Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha

"It's a pity that Master Xiu is always busy with cultivation, otherwise he would definitely compete with Jingyin."

"I really want to confess my feelings; even if I get rejected, it will still be a memorable part of my youth..."

The conversation drifted further and further away from the topic of marriage, as the girls were about to turn 18, which meant they were about to enter the next stage of their lives.

Nohara Rin chuckled softly, joining in the gossip. She enjoyed this kind of life; the memory of amnesia seemed so distant now.

When she got off work in the evening, Nohara Rin changed her clothes. Her outfit was similar to her previous one. Dark red over-the-knee socks showed off her long, slender legs, and the pink skirt tied around her waist added a touch of sweetness.

At the gate, Nohara Rin waved goodbye to her colleagues with great energy, and finally went to the commercial area with Shizune to complete her shopping.

In a corner of the street, a vortex suddenly appeared, and Obito, wearing a tiger-striped mask, saw the girl's figure and a happy smile appeared on his face.

During the six months that Furukawa Osamu was away, Obito, who had returned to Konoha, felt extremely happy. Kakashi was also not around, so he could watch the girl every day and feel her joys and sorrows.

Even though White Zetsu repeatedly warned him that this was a "fake," Obito was still obsessed. He didn't cause any trouble for half a year, but instead spent his days obsessively stalking the imposter.

"Lord Madara! We should leave now."

"The Two-Tails Jinchuriki has been captured by Osamu Furukawa, and he will be returning to the village soon."

"The Hidden Rain Village also needs Lord Madara, so let's leave Konoha to Danzo and Orochimaru!"

White Zetsu, unusually, didn't use a comical tone to remind him. Obito, hearing the advice, shook his head, remained silent for a moment, and then whispered:

"Let me observe for a few more days. Lin has been particularly happy lately, so I'll keep an eye on those barriers."

"Madara-sama!"

White Zetsu also reminded him that Obito had already activated Kamui and instantly disappeared into a vortex. He was going to Rin's house to protect the girl.

In just over two years, Obito has made considerable progress, especially in combat experience. He frequently traverses the battlefield, and his strength has reached another level.

Although he still couldn't sense natural energy, Obito wasn't in a hurry. As long as Orochimaru still wanted to pursue the Mangekyou Sharingan, he would achieve his goal sooner or later.

-

Back in their small apartment not far from the hospital, Nohara Rin and Shizune smiled as they prepared a meal. Both of them were flat-chested, and as they chatted, the topic of body image came up.

"Maybe Xiu prefers someone fuller-figured? But changing your body shape is so difficult!"

"Tsunade-sensei was about the same as me when she was young. Damn it, those ingredients are completely useless!"

As Shizune spoke, she began to complain with exaggerated gestures. Although Furukawa Osamu, who was busy with training and work, actually took good care of her, the girl was not satisfied with this relationship and wanted to be closer to him.

"Huh? Is that so?"

"By 17, one should be fully developed, right? Does that mean Tsunade's figure developed later?"

Rin Nohara looked curious, and soon Shizune leaned in and whispered something in her ear. The two of them laughed and giggled, which made Obito, who witnessed everything, smile like an aunt...

When it was time to stew, the two sat down behind the table. Nohara Rin, hearing Shizune's daily complaints, blushed slightly and whispered:

"I don't have any body image issues, but Kakashi doesn't seem to mind the chest problem."

"Speaking of which, does Xiu have any plans to get married? After the war, he should have some free time and won't need to continue teaching disciples anymore."

"Not at all! Tsunade-sensei has too much work to do, and Xiu always works very late."

Shizune responded with regret, then, noticing Rin's blushing face, suddenly realized something and asked loudly:

"No way! You're already planning to marry Kakashi?"

"Could it be that you've already... *sob*..."

Rin Nohara blushed and quickly covered her mouth to mute the microphone. The girl was a little embarrassed and annoyed, but she quickly regained her composure and a look of happiness on her face.

"I...I did promise Kakashi that we can get married anytime after I turn 18!"

"Even though we've lived together for so long, nothing has actually happened."

"I just...I just tried kissing..."

Nohara Rin had just finished speaking when a loud crash came from the roof. The two of them hurriedly jumped out of the window and looked up, only to find that the roof was empty.

As the two stared at each other in bewilderment, Obito, back in the Kamui dimension, sat blankly on the ground, his previous happy smile completely gone. Only after a few touches from a white Zetsu tentacle did he murmur in anguish:

"No...!"

"I don't want kissing or marriage!"

Chapter 180 The Invisible Mastermind

On April 8th, Konoha Year 54, a fierce argument erupted again at the Cloud Village ninja camp on the border of the Land of Frost.

As night fell, outside the tent, Darui, with his white hair, listened to the Jonin's discussions with a bewildered expression. Beside him, hope, with his blond hair parted in a 3/7 style, whispered a reminder:

"This is not something a low-ranking ninja like us can get involved in, Darui, let's leave!"

"Lord Raikage can handle everything; we just need to follow orders."

Having graduated a year early, the two have been active on the battlefield for a year now. As a sensory-type medical ninja, hope has always been highly valued, while Darui, possessing the Storm Release bloodline limit, has also received considerable attention.

Although Nozomi, who had just celebrated his birthday, was only 12 years old, he keenly sensed the changes that had occurred during this period. The capture of the Jinchuriki was merely the trigger.

Darui, however, didn't think that far ahead. He had been saved by a Jinchuriki during the previous battle, and while he was usually terrified of Yugito, he now only wanted to repay her kindness.

"What if Lord Raikage chooses to give up?"

"It's said that the Konoha ninja launched the war to extract the tailed beasts. How can we admit defeat?"

"We must stop this evil act..."

The situation is roughly the same in each ninja village. Genin rarely know the truth about the war, and most ninjas are just tools. When the Kage issues an order, everyone goes to the battlefield to kill.

The Hidden Cloud Village is much better off than some small countries. It also emphasizes ideological education and promotes the Fourth Shinobi World War as a righteous act internally.

According to Darui's education at the Ninja Academy, the Konoha ninjas began collecting tailed beasts in order to dominate the ninja world, and the Kumogakure refused to accept the oppression, which is why they rose up in retaliation.

Now that the tide of battle has turned, the young ninja cannot accept it. To compromise with evil? The righteous Cloud Village ninjas will never allow it!

hope glanced at his furious companion, not interrupting his complaints, until a look of confusion returned to Darui's face. Only then did he pull his companion aside and whisper:

"Defeating evil clearly requires more power; don't forget you're just a low-ranking ninja!"

"Even if we return to the village and are promoted to Chunin, that's not something we should be thinking about."

"Lord Raikage won't abandon his comrades, so don't go and cause trouble at this time!"

The two left with mixed feelings. Inside the tent, Tu Tai, who would be forty in a few months, calmly watched the enraged Raikage. Taking advantage of the latter's silence, he continued to explain:

"The intelligence we received from Iwagakure has been confirmed. The looting of supplies and personnel at some bases was definitely not done by Konoha ninjas."

"Lord Raikage, we reached the same conclusion a year ago: the war should end sooner rather than later."

"Someone is using this war to try to achieve some unknown purpose. What needs to be done now is to strengthen the village's defenses."

The Fourth Raikage, A, who had vented his anger for a while, had now completely calmed down and stared at the earthen platform as he responded angrily:

"A ninja who has mastered space-time ninjutsu is disrupting the battle?"

"Are you saying that the other side also possesses the art of teleportation and moved all our supplies away?"

"Lord Raikage, there are always ninjutsu we haven't seen before. Perhaps the opponent has mastered this power and accomplished something that multiple squads couldn't do."

With a serious expression, Tsuchikage reminded him again. Killer Bee, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, saying in a strange tone:

"You idiot brother! We need to bring Yukito back now."

"Hachi told me that the evil Konoha ninja might eat the Two-Tails Matatabi."

"Losing chakra can be recovered, but losing life will kill both Yugito and the tailed beast."

"An evil entity is instigating a war; it wants to devour all the tailed beasts!"

After Killer Bee's rap, the ninjas in the tent fell silent. It was simply too awful to listen to; despite his age, his musical skills remained unchanged...

Six months ago, the Cloud Village ninja had already pushed the battle line to the border of the Land of Fire, and the Land of Rice Fields were also under their control, cutting off Konoha's trade routes and some supply lines in one fell swoop.

Not only that, on the main battlefield, the Cloud Village ninjas also surrounded and killed many of Konoha's older generation of ninjas. Although the losses were considerable, the results greatly boosted the morale of the troops.

The Fourth Raikage, A, knew that Tsuchikage made sense, but recalling the changes of the past six months, he still couldn't swallow his anger.

Withdrawing from the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Springs would mean surrendering the gains made over two years. The Fourth Raikage, A, ultimately rejected Tsuchikage's proposal, forcefully ordering the others to comply:

"Even if Yugito sacrifices himself, we will take back control of the Land of Fields and the Land of Hot Springs."

"Stretch out the battle lines and continue the offensive! Prepare some more funds to keep the Hidden Mist ninjas employed."

Each time, he would launch into a long explanation, only to have it directly rejected by the Fourth Raikage. Tsuchikage sighed inwardly, but maintained a respectful expression on his face, and led the way in a loud response:

"Yes, Lord Raikage!"

Looking at the bowed earthen platform, the other Jonin swallowed their differing opinions, for the Raikage was the highest authority and they could only obey orders unconditionally.

Hearing the responses from the crowd, the Fourth Raikage, A, was secretly making calculations in his mind.

Yugito did not undergo perfect Jinchuriki training, and the sealing techniques he used were obtained from Sunagakure. Konoha would not get much useful information if they wanted to gather intelligence.

As for the Eight-Tails' mention of "devouring," A didn't take it to heart. As long as the gains were maintained, losing a tailed beast was worthwhile.

"Do a good job of intelligence gathering; if necessary, we can allow the Tailed Beasts to be reborn."

After the meeting, the Fourth Raikage, A, whispered to Tsuchikage that as long as Yugito died, Konoha would gain nothing. The tailed beasts would be reborn, and Kumogakure could take them back then.

Tsuchida nodded silently. This was indeed a good idea, but opportunities were hard to come by. The rebuilt Konoha's defenses were too tight, and sacrificing intelligence personnel would not be in the long-term interest of the village.

-

Late at night, in the Konoha camp, Kushina and the sealing team severed the connection between Yugito and the Two-Tails, thus completing the capture of the Jinchuriki.

Seeing the 14-year-old girl bound hand and foot, Kushina sighed inwardly. She could empathize with the Jinchuriki, and if possible, she still hoped the girl could live.

Minato Namikaze, standing by the campfire, showed no empathy for his wife. During missions, he always prioritized the village's interests; at this moment, he was more worried about the unknown enemy.

"Madara Uchiha has disappeared again in the past six months, and it's very likely that he's plotting something again."

"His space-time ninjutsu seems to be getting stronger and stronger, making it very difficult to track him on the battlefield."

"The last place it appeared was at the border between the Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Springs. I haven't found any useful information about it yet."

Kakashi, though he had learned some information, was still confused. He looked at his serious-looking teacher and asked in a low voice:

"Minato-sensei, what exactly is that guy trying to do?"

"Is the purpose of constantly provoking wars to collect the Tailed Beasts later?"

Even if one collects the tailed beasts, it is difficult to utilize their power. For example, Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, frequently transforms into a tailed beast and is currently on the verge of losing control, making it impossible for him to participate in the war again.

Kakashi didn't believe the other party was unaware of these things. He felt that they were still lacking useful information, which was why they had been completely fooled by the other party.

"If the goal was to weaken the ninja village, then the other side has already achieved its objective."

"Kumakure is still persisting. The Fourth Raikage is too stubborn. We just hope that they can protect the Tailed Beasts and participate in the subsequent encirclement and suppression efforts."

As Minato spoke, he rubbed his forehead. Konoha couldn't admit that they had lost the Nine-Tails; they had to pretend to have mastered its power.

Kushina's appearance on the battlefield was a deterrent in itself. Konoha used the mysterious Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to demonstrate its determination to end the war, and Iwagakure was so frightened that it surrendered. The strategy was very successful.

The Cloud Village ninjas have been locked in a stalemate for a week without making any major moves. As for whether the war here can end, Minato still can't figure out what the Fourth Raikage is thinking.

Seeing her husband's weary expression, Kushina immediately took his hand. She also wanted to catch that "Uchiha Madara," and softly replied to Minato:

"After seeing those intelligence reports, the Hidden Cloud Village will definitely realize what's going on."

"Besides, I can still use the Tailed Beast Cloak now, which is enough to handle a few battles. As long as the war ends, we can watch Naruto grow up in peace."

Over two years, the residual Nine-Tails chakra within Kushina's body slowly increased, granting her the ability to cloak the tailed beast. Ninjas unaware of the inside story would be terrified upon seeing this.

There's no need to worry about the tailed beasts going berserk. Kushina's special physique, a trait of the Uzumaki clan, has greatly increased her strength. She focuses on developing sealing techniques and has now become the leader of the sealing and barrier teams.

Although she still rarely goes on missions to take care of Naruto, Kushina is no longer hidden and goes on missions with her husband, which can be considered as fulfilling her long-cherished dream.

The three discussed Madara Uchiha's purpose in hushed tones, while Osamu Furukawa sat quietly to the side playing with a "snake." The silver snake that the Kusanagi sword had transformed into kept coiling around his body, as if it were truly alive.

As the "mastermind," Osamu Furukawa was also troubled. Although Obito tried his best, he was still unable to control the Gedo Mazo.

In just over two years, Amegakure has developed rapidly, and the Akatsuki organization has expanded at an alarming rate. Black Zetsu seems to have guessed something and has recently begun to reduce the number of times White Zetsu "charges".

There was no sign of Indra and Ashura's chakra fusing, and the memories in Furukawa Osamu's mind were of no help either; "born with the Rinnegan on the verge of death" was far too difficult for him...

"Xiu, do you think we have a chance to unite with the major ninja villages and act together?"

"Both Sunagakure and Iwagakure will support us. If we can persuade Kumogakure, perhaps we can find the whereabouts of 'Uchiha Madara' directly."

Kushina turned to ask, and after a moment's thought, Furukawa Osamu replied in a low voice with a helpless expression: