Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

Chapter 117 Even a "half-shadow" can attend the meeting?

At the end of December, a week before the New Year, the Konoha delegation for the Five Kage Summit had been assembled.

Danzo was worried that his old friend would never return, so he specially arranged for a Root squad to protect Hiruzen Sarutobi. He needed his old friend to take power so that Root could be preserved.

The Hokage's direct ANBU only selected two teams, with Minato Namikaze and Osamu Furukawa serving as captains respectively.

The three teams were small, and only Minato Namikaze and Osamu Furukawa were able to stay by the Third Hokage's side.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was very satisfied with this arrangement. Often, too many people would only get in the way, and if a battle between Kage were to break out, ordinary ninjas would be unable to intervene.

In Konoha Hospital, Chiyo underwent her final examination with a look of utter despair. Although the old woman's physical injuries had healed, her psychological trauma was becoming increasingly severe.

Chiyo's heart sank when she heard that Rasa had ultimately chosen to make Sunagakure a vassal of Konoha. She knew that the village would be powerless to change this situation for the next 20 years.

"Your health is fine. Taking advantage of this Five Kage Summit, Sunagakure can bring you home."

"Grandma Chiyo, let's witness this friendship together. Don't always look so serious; historical moments are meant to be captured on camera!"

As Furukawa Osamu spoke, he recorded data from the device. Chiyo, thinking about how she would be nailed to the pillar of shame, murmured, "When I return to the village, my brother and I will retire and no longer concern ourselves with any affairs."

"With an evil ninja like you around, Sunagakure is destined to survive only as an ally."

Hearing the old lady's aggrieved tone, Furukawa Osamu had to speak up and remind her, "Isn't this a good thing? You don't have to worry about the war anymore, and you can accept some requests."

"Aside from the limitation on the number of ninjas, I think the lives of Sunagakure ninjas would be much better."

"You care about reputation, but ordinary ninjas shouldn't care about that; they just want to make more money."

"My teacher is still very kind, and it's unlikely there will be any more wars in the future. It's better to live a peaceful life than to lose your life on the battlefield."

Chiyo didn't want to speak. If she lost her prestige, the backbone of Sunagakure would be broken. She knew without a doubt how the other three Kage would mock Rasa at this Five Kage Summit.

"Katsura is going to become the Fourth Hokage. Maybe we lost from the very first Five Kage Summit."

"Boy, perhaps you are right. You have received the legacy of Sunagakure from me. When Sunagakure falls on hard times, I hope you can lend a helping hand."

"Even just keeping the name would be fine..."

"Don't worry, as long as the land of the Land of Wind remains barren, Sunagakure will continue to exist."

Furukawa Osamu responded casually, ignoring the old woman's forlorn expression, and continued, "As for the inheritance of ninjutsu, you know better than I do the difficulties involved. A ninja's talent is something they are born with."

"If it can't be done, it can't be done. But we can discuss the Reincarnation Technique again."

Chiyo didn't think much of it and readily agreed. She had never used this forbidden technique before, and whether it could revive her was still unknown.

In the evening, Tsunade returned to the courtyard, looking exhausted.

The Hokage has too much work to do; he spends a lot of time every day just looking through the scroll files.

Furukawa Osamu took the coat and, seeing Tsunade's tired expression, smiled and offered advice: "Sensei, how about we consider paperless office? We can keep confidential documents in their current form, and make more use of electronic devices for other documents."

"The idea is good, but many department heads will probably feel uncomfortable; people find it hard to accept new things."

Tsunade followed behind Furukawa Osamu and muttered to herself that even the promotion of walkie-talkies was facing resistance, since communication was the foundation of the Yamanaka clan.

It was only after getting involved in village administration that Osamu Furukawa realized how traditional the village was, and that a lot of preliminary work was needed to change this situation.

Looking at the sumptuous dinner, Tsunade felt a little embarrassed, but she didn't show it on her face.

"Why is the Hokage starting to research sealing techniques?"

"It seems he still doesn't quite trust me and Minato. It's just a meeting, and it's unlikely that a conflict will break out in the Land of Iron."

As Furukawa poured Tsunade a drink, he inquired about Hiruzen Sarutobi's recent activities. Tsunade, recalling her teacher's actions, sighed helplessly, "It's probably a psychological issue left over from the old man's personal experience back then."

"He probably felt that his grandfather and the others were better at managing the village."

"I think the teacher has done a great job. Most of the Uchiha's legacy issues have been resolved, the number of commissions is increasing, and the village's reliance on funding from the Land of Fire is decreasing."

After having a few drinks, Tsunade became more talkative. She had gotten used to this kind of life, especially since Shizune wasn't around, and their conversations became more casual.

When it came time for her evening training, Tsunade tried her best to control her "boiling" body, but after the training ended, she eventually leaned weakly on Furukawa Osamu's shoulder.

Although this wasn't the first time such a situation had occurred, Tsunade still felt a little embarrassed. She lowered her head, avoiding looking at her disciple, and whispered, "Shu, be careful on this mission. The old man's intuition is sometimes very accurate."

"Take good care of yourself, don't worry me..."

Tsunade noticed her right hand on her shoulder catch in her breath slightly, and instinctively looked up to see Furukawa Osamu's sincere gaze: "Sensei, I will bring the Hokage back safely."

"Don't worry, just be careful when you practice ninjutsu while I'm not around."

Tsunade nodded subconsciously. Her body felt limp, so she simply leaned on her shoulder and stopped talking. After a while, she asked in a very soft voice, "It's late, Xiu. Do you want to stay here or stay in that room?"

"Yes, teacher."

It was very convenient to travel from Konoha to the Land of Iron, but the group set off ahead of time, mainly to reserve the Flying Thunder God Technique.

The heavy snow of the past two days covered several paths, but fortunately the ninjas didn't have to deliberately follow the roads. They occasionally ran through tree branches, which did not delay their journey.

As night fell, the group camped at the border. Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in black armor, was in high spirits, seemingly having rediscovered his former self. He jokingly teased the cautious Minato Namikaze, "There's no need to be so tense, Minato. It's perfectly safe within the Land of Fire."

"Since the negotiations will be held in a neutral country, even if a battle breaks out, it will only take place on the way back."

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, I still prefer to be fully prepared."

"If anything happens to you, it will be my fault."

Wearing his Jonin combat uniform, Minato Namikaze bowed and explained that he had already prepared multiple contingency plans, and an efficient retreat required these coordinates along the way.

"Someone is approaching us. The chakra is familiar. It should be a Sand Village ninja."

Furukawa Osamu whispered a reminder, and everyone immediately went on alert. However, Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand to stop them and looked at Chiyo gently, saying, "Sunagakure is already our ally, there's no need to be nervous."

Chiyo initially didn't want to speak, but upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's sincere tone, she finally sighed and bowed slightly: "Sunagakure will fully support Konoha at the meeting."

After waiting for quite a while, Rasa and his group finally arrived. Chiyo glanced at Furukawa Osamu; such a range of perception was beyond human comprehension.

Rasa, now the Fourth Kazekage, was wearing a brown combat uniform. Seeing that the group was already waiting for him, he could only suppress his complicated emotions and step forward to greet them: "Hokage-sama, thank you for your trust. Sunagakure's recent mission has temporarily escaped its past predicament."

"There's no need to be so polite. Let's rest tonight, and we'll reach our destination tomorrow."

After Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a shout, the four Sand Village ninja squads following behind were still somewhat nervous. Many of the ninjas instinctively lowered their heads and dared not look directly at Osamu Furukawa when they saw him.

"Long time no see, Lord Rasa! Congratulations on becoming the Kazekage!"

Osamu Furukawa broke the awkward silence by congratulating the Fourth Kazekage with a smile.

Luo Sha's eyes twitched as he looked at the much taller Furukawa Osamu. This was the last person he wanted to meet. He sighed inwardly and reluctantly extended his right arm for a friendly handshake.

"Thank you so much for taking care of Advisor Chiyo."

Chiyo, who was behind them, was initially furious when she heard their conversation, but when she thought of the evil torture she had suffered, the old woman instantly lost her temper.

She had developed a habit from being tormented, and whenever her emotions surged, she would immediately calm down. Chiyo couldn't be sure whether Furukawa Osamu had lifted the restrictions on her.

Despite being allies, both sides remained wary of each other, but thankfully the night passed peacefully.

Upon entering the capital of the Land of Iron, the group encountered the Third Tsuchikage. Onoki, a short man with a red nose, immediately mocked Rasa upon seeing him, saying, "Since when can a 'half-kage' participate in meetings?"

"Since you've chosen to be an ally of Konoha, there's no need to offer your opinions here."

Onoki's father, Kodo, tugged at him twice, then bowed his head and apologized to everyone. Rōshi, the four-tailed jinchūriki wearing iron protective gear on his face, frowned slightly when he saw Minato Namikaze.

He came here with Onoki for peace, but seeing the composition of Konoha's forces, he seems to have other plans.

"Onoki, let's save our comments for the meeting. Now is not the time to voice our opinions."

"We haven't informed the Land of Iron yet, so let's go together if we encounter them."

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and urged everyone to get moving. Onoki glanced at the two young men from Konoha, snorted, and then fell silent.

Rasa was furious with the old man, but he knew he had betrayed his ally first. He glanced subconsciously at Furukawa Osamu beside the Hokage and secretly vowed, "I must master the power of the Tailed Beasts!"

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