Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha

"They're researching their village comrades' bloodline limits at a time like this? Have they forgotten that they still haven't captured the attackers?"

Furukawa Osamu had long since figured out how many Sharingan eyes were in the Root. During Orochimaru's absence, some opportunists had already defected.

Unlike the Root ninjas who are restricted by the cursed seal, the Anbu ninjas who have survived to this day have their own unique survival rules and have no psychological burden in joining the Hokage's faction.

"It must be an experimental project left over from a long time ago."

"As for A, I also hope to bring him back to the Anbu. Although he lost his Tailed Beast, that child's power should be used to serve the village."

Taking advantage of the situation, Osamu Furukawa demanded the Wood Release ninja, and Hiruzen Sarutobi readily agreed. The Hokage could have forcibly taken them back, but this way, the old man was allowed to make a dignified exit.

"Leave this matter to me. It was my fault before; I should have sent Jia to the Dark Division sooner."

"Xiu, with such an outstanding inheritor of the Will of Fire as you, the village will surely prosper even more!"

A relieved smile appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's slightly aged face. Tsunade often handled things too rashly, and matters that were detrimental to the village's development should be discussed in secret.

At 17, Osamu Furukawa was already showing signs of Hokage thinking. Considering that Minato Namikaze was still in the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi's tense mood completely relaxed.

"Even without the tailed beasts, the Will of Fire will be passed down thanks to these outstanding successors."

-

The undercurrents within the village went largely unnoticed by the ninjas. Obito Uchiha had already retreated with regret, while the White Zetsu he possessed was still loudly complaining:

"Lord Madara is right. The Uchiha who use drugs are only getting fake power."

"Such a perfect plan, yet Uchiha Shisui failed to awaken his Sharingan."

"Those drugs that enhance pupil power do indeed have huge side effects."

When Obito thought of the Three-Colored Pill that Furukawa Osamu had given him years ago, he suddenly realized that his classmates were also considering him as "expendable material".

With eyes possessing only three tomoe, they could unleash powerful secret techniques. Thinking of his clansmen as experimental subjects, Obito had to suppress his fear and whisper reassurances:

"After all, he has a very bad relationship with his father. White guy, you need to find a new target for your Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Chapter 198 The "Fatal" Difference (Part 1)

In early October of Konoha Year 54, Kurama, who had been living in Shikkotsu Forest for almost three years, felt that it was about to "collapse".

Unlike the way Kushina was bound tightly inside her body, the Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique used by Osamu Furukawa to create the White Zetsu Jinchuriki's body left it with some room to move.

Furthermore, since giving in and ceasing the chakra "tug-of-war," the seal has occasionally loosened, and Kurama has always felt that this kind of life is not bad.

It wasn't until Furukawa Osamu made further progress in his spiritual training that Kurama felt like "the sky had fallen." It had been using malevolent chakra to erode its body, and now all of that power was lost.

What Kurama found even more absurd was that, even without the mysterious power of Turtle Island, Furukawa Osamu was still able to purify the "evil chakra" on his own...

Even at this extremely slow pace, the big fox was already reaching its breaking point; it felt like it was "understanding" Furukawa Osamu every day.

If this continues, they will become "telepathically connected," and the tailed beast and the monster will understand each other, which is something Kurama (the Nine-Tails) finds difficult to accept.

-

Separated from the ninja world, Shikkotsu Forest remains peaceful and tranquil, its spring-like environment allowing slugs of all sizes to live comfortably.

Observing the Nine-Tails' changes during this period is the slugs' favorite thing to do. The chakra creatures make "arrogant" remarks every day, and such behavior has become a source of joy for everyone.

Late at night, as always, Furukawa Osamu cooperated with the White Zetsu Jinchuriki's body to extract the Nine-Tails' chakra to complete his training. As the [Collection] ability was activated, the main body's spirit silently purified the evil chakra.

Although this kind of training cannot achieve the same efficiency as the real waterfall on Kame Island, Osamu Furukawa still persisted. When it comes to longevity, any small progress is meaningful.

"How could you do this?!"

"Evil brat, give me back my original power!"

"Don't expect me to understand a monster like you. That's absolutely unacceptable..."

Inside the sealed space, the Nine-Tails began to roar loudly again. The spirit body of Furukawa Shuu, who was sitting cross-legged in front of the giant metal gate, opened its eyes. As soon as the great fox saw the Sharingan, it immediately fell silent again.

"The power I extracted is indeed useless, and I've already returned it to you."

“Foolish fox, you should express your gratitude. It was I who purified your chakra and brought you back to a state close to your original state.”

"Chakra should not contain evil intentions in the first place. It is you and humans who have polluted this power."

"Isn't mutual understanding what the Sage of Six Paths pursued? We'll achieve that goal soon."

As Furukawa Osamu finished speaking, a genuine smile appeared on his face. His spirit body was already able to sense some of the Nine-Tails' thoughts. While eliminating the "inner demons and evil thoughts," he had also refined a portion of the tailed beast.

The Nine-Tails was like a disobedient magical artifact; the more the opponent resisted, the more enthusiastically Furukawa Osamu refined it...

This feeling, similar to cultivating immortality, completely awakened his desires from his past life, and he became more and more diligent in his cultivation. The Nine-Tailed Fox could not understand it and could only passively endure the purification of its power by Furukawa Osamu every day.

"This isn't mutual understanding! You didn't get my permission at all!"

“The process is not important. When we understand each other, your other half inside ‘Death’s’ belly can also feel it.”

Furukawa Osamu looked expectantly at the baring Nine-Tails and continued to paint a rosy picture for it:

“In that case, I will consider making you whole again. After all, the split spirit contained half of my power, and I can’t just leave it there.”

Upon hearing that Yin-attribute chakra had returned, Kurama's pupils flashed with doubt. The great fox sat cross-legged, pondering carefully, but still felt that something was amiss:

"You're hiding something from me! I can only vaguely sense my other half; you and I are different."

"Once you're connected on a spiritual level, you'll understand that it's not a pure land that will damage your memories, so what do you have to worry about?"

Furukawa Osamu turned around and responded casually, but Kurama began to recall everything. Only after confirming that she hadn't revealed any important information did a forced smile appear on the fox's face:

"If you can make me whole, I might forgive some of your offenses!"

"You evil brat, don't look at me with your Sharingan..."

Seeing Furukawa Osamu turn his head, the Nine-Tails immediately curled up into a ball and complained. If it could reunite into one, it might be able to struggle and gain its freedom.

Being manipulated in the outside world is much better than being sealed in a dark space!

The slug clone, maintaining its resonance state, watched the whole thing unfold. The life created by Yin-Yang Escape was truly wondrous. After observing it for a long time, she determined that this life was extremely similar to life in nature.

The White Zetsu Jinchuriki clone deactivated the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, and Furukawa Shuu also opened his eyes:

"Live Slug, how much weaker do you think your current spirit form is compared to the original chakra possessor?"

"If it's the flesh and blood possessor who allows the original body to evolve, there's still a gap. That kind of power contains the 'eternal attribute,' which is one of the reasons why the original body has been able to live until now."

"If Lord Xiu can transform all his evil thoughts, that should be enough. This would be a miraculous transformation!"

As the slug finished speaking, her soft voice was filled with admiration. To be able to absorb energy to this extent, her kind, though not as lucky, had still managed to evolve.

With a spiritual body comparable to that of the Otsutsuki clan, and having forcibly fused with a continuous stream of Six Paths power, Furukawa Osamu felt that he had taken another small step closer to becoming the [Gathering] old man.

Without the Sharingan's suppression, Kurama has become active again. Perhaps due to the reduction of its malevolent energy, the great fox has recently developed other needs:

"Kid, open some seals so I can control my body to wander around a few more times!"

"With that powerful immortal here, I just wanted to chat with her avatars."

"I have no interest in participating in your human wars, but it is quite amusing to hear you killing each other for trivial reasons."

Furukawa Osamu controlled his spirit to casually open some seals, watching the White Zetsu Jinchuriki use the "Four-Legged Technique" to quickly leave. He then pondered again:

"After mutual understanding, half a spirit body plus half a nine-tailed fox should be enough power in the other dimension."

-

When Jiraiya was forcibly summoned back to the village, he happened to arrive during a promotional event in the shopping district.

Having spent a long time in a small country, seeing the bustling and orderly scene made Jiraiya feel somewhat dazed. He stood alone on the outskirts of the commercial district for a long time, and finally a bitter smile appeared on his face.

In his youth, he traveled throughout the ninja world and witnessed many insightful people who all had lofty ideals and hoped for peace in the ninja world.

But after so many years, when Jiraiya looked back, he was saddened to find that not much had changed in the world. Wars still broke out, and the lives of people in many small countries remained impoverished.

"Is that Jiraiya-sama?! Would you like to try our new sake...?"

The middle-aged man from the Nara clan smiled and pulled Jiraiya into his shop. Then, he mysteriously called to his companions, and amidst the curious gazes of the other merchants, a large jar of reddish-brown medicinal wine was brought out.

"This is the Nara clan's latest tonic wine!"

"It has already passed the inspection of the village's medical department and has extremely good efficacy."

The middle-aged man with the pineapple-shaped haircut revealed a knowing smile as he spoke, and seeing the eager looks in many eyes, he immediately began to explain the ingredients of the deer antler wine in detail.

There was no haggling process; most merchants simply paid for the samples. They figured the effectiveness of this product was enough, and they would know once they tried it!

The young Nara clan ninja in the rear smiled happily as he saw the new products sell out. Since the village's medical department had gained a better reputation, its certifications had also been recognized by ordinary people.

Furthermore, the Nara clan had always been involved in the herbal medicine business, which provided a double guarantee, leading to ever-increasing sales.

"Lord Jiraiya, you're too kind. These are all our tokens of appreciation."

The middle-aged man with the pineapple-shaped haircut looked at Jiraiya, who was standing there dumbfounded, and presented him with a gift box. The young ninja took the opportunity to express his gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Jiraiya-sama. If the village hadn't ended the war, our business wouldn't be doing so well."

Doing business can be more lucrative than doing tasks, provided there is a stable business environment.

"Um, aren't you guys doing any more commissioned tasks?"

After Jiraiya accepted the gift, he asked in a low voice. The middle-aged man shook his head, while the young ninja beside him whispered the truth:

"The rewards for commissioned tasks are decreasing."

The effects of the Fourth Shinobi World War continue, with major powers reducing exchanges and focusing on accumulating their own strength, while also limiting the scope of missions they can undertake.

Thinking back to the situation in the small country, Jiraiya nodded silently. As he left the shop, he turned to look at the bustling commercial street and sighed again. The powerful Konoha had not changed the ninja world.

In the afternoon, after resting at home, Jiraiya went to the Hokage Building alone. The two layers of barriers around the building indicated that the Konoha ninja were still on standby.

Upon entering the room, Jiraiya saw Orochimaru, who was pale-faced, and greeted him with some surprise:

"I didn't expect even you to come. It seems this is something really important."

"It's just that the Hokage and I have some disagreements on how to handle certain matters."

Orochimaru, sitting on the left, responded calmly. Tsunade didn't speak, but simply handed a scroll to Jiraiya and briefly explained:

"This is a summary of information compiled by the intelligence department, mainly regarding the progress of other countries in developing their tailed beast powers."

"The assessment of the entrusted market has also been completed, and it appears to have had a significant impact."

"And then there's the attacker, Jiraiya. More than two months have passed, and we still haven't been able to capture him. Considering Nagato's status, doubts about you have begun to emerge."

Ordinary ninjas were unaware of this information. Although they sensed something was wrong with the commission market, most chose to grit their teeth and persevere, without considering the issue of the tailed beasts.

Jiraiya grew increasingly worried. If this standoff were to break the balance even slightly, there was a very high probability that the Fourth Shinobi World War would break out again.

"We need to make some changes. How about proposing another Five Shadows Conference?"

“Nagato’s situation is my fault. I’m sorry. He seems to be able to sense the tracking and, after leaving the Land of Birds, headed towards the Land of Bears.”

When Jiraiya, who had offered his opinion, saw that his two friends remained silent, he immediately realized that the Five Kage Summit was impossible. He lowered his head and continued flipping through the pages, when suddenly his eyes widened.

After carefully confirming, Jiraiya's face showed anger as he looked at Orochimaru and rebuked him:

"Actively induce the Mangekyou Sharingan? Why implement such a plan against your fellow villagers?"

"Orochimaru, what exactly are you trying to do? Don't tell me you've been bewitched by Danzo; we won't accept such a lame excuse here."

Seeing Jiraiya's agitated state, Orochimaru remained calm, slightly bowing his head and responding simply in a hoarse voice:

"The best way to deal with the Mangekyou Sharingan is to use the power of another pair of Mangekyou Sharingan."

"Tsunade should understand this. Even with her Sage Mode training at the Valley of the End, she couldn't defeat an opponent with the Mangekyou Sharingan. We need more power."

"Based on the current intelligence, the enemy has mastered space-time ninjutsu, and with the power of the Nine-Tails, we will have to use some special methods to defeat them."

Jiraiya was taken aback. Thinking of that even more mysterious enemy, he didn't know what to say for a moment. After a long silence, he whispered:

"But you shouldn't have attacked your fellow villagers."

"Orochimaru, this is the bottom line. If we are attacked again, we will just have to risk our lives."

Hearing this passionate response, Orochimaru laughed maniacally, a flash of fanaticism appearing in his eyes:

"Willing your life? Jiraiya, you're still so naive."

"Faced with that legendary power, you often have no way to resist. I've told you about the puppets' abilities before, right? The Eye of the Immortal is extremely powerful."

"Currently, the power of these Mangekyou Sharingan is even stronger than that of the Sage's Eyes. I still can't think of a good way to deal with that space-time eye technique."

Jiraiya fell silent again, but Tsunade tapped the table and whispered to Orochimaru:

“You could have communicated with Fugaku Uchiha about this; you would have found a better way.”