Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

Chapter 153 The Bewildered "Guide"

In early February, Jiraiya, who had just returned to Konoha from the Land of Rain, was taken aback by the bustling commercial street.

I originally planned to find a pub to have a couple of drinks, but I ended up being distracted by the dazzling array of shops.

The store offers a wide variety of drinks, and even some brand-new beer flavors.

Some young girls were occasionally laughing and chatting, clearly indicating that these low-alcohol drinks were very popular with them.

Jiraiya stomped his wooden clogs on the ground and noticed that the roads had been repaired. He found himself at a hot spring resort. Looking closer, he muttered in exasperation, "No way, have all the original shops moved away...?"

Several bathhouses have been renovated, and like the shops on the commercial street, businessmen who saw the business opportunity have increased their investment, giving the entire commercial area a brand-new look.

Despite it being morning, the commercial street was bustling with customers, and visiting caravans booked out several well-known taverns.

Jiraiya finally found a set meal shop that sold alcohol, but was surprised again when he pushed open the door.

"Huh? Tsunade?"

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't this be during working hours?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Tsunade's smile vanished. She glanced sideways at Jiraiya and replied irritably, "The Hokage needs to eat lunch too!"

"Didn't you check the time? You're still as careless as ever."

Seeing Jiraiya's dejected appearance, Tsunade's companion, Osamu Furukawa, immediately greeted him with a smile: "Long time no see, Jiraiya-sama."

"Yes, it's been a long time. The village has changed a lot. I can't find any of the familiar shops anymore."

Jiraiya sat down at the bar, ordered a beer, and gulped it down.

Seeing her old friend drowning his sorrows in alcohol, Tsunade wanted to offer some words of comfort, but Jiraiya immediately showed a look of delight after putting down his glass: "It's so delicious! Haha, one more glass, no, two more!"

"Why..."

Tsunade sighed, her old friend still looking like a drunkard. Jiraiya, after letting out a burp, immediately exclaimed contentedly, "The drinks in Konoha are still the best! If I could have a few drinks every day, that kind of life wouldn't be so bad..."

"What? Aren't you going to fulfill your mission? Have you found the child?"

Tsunade muttered to herself, she had always been somewhat bothered by Jiraiya's choice, the inexplicable prophetic child who had caused her old friend to abandon the village.

Jiraiya's face showed frustration again. He shook his head and said in a low voice, "Fate seems to like playing tricks on me. I'm always slow to realize things and can't change anything."

"Maybe I was too late, everything changed, and I failed again..."

As he spoke, Jiraiya downed another beer. He drank it too fast, and a blush appeared on his face, making him look even more like a down-on-his-luck drunkard.

Tsunade noticed that her old friend was in a bad mood, but she didn't stop him. Jiraiya kept drinking one cup after another until the shopkeeper quietly reminded him, at which point he chuckled twice and ordered a set meal.

In a daze, Jiraiya heard Tsunade pay the bill and say goodbye. When he came to his senses, the two of them had already disappeared.

Jiraiya, resting his chin on his hand, felt something was off. After thinking about it carefully, he remembered that Osamu Furukawa seemed to have left with his arm around Tsunade's waist.

Jiraiya pounded his head hard, realizing that he had been too careless and drunk too quickly after returning to the village, causing him to hallucinate. After burying himself in a large meal, he collapsed on the bar and fell fast asleep.

Just as the shopkeeper was in a dilemma, Minato Namikaze, who had received the notification, pushed open the door and immediately saw the teacher's disheveled appearance.

After offering a quiet apology, he immediately picked up Jiraiya and vanished in an instant.

In the evening, Jiraiya returned home, rolled around in bed a couple of times, then suddenly sat up, groaning as he clutched his head. Soon after, he heard a familiar voice: "Jiraiya-sensei, what's been going on lately?"

Minato Namikaze handed over warm water, looking at Jiraiya with concern. Jiraiya, finally snapping out of his daze, stared at his disciple's blond hair and blue eyes for a long while before whispering, "Minato, you must be the Child of Prophecy!"

"As your teacher, I shouldn't be considered a failure; I've already accomplished my task..."

Minato could only give an awkward smile upon hearing this. Jiraiya took the water cup, noticed his disciple's expression, and sighed helplessly, "I'm sorry, Minato, I always impose my own ideas on you."

"I'm such a failure as a teacher. At this age, I've accomplished nothing."

"Even though the ninja world is at peace and the village is doing so well, I don't know what's wrong with me. I just feel like everything has changed."

Upon hearing this, Minato already guessed what had happened. When he was training in Sage Mode, the sages of Mount Myōboku had mentioned Jiraiya's mission: "Has the prophecy changed again? Master, there's no need to be so discouraged."

"If the ninja world can maintain peace without the Child of Prophecy, that would be a good thing."

Seeing that Jiraiya still couldn't muster his energy, Minato had no choice but to use his "trump card": "Perhaps I really am the child of prophecy, teacher. You've succeeded!"

"Although the situation is different from what the Great Toad Sage predicted, we have ushered in a peaceful life."

"Teacher, you can see how the village has changed, everything is getting better."

"The Uchiha clan has also integrated into the village. Let's go check out the commercial area over there sometime..."

Jiraiya gave a wry smile. Being treated like a child by his disciple made him realize he had failed as a teacher. However, after hearing these words, his frustration completely disappeared: "No need to comfort me, Minato. The village's improvement is thanks to Tsunade."

"I'm not that fragile. The Great Toad Sage told me that the Child of Prophecy has disappeared and that his power has run into trouble."

"I've been thinking about it for days, but I still can't figure out what happened. But what I'm sure of is that the Child of Prophecy still exists; he's just facing difficulties."

"I won't give up. I need to find Nagato and talk to him again. It's my fault for not taking good care of them."

Minato Namikaze didn't press his teacher, and instead changed the subject, saying, "Now that we're back in the village, teacher, why don't you take a break for a while?"

"I remember I was planning to write a book, right? This is a good opportunity to finish it!"

Previously, they were all scattered drafts, mostly random musings written after bursts of inspiration. Thinking about his new book plans, Jiraiya was completely refreshed: "I almost forgot about this! 'The Tale of Rooted Ninja' should be ready for publication!"

"Although the story is a bit old-fashioned, I believe many ninjas will feel the same way after reading Naruto's story."

"Naruto? Is he the main character of this book? That sounds like a great name!"

Jiraiya laughed heartily upon hearing his disciple's praise. Knowing that Minato lacked talent for naming things, he proudly introduced the book: "That's right, this book is the story of Naruto adhering to his ninja way and ultimately leading the ninja world to peace."

Minato Namikaze's eyes lit up. He felt a special connection to the name, and for some reason, he thought of his unborn child, a sense of anticipation rising in his heart: "If it's a boy, I'll name him Naruto. Kushina would probably like it too!"

Late at night, after her routine training, Tsunade leaned weakly on Osamu Furukawa's shoulder, feeling a surge of vitality emanating from the cells in her body.

"Have you made further progress in your cultivation of immortal arts?"

"I'm no help at all as a teacher, and you're the one who has to take care of me every day."

After each breakthrough, Tsunade would feel guilty, as she could no longer remember how much Sage Chakra she had absorbed.

Tsunade knew how precious the power that allowed her body to recover to a better state than when she was young was. She always felt that if it weren't for her, Osamu Furukawa would have already completed his Sage Mode training.

"Teacher, there's no need to overthink things. The replenished life force is indeed another application of Sage Chakra."

"Actually, it won't consume too much. Only when the body undergoes a transformation can it bear more Sage Chakra in the future."

Exhausted, Tsunade nodded, then closed her eyes. After being carried into the bedroom by Furukawa Osamu, she fell into a deep sleep. An ordinary human body would have some difficulty withstanding such power.

The blanket transformed into a long white snake that crawled near Tsunade's body. As Osamu Furukawa ended the Sage Mode chakra boost, the snake quickly returned to the white blanket.

After leaving the room, the live slug appeared on her shoulder. These past few days, her little clone, carrying the body of White Zetsu and the split spirit of Furukawa Osamu, had been searching and had found the expected target.

"Lord Xiu, most of those White Zetsu are concentrated near Shadow Rock, while some are inside the bodies of ordinary people."

"If they've been keeping an eye on Jinchuriki, they should have noticed the recent changes to the defensive barrier."

7

After a moment's thought, Furukawa Osamu thanked him for his hard work and asked softly, "Have all the masks been collected from the Uzumaki clan's Mask Hall?"

"They've all moved to Shikkotsu Forest. Has Lord Xiu perfected the Corpse Demon Sealing Technique yet?"

The slug's tone revealed curiosity, but Furukawa Osamu shook his head, activated the Flying Thunder God Technique to instantly return to his home, and only after releasing a barrier did he softly reply: "As long as the plan proceeds step by step, the Nine-Tails' power can be seized at any time. I will have enough time to perfect this technique in the future."

"Let's go back to Shikkotsu Forest to continue our training. At my age, sleeping is a waste of precious time."

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