In this crossover anime, many ruthless and powerful figures reside in my territory.

"Melve, take the guards and knights from your family and garrison the pass. Prepare to defend the city."

"Father, Mother, if you want to help, you should go too."

Melf, Norman, and Cecilia all nodded in agreement.

Everyone present tacitly ignored the identity of the Grand Duke of White Moon, because there could only be one leader, and only Liszt.

"Morag, Chris, with the horses we just brought, we can form a cavalry unit of eighty men. You two can work them out together."

Morag and Chris gave a knightly salute to indicate their obedience to the order.

"Elsa, all the ninjas are fully armed and wearing the Flying Thunder God outfit. They will be a very important fighting force."

The fox-eared maid bowed slightly, indicating that all the ninjas would dedicate themselves to Lister.

"Professor Lister, let's go too!"

Yahiko suddenly shouted, and Konan next to him nodded emphatically.

Although the two were nominal members of the Red Maple Ninja Village, they were not required to fulfill the duties of ninjas there.

"No, my territory has no rule against sending underage children to the battlefield!"

Liszt righteously and firmly rejected the two men.

Although he knew that Yahiko and Konan had already experienced real combat, and even killed a genin who had entered the Land of Rain under Madara's watchful eye, his bottom line was still his bottom line.

He would not easily break the rules established when Red Maple Territory was founded.

Besides, it's not yet a matter of life and death.

"That concludes the declaration. Red Maple Territory is now officially on high alert!"

"Kortini, you're in charge of things in town for now. Don't inform the general public about the war preparedness situation."

"Yes!"

Simple arrangements have been made.

Lister needed to spend the rest of his time thinking about how to deal with the approaching enemy.

He didn't go to find Ban or Yuri because he believed that Yuri, with his abilities, would surely be able to guess what he was thinking at that moment.

Just as Liszt had predicted, Yuri understood Liszt's meaning without saying a word and decided to help him with this small favor.

……

Inside the villa area, Ban was sitting on his sofa with his eyes closed, resting.

He was satisfied with Lister's previous arrangements.

Konoha Village was founded by him and Hashirama to protect children, but later, in order to protect the village, countless children were sent to the battlefield. He did not want to see the Red Maple Territory come to this point.

So he was waiting, waiting for Lister to give him a reason to join the war.

But instead of Liszt, he was met by Yuri.

"Good evening, Mr. Madara."

"Please allow me to turn on the lights here."

Yuri used his telepathic abilities to turn on the switch, and the villa's living room instantly became bright.

Ban never turns on the lights on his own, seemingly because he's used to being underground.

"What do you want from me?"

"I was entrusted with this task, so I simply did my duty to him."

Yuri sat down opposite Ban and took a vial of reagent from his military overcoat and placed it on the table.

"This is a longevity potion that can make you young again."

My eyelid twitched slightly because of the age spot.

"This reagent was developed using Ms. Kibutsuji's blood as a material, and it can extend one's lifespan by about a hundred years."

"After the injection, it will stimulate the modification of DNA and replace most of the cells in the body. The new cells are younger and stronger, and there will be no negative effects such as photophobia or memory loss."

Yuri suddenly changed the subject.

"However, its usage conditions are not something ordinary people can endure."

Ban looked into Yuri's eyes, as if trying to see if the other was lying.

"explain."

"The transformation must be carried out at the cellular level in a completely dark environment for one hour. If one's willpower cannot be sustained, even if the physical body successfully transforms, it will lead to brain death."

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Madara, people in your world have more cells than ordinary people, and your cells have far more energy than ordinary people. Replacing cells takes longer and consumes more energy, so..."

Yuri leaned forward slightly, and the sound he uttered seemed to penetrate the brain.

"Please prepare methods that can provide a lot of nutrition, as this torture may last for more than ten hours."

"Epsilon can provide you with a safe research laboratory and sufficient nutrient solution."

Ban merely chuckled and picked up the vial of reagent with his aged hand.

"How do I use it?"

"Inject directly into the heart using the needle in front."

"Did he say anything?"

Yuri paused for a moment before replying.

"They didn't say anything, they just asked me to give you this gift."

"Whether to use it and what to do afterwards is up to you."

It's all up to me...

How arrogant you are, kid!

Are you so sure I'll help you?

Let's see if this vial of reagent can bring him joy, and if the upcoming war can get his blood pumping!

The age spot gripped the glass tube tightly in its hand, then disappeared from the spot.

He returned to the underground space where the Gedo Mazo was located, created a Wood Release clone, and summoned White Zetsu to guard him.

The Gedo Statue provides enough sustenance!

Madara ripped off his robe, revealing Hashirama's face over his heart, and then inserted the syringe directly into his heart.

"Bang!!!"

My heart skipped a beat, and all the medicine in the test tube rushed into my heart and was quickly sent throughout my body via my blood vessels.

This feeling!

The previously withered muscles began to swell again, and intense pain began to burn throughout the body.

But what does that even mean?!

Compared to the suffering he had endured throughout his life, this was nothing more than a trivial physical pain!

His thickened arm smashed the wall in front of him with a single punch.

He will conquer time!

He wants to return to his peak and fulfill his dream!

……

Lister was unaware of Ban's current situation; he was in his office observing a 3D projection map of the Frostwinter Mountains, contemplating tactics.

However, someone suddenly pushed open the door, interrupting his thoughts.

"Muzan? What are you doing in here? Didn't I say I needed to think for myself?"

Muzan, dressed in a black kimono, stared at Lister, his blood-red eyes strangely handsome.

"I have a question."

"..."

Lister sighed and pointed to the sofa in the corner.

"Please sit down. I hope it won't be too troublesome."

The two sat facing each other. Lister poured Muzan a cup of blood drink, while he himself had a cup of black tea.

The moon hung high outside, and its bright light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the room, illuminating the two people on the sofa.

Muzan glanced at the familiar desk, his gaze drifting off somewhere else.

“Liszt, you know my past, don’t you?”

"Yes, to be precise, I also knew your original future."

Lister took a sip of black tea. Of the four recruiters, Muzan was the only one who hadn't realized this.

Muzan's teacup trembled slightly.

Looking at her beautiful face reflected in the bright red liquid, she understood the meaning of what he had just said.

"Am I still alive?"

"That depends on how you define it."

Lister put down his teacup and said seriously.

"If you mean physical death, that's true. If you hadn't come into this world, you would have been held back by the Demon Slayer Corps and eventually killed by sunlight."

"..."

Unexpectedly, Muzan did not react.

"I thought you would argue back angrily."

Muzan touched the rim of the teacup with his finger and said calmly.

“If anyone else had said that, I would have killed them.”

"But strangely enough, I don't get angry when you say things like that; on the contrary, I feel very calm."