Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha

“The Root branch did not participate in the operation. I will communicate with Danzo about this matter.”

Furukawa Osamu simply smiled and listened quietly. Before Tsunade could push open the door, she suddenly pulled her teacher into her arms.

Tsunade hesitated for a moment, then hugged her disciple, leaning against Furukawa Osamu's chest, closing her eyes, and repeatedly reminding herself that this was a "normal comforting" act.

"Teacher, don't worry, I will continue to help you with your cultivation."

"Um..."

Tsunade, responding softly, assumed the training was proceeding as before, unaware of the strange look in Furukawa Osamu's eyes after hearing the response:

"Xiu, I'll have to trouble you again tonight."

-

In early April, in an underground base somewhere in the Land of Rivers, Orochimaru gradually regained consciousness. After recalling what had happened, he sat up straight and chuckled eerily.

Kisame, who had lost weight, was startled by Orochimaru as soon as he entered the room. He instinctively reached for the large sword Samehada behind him, then let go and muttered helplessly:

"I didn't expect this organization to be full of strange people. Can you survive without food?"

"Lord Madara entrusted me to take care of you temporarily, but I never expected you to recover on your own. You have a truly monstrous body..."

Orochimaru turned to look at the shark-faced man, frowning slightly at the large sword bound in bandages, but quickly smiled and whispered:

"Lord Madara? Interesting title. Is that guy still calling himself 'Uchiha Madara'?"

"I think we can be more honest with each other, what do you think, little guy from Kirigakure?"

Kisame stroked his chin thoughtfully, recalling Mei Terumi's instructions, and finally shook his head, replying in a leisurely tone:

"I don't want to cause trouble for myself. I've witnessed the power of the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan firsthand!"

"A ninja should obey orders. I only want to live as a ninja. As for other things, that's not something I need to consider."

Orochimaru knew the Hidden Mist ninja before him was lying, but he didn't care. He was already close to the power he had longed for, one step closer to achieving his goal.

"Looks like I need to find an opportunity to pass on some information. That idiot Jiraiya will definitely receive it."

"I never imagined that there really was an Uchiha who fused with the power of the Senju clan. The records in those ancient texts were indeed true!"

Kisame looked at Orochimaru, who was licking his lips with his long tongue, and felt a wave of nausea. He thought to himself, "What have I been through over the past two weeks?"

"I almost starved to death after joining this organization! These monsters are completely unreliable."

"I really want to go back to the village soon..."

Chapter 216 Power and Peace

In mid-April of Konoha Year 55, the fighting on the front lines of the Land of Birds was decreasing, and Konoha Hospital had not received any wounded soldiers for half a month.

The only one seriously injured recently was the girl Mitarashi Anko. Orochimaru suddenly defected and ran away, and the girl was killed by her teacher. The Konoha ninja who heard the news all expressed their sympathy.

In the intensive care unit, Hongdou's body had fully adapted to the Heavenly Curse Seal, but the girl still appeared weak.

"Senior, my body still hurts so much. I really want to see you every day."

"Do I need to get a medical check-up today? Orochimaru-sensei is gone, and I can only rely on my senior."

"Does the cursed seal have any side effects? I feel like my body is starting to develop again. What do you think, senior?"

Lying in the hospital bed, her red and purple hair disheveled, she murmured to herself repeatedly, her face slightly flushed. She pulled the blanket up to her chest, looked at Furukawa Osamu, and whispered again:

"You can get checked! I...I don't mind!"

After saying this, the girl closed her eyes. Noticing "Doubao" being held down, she let out a soft moan, her face flushed. Just as she was about to continue rambling, a silent voice suddenly appeared:

"The curse seal doesn't have any breast-enlarging effect! You're really something, bothering Xiu to come see you every day."

"Get discharged from the hospital as soon as possible. Don't think that the instruments can't detect your physical condition."

"With the seal in place, your body won't be affected at all; you've already recovered!"

While disassembling the instruments from Hongdou's body, Jingyin gave him a rather irritating instruction.

The girl opened her eyes and saw this scene. She immediately screamed, pushed away the hand that was pressing against her chest, and shouted angrily:

"You've ruined my date with my senior again!"

"How did you get to go on a date? You're just overthinking things."

Seventeen-year-old Shizune has become much more cheerful and confident. In medical ninjutsu, she has completely surpassed her seniors and has now become a medical expert at Konoha Hospital.

After a playful tussle, Shizune noticed Furukawa Osamu's gaze and immediately abandoned her childish behavior. She stood up straight, holding the documents in one arm and tucking her medium-length black hair behind her ear.

"Xiu, the exorcism seal is very effective. After the seal is completed, the body will no longer uncontrollably absorb natural energy."

"In this way, the extraction of chakra from red beans will not be affected!"

As Shizune finished speaking, she turned to look at Furukawa Osamu's profile, her eyes filled with admiration.

The Exorcism Seal, an improvement on the Sealing Seal, is the result of Furukawa Osamu's research over the past month. It completely isolates Orochimaru's Sage Chakra by creating an independent sealing space.

Kushina highly praised the Exorcism Seal, calling it an A-rank sealing technique, which is currently mastered by only a handful of people in the sealing class.

Seeing Shizune's expression, Aoko sighed inwardly. The girl had already realized that Furukawa Osamu probably only saw them as friends and juniors.

Even realizing all this, Hongdou didn't want to give up. Even just being by her side made the girl happy.

"Thank you, senior!"

"I never expected Orochimaru-sensei to make such a choice. If it weren't for him, I might already be under the control of the Anbu!"

"I don't know how to repay you, senior. Please let me stay by your side forever, and don't abandon me..."

As Hongdou finished speaking, she suddenly burst into tears and snuggled into Furukawa Osamu's arms, hugging his arm tightly and nuzzling him.

Upon seeing this, Shizune immediately rushed over, pushing the girl while shouting angrily.

Furukawa sighed helplessly, patted Shizune's back, and after the girl calmed down, he withdrew his left hand from Anko's arms and patted the girl's head.

“You are all capable ninjas now, and you are a source of support for many people.”

"There's no need to change yourself for anyone. I just hope you can live happily."

Jingyin tried her best to squeeze herself into his arms, and Hongdou also shoved and shoved to claim her spot. Neither of them responded verbally, but expressed their feelings through their actions.

Just as Furukawa was about to continue giving instructions, the door to the room was pushed open, and Nohara Rin, dressed as a nurse and holding documents, appeared. Her eyes widened immediately upon seeing the three of them embracing.

"I...I've come at the wrong time!"

"Lin, you've come at just the right time."

"I'll leave the follow-up observation of the curse mark on Anko to you. Kakashi has also mastered this sealing technique, and he'll be able to handle some emergencies."

After giving a brief explanation, Furukawa Osamu immediately stood up, reached out and tapped Shizune's forehead, then ruffled Aoko's short purple hair before walking away under their gazes.

Nohara Rin sat down by the bedside. Seeing the disappointed looks on their faces, she immediately tilted her head and encouraged them:

"Kakashi told me that the Sand Village and the Iwa Village on the front lines have suddenly reached a reconciliation. There seem to be a lot of issues involved, and the Anbu should be very busy."

"Xiu still cares about you guys. The stronger a ninja is, the less likely they are to consider personal feelings!"

"Like Lady Tsunade, she has endless documents to deal with every day. As a female ninja, she is truly remarkable."

"Xiu should be the same. Cultivation and work take up all his time. When there is true peace, the situation should be much better."

Upon hearing Nohara Rin's words, Shizune breathed a sigh of relief, then sighed with a hint of envy:

"If Xiu could be like Kakashi, there would be no need to rush into work."

"Speaking of which, you two are getting married soon, right? Ah! Lin is so lucky!"

With a frustrated groan, Shizune hugged Rin and whispered something to her. Rin quickly blushed and shook her head repeatedly. Seeing this, Anko crossed her arms and started to complain:

"Stop treating me like a little girl, I know what you're talking about."

"It must be because Lin-neechan is too shy, otherwise Kakashi definitely wouldn't have been able to hold on."

"Sister Lin has the best figure! Unlike some flat-chested girls..."

"Kid! This is a normal size!"

"They're about the same age as me, but I can still grow."

Seeing the two bickering, Nohara Rin suddenly laughed again. She inexplicably remembered Anko's words, and a blush returned to her face. She pondered to herself:

"Isn't it usually the boy who initiates those kinds of things? Should I wear special clothes to give a hint?... "

-

The sudden reconciliation between Iwagakure and Sunagakure surprised many people, and the intelligence sent back from the front lines also revealed two different scenarios.

One type is from the water gate side, indicating that it came without warning;

Another source of feedback came from Root and Anbu ninjas, who indicated that Rasa had secretly met with an unidentified ninja a week prior, who appeared to represent Onoki's stance.

After resolving the issue of the cursed seal left by Orochimaru, Osamu Furukawa secretly went to the front lines.

Late at night, in the Konoha ninja camp, Minato, Nara Shikaku, and the others frowned after examining the scroll. Yamanaka Inoichi even muttered with a hint of annoyance:

"Does the Fourth Kazekage intend to break the original agreement? He's actually secretly preparing to join forces with Iwagakure."

Nara Shikaku, however, wasn't surprised at all. He stroked his mustache and took the initiative to reassure his partner:

"We are ninjas, and agreements are meant to be torn up."

"Ultimately, it's still a matter of land resources, and Sunagakure's choice was predictable."

"With the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers serving as a buffer, it would still be difficult for Sunagakure to break off its alliance status in one fell swoop and launch a war on its own initiative."

"From the perspective of a Jinchūriki, that child still needs to grow. In the next few years, the other party should be secretly accumulating power."

After seeing the latest intelligence, Minato sighed inwardly. He knew that Sunagakure wouldn't be drained of blood forever, but the fact that they weren't even considering peaceful negotiations showed that they hadn't forgotten their hatred.

The mutual understanding that Jiraiya sought was simply impossible, and this scene vividly illustrates the essence of a ninja.

"The Cloud Village ninjas might also be involved in this matter, as they can conveniently contact the Sand Village and the Iwa Village."

While expressing his opinion, Minato handed a mission report to Osamu Furukawa, revealing that the captured Cloud Village ninja was willing to share the training methods of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.

This is extremely attractive to Iwagakure, and Sunagakure probably doesn't want to miss out on the training methods for Kumogakure's Jinchuriki.

"The worst-case scenario is that the three parties form an alliance again, and Sunagakure enters the war once more with the power of its tailed beasts."

The Jonin grew even angrier upon hearing Minato's words. They declared that Sunagakure was an ingrate, and if it weren't for their mercy and their efforts to protect them during the Fourth Shinobi World War, the enemy wouldn't have survived until now.

Having only just recovered some of their strength, they already planned to seek revenge; Sunagakure's performance disappointed everyone.

"Lord Xiu, should we break this agreement?"

What instructions did the village leadership give?

Osamu Furukawa, disguised as a member of the Dark Guard, calmly surveyed the crowd and said softly:

"Sunagakure has simply brought forward what was bound to happen in the future. Once an agreement is reached and peace is restored, we can simply accumulate strength in the next few years."

"With the alliance clause in place, Sunagakure will pay the price for making a choice now, using the commissioned market to control their development."

Upon hearing that the village planned to accelerate its "blood-sucking" strategy, everyone agreed. They reasoned that if income decreased, Sunagakure might even experience internal strife, and Konoha could resolve the issue without war.

When Furukawa saw that no one objected, he knew that the Konoha ninjas had lost their will to fight. The Fourth Shinobi World War had taken too much to bear, and now most of the ninjas just wanted to live a peaceful life.

Witnessing peace should have been a joyous occasion, but Watergate felt somewhat disappointed after the meeting ended.

He could understand some of Jiraiya's thoughts now; war was like a cycle, endless. His teacher believed in the power of miracles and, essentially, had no expectations of reality.

"Should we deal with that child? That would be a huge threat."

When only the two remained in the tent, Minato asked in a low voice, and Furukawa Osamu shook his head, explaining briefly:

“The Root ninjas tried it a long time ago. That child is special; he has two forces protecting him.”

"The intelligence report described the relevant situation, and it is speculated that it was the work of Shukaku."

"It's just a tailed beast. Even if it grows up, it won't pose that much of a threat to the village. The Hokage doesn't want to break the agreement now."

Minato breathed a sigh of relief. Dealing with that child might prolong the peace period, and he didn't want to kill a child the same age as his son. Even ninjas have their limits.

"A temporary peace? That's fine, maybe there's still a chance to turn things around."

"I'm sorry, Jiraiya-sensei was too impulsive. I know how troublesome that guy's eye technique is."

Hearing Minato's words, Furukawa Osamu waved his hand. He couldn't blame him because of the bonds of Konoha, and besides, Jiraiya might even help him find the location of the Gedo Mazo. It was a good thing no matter how you looked at it.

"Jiraiya-sama made the right choice by proactively confirming that Orochimaru's ideas were what the village needed."