Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha

"Yes, Xiu, thank you for being by my side."

Chapter 101 Inhuman Ninjutsu!

In early July of Konoha Year 49, the rotation of Konoha ninjas on the front lines of the Land of Rain was completed. Apart from Orochimaru, almost all the Konoha ninjas who participated in the battle chose to return to the village to rest.

Sunagakure has shown great sincerity this time, not only by negotiating peace, but also by wanting to have some economic exchanges with Konoha.

Some unique herbs are on the trade list, and Rasa seems to have stopped maintaining the dignity of the Great Ninja Village and is content to be an ally.

If Konoha were willing to return its high-ranking advisors, and Sunagakure were even willing to relinquish some of its garrison rights, Konoha ninjas could establish some bases in the Land of Wind.

The only condition for establishing a base is to open up some missions to the Sand Village ninjas. As for supplies, the two sides are still negotiating.

Upon hearing that they could establish a "ninja base" in the Land of Wind, the village's "hardliners" spoke up again:

"This is the perfect opportunity to invade Sunagakure!"

This view was also opposed by many ninjas, who argued that establishing a formal base would cost a lot of money, which could be used to improve the welfare of ninjas.

More importantly, the land of the Land of Wind is relatively barren, while the Land of Fire is rich in minerals. The new Kazekage, Rasa, is asking Konoha to "help the poor"!

-

The Jonin team meeting didn't discuss this matter much, since the war in the Land of Grass was still ongoing, and Iwagakure had fully utilized its numerical advantage after withdrawing troops from the Land of Rain.

Iwagakure is not Sunagakure. Ever since the enemy successfully besieged and killed the Third Raikage, all the Iwagakure ninjas have been greatly encouraged.

During the months of fighting, the Iwagakure ninjas also tried to replicate this tactic, hoping to use their numerical advantage to encircle and kill Minato Namikaze.

Unfortunately, Jonin Huang Tu's attempts to encircle and annihilate them all failed, and with Jiraiya holding firm on the defensive line, the Iwagakure ninja could only watch as Minato Namikaze retreated with ease.

How to limit the speed of ninjas has become a major problem for the Iwagakure ninjas.

With Byakugan ninjas in Konoha, most traps were ineffective, and the final battles turned into wars of attrition.

Ninjas eventually need to refine their chakra, and their bodies will also feel fatigued; Minato Namikaze was no exception.

More and more tactics were developed against him, the most dangerous of which was when the Iwagakure ninja almost captured his comrade.

Clearly, the enemy has started using "ninja" tactics; coercion and blackmail can be exceptionally effective at certain times!

In the Konoha ninja camp in the Land of Grass, Jiraiya looked at his disciple's grim face, sighed deeply, and said helplessly:

"Minato, a ninja is someone who can endure everything!"

"War always results in casualties. When the enemy can no longer contain you, they will attack you from multiple directions until you are in danger."

After graduating from the Ninja Academy, Minato's teammates died one after another in Iwagakure's traps, and his longtime friend was targeted and eventually died because of him.

A few years ago, the three of them had worked with Jiraiya on a mission to investigate the Jinchuriki of Iwagakure. Memories kept surging in his mind, and after calming himself down, Minato Namikaze could only give a simple response:

"I'm sorry, teacher, perhaps my cultivation is not enough."

"I'm often late, and each time I'm just a little bit away from saving everyone. If I could be a little faster, maybe these things wouldn't happen."

Jiraiya had faced dire situations and watched his subordinates die in large numbers, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.

Jiraiya wanted to say a few more words of comfort, but in the end he simply patted his shoulder, left the tent to his disciple, and let Minato say goodbye to his companions.

Hyuga Shuichi, whose arm was in a sling, had only arrived at the camp where the wounded were located two days prior. Seeing Minato's condition, this Hyuga clan ninja, who had self-destructive tendencies, looked up at the sky with his pure white eyes:

"Even the fastest ninja isn't invincible; death might not be such a bad thing."

"There will definitely be freedom in the Pure Land, and maybe you can live freely in another world."

Kakashi, covered in dust and grime, knew that staying in the wounded's tent for too long would affect his mood, but seeing Hyuga Shuichi's suicidal look, he still commented expressionlessly:

"Iwagakure has no way to break through the defenses, and we don't plan to cross the Land of Grass."

"The fate of tools is death. Dying here is simply because the ninja's skills are insufficient. Some people should not have become ninjas."

Hyuga Shuichi turned to his good friend of several years and replied in a low voice:

"Ninjas are just tools, Kakashi. Do you want to change your fate?"

Ignoring the angry glares from some Konoha ninja around him, Kakashi stood up, leaving his friend with his back turned.

"I will become the one who controls the tools!"

News of Minato Namikaze's secret return to the village did not spread. Jiraiya believed that his disciple needed to adjust his mental state, and the best way to do so was to nourish him with love.

Most ninjas have some psychological issues, which is why many ninjas like to follow people with strong willpower.

As long as the leaders are not confused, everyone just needs to follow orders.

Konoha quietly replaced Minato Namikaze, while Iwagakure was also on the verge of collapse. The ninjas were afraid of death; the Yellow Flash had killed too many people, and a fear of battle was growing.

-

In mid-July, Furukawa Osamu, who was on the front lines of the Land of Grass for the first time, felt unwell. In the Land of Rain, Orochimaru didn't care about casualties; if someone wasn't dead, they would charge into battle.

In close combat, wide-range ninjutsu can be unleashed just as easily; even if you get injured by your own people, no one will complain.

The Grass Country was much more lenient. Because it was only for defense and the battle lines were stretched out, there were only occasional battles involving thousands of people. Most of the time, they encountered attacks by hundreds of people.

Iwagakure has ninjutsu that can alter the terrain to target large summoned beasts. Jiraiya only takes the initiative to attack when he encounters a Jonin like Yoto; the rest of the time he is mobilizing personnel and resources.

Inside the tent, Jiraiya marked the location of the Tenchi Bridge on the map, and then drew a circle in the southwest direction:

"This area was originally reserved by our three parties through a tacit agreement. The Heaven and Earth Bridge connects the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire. During the war, both sides avoided destroying these facilities."

"The Iwagakure ninja have recently started advancing in this direction. I don't know why they would make such a radical choice, but now that we have received intelligence, we must stop them."

"Since everyone here is a Jonin, I can reveal some inside information. This is also the request of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire."

“The city of Kikyo can be left unrebuilt after it is destroyed, but these infrastructures cannot. We need to protect these trade routes as much as possible.”

Jiraiya sighed helplessly at the end. He wasn't good at running a village, but reducing some trouble for Tsunade was something his old friend should do.

"A dense forest environment? The fact that Iwagakure has abandoned their advantage shows that the enemy is under a lot of pressure."

Nara Shikaku stroked his chin and added in a low voice, while the Jonin of the Aburame clan also chimed in with his analysis:

"This is a favorable environment for us, allowing parasites to thrive."

With the forest there, the Jonin of the Inuzuka clan also spoke up. In battles on the plains, they were at a disadvantage against the combined ninjutsu of Iwagakure, but this complex environment was extremely suitable for Konoha ninjas.

While everyone was still discussing how many squads to send, Osamu Furukawa, who had been listening attentively, raised his hand to speak:

"Seniors, leave it to me alone. As for the hundred-man squad, my techniques are better suited to kill the enemy."

The tent suddenly fell silent. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow but didn't ask what the specific ninjutsu was, since information about ninjas shouldn't be easily revealed.

"We can give it a try, but I will still send out a squad to defend."

Furukawa Osamu nodded without refuting. He needed to accumulate more energy for his spirit, and death was the best supplement.

Several hundred people is his current limit; collecting more would prolong the nightmare and negatively impact his mental state.

The group of Jonin looked at each other in bewilderment. Even Minato Namikaze wouldn't be very efficient at killing in a complex environment.

"Then let's do the finishing touches on the repairs!"

Yamanaka Inoichi was the first to speak out in support, and soon several ninja clans followed suit. As a disciple of the Fourth Hokage, he had to stand up for him!

After standing up, Furukawa Osamu displayed the humility of a junior, repeatedly expressing his gratitude. Jiraiya cleared his throat and said earnestly:

"Don't push yourself. The mission is important, but the facilities can be rebuilt."

"All we need to do is guard the borders of the Land of Fire."

Orochimaru would never have said such a thing. Furukawa Osamu, accustomed to Jiraiya's command style, responded solemnly:

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama."

...

Two days later, just as the intelligence agents had reported, the Iwagakure ninjas secretly broke in from a different direction.

While the 400 people from Iwagakure were moving, Osamu Furukawa had been waiting in the dense forest southwest of Tenchi Bridge for a day.

At 4 a.m., Furukawa Osamu, perched on a giant tree branch, opened his eyes, clasped his hands together, and dark purple eyeshadow appeared around his eyes. The diamond-shaped mark of the Hundred Healings Seal also began to flash.

"Spiritual communication!"

"boom..."

A small slug, about 17 meters tall, appeared on the open ground. Unlike those summoned by ordinary chakra, the slug's back markings were light purple.

"Lord Xiu, shall we conduct an experiment on the new technique?"

"Time is almost up. Let's do a quick test of its power. It's a pity this isn't a sealed space, but our opponent is just an ordinary person."

Standing atop the live slug, Furukawa Osamu gave a brief response, sensing that the enemy a thousand miles away was still moving, and clasped his hands together again:

"Immortal Technique: Mist Concealment Technique!"

Furukawa Osamu's Sage Mode chakra shifted rapidly. Freed from the chakra point restrictions, the power of his original ninjutsu increased exponentially, and the dense fog spread rapidly at a visible speed.

The Iwagakure ninjas, who were speeding forward through the dense forest, were suddenly enveloped in thick fog. With more than 30 kilometers to go, the Jonin hurriedly signaled for everyone to stop.

"How could this fog suddenly appear?"

"Perception team, check the situation in the vicinity."

The sensory ninja also looked confused. What frightened them even more was that the fog was thickening at a visible rate.

"Captain, we can't sense anything unusual, but given this strange fog, let's retreat for now!"

Hearing their voices but not seeing them, a sense of fear began to spread through the hearts of the Iwagakure ninja.

"Captain! Let's leave first!"

"There seems to be chakra hidden in the mist."

"Is it a trap set by Konoha ninja? Why is the area so large?"

The Iwagakure ninja, gripped by fear, shouted loudly. Furukawa Osamu noticed that the target had been completely enveloped and immediately resonated with the live slug with all his might. Then, he formed a hand seal with one hand to coordinate with the live slug's Sage Chakra.

The novel experience made the slug's voice even softer and sweeter:

"Immortal Technique: The Art of Clever Mist!"

The acid mist was rapidly exhaled from the slug's mouth. Without the restriction of chakra points and meridians, the conversion efficiency of Sage Chakra was extremely fast, and the acid mist merged with the thick fog at a rapid pace.

Some of the Iwagakure ninja seemed to sense that their lives were threatened and turned to flee in fear. Several captains shouted loudly, but they could not see their comrades at all in the thick fog.

"Stop right there!"

"what!"

The team member at the front suddenly let out a horrific scream, intensifying their fear. Forgetting about formation, everyone turned and fled.

The screams grew louder and louder. The Iwagakure ninja running at the front was too frightened to turn around. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his back and couldn't help but howl in agony:

"help me..."

With no response, the Iwagakure ninja painfully raised his arm, saw the blood and flesh on it, and immediately fainted. His consciousness gradually sank into darkness, and he fell completely silent.

According to Osamu Furukawa's senses, the Iwagakure ninja's chakra gradually disappeared.

Seeing that the slug was still working hard to spew out acidic mist, Furukawa Osamu's spirit came out of his body and then accelerated towards the dense forest to [Gather] energy to recover from its consumption.

"That's enough, Live Slug. The spell seems to be working too well."

"Lord Xiu, I've tried my best, but converting the acid into acid mist is still quite difficult."

The slug twitched its antennae twice, seemingly embarrassed, and added:

"I'm not good at fighting, I've caused you trouble, Lord Xiu."

What Furukawa Osamu's spirit saw was an Iwagakure ninja who would merge with the earth in a few minutes. He was secretly amazed by the inhuman power of this ninjutsu.

"Completely beyond expectations. If this technique could be used in a closed environment, its power would be even greater."

"We've already chosen our spots; all we need to do is exhale the acid mist as much as we want."

Sensing the surprise in Furukawa Osamu's tone, the slug perked up, wriggling its body twice in a cheerful response:

"I will do my best, Master Xiu!"

When the spirit returned to his body, Furukawa immediately felt that his Hundred Healings Seal could hold more Sage Chakra; this method of enhancement was truly fascinating.

"It's a pity that immortality is impossible..."

Furukawa Osamu sighed inwardly. With only two months left until Kakashi's birthday, he could only cheer himself up. After planning for so many years, it was time to reap the rewards.