Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

The wet bone forest was exceptionally quiet under the cover of night, and even the slightest sound would be amplified.

After Furukawa Osamu, having activated Sage Mode, threw out the massive spiral shuriken in his hand, its sharp screech almost echoing throughout the forest.

"Sage Art: Wind Release: Super Giant Rasengan Shuriken!"

A "spiral storm" appeared in the clearing in the distance. The wind-attribute chakra expanded and exploded wildly, and the swirling air even disturbed the bioluminescent insects in the forest.

"Lord Xiu, the attack range exceeds 100 meters!"

"Your control over Sage Chakra is becoming increasingly precise!"

The soft, sweet voice of a live slug echoed in his mind. Furukawa Osamu simply nodded slightly, let out a long breath, and then began to summarize the drawbacks of immortal techniques once more:

"The greater the power, the heavier the spiral shuriken!"

"Even when I activate Sage Mode, I still feel a slight strain on my body when using this technique."

Osamu Furukawa could understand Orochimaru's point of view: the human body has its limits.

Even if he gains power beyond that of an ordinary ninja through his own efforts, he still cannot break through some of the limitations of his body.

Furukawa Osamu clasped his hands together again, and the spirit within the Hundred Healings Seal responded swiftly, with surging Sage Chakra flowing through his meridians, ignoring the limitations of his body's chakra points.

Black arcs of electricity erupted from Furukawa Osamu's body. The live slug, sensing this within the Hundred Healings Seal, quickly reached a conclusion:

"The speed of nerve signal transmission accelerates again, and the secondary activation of the body is still effective."

"Master Xiu's physical skills are greatly enhanced in this state, so the preparation time will be longer if he wants to use other immortal techniques."

"The best solution for using different Sage Techniques at the same time is the Shadow Clone Technique, but this will disperse the Sage Chakra."

Furukawa Osamu frowned slightly as he looked at the Thousand Birds that had formed in his right hand. The limitations of his body reappeared; the conversion process would take some time if he wanted to use different attribute immortal techniques in succession.

His body doesn't have the tailed beast chakra to seamlessly switch between them; for a human body without a bloodline limit, achieving this level of performance is almost the pinnacle.

"Fortunately, there's no need to worry about the battery life of Sage Mode, so a war of attrition can be included in the plan."

"Live slug, thanks to your strength!"

"I'm sorry, Lord Xiu, this is all I can do to help. After all, I'm not good at fighting."

The live slug, having broken free of resonance, appeared on Furukawa Osamu's shoulder. Seemingly sensing the emotions of its kind, it spoke up again to offer comfort:

"Master Xiu can try compressing natural energy; I have extensive experience in this area."

"The Sage Chakra within the Hundred Healings Seal hasn't reached its limit yet. It can now absorb natural energy on its own, and sooner or later it will be able to transform this Sage Chakra into a liquid state."

"At that time, the body will undergo another transformation, and the meridian system will be able to carry more energy."

Furukawa Osamu looked thoughtful. He deactivated Sage Mode, but he could still sense and absorb natural energy, although his perception of the surrounding area was very limited.

Under normal circumstances, he can also easily use techniques enhanced by Sage Chakra.

His cells had been assimilated by Sage Chakra long ago, which is the source of his confidence that far surpasses that of ordinary ninjas.

"Live Slug, your body shouldn't be limited by acupoints and meridians, right?"

"Yes, Master Xiu, if we use immortal techniques together, the energy in our bodies can be converted into acid indefinitely."

The live slug gave an affirmative answer, and Furukawa Osamu sighed again. Although he was very strong now, he still found it troublesome to face an elderly Uchiha who could activate Susanoo.

"To become stronger, one must indeed break free from human limitations."

-

At the end of September, Konoha began a second mobilization to the front lines of the Land of Grass and the Land of Hot Springs. Minato Namikaze, as the main force, took action ahead of schedule, and the major ninja clans also responded actively.

The Uchiha clan redeployed some of their guards to demonstrate the Will of Fire, and their reputation improved significantly!

The Root ninjas were also taking action. Danzo insisted that the Uchiha had an evil plan and became increasingly eager for the Wood Release power that could suppress the Sharingan.

The roots beneath the Shadow Rock remained pitch black. Wood Release was too important, so Danzo moved the experiments to headquarters and personally greeted Orochimaru every day.

Human experiments are always dangerous, and with the uncontrollable interstitial cells, more than half of the "volunteers" died within two months.

Danzo was already used to these sacrifices, and the Root ninjas didn't think anything was wrong. Everyone was willing to give everything to protect the village, including their lives.

The laboratory lighting dispelled the darkness. Orochimaru intently examined the data recorded on the computer, noticing Danzo's arrival, and explained in a deep voice:

"Rejection should not be based on the will of the test subject. Even if I remove the disordered consciousness from Hashirama's cells, mastering this power is still not something an ordinary ninja can do."

"You should hand over that special experimental subject to me; current cloning technology makes it difficult to perfectly replicate it."

"I will remove a portion of your body and transplant it using my superb medical ninjutsu, and I will resolve the rejection issue."

Danzo squinted and remained silent for a long time, distrusting the special Hashirama cells in Orochimaru's possession.

"The Root's medical ninjas are indeed unable to meet your requirements. The Wood Release plan cannot be communicated to Hiruzen yet, and it is not the right time to use special experimental subjects."

"If you can get Tsunade's help to clone the limbs, you should be able to achieve your goal."

Orochimaru burst out laughing, looked at Danzo, and mocked him mercilessly:

"You're afraid Tsunade will take back the power you've gained, that's why you want to seize this power!"

"Now you actually think Tsunade will help your 'opponent'? It seems your aging body has also taken away your magnanimity."

"If you want power, you have to pay a price. Hand over that test subject to me! Tsunade won't help, and you can't persuade Furukawa Osamu. Now you can only rely on me!"

Orochimaru unleashed his killing intent without restraint, staring intently at Danzo with his cold, serpentine eyes. He needed that experimental subject who could be immune to the rejection reaction.

A Root ninja wearing an animal mask appeared in the room. Danzo waved for everyone to leave, ignoring Orochimaru's gaze, and responded expressionlessly:

"Orochimaru, you've reminded me that Osamu Furukawa's medical ninjutsu is even better than I expected."

"When a companion he cares about falls into darkness, he will also serve Root."

"No one can resist the encroachment of darkness."

As long as there are people you care about, there will be weaknesses. Danzo couldn't influence Tsunade, but he had already paved the "dark path" for Kakashi.

Just like controlling a kind-hearted ninja like Yakushi Nonou, Root always finds a way to make ninjas who inherit the Will of Fire compromise.

Upon hearing these words, Orochimaru immediately suppressed his murderous intent, chuckled inexplicably, and looked at Danzo with a peculiar expression in his eyes:

"A fun quiz!"

"I also want to know Furukawa Osamu's final choice."