Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha

"We only worked together once during a mission. Teacher, the captain was just expressing his feelings."

"..."

Chapter 44 A Tumultuous New Year (Part 1)

In mid-January of Konoha Year 47, the sudden request for help from the Land of Hot Springs cast a shadow of war over the New Year, and the Jonin team members ended their holidays early.

After the outpost in the northeastern part of the Land of Fire was attacked, the intelligence department also received important information that the Land of Frost had sided with the Hidden Cloud Village and unilaterally tore up the previous agreement.

Small countries are prone to such indecisiveness, but in the eyes of the "hardliners," this situation arises because the leadership is too weak.

Under these circumstances, discussions about a new Hokage have resurfaced, with many ninjas placing their hopes for change on the next leader.

The sounds inside the village were irrelevant to the mission-carrying team. As evening fell and the team approached the Valley of the End, Minato Namikaze promptly stopped.

Let's rest around here tonight!

"Tomorrow we'll meet up with the squad at the outpost, and then we'll patrol along the border, preparing to cross the Land of Hot Springs."

As the team leader, Minato was extra cautious this time. The previous sentry squad had been killed during a patrol, and the intruders were not only highly mobile but also quite strong.

"It's safe for now, Captain Minato!"

Hyuga Shuichi used his Byakugan to observe with all his might and then reported back. Kakashi also sniffed a few times, but didn't smell anything unusual, so he nodded in agreement.

After sensing for the last time and confirming that it was safe, Furukawa Osamu added:

"The marker is also in a safe state."

Having mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato Namikaze naturally left himself an escape route. Seeing the three looking somewhat nervous, Minato smiled and reassured them:

"The secret service has taken over immediately. What we need to do is patrol the outposts."

"If all goes well, there will be no fighting. You've done a great job along the way."

Unlike most Jonin, Minato was very confident. Even while traveling, he would share his experience in field combat and, if he had time, teach some techniques for using chakra.

Minato Namikaze, who served as captain, performed even better, and Osamu Furukawa finally understood why Kakashi had previously praised him so highly.

Why would the Hidden Cloud Village create conflict? What do they hope to gain from the war?

Kakashi suddenly spoke up with a question, as he saw no point in this conflict.

Seemingly surprised that Kakashi would ask such a question, Minato's face showed astonishment. In his view, children of that age in the village wouldn't consider the origins of war.

"Slaughter and plunder are the style of Kumogakure."

"Kakashi, not every ninja village is like Konoha, and that's precisely why we must protect our village."

Minato Namikaze didn't elaborate, but Osamu Furukawa understood the underlying meaning: ninja wars don't have many justifications; the weak are destined to be attacked...

Kakashi fell silent again after getting the answer; he felt that the ninja world was somewhat distorted.

"Minato-kun, have you chosen a name for the new technique?"

Furukawa Osamu proactively changed the subject. Upon hearing the question, Namikaze Minato smiled happily and nodded, saying cheerfully:

"I had already chosen a name, but Kushina's name seems to suit this technique better: Rasengan!"

The silent Hyuga Shuichi was infected by the happiness radiating from Minato, and thinking of his own situation, he felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

"What a great name!"

Furukawa praised him, saying that he had mastered the Rasengan, but it didn't fit his current fighting style, so he would temporarily abandon it.

"There should still be room for further development, and I'm still considering adding property changes."

"However, this is a huge project and cannot be completed in the short term."

Minato Namikaze expressed some regret when talking about his new technique, saying that the ideal state would combine both form transformation and property transformation, which is not yet achievable.

"Captain Minato, I'll take the second half of the night watch. I'm going to rest now."

Kakashi took the initiative to assign the tasks, and none of the three had any objections. Although they were still within the Land of Fire, they still needed to be careful.

...

After nightfall, the four members of the team paired up to keep watch. Everyone thought they would get through the night safely, but an accident happened around 4 a.m.

"It smells blood!"

Kakashi woke up Furukawa Osamu and Namikaze Minato, while Hyuga Shuichi activated his Byakugan and carefully surveyed the area before whispering:

There are no enemies within a 4-kilometer radius.

The dense forest was exceptionally quiet. Furukawa Osamu simply formed hand seals, while Namikaze Minato touched the ground with his fingers, allowing them to perceive a wider range of information.

"Captain Minato, two people are moving towards the outpost in the Land of Hot Springs."

Furukawa Osamu quickly reported, and Namikaze Minato, without hesitation, immediately gave instructions:

"Get to the outpost first."

"Yes!"

No one questioned that the Konoha team had a numerical advantage, and the enemy had obviously taken down the border outposts between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost. This was also an opportunity to avenge their comrades.

The Cloud Village ninjas A and Killer Bee, moving along the border between the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Springs, looked relaxed. They knew that the Land of Hot Springs had asked Konoha for help, but they still chose to "clean up" their target.

"Well done! The power of the Thunder Plow Blade has increased!"

Ai loudly praised Killer Bee's progress, and the latter chuckled in response, replying in a strange tone:

"Brother's praise has inspired me to think of some more perfect rhythms!"

The rapid-fire rap made Ai's eyes twitch slightly. Her partner was great in every way, except for his lack of rapping talent.

The two moved at a considerable pace, and as they approached the border of the Land of Fire, they made no attempt to conceal their presence. When they were still 3 kilometers away from the outpost, they decisively accelerated.

"call out!"

Suddenly, a large number of shuriken and kunai flew out of the forest. A paused only slightly, and then visible chakra burst from his body, followed by the sound of electricity tearing through the air.

"Leave this to me!"

As Killer Bee spoke, the dense barrage of shuriken and kunai above was deflected by his short sword, sparks flying as the weapons clashed.

During the surprise attack, Ai caught a glimpse of the explosive tags on the tree trunk. Amidst the violent explosion, Ai, whose body was crackling with electricity, still chose to charge straight ahead.

Minato Namikaze, who was hiding behind the tree trunk, frowned slightly when he saw this scene. This savage attack was indeed beyond his expectations.

"go to hell!"

Chakra erupted once more, and A extended four fingers, rapidly increasing his speed, appearing in front of Minato Namikaze in the blink of an eye, attempting to pierce through the tree and Minato together.

A smug smile crept across Ai's lips; she felt she had succeeded. But the next second, the enemy in front of her suddenly vanished.

In Lightning Release Chakra Mode, nerve conduction speed is enhanced, and A forcibly twists his body, attempting to interrupt his opponent's attack with his left elbow.

"boom!"

With a loud crash, Ai smashed through several large trees and flew dozens of meters away.

Minato Namikaze straightened up, but the Rasengan failed to hit the target completely. His opponent's reaction speed was astonishing, and at the last moment, he unleashed another burst of chakra defense.

Killer Bee, who had just knocked down the shuriken and kunai, completely lost his lazy smile. The battle had happened too fast, and before he could even sigh, a boy suddenly appeared in front of him.

When Killer Bee saw Hyuga Shuichi's slightly ferocious pure white pupils, he immediately dodged and tried to create distance, but Kakashi pounced on the enemy from above.

"Go away!"

Killer Bee, wielding short swords with both hands, suddenly increased the speed of his swings. He first kicked Hyuga Shuichi away, and then slashed at Kakashi with the short swords imbued with lightning chakra.

"Zizi!"

The two short swords imbued with lightning chakra clashed, but contrary to expectations, the swords didn't break and both men died. Killer Bee was trying to unleash his power when the tailed beast within him urgently warned him:

"Watch out, Bi!"

Chapter 45 A Tumultuous New Year (Please continue reading)

Furukawa Osamu's thrust was silent. When he appeared behind Killer Bee, wind-style chakra extended along the short sword, and the light blade pierced through the enemy's left shoulder.

"what!"

Killer Bee cried out in pain as he dodged a fatal blow to the heart. Immediately, a tailed beast chakra cloak appeared on his body, and his agile tail lunged straight at Osamu Furukawa and Kakashi.

"what is this?"

Kakashi hurriedly dodged, his feet clinging to the tree trunk as he whispered something. Hyuga Shuichi beside him looked horrified, his Byakugan clearly seeing the chakra surging from the enemy's body.

Furukawa aimed for the heart, and although Killer Bee barely managed to dodge, the wind-style chakra still caused serious damage to his body.

"The healing speed is unbelievable!"

Upon joining the two, Furukawa Osamu murmured in admiration, "Tailed Beast Chakra is indeed a wondrous energy."

Minato Namikaze instantly returned to the three's side, his expression becoming extremely grave upon seeing the added tail behind the enemy.

"By... calm down..."

Ai clutched his right ribs and shouted a warning. The enraged Killer Bee turned to look at his older brother, whose mouth was stained with blood, and immediately stopped roaring.

The battle broke out too quickly. Only after the two sides had created distance did they begin to carefully examine the enemy. Gasping for breath, Ai realized he had been careless and said angrily:

"Are Konoha ninjas only capable of sneak attacks?"

"A ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village has no right to say that."

Minato Namikaze responded expressionlessly, his eyes fixed on Killer Bee, who was cloaked in a Tailed Beast cloak. He needed to protect his subordinates in time should the opponent unleash a Tailed Beast Ball attack.

"cough..."

Killer Bee, who had just been so aggressive, suddenly coughed up blood, clutching his heart in pain, while the Eight-Tails inside him hurriedly warned him:

"That special wind-attribute chakra has remained in your body. Rushing to expel it will damage your heart."

When Furukawa Osamu saw this, a slight smile appeared on his lips. His attack had worked after all; he had almost been tricked by the enemy.

"Compare!"

Ai, no longer bothered with his verbal sparring with the blond guy opposite him, hurriedly helped up his little brother, a look of anxiety appearing on his dark face. Killer Bee, not wanting to show weakness, continued to respond in his strange tone:

"You despicable Konoha brat! Your sneak attack won't hurt me!"

"I will tear you apart in the rhythm of battle!"

The sudden rap disrupted the tense atmosphere. Kakashi squinted at the enemy with dead fish eyes, and Hyuga Shuichi's lips twitched, almost making a sarcastic remark on the spot.

Minato Namikaze stared at the two with a kunai in his hand, while Osamu Furukawa's right hand held a short sword that began to emit white wind-style chakra.

"Consider yourselves lucky! I'll remember you!"

Ai threw out a smoke bomb and grabbed Killer Bee, then ran away. This time, they were careless and hadn't done their intelligence work properly.

Kakashi twitched his nose, then looked up at Minato Namikaze, who shook his head slightly and explained simply:

"Human Jinchūriki are extremely dangerous. I can only guarantee your safe evacuation. The mission is complete."

"The two are incredibly fast. Is this the AB duo mentioned in the previous intelligence?"

After confirming that the enemy had left, Hyuga Shuichi asked a question. The brief exchange had left a deep impression on him; the speed of that attack was astonishing.

"It must be them. It's understandable that the Land of Frost has sided with the Hidden Cloud Village; they are no match for an enemy of this caliber."

Minato Namikaze responded with a serious expression, noting that the Cloud Village ninjas were more troublesome than he had anticipated, given their enormous chakra reserves, superhuman physique, and reaction speed.

"Time to head to the outposts, Captain! There are still a few border posts along the Land of Hot Springs; we need to remind everyone as soon as possible."

When Furukawa Osamu reminded him, Minato's smile returned, and he quickly urged the others to continue on their way.

"I'll suggest to the Hokage when we get back to the village that we get more rewards for this mission!"

-

A few days later, Killer Bee, who had returned to the border outpost of the Land of Frost, was still sulking. He felt it was his dereliction of duty that the Konoha ninja had hurt his beloved older brother.

"Minato Namikaze, very little information."

"The one who hurt you was a genius ninja who appeared in Konoha a few years ago, Osamu Furukawa. During the Chunin Exams, he clearly hid most of his strength."

As he spoke, Ai tossed the scroll to Killer Bee, who glanced at it twice and then rhythmically began to criticize:

"Next time I see him, I'm going to chop him in half!"