression. Although he was interested in becoming Hokage, he wouldn't mind giving way if his rival was an old friend.

At that time, all the power in Danzo's hands will be his, and Orochimaru has no interest in letting "Root" reappear in the Anbu.

Danzo's eye twitched, but thankfully the bandages concealed most of his expression. He didn't argue with Orochimaru, but instead squinted and turned to look at the "invisible" Furukawa Osamu beside him:

"So this is Tsunade's disciple? No wonder she has her eye on him as a genius."

"But in my opinion, you are not magnanimous enough."

Wearing a Chunin uniform, Furukawa Osamu bowed slightly, his face showing no anger, and calmly said:

"I still have a lot to learn. I owe a great deal to Orochimaru-sensei for taking care of me during this war."

Danzo ignored the pleasantries, staring intently at Furukawa Osamu with his left eye, radiating a murderous aura. After a long while, he asked in a deep voice:

"On a wrecked ship, there are 10 of your companions, one of whom has a deadly infectious disease. If he survives, everyone else will die!"

"Osamu Furukawa, as captain, what decision will you ultimately make?"

Orochimaru also looked at Furukawa Osamu with great interest, as he was also very curious to hear what kind of answer he would get.

"As a medical ninja, I will control the source of infection, and after the ship sinks, we will search for rescue together."

Danzo's eyes twitched again when he heard Furukawa Osamu change the subject, and he added with narrowed eyes:

"The rampant infection is out of control!"

"The magic of Shikkotsu Forest should be able to solve all the problems."

Furukawa Osamu still didn't give a direct answer, and Danzo didn't add anything more pointless. He continued to stare for a while with his left eye, then commented seriously:

"Your darkness is not enough!"

"The Hokage must bear the darkness of the village; you are not ready!"

After saying these words, Danzo turned and left, and the two Root members following behind him also showed "killing intent" when they looked at Furukawa Osamu.

As the group left, Orochimaru laughed maniacally again, looking at Furukawa Osamu and seducing him:

"Shu, if you want to become Hokage, you really need to bear the darkness of the village!"

"Why bear it? Wouldn't it be better to cut off that darkness?"

Furukawa Osamu responded earnestly, and Orochimaru's laughter grew even louder. Finally, he patted Furukawa on the shoulder and exclaimed:

"Only at times like this do I feel like you're a 10-year-old child!"

"..."