Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha

Instead of asking a barrage of questions like a child, the slug secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then cheerfully replied:

"Yes, Lord Xiu, unlike Lady Tsunade, I can resonate with the Sage Chakra you gather and replenish your Sage Chakra."

"I've tried various methods, and I've already managed to compress the Sage Chakra within my body."

"But doing so only increases the volume in the end."

As if sensing what Furukawa Osamu was thinking, a hint of desolation appeared in the slug's soft, sweet voice:

"Master Xiu, natural energy cannot make living beings 'immortal'."

"The so-called three holy sites may all be related to the original energy. We have all been 'energyized', which is more like a curse!"

"All living things come to an end one day, and my only hope is to meet my 'kin'."

"I will die in a few thousand years...Master Xiu?"

Sensing the intense emotional turmoil, the surrounding slugs all turned their heads. Furukawa Osamu, who had just been trying to comfort them, could only manage a forced smile, inwardly cursing:

"I absolutely must have one of these curses!"

"..."

Chapter 25 The "Immortal" of the Wet Bone Forest... (Part 2)

In early November, Furukawa Osamu, who had returned from Shikkotsu Forest, had grown a bit taller, but his appearance hadn't changed much.

Tsunade looked around her apartment for a long time, then, resting her chin on her hand, said regretfully:

"The live slug's magic doesn't seem to have any significant effect..."

Furukawa Osamu thought of the talkative slug and felt a headache coming on. This immortal was completely different from what he had imagined, and the sight of a bunch of clones chatting around him was a nightmare scenario:

"It's just the use of natural energy, and since I haven't been able to cultivate successfully yet, there won't be any changes."

Upon hearing of the defeat, Tsunade's face broke into a smile, seemingly overjoyed, which gradually turned into a hearty laugh.

"Of course I know that Jiraiya and Orochimaru didn't achieve much in their Sage Mode training!"

"It seems you're not so different from me, you genius. Finally, there's a skill you're not good at."

"From now on, focus on your cultivation. Mastering immortal techniques will take at least a few years."

"..."

Having already revealed all her most treasured secrets, Tsunade was often met with setbacks when teaching Furukawa Osamu, and in her daily life, she was sometimes taken care of by her disciples.

Having suffered a rare setback with Sage Mode, Tsunade finally regained some of her confidence.

Furukawa Osamu smiled and responded. He hadn't sensed the natural energy yet, but he had shortened the time it took to condense the Hundred Healings Seal.

More importantly, after in-depth communication with the live slug itself, Furukawa Osamu had some ideas.

What changed everything was the initial "chakra." Combined with the memories in his mind, Furukawa Osamu felt that he had a chance to achieve immortality!

It's not like Orochimaru's "immortality," but rather achieving "transcendence" through energy.

"Jingyin will graduate next year, and I'm still thinking about what gift to give her. That girl works so hard just so she can stand by your side."

"This reminds me of Jiraiya and Orochimaru. They were like that back then, but talent is something that is innate."

"If talent could also be reliably passed on to the next generation, that would be truly terrifying..."

With a sense of melancholy, Tsunade spoke with a touch of sadness, lamenting that no one in the Senju clan could inherit the outstanding talents of their ancestors, and that even her younger brother had left early.

After his mind was filled with his "cultivation plan," Furukawa Osamu snapped out of his reverie and, after living with the talkative slug for two months, almost forgot about his comrades from the ninja academy.

"How about giving her a pet? Or a ninja dog or a ninja cat? Girls would probably like those, right?"

"you sure?"

Tsunade glanced sideways and asked, feeling that neither ninja dogs nor ninja cats were very good. Furukawa Osamu suddenly remembered the little pig from his memories, his expression turning strange, and he whispered a suggestion:

"How about sending a ninja pig? Where can I find a suitable pig?"

"Show some sincerity! Who would like a pig?!"

-

In mid-November, the weather turned cold.

Inside Training Ground 44, Might Guy, who was hiding behind a large tree, seized the opportunity to suddenly leap up, using the tree trunk to propel himself forward, spinning in the air and shouting:

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Matt Kee's spinning kick, delivered from above, was powerful and incredibly fast.

Curling up, Furukawa lowered his body, using the eye on the back of his head to dodge the "sneak attack," and then unleashed chakra in his feet, quickly retreating on the thick tree branch.

Kakashi accelerated his pursuit, his short sword thrusting to interrupt Furukawa Osamu's hand seals. The short sword and kunai collided repeatedly, and Might Guy joined the chase from behind.

"boom..."

Finally seizing the opportunity, Kakashi delivered a side kick that struck Furukawa's blocking arms. Before Might Guy could even rejoice, Kakashi hurriedly warned him:

"Watch out, Kai!"

As Furukawa Osamu fell from the tree trunk, he used the Shadow Clone Technique. Just as Might Guy was about to give chase, a clone was thrown at him.

"what!"

After barely breaking through the first clone, Might Guy let out a miserable scream as he was knocked off the tree trunk by the two subsequent shadow clones.

Their combined attack was disrupted once again. Kakashi sighed in exasperation, then sheathed his short sword and jumped down to find the unfortunate Might Guy.

"Even at the very end of the battle, don't forget the strategy we've devised. If Xiu manages to find an opportunity to hide in a shadow clone, we'll lose this match."

"None of us are sensory ninjas, so this kind of environment makes us vulnerable to his sneak attacks."

Lying on the ground, panting heavily, Matt Kai nodded, then gave a thumbs-up and said with a bright smile:

"Even more successful than last time, Kakashi, my speed has caught up with yours!"

Despite his reluctance to admit it, Kakashi nodded slightly. He had mastered physical activation, but the chakra amplification consumed too much energy, leaving him with insufficient stamina.

Might Guy's strength lay purely in his physical abilities, something Kakashi couldn't replicate with his "Youth Training Method."

"That's already amazing. The body has its limits at this age. Significant improvement will only occur when you enter a period of rapid growth."

Furukawa Osamu emerged from behind the large tree, praised the two, then put on a scarf and began to share his news:

"Next year, most of the students in Class A will choose to graduate early."

"Kakashi, don't send your teammates back to school for retraining. Take a good look at their feelings."

"It seems there will be another joint mission next year. Remember to be prepared. It will most likely involve Iwagakure. Captain Shikaku just talked to me about this a couple of days ago."

After several months of doing D-rank missions with genin, Kakashi was nearing his breaking point. Upon hearing from Iwagakure, he immediately said in a resentful voice:

"I've been wanting to fight those guys who attacked the outpost for ages!"

Might Guy was unaware of the inside story of Konoha's White Fang, but the news circulating in the village was indeed that he had been killed because of the Sand Village and the Iwa Village:

"Infiltration? Sorry, I probably can't help. Damn, I'm still not good at this kind of mission..."

Seeing the frustrated Might Guy, Furukawa Osamu simply patted him on the shoulder and then changed the subject:

"Celebrating this week's successful training, Ichiraku Ramen tonight!"

"Let's settle this with tonkotsu chashu ramen!"

Seeing Might Guy's expectant gaze, Kakashi sighed helplessly, but he didn't refuse the match. He squinted his dead fish eyes and muttered:

"Don't eat until you're stuffed!"

"..."

The colder the weather, the busier Ichiraku Ramen becomes. The ramen shopkeepers are constantly calling out to customers, and they are especially hospitable when the three sit down.

"Long time no see, gentlemen. Tonkotsu ramen again tonight?"

"We want double the char siu!"

Matt Kai responded loudly and energetically, and Shou Da immediately smiled and turned around to start preparing.

"Xiu, I'm so glad to see you again! Lady Tsunade told me you just returned from your training!"

The blond heartthrob broke free from the girls' embrace and hurried over to greet Osamu Furukawa.

"Minato-kun is still so popular! Is he here for dinner?"

Minato Namikaze, still wearing his Jonin vest, glanced at the movements behind him, shook his head, and said with a happy expression:

"Buy Kushina a bowl of ramen; she's been really into it lately."

He wanted to continue the pleasantries, but the girls started crowding around him again. Minato quickly took the ramen, gave a slightly apologetic look, and said goodbye.

Kakashi had intended to watch the spectacle, but when he turned around, Minato Namikaze had vanished. He instinctively widened his eyes and exclaimed:

"What kind of technique is this?"

"..."

Chapter 26 "Why Fight?" (Part 1)

In mid-December of Konoha Year 45, the number of injured people in the hospital increased significantly compared to the previous month.

For seasoned Konoha ninjas, injuries are commonplace, but for recent graduates, many young ninja dreams are shattered.

As evening fell, in the intensive care unit of Konoha Hospital, Furukawa Osamu had just finished his treatment when a voice came from the doorway:

"Is Mami out of danger?"

A boy of about 12 years old rushed to the bedside and anxiously asked loudly, while Kakashi, who was following behind, calmly interjected:

"A ninja must always remain calm!"

"It's not a fatal injury. With Xiu's skill level, he can be discharged from the hospital in two days at most."

The boy standing by the hospital bed looked annoyed, and his teammate, who had followed him, quickly pulled him back and bowed in apology.

“Uchida was just overly worried about Asami, and I apologize for his recklessness.”

Furukawa Osamu didn't blame the two. Instead, he smiled gently and gave a brief introduction:

"Just like Kakashi said, Mami will be able to be discharged from the hospital in two days."

"Don't blame yourself. The Sand Village ninjas are skilled in using poison, and your emergency treatment was very timely."

Seemingly worried that his companion might say something wrong, the mature young man bowed again, then ignored his struggling companion and pulled him out of the ward.

"It seems you still care about your subordinates very much. There's really no need to come to the intensive care unit for this kind of injury."

With a simple use of the [Minor Ailment Extraction Technique], most of the treatment was completed. Furukawa Osamu knew that Kakashi was giving his subordinates preferential treatment, but the boys were clearly not grateful.

Kakashi remained calm; due to his age, he knew his subordinates didn't really respect him.

"If they can give up being ninjas because of this, it would actually be a good thing."

"They're already struggling to handle Chunin at this age, I don't have a good future for them."

"If you just want to make money, you have better options. Insisting on being a ninja will only drag the team down in the end."

While not denying Kakashi's theory, Furukawa Osamu believed that most girls were indeed unsuitable for this profession, but considering the moves of higher-ups, he still offered a reminder:

"Low-level missions need more genin, Kakashi. If this continues, the Hokage will have to talk to you."

"This is ultimately a troublesome matter. From now on, doing some D-level missions will be enough. You can arrange the rest of your time as you see fit."

"Okay, you're right."

Kakashi gave a brief reply, then his deadpan expression returned. He had overestimated the graduates' abilities; they had almost failed even a C-rank mission.

"Did we encounter a puppeteer? Poisonous senbon is indeed troublesome."

"Don't underestimate Sunagakure. The village also has excellent medical ninjas, and their development of toxins is even ahead of Konoha."

"Tsunade-sensei developed an antidote a long time ago, so remember to bring it with you on future missions."

Hearing the instructions, Kakashi nodded seriously, then went on to recount yesterday's battle, briefly reviewing it:

"The puppet's attack methods are indeed somewhat strange, but once the puppet is destroyed, the ninja who controls it quickly falls into a disadvantageous position."

"I enhanced the frequency of lightning on my short sword, and the attack was very effective. Fortunately, the opponent's wind release technique wasn't very good, otherwise it would have been much more troublesome."