Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha

"I'm not making this up! You call Kakashi more often, so why did you laugh out loud?"

Upon hearing these words, Obito suddenly recalled the pleasant feeling he had experienced, and his pale face instantly turned red. He shouted in annoyance:

"Shut up! You brat, if you keep talking nonsense, I'll kill you..."

"Cough...cough..."

Mizuki Haku was initially startled, but seeing Obito coughing so badly, she immediately turned around and went to the kitchen to get a bowl of hot water, then carefully fed it to him, "Hope".

Obito, who was instinctively gulping down hot water, suddenly burst into tears. It was his own fault; he had the opportunity to take care of Rin Nohara together with Kakashi.

"Big brother, why are you crying again? Is the water too hot?"

"Are you going to die? I... I still want you to teach me to be a ninja, I want to protect my mother."

Obito looked at the pure-looking boy, whose face now showed anxiety. He suddenly realized that there were still people in this world who needed him and cared about him.

"Kid, thank you!"

"Being a ninja is not a good career choice, especially in the Land of Water."

"Don't worry, since you saved me, I will grant your wish. Even if I only have my left hand left, I can still kill those scumbags at will."

"If you still want to be a ninja after seeing the battle, I will grant your wish."

Haku was slightly taken aback by these words, but noticing Obito's serious gaze, a smile immediately appeared on his face. He nodded vigorously and happily responded:

"Thank you, big brother!"

Obito smirked. He had finally come to his senses. Since Rin was still alive, he would protect the girl. As for the fake Eye of the Moon plan, he would not carry it out again.

"Once I've recovered, I'll quietly confront Kakashi..."

"This guy should forgive me, Lin. We can live together from now on. I'll protect you."

Once Obito made up his mind, he immediately felt a sense of relief. This was what he had always wanted to do; in the past, he had only been deceiving himself.

Staring intently at the dark ceiling, Obito suddenly thought of Furukawa Osamu's three-tomoe Sharingan, which seemed to be staring at him with icy killing intent. A shiver ran through him inexplicably.

I will expose your true colors!

"Whatever evil plans you have, I will protect them!"

Looking at his older brother, who was crying, laughing, and trembling from time to time, Mizuki Haku had a confused look on his face. He felt that the other person had some mental problems.

"Are all ninjas like this? No wonder my mother doesn't like me becoming a ninja."

-

These days, Furukawa Osamu has been busy "refining" the Four-Tails. The rest of the time, besides gathering information, he spends his days practicing with his teacher, continuing to try to fuse Indra's and Ashura's chakra.

Despite frequent meetings among Konoha's leadership, they haven't been able to find a solution to the problem these past few days. The Nine-Tails' power is simply too terrifying. Minato's summary is very apt:

"The current Nine-Tails is a conscious and massive source of chakra, capable of not only condensing Tailed Beast Balls at any time, but also providing ninjutsu attack support."

Although the battle was very fast, Minato still managed to tell that the mysterious enemy was using a derivative ninjutsu of the Rasengan.

Only a few high-ranking officials knew about this information, and Minato could confirm that there was a "mole" in the village!

In addition, new speculations have emerged regarding Madara Uchiha's identity, with Kushina offering a somewhat contradictory answer:

"The enemy who took the Nine-Tails was the one who activated the Blue Susanoo. The one who defeated Xiu was someone else, a much more powerful enemy."

"The two sides may be allies, but this operation has allowed everyone to witness the infighting among enemies."

The number of related meetings gradually decreased towards the end of the year, and this intelligence was classified as secret by Tsunade. Although the operation failed, it indirectly led Sunagakure and Iwagakure to see a common enemy, so the result was not too bad for the village.

Snowflakes began to fall from the dark night sky. Tsunade rubbed her temples wearily, and soon felt a comfortable sensation in her shoulders. She knew that her disciple was helping her.

"The ninja world is changing too fast. I didn't expect that even the power of Sage Mode couldn't change this situation."

"Master, it's just that his training isn't good enough yet. Jiraiya-sama is getting discouraged too early. He should first solve the problem of stabilizing the extraction of Sage Chakra."

"We just need to cultivate step by step. The Living Slug Sage is extremely powerful, and humans also have the opportunity to obtain that kind of power!"

Furukawa Osamu gently comforted her, and Tsunade subconsciously turned her head to look at her disciple's profile. Although they had trained together many times, she still felt embarrassed every time.

Sensing Tsunade's doubts, Furukawa Osamu added softly again:

"Teacher, you should have noticed the changes in your body by now! With your current physical condition, you have already begun to escape the effects of time."

"In other words, we can live a long time, the number of cell divisions is slowly increasing, and lifespan will break through the limits of humankind."

Tsunade nodded, then stood up and remained silent with her head down. Furukawa Osamu put his arm around his teacher's waist, and the two disappeared instantly.

Back in the courtyard, Tsunade completely relaxed, and the two entered the bathroom together, where their water-based martial arts duel began.

Outside, the snow fell heavier and heavier. Furukawa Osamu buried himself in his training, constantly exploring the limits of his teacher's physical abilities.

After an unknown amount of time, Tsunade let out a soft cry and was then embraced by her disciple. Back in her room, she instinctively squeezed next to Furukawa Osamu and whispered in a weak voice:

"Xiu, why don't you stay here tonight..."

After each training session, Osamu Furukawa would disappear, leaving Tsunade empty-handed in the mornings. Now, she was determined to train diligently and begin to face her own heart honestly.

Furukawa didn't respond immediately, but simply moved Tsunade onto his body. In the dimly lit room, her fair skin seemed to glow faintly.

"Teacher, this time you take charge of the rhythm and just absorb my Sage Chakra to your heart's content!"

Tsunade quickly turned her head away from her disciple's eyes and began a new round of training, instinctively letting out a low cry:

"Oh..."

Chapter 232 The Cloud Village Ninja's Probing

In early March of Konoha Year 57, more than a year had passed since the Battle of the Wind Country Valley. Peaceful life had not been disrupted, and no one paid much attention to the matter of Konoha losing the Nine-Tails.

It's cherry blossom season again, and the ninja academy is also celebrating graduation.

With his face now lined with many more wrinkles, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but smile with satisfaction as he patrolled the school. The children were growing up in a peaceful environment, which was exactly what he wanted to see.

The entrance exam was held in the morning. Seeing Minato and his wife's smiles growing even brighter, Hiruzen Sarutobi silently approached the door and said softly:

"I thought you guys would let Naruto enroll next year, haha, it seems this little guy is getting naughtier and naughtier!"

Minato glanced at his wife discreetly, then chuckled and scratched his head without saying a word; Kushina, thinking of her overly energetic son, sighed helplessly before a smile returned to her face.

"Minato always spoils Naruto! Sending him to school is the best solution."

“If this child misbehaves, the Third Hokage must not protect him. Naruto needs to be disciplined strictly.”

The three wanted to continue their conversation, but Naruto had already completed the test and passed successfully. He then smiled brightly, ran up to the others, and said energetically:

"Grandpa Hokage, if I get first place in all my exams, can I become an excellent ninja like my father in the future?"

Minato flashed a bright smile again, while Kushina glanced sideways at her son. Hiruzen Sarutobi, noticing this amusing scene, immediately bent down and ruffled Naruto's blond hair.

"Your mother is also very outstanding. Doesn't Naruto like his strict mother?"

Suddenly hearing a "crackling" sound, Naruto realized that his mother was clenching her fist in the dark. He quickly looked at Kushina, flashed a fawning smile, and loudly responded:

"I love my mother the most! But she's so amazing, I want to catch up with my father for now..."

"You brat! Don't think I don't know what you're thinking!"

Kushina hugged her son tightly, then punched Naruto's head repeatedly with both fists. The mother and son screamed together, and Minato hurriedly bowed to apologize to the parents around them.

"Captain Minato, you're too kind!"

"Yes, Minato-kun, kids should be as energetic as Naruto!"

"Naruto's going to enroll in school too! I really hope my son can team up with Naruto someday..."

The parents all gave Naruto kind smiles, and the praise grew louder. Minato and the others had to leave early, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, who witnessed this scene, smiled with satisfaction.

Watching the mother and son playfully wrestle, Minato's smile gradually faded. When they arrived at the training ground, only the two of them remained. Hiruzen Sarutobi softly comforted him:

"Minato, there's no need to be so tense!"

"The fact that we can't find any clues in the village actually means that we are safe for the time being."

"Although it sounds ironic, since the other side's target is the Tailed Beast, Konoha will probably maintain this peaceful state for a long time."

“Other ninja villages have taken extremely strict measures to protect their Jinchuriki, so gathering the Tailed Beasts now will not be a simple matter.”

Minato nodded slightly in agreement, but quickly added his concerns:

"The Nine-Tails' power is too great. In addition, the opponent may also have the Mangekyou Sharingan and be able to activate Susanoo. No one can resist this kind of power."

"Once war breaks out, the ninja world will once again be thrown into great turmoil."

"Other ninja villages will absolutely not give up their Jinchuriki, and the situation of the Fourth Shinobi World War may repeat itself."

"What's even more terrifying is that the enemy is only one person..."

A person with no attachments is like the situation in the previous battles, where Minato had to return to defend in order to protect the Konoha ninja, while the enemy could attack without any scruples.

This kind of powerful individual strength, capable of challenging the five great ninja villages, is the root of the turmoil. Minato could even deduce what methods the other side would use to obtain the tailed beasts.

"Yes, all alone!"

"This reminds me of Lord Hashirama and Madara Uchiha; they were just like that kind of ninja."

"It can both quell chaos and create conflict."

"Even such a powerful ninja ultimately failed to bring true peace. Minato, every generation has its own mission, and you have done enough!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled as he spoke his mind. He understood the First Hokage's thoughts more and more. As long as the Will of Fire was passed down, the Konoha ninja would surely be able to fulfill their predecessor's long-cherished wish someday.

Minato naturally understood the deeper meaning behind those words, but he still wanted to take on more responsibility so that his son's future would be easier:

"I will continue to maintain contact with Iwagakure. I share similar thoughts with Huangtu!"

"As long as the enemy reappears, we can take this opportunity to convene the Five Kage Summit."

"Even the secluded Hidden Mist Village wouldn't refuse an agreement to protect the Tailed Beasts against a common enemy."

"As long as we unite, we can find a solution even to the most powerful enemy."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Minato and asked in a low voice:

"You were involved in Tsunade's proposal for the Allied Shinobi Forces, weren't you? Minato, don't push yourself too hard."

"In my opinion, the Fourth Raikage, A, also has great ambitions. During my last visit, I remember that he insisted that he could protect the Tailed Beasts and would not easily get involved in the plan."

"The Akatsuki's activities are becoming increasingly secretive. Orochimaru does send back intelligence, but he is not necessarily entirely on the village's side."

"That Raikage certainly has the right to criticize us, after all, no rogue ninja from Kumogakure joined Akatsuki, and the Uchiha bloodline is also ours..."

Thinking of the somewhat turbulent Uchiha clan, Minato sighed again. Ever since the news of the Nine-Tails' disappearance reached the village, Madara Uchiha's followers had been in an uproar.

Despite knowing that the Uchiha clan would never betray the village, Minato still felt somewhat uncomfortable hearing some people touting that one person could wield the power of the Nine-Tails to fight against the ninjas of the five great nations.

As for the even more outrageous ideas, Minato automatically ignored them. He always felt that plans involving procreation were beyond the comprehension of a normal person.

"Lord Hokage, I will continue to work hard."

"I'm entrusting Naruto to everyone at school. Please teach him strictly. As his father, I do have some shortcomings in certain aspects."

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed heartily, patted Minato on the shoulder, and sighed:

"The little guy's talent is outstanding, Minato, you've taught him very well!"

Thinking of his son, Minato's mood improved considerably. He didn't care whether Naruto was the child of prophecy that Jiraiya had mentioned; he only hoped that his son would grow up healthy and happy.

...

In the afternoon, the Hokage Building was still a scene of bustling activity.

Tsunade seems immune to the ravages of time, looking even younger, with only a hint of mature womanly charm visible when she frowns.

"The Hidden Cloud Village actually agreed to participate in the Joint Chunin Exams?"

"If I remember correctly, when you and Minato visited each other, the Fourth Raikage rejected our proposal outright."

"No, to be more precise, they vehemently opposed it. The Hidden Cloud Village insisted on protecting the Jinchūriki. What stubborn folks!"

Nineteen-year-old Osamu Furukawa has grown a little taller. Due to his diligent training, his physique has become more and more capable, and his arms, revealed by his Jonin attire, look full of power.

He casually took the letter from the Cloud Village ninja, and after reading it carefully, a strange look flashed in his eyes. He had accurate intelligence sources by the side of the Raikage.

In recent years, the Land of Lightning has been vigorously developing its industry, and the entire country has been accumulating strength. The Raikage's sudden display of goodwill, combined with the data he has collected, seems more like a test.

"Even though the other party went back on their word, the teacher doesn't need to refuse."

"The Joint Chunin Exams haven't been held for many years, so let's take this opportunity to showcase the village's strength."