Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

Chapter 136 The Person Behind the Hokage

In mid-June of Konoha Year 50, after the Fourth Hokage took office, Konoha Village burst forth with astonishing vitality.

Unlike the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's era, which focused on balance, the most significant change in the Fourth Hokage Tsunade over the past two weeks has been the increased speed of her decision-making.

Tsunade is exceptionally efficient at work. Whether it's delivering documents or discussing matters in meetings, she prepares in the morning and executes the task by the afternoon.

Tsunade is also very familiar with the data from each department!

This efficiency is not a good thing for older ninjas, but in the eyes of younger ninjas, the Fourth Hokage is trying to make Konoha great again!

In just half a month, some older guys who couldn't keep up with the qualifications were "snatched up," and most of the young people who were promoted were around 28 years old.

These young people may not be strong ninjas, but they never compromise on the execution of orders.

Under the leadership of the Fourth Hokage, the young people found their own value, and Konoha suddenly entered an era of "involution".

Several new shops have been added to the commercial street. As long as Konoha ninjas are willing to put in the effort, they can always earn money through missions.

Under such circumstances, many ninjas are willing to spend money in advance, and for the past two weeks, the tavern has been packed every night.

Before a mission, they'd have a small get-together; after a mission, they'd celebrate. In short, once they made money, they had to spend it. Those with families could be more restrained, but single people were basically "mission-bound."

The victorious nation's status made Konoha ninjas extremely popular, and that's how their prestige was built. The village was completely free of its previous complaints.

Even if some ninjas want to coast along, they can easily cover their expenses by taking on a patrol or guard post.

Early in the morning, several Jonin were leading teams to carry out missions at the gate. The young men who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy this year were also full of energy. Having escaped the D-rank mission, everyone wanted to make a big splash!

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, appeared discreetly near the gate, followed by Asuma Sarutobi, who remained silent.

The father and son have recently had another conflict. Hiruzen Sarutobi does not want his youngest son to leave the village and develop in the capital. Ninjas are not subordinate to the daimyo. Asuma does not seem to realize this yet.

"Be careful on your way to the capital of the Land of Fire. Although the war is over, there are still wandering ninjas."

"Many of the bounty hunters in the black market are tough guys. Be careful after being selected as one of the Twelve Guardians."

"Asuma, I haven't been able to be by your side during these years of your growth..."

Before Hiruzen could finish speaking, Asuma interrupted him, bowing his head and saying, "Father, this has nothing to do with you. It was all my own choice."

"I don't have my older brother's strength, and my ninja skills aren't that great either, so I wanted to choose another path to realize my value."

Asma has been in a state of confusion for the past few years. Although he participated in combat after graduation, most of his missions were guarding and patrolling.

Compared to the outstanding ninjas of his generation, Asuma felt completely invisible.

If he weren't the son of the Third Hokage, he might have disappeared from everyone's sight long ago.

Hiruzen Sarutobi could naturally sense his son's feelings, but talent was something that couldn't be inherited. He sighed inwardly and finally took out a gift: "Since that's the case, then go and pursue your own path."

"Keep these weapons for self-defense!"

Asuma took the short blade. He knew it was made of chakra metal. He wanted to refuse, but seeing the expectant look on his father's face, he finally nodded and accepted it.

Seeing the father and son remain silent, the ANBU ninja who were traveling with them to the capital on a mission spoke up and assured them, "Third Hokage, please rest assured, we will protect Asuma."

"Thank you all for your trouble!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed heartily, patted Asuma on the shoulder, and gave him no more instructions. Watching the group leave, the old man sighed again in his heart; he had failed to properly educate his son.

Turning back towards the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at the Kage Rock under construction near the Hokage Building, and his mood improved. He had finally lived up to the Second Hokage's trust: "Continue researching sealing techniques. Perhaps one day I'll be of use."

Tsunade, who was working on documents in her room, stretched and turned to Furukawa Kawao, asking in a low voice, "Did Sarutobi-sensei finally agree to send Asuma away?"

"Yes, at last night's class reunion, Asuma decided to leave the village temporarily, and the Third Hokage was quite saddened."

Furukawa Osamu gave a simple response, and Tsunade shook her head. She couldn't interfere in her teacher's family affairs, so she could only sigh, "The old man is really stubborn but soft-hearted. It wouldn't be hard for him to praise his son a little more."

"The Third Hokage has been researching sealing techniques lately, it seems he wants to make up for the village's shortcomings."

Furukawa Osamu spoke up to remind her, and Tsunade responded that she understood. She didn't have many requirements for Jinchuriki, and looked at her disciple and said in a low voice, "Try to persuade our teacher when you have time. He should rest. There's no need for him to force himself."

"You also need to take care of yourself and get some rest. Your training has stabilized at this stage, and I will take good care of myself."

By constantly absorbing Sage Chakra from Furukawa Kawashu, Tsunade's body gradually adapted. Although she still had to suppress the cravings of her cells, she no longer fell asleep, and her energy became exceptionally vigorous.

Furukawa Osamu smiled and responded. He knew Tsunade's body very well, and the evolution of the technique was his way of repaying her.

Late at night, in the dense forest on the east side of the village, the original Root Laboratory has now been transformed into Orochimaru's base.

Since his life was unexpectedly taken over by someone else, Orochimaru secretly entrusted the work of the Anbu to Osamu Furukawa. In order to avoid leaking too much information, he spent most of his time doing his own research.

Orochimaru thought about how to get rid of the curse marks on his heart and tongue. He realized that his technique was still incomplete and that his physical body was just a shell that he could discard at any time.

However, the technique was still in its infancy, and Orochimaru did not want to expose it, so he divided the development work into two parts, leaving the White Zetsu monitoring him completely baffled and unable to grasp the key information.

The door was flung open, and a gigantic snake head barely managed to squeeze in. The green snake excitedly reported, "Lord Orochimaru, Lord Shu will be bringing the experiment results over tonight!"

"With that special test subject, the problem of rejection has been completely solved."

Orochimaru forced a smile onto his increasingly pale face, interrupting Ao-snake's report, and instructed in a hoarse voice: "Very good, you're too big. We won't need to trouble you with the communication work anymore."

"I've disappointed Lord Orochimaru."

A hint of shame appeared on the green snake's face, but she was being overly cautious. Orochimaru didn't care at all and casually instructed, "Protect the laboratory and don't let anyone else near here."

When Furukawa Kōshū arrived at the base, the enormous green snake wriggled joyfully. Over the past few months, with the help of the spirit, she had made great progress in her cultivation of natural energy: "Qingqing misses Master Kōshū very much!"

"You idiot, the spirit is with you every day, you don't need to put on this act. The giant serpent has to be more ferocious!"

Furukawa Osamu pushed away the giant snake head. Seeing that the snake was still trying to get closer, he had no choice but to play a couple of rounds. After hearing the green snake introduce Orochimaru's situation, he nodded slightly and entered the base.

"Orochimaru-sensei, I hope you can use these experimental results."

"As for your request for a suitable medium, give me some more time, and I will find some suitable herbs from the medical department."

Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction upon hearing the good news. The two shared a tacit understanding; although he didn't say he was being controlled, he knew that Furukawa Osamu knew he was in trouble.

"If there's a suitable candidate, could you recommend a child skilled in medical ninjutsu?"

"I still need to conduct some basic experiments."

While confirming the experimental procedure on the computer, Furukawa Kawashu nodded in agreement. After a moment's thought, he directly suggested a candidate: "Senior Yakushi Nonou took in an orphan from Kikyo Castle and has been helping out at the hospital for the past two years. That child is very talented in medical ninjutsu."

"The village hasn't noticed him yet. If Orochimaru-sensei needs him, I can have him come here to help."

Orochimaru chuckled and immediately agreed. Soon the two began discussing the changes in the experimental data. The White Zetsu hidden inside him was completely confused and could only secretly memorize everything.

As Furukawa Osamu left, Orochimaru looked at the contents of the scroll recorded in secret language, and the corners of his mouth curled up again. As expected of the disciple he had chosen, the progress of the experiment exceeded his expectations.

Thinking of the Sharingan he encountered in the unknown space, Orochi stuck out his tongue and slurped. Far from feeling sorry for his current predicament, his heart burned even brighter: "The Mangekyou Sharingan has reappeared!"

"This is truly fascinating, Sage of Six Paths! I think I've found your power!"

.

In Konoha Hospital, Pharmacist Nonou and Pharmacist Kabuto performed simple treatments on wounds. The fact that a 6-year-old child could master basic medical ninjutsu earned them loud praise from every wounded soldier.

Kabuto, wearing round-framed glasses, blushed slightly at the compliments, and seeing Nono's gentle smile, the boy became increasingly satisfied with his life.

As Kabuto was leaving the room, he saw Osamu Furukawa appear ahead and immediately ran over, tilting his head back to greet him loudly, "Good morning, Osamu-sama! I've been working very hard lately!"

"The dean told me that even in the ninja academy, I could get first place."

Furukawa Osamu leaned down and ruffled Yakushi Kabuto's hair. Seeing the worry in Yakushi Nonou's eyes, he softly replied, "Don't worry, Senpai. I'll be taking Kabuto on some missions during this time."

"Orochimaru-sensei is different from Danzo; his funding will not be affected in any way. If you want to leave Root, I can destroy your file directly."

"After all, this organization will eventually dissipate, and the seniors won't need to carry out those missions anymore."

Kabuto turned to look at the dean, unsure of their conversation. Nonou Yakushi, her face showing gratitude, replied somewhat apologetically in a low voice, "I'm so sorry, Shu, for gathering information about you before..."

"It's alright. In the face of absolute power, those little tricks are useless."

Furukawa Osamu casually replied, then looked down at Yakushi Kabuto and asked with a smile, "Would you like to learn more advanced medical ninjutsu? That way you can take care of the headmaster in the future!"

"I believe in your talent. Maybe one day you'll surpass me in the field of medical ninjutsu."

When Kabuto heard Furukawa Osamu's approval, his little face lit up with excitement.

From the day he was taken in, he knew that Osamu Furukawa was the hero who saved Kikyo Castle.

Although I don't remember it very clearly, the dean has mentioned it more than once. When learning medical ninjutsu, Furukawa Osamu's clone also participated in the teaching.

"Master Xiu, I'm willing to help. I hope the Dean and everyone else can live better lives!"

Yakushi Kabuto responded loudly with a look of reverence. Furukawa Osamu smiled, patted Kabuto's head, and then prepared to get up and leave.

Yakushi Nonou quickly stepped forward and grabbed Furukawa Osamu, her expression complex. She was somewhat worried about Yakushi Kabuto's future: "Osamu, that child..."

"Senior, I will take good care of him. His talents should be used for greater causes!"

As Kabuto watched Osamu Furukawa leave, he cheered happily beside the headmaster. The hero who saved Kikyo Castle recognized his talent, and this feeling of being needed filled the emptiness in his heart.

The night in Shig Bone Forest was still a peaceful and quiet scene, with all the creatures of different sizes greeting each other in soft, sweet voices.

As he responded in a low voice, Furukawa Osamu asked the slug on his shoulder, "Slug, do you still remember the Sage of Six Paths' Six Paths Techniques?"

"It doesn't seem to have been passed down. Only Hagoromo Otsutsuki possessed the Rinnegan back then. This eye technique must have been influenced by the power of the Divine Tree."

Upon hearing Huoshu's answer, Furukawa Osamu nodded slightly. As his body adapted to the transformation of the two chakra streams, some information automatically appeared in his mind.

The reappearance of the Six Paths Technique supplemented the information provided by Madara Uchiha, which was an explanation of the Rinnegan's abilities. Except for the lack of a unique eye technique, all other abilities were explained in detail.

In addition, the experience regarding "seals" was also received by Furukawa Kawao's spirit, and Indra had a profound understanding of the mastery of magic.

"It seems that all this information evolved from the energy of the Divine Tree; what an incredible ability!"

The slug flicked its antennae, understanding Furukawa Osamu's praise; that power had even altered her life form: "Let's begin, Osamu-sama!"

"After absorbing all the remaining energy from the roots of the divine tree, the eye technique should be able to appear."

After receiving the reminder, Furukawa no longer hesitated. After entering the huge underground cave, his enormous body immediately created a clone.

As Kawakawa was enveloped by the clone and merged into his main body, the slug's massive Sage Chakra merged into the [Gather] ability. Under the combined effect of the two, it once again fiercely absorbed the remaining energy from the roots of the Divine Tree.

What would normally take years to complete was drastically shortened with the help of Huoyu.

As Furukawa's spirit focused on gathering energy, the blonde girl, a manifestation of a slug, helped refine Sage Chakra. Because it was her true form, the job was exceptionally easy, allowing her to gossip: "If Master Shu is going to help Tsunade transform, he'll need to mate, right?"

"Otherwise, that frail human body simply wouldn't be able to control such a vast amount of Sage Chakra."

"cough.."

Such a blunt expression made Furukawa Osamu cough helplessly. Unlike his clone Katsuki, the real body was even more straightforward, and continued to gossip curiously: "After Lord Osamu evolves again, you will be different species. I wonder if you will still be able to produce offspring."

"The evolution of a race, that's the path that Gamamaru followed back then."

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