Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha

Wearing a black hood and sunglasses, Ryoma Aburame bowed in response and then disappeared silently from the room.

A large portion of the members absorbed by Root were extreme ninjas. The ninja clans were willing to send them away, solving problems while also contributing to the village.

At 5 o'clock, Danzo frowned when he heard that Orochimaru was coming to visit, but after thinking about it, he agreed to meet.

When the Root ninjas brought Orochimaru into the room, Danzo immediately widened his eyes, trying to sense them, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

"You sensed it correctly; this is a portion of the First Hokage's power."

"Although I can't use Wood Release, this much vitality is enough to make up for the damage I suffered before."

Orochimaru deliberately released some chakra, a smug smile on his face. Seeing Danzo's expression, he continued unhurriedly:

“I told you long ago that you simply cannot comprehend the power possessed by a genius ninja.”

"It seems you've seen that intelligence too. We need to cooperate again."

A fleeting glint of greed crossed Danzo's eyes; he too desired to control the First Hokage's power. However, upon hearing the word "cooperation," he regained his composure, narrowing his eyes as he responded in a deep voice:

"Do you still want those eyes? Although the Sage's Eyes are indeed a threat to Konoha, we are not able to deal with that kind of power for the time being."

"I wouldn't mind giving this information to Hiruzen. Orochimaru, would you be willing to share it?"

Orochimaru didn't give a direct answer, but instead let out a few sinister laughs:

"I can implant this cell into all the Root ninjas."

"I also have a way to restore your right arm. If you are willing to take the risk, you may even have the opportunity to master Wood Release."

Danzo initially wanted to refuse immediately, but considering the ever-expanding power of Osamu Furukawa and the Uchiha clan, he pondered for a moment and then decisively agreed.

"I need a detailed cooperation plan."

Orochimaru chuckled softly; he knew Danzo wouldn't be able to resist such temptation, and he secretly felt smug.

"The bodies of the Uzumaki clan and the Eye of the Immortal are worth the risk of trying again."

...

Tsunade arrived at the Hokage Building early in the morning, receiving surprised looks from everyone. She was also pleasantly surprised by the changes in her body.

The amount of chakra that the body can instantly extract has increased significantly, and the precision of its control far surpasses that of its past self.

Tsunade has also tested her current power, which has increased by about one-third. She owes this transformation to her devoted disciple.

"Old man, what do you need to deal with this time?"

"After the weather turns cold, there will be no problem with the supply lines. The village has plenty of supplies, and the Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Water have also fulfilled their promises."

Tsunade sat down and, while introducing the breakfast that Furukawa Osamu had prepared for her, saw that her disciple was full of energy. Instead of immediately discussing work, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and praised her.

"Keep up these healthy lifestyle habits, Tsunade. The Hokage needs to take better care of his body."

"It seems your cooking has finally improved; the bread looks very good."

Tsunade, who was eating toast with gusto, paused slightly, then immediately changed the subject:

"Sarutobi-sensei, you're still so long-winded. What important work do you have today that made you call me here so early in the morning?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled a few times, then handed over a scroll.

Tsunade finished her breakfast in a few bites and immediately began to examine the document:

"The Five Kage Summit? Initiated by the Mizukage? And the Land of Iron is willing to participate?"

"This is utterly baffling. When did Kirigakure become a peace envoy?"

"Are they trying to replicate the experience of attacking my grandfather?"

As Tsunade spoke, her face grew angry. It was a peace negotiation back then, but the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was attacked and ultimately sacrificed himself.

Konoha now holds a huge advantage on the front lines. Kirigakure has proposed talks, and Kumogakure and Iwagakure have also agreed. It all looks like a trap.

Seeing his disciple pacing back and forth in a fit of rage, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, signaling him to calm down, and then calmly said:

What use is this kind of trap to us?

“If they want to attack this old man, I wouldn’t mind trading my life for the life of a national leader.”

"With the three of you here in Konoha, I can leave with peace of mind. As a ninja, I don't mind ending my life in this way."

After calming down and thinking it over carefully, Tsunade nodded slightly. Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi was old, she felt that her teacher still had the strength to take on one opponent at a time.

"What is the Mizukage thinking? Kirigakure has always maintained a secrecy policy and has not participated in this war. He has no reason to do this."

Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed with Tsunade's point of view. He also found it strange, but at his age, as Hokage, he was fearless.

"In any case, this is indeed an opportunity."

"If the war can be ended in this way, I am willing to go to the Land of Iron and talk to them."

"Tsunade, you should start taking over the Hokage's duties during this time. I need to get my rusty body moving."

Seeing her teacher laughing heartily, Tsunade sighed helplessly. She knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi was already prepared for the worst.

"Teacher, there's no need to prepare for the worst."

"Let Minato and Shu accompany you to the Land of Iron. There are two ninjas who have mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique. No one can hurt you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't refuse; it was something he, as an elder, should do to broaden the horizons of the younger generation.

"You make the arrangements! I'll ensure their safety."

Chapter 113 "The Last Dance..."

In early December of Konoha Year 49, the ninja world enjoyed a brief period of peace, and news of the Five Kage Summit began to spread rapidly.

Contrary to everyone's expectations, among the five great nations, the Land of Water was the first to speak out. It wasn't the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure who initiated the response; Elder Genshi was the first to speak:

"War cannot solve the problems of entrustment and development. Kirigakure is willing to discuss a reasonable solution with other ninja villages."

This elder is 12 years older than the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, and is currently 72 years old.

Having witnessed most of the events in the ninja world, the old man rarely spoke out, so the other juniors naturally had to give him face. The Tsuchikage, Onoki, also quickly expressed the stance of Iwagakure:

"If the distribution of benefits is fair, the Iwagakure ninjas would not mind a ceasefire."

Due to communication problems among the five great nations, most Konoha ninjas did not hear the news until three days later.

During this period, Konoha and Kumogakure had several arguments, with both sides agreeing that they had won the conflict in recent months.

Konoha ninjas displayed their kill counts on their own territory, while Kumogakure ninjas internally publicized the massive losses inflicted on the enemy by destroying enemy strongholds.

After the Tsuchikage stated his position, the Fourth Raikage, A, quickly responded as well:

"No one can encroach on the Cloud Village ninja's commission market. The Cloud Village ninja are willing to go to the Land of Iron to discuss this matter."

With the three leaders expressing their stances, only Konoha, which held the advantage on the battlefield, remained silent.

As for the Kazekage of Sunagakure, everyone knew that Rasa had to obey Konoha's arrangements, so naturally no one cared about his thoughts...

Just as the Land of Iron was about to send another invitation, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, gave his reply, without much explanation, his response was remarkably simple:

"Konoha will participate in this meeting."

After repeatedly confirming the news with the five great nations, the Land of Iron finally announced that the Five Kage Summit would be held on the 1st of the new year.

The talks will last for a week, and the Iron Kingdom will make preparations to welcome ninjas from all countries to experience samurai culture.

The small ninja village was also in an uproar. This seemed to be a meeting to redefine spheres of influence. Konoha Village received many envoys, all eager to be the first to climb up to this "big tree".

-

Within Konoha Village, the Five Kage Summit became the focus of everyone's attention.

The tavern has been doing better and better these past few nights. People are drinking and bragging, all hoping for more profits to come.

Inside the barbecue restaurant, Minato Namikaze and Kushina were also discussing the matter. Like most Konoha ninja, Kushina did not consider the Five Kage Summit a dangerous event.

"If we can reach a mutually acceptable agreement, then the war should end!"

"It seems that the elder of Kirigakure was quite farsighted. Fighting all the time will only increase hatred in the end."

After taking off her heavy coat and putting on a green dress, Kushina tilted her head and looked at Minato after saying this. The latter smiled awkwardly before replying in a low voice:

"We shouldn't be too optimistic, but the talks should be safe, so don't worry about me."

Minato had killed too many Iwagakure ninjas in the Land of Grass, and he couldn't believe that they would easily reconcile. Being on the front lines, he was even more aware of the state of hatred between ninjas.

Minato was skeptical of the talks, which aimed to end the war through reasoning, and he suspected a huge conspiracy was involved.

As Furukawa Osamu flipped the grilled meat, he noticed Minato's helpful look and immediately chimed in, adding:

"With neutral countries involved, the talks are definitely safe. I'm still thinking about what gifts to bring back; samurai culture is quite rare!"

Kushina, captivated by the "gift," immediately pulled Minato aside and began giving him instructions. While eating the grilled meat, she had completely forgotten about the meeting, praising it incessantly.

“Cultivation is incredibly powerful. At my age, I couldn’t have mastered too many sealing techniques.”

"It's a pity I can't go on a mission, otherwise I would definitely go to the Land of Iron with you."

"The snow scenery over there must be different..."

Minato felt a pang of sadness upon hearing these words. Kushina could only move within the sealed barrier, and the scenery she saw every day was almost the same.

"Now that we have portable cameras, we can take some landscape photos."

Following up on the conversation, Furukawa offered advice, and Kushina, who rarely went out, chatted even more happily. When the time came, Minato took his wife home and returned, and the topic of conversation shifted:

"Xiu, do you have any good ideas on how to defend against Tailed Beast Balls?"

"In Rashomon, we are still in a somewhat passive position."

"I actually think what Lord Danzo said during the meeting makes a lot of sense, so there's no need to attend the meeting."

"At most, we can end the war by killing a few more ninjas from other countries."

Minato spoke of killing with a calm expression. He possessed exceptional ninja skills, able to separate his ninja work from his personal life, and showed no resistance to killing ordinary ninjas.

Furukawa Osamu pondered for a moment, then suggested in a low voice:

"It will take some time for the Tailed Beast Ball to condense. We can prepare in advance to use the Flying Thunder God Technique for transmission. The Fourfold Rashomon can delay the attack and prevent a surprise attack. There shouldn't be any problem."

“I’m actually hoping they’ll take action, so we can retaliate legitimately and the dissenting voices in the village will disappear.”

Minato also felt that continuing the fight was a good option, but thinking of the Third Hokage, he could only sigh with regret.

"The Hokage is too merciful. But with the two of us here, as long as we prepare in advance, we can prevent an accident like the Second Hokage's."

"It feels very strange. Kirigakure's decision was too abrupt. I can't think of any reason why they would play such a role."

A strange look flashed across Furukawa Osamu's face. He couldn't be sure if Uchiha Madara could control the Mizukage, since he knew nothing about the Third Mizukage.

Even if the old man ordered the Mizukage to launch the attack, he was confident he could accept this "supplement." The more chaotic the Kirigakure became, the more opportunities he could continue to obtain resources.

"At most, we'll retreat early. Don't worry about Minato-kun; the Third Hokage is still very powerful."

"If anything unexpected happens, I'll cover the rear. At least in terms of chakra, I should be no less than the Fourth Raikage, A."

Minato smiled brightly again, nodded without refuting, and, thinking of the Third Hokage who had been exercising every day lately, sighed once more:

"The Hokage has truly given everything for the village!"

-

With the fighting on the front lines over, Konoha Hospital is no longer as busy as it had been in the past few months, and the nurses even have time to gossip among themselves.

Shizune is already capable of participating in major surgeries, and she is also a capable ninja in the field of medical ninjutsu.

Rin Nohara accompanied Kakashi during his routine check-up. Seeing the worried look on the girl's face, Shizune offered encouragement:

"Kakashi is recovering very well! Rin, there's no need to worry."

“I’m not good at dealing with brain chakra issues, but Xiu is the best medical ninja in the village at treating this kind of injury, even Tsunade-sensei can’t compare to him.”

Kakashi, seeing Nohara Rin clenching her fists in tension, also tried to comfort her:

“I understand my body, Rin. It’s just an emotional issue. As a ninja, I’m not so fragile that I can be controlled by my emotions.”

"Don't underestimate this power, Kakashi."

Upon entering the room, Furukawa Osamu smiled and reminded her, noticing Nohara Rin's concerned gaze, he went straight to the point and discussed the follow-up examination:

"The good news is that your leg fracture has fully healed and the damaged meridians have been repaired, so it won't affect your speed."

"The bad news is that you have to control your emotions at all times. After taking too much medication, there has been a slight change in your brain's chakra."