Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

In late December of Konoha Year 42, several days of continuous snowfall gave the village a unique look.

Small-scale battles that occasionally occur at border outposts keep the Jonin busy with missions, indirectly causing the graduating Genin to frequently change captains.

The somewhat turbulent situation did not affect the atmosphere at the ninja academy. When the afternoon tactics class ended, many people in the classroom were happily gossiping:

"Huh?! Kakashi has a chance to participate in next year's Chunin Exams?"

"Can a 6-year-old take the exam?"

"Ninjas are judged by their talent! Without talent, you might remain a low-ranking ninja your whole life."

"That's outrageous! If they pass the exam, they'll be a 6-year-old Chunin, old enough to participate in real combat!"

"It's said that they've recently been in battle..."

"..."

Many girls like to discuss these things during breaks between classes, and Kakashi, who graduated early, is their idol.

Nohara Rin is no different from other girls in this respect; when Kakashi is mentioned, a look of longing appears on her face.

Whenever this happens, Obito Uchiha, who comes over, looks annoyed. In the past, he would seize the opportunity to loudly refute, but after being resisted by the girls, he has been secretly sulking lately.

"What's so great about being a Chunin? This guy's already graduated, why are we still talking about him..."

"Once I awaken my Sharingan, I'll be able to easily surpass him!"

Do you also think Kakashi will pass the Chunin Exams?

Obito Uchiha, who had been talking to himself, finally couldn't help but ask Osamu Furukawa, who was sitting in the back flipping through his notes. He didn't get the answer he wanted, but instead, Shizune blinked and gave a simple reply:

"There's a very high chance of passing! Kakashi has already mastered some C-rank ninjutsu, and his swordsmanship is also very impressive."

"His outstanding ninja skills have even been praised by the Hokage."

Obito, increasingly distressed, scratched his head in frustration. The gap between people was too great; even with his diligent training, he still couldn't catch up with the geniuses.

"You also have the approval of the elderly ladies, which is something that not everyone can do."

While reconfirming the experimental data, Furukawa Osamu couldn't help but tease Obito when he saw him still muttering about it. Upon hearing "old lady," Might Guy, standing behind him, unusually retorted seriously:

"Every time you say you want to come and exercise together, you're late because of the old lady."

"Self-control requires keeping your word."

Even the "youth" he used to talk about is gone. After being stood up a few times, it's really hard to comment on this "hot-blooded" Uchiha.

"Ha... I helped the old lady with her luggage yesterday."

Somewhat embarrassed, Obito gave a brief explanation and then slipped away. He didn't want to admit that he had been hit hard by Might Guy's "Youth Training Method" and that his stamina was completely insufficient.

"Is this guy really from the Uchiha clan? His shuriken doesn't seem that great."

Turning to look at Obito who was "running away," Genma Shiranui, who was wearing a headscarf, asked again, "The Uchiha in the next class are number one, and their situation is completely different from that of Class A."

Ebisu, however, understood Obito's situation. His sunglasses seemed to suddenly flash as he earnestly analyzed the situation:

"That's not true. Not all Uchiha are elites."

"Ninjas also need to pass on their skills. Obito probably didn't receive much guidance before."

The Uchiha clan is famous for its shuriken and fire release techniques, which leads many young people to mistakenly believe that all members of this clan are skilled in these techniques. Obito completely shattered this illusion in everyone's minds.

As the group planned to train in the snow that afternoon, Shizune noticed that Furukawa Osamu was once again lost in his usual contemplative state, and couldn't help but whisper with concern:

"Shu, it's still too difficult to make a secret medicine right now. Tsunade-sensei just made a casual request."

The pharmacology class a few days ago was taught by Jonin Tsunade. While teaching how to make soldier pills, she also praised the secret medicines of the Akimichi and Inuzuka clans.

The original intention was to prevent people from underestimating the importance of the soldier's rations, but after the course, Osamu Furukawa wanted to improve the soldier's rations based on the existing design.

"I just want to apply my knowledge in practice, don't worry."

Seeing the worried look on the girl's face, Furukawa Osamu gave a simple response, and then, as usual, asked Shizune to preview the afternoon's medical class together.

When the homeroom teacher, Ryosuke Kimura, appeared on the podium, Osamu Furukawa listened to the lecture while his mind wandered. The "essence" he had collected was most likely natural energy, which gave him many ideas:

"Is it possible to create Sage Chakra even without sensing natural energy?"

-

In the last few days of Konoha Year 42, the weather finally cleared up, and the commercial street became lively again.

The New Year is approaching, a joyous time for everyone in the village, as they eagerly anticipate a peaceful and tranquil new year.

During his rare holiday break, instead of going out to exercise, Osamu Furukawa stayed in the basement of his house to conduct simple experiments and observe the drug reactions of the test subjects.

After carefully examining rabbit number 6, I noticed no external abnormalities. Just as I was about to smile, I suddenly discovered a mouthful of sharp teeth in its mouth...

"Did it fail again?"

Dressed casually, Furukawa Osamu frowned slightly, carefully inspected the items, and sighed helplessly. He casually used [Gathering], but found nothing, so he noted it down in his notebook:

"The optimized formula No. 6 failed, possibly due to the leakage of natural energy."

"..."

Unlike the petrification caused by absorbing natural energy in memory, the "essence" energy obtained by collecting trees seems to be gentler and will not endanger life after mutation.

The "essence" cannot be used directly; it will completely dissipate in less than half a day. When Furukawa Osamu was studying pharmacology, he accidentally discovered that it could be incorporated into some medicinal herbs, which led to these "pharmacological" experiments.

The ration pills in the course are rich in protein. After absorption, they can restore physical strength, increase chakra, and have a certain stimulating effect.

However, Osamu Furukawa is not pursuing these things. He only hopes that the medicinal materials can effectively suppress the side effects of mutation. After two months of exploration, he has made considerable progress.

After continuously observing and recording the information, and reconfirming the most effective medication, Furukawa Osamu couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for his wallet upon seeing the recorded details.

"I hope it really works."

...

Snowflakes began to fall early on the first day of the new year. Although the weather was not good, the commercial street was unusually lively today.

Osamu Furukawa received an invitation from Shizune and Tsunade, but to his surprise, the usually serious and meticulous teacher ended up getting completely drunk at home.

Tsunade lives in the "second ring" of Konoha, not far from Konoha Hospital. The two-story apartment is very large, but it is a bit deserted, obviously because the owner has not taken good care of it.

Looking at the clean plates on the kotatsu table, Shizune explained somewhat embarrassedly:

"Lady Tsunade isn't usually like this. She may have encountered some problems recently. I originally wanted to hand these over to you personally."

The girl handed over the scroll, and Furukawa Osamu smiled gently. Before they could even exchange gifts and thank each other, Tsunade, half-drunk and half-awake, suddenly looked up at the two of them, tilting her body to the side, and said:

"Having ninja talent isn't necessarily a good thing, kid. Excellent people always pursue some great goals."

"And you? You're working so hard to learn all this, it's making Shizune less cute..."

Unlike her usual Jonin attire, Tsunade, who rarely wore a kimono, had her blonde hair flowing down her back and her eyes became clear as she looked at Furukawa Osamu.

"Right now, I just want to live a better life and protect some more important people."

"How unlovable! I want a bowl of vegetarian noodles..."

Upon hearing these words, Tsunade muttered something and reverted to her drunken state.

Shizune felt a little embarrassed when she saw Furukawa Osamu nod and get up. Just as she was about to speak, Tsunade pulled her into her arms.

Noticing that the teacher had started "talking nonsense" with the girl again, Osamu Furukawa glanced at him and sighed inwardly:

"As expected of the Legendary Sannin!"