In mid-January, war broke out again, and the peace agreement reached at the Five Kage Summit only partially took effect.
After the Iwagakure Ninja raided and withdrew from the Land of Grass, the Kumogakure, in alliance with the Kirigakure, launched an attack on the eastern defense line of the Land of Fire that winter.
The Konoha Ninja, having successfully suppressed the enemy, paid no heed to the Kirigakure's "tickling" behavior. Since the Third Hokage's return, the only thing everyone was discussing was. " Konoha's hero, Shu Furukawa, killed the evil Third Mizukage!"
This news has been confirmed by the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. The death of the third Kage since the start of the war has shocked everyone.
Although the Third Mizukage was older, the fact that he was killed single-handedly by a 12-year-old boy was still an exaggerated achievement.
After confirming the information, Kirigakure demanded an explanation, but Konoha ignored them. The Third Hokage, unusually firm, declared, "You can try to kill me! I welcome you to end this feud anytime."
The voice of the Kirigakure lasted only a week before it descended into internal strife.
In the struggle for the position of Mizukage, several ninjas clashed, and even the elders of the council became numb at this moment. This was the consequence of the Bloody Mist Policy.
In Konoha Hospital, after returning to the village, Shu Furukawa was not assigned to the front lines. To prevent assassination attempts by Kirigakure, the Third Hokage simply kept him in the village.
Having killed the leader of one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages at the age of 12, Shu Furukawa no longer needs prestige. As long as he grows up safely into adulthood, the other four great nations will have no choice but to continue bowing to Konoha for the next 20 years.
In the intensive care unit, Kakashi looked at the report in Shu Furukawa's hand with a tense expression, "A strange Chakra reaction! Completely different from the Rin I remember."
" Kakashi, you guys must be facing a life-or-death crisis, right?"
"I can't imagine what kind of experience could have caused Rin's Chakra and body to change like this; it's like she's become a completely different person."
The Katsuyu wriggled onto Shu Furukawa's shoulder. She had just finished examining the girl and was now waving her tentacles as she added, "Lord Osamu is right, Rin's Chakra is completely different from before."
"Not only in the brain, but also in other parts of the body, the Chakra extracted has shown significant changes."
"This also explains her amnesia; Lin has undergone a transformation," she said, abandoning her past self and becoming a completely new being.
Kakashi stared blankly at the soft, sweet voice of the Katsuyu, completely confused. He instinctively looked at Shu Furukawa: "Osamu, what's going on?"
A strange expression flashed across Shu Furukawa's face as he looked at Kakashi and replied softly, "Simply put, this is a completely new Rin Nohara. Unless she can accept her past self, she can only remain in this state."
"Amnesia isn't necessarily a bad thing; forgetting the pain allows you to live better, and that's a choice you can make."
" Kakashi, I won't ask what happened, but your Chakra has changed too."
"Now that you've undergone a transformation, don't dwell on the past; cherish the life you have now."
Is the person who is resurrected still the same person?
After several days of observation, Shu Furukawa is still unable to provide a definitive answer.
The process of One's Own Life Reincarnation consumes life force and the energy of one's own spiritual body, and the forbidden technique might undergo unknown changes as a result.
Having already obtained the fuzzy coordinates of the Pure Land, Shu Furukawa wouldn't experiment frequently, since he had no interest in fulfilling his dream of being a good person.
He will keep his promise to Sakumo- sensei. Kakashi might be a special case, as his Chakra increased after his perfect resurrection. Rin Nohara, however, was not so lucky.
"Is that so? Well, that's fine. Lin shouldn't have to go through that pain."
After making up his mind, Kakashi let out a long breath, then hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Shu, I saw Father."
"He had been waiting for me. I talked with my father for a long time, and in the end, he smiled as he saw me off from this Pure Land."
"I'm not crazy. I've thought about it carefully since I got back. There are too many coincidences in this whole thing, but I'm not interested in dwelling on the details anymore."
"My father hopes I can survive. I will take good care of myself and Lin."
Rin Nohara's face was no longer covered in stickers. She looked around the hospital room with a curious gaze, then walked over to Kakashi and whispered affectionately in his ear, " Kakashi, is this where I used to work?"
"Is Konoha's Hero, Shu Furukawa, my Peer? Are we close?"
Kakashi's mask concealed his embarrassment, but looking into the girl's gentle gaze, he finally intertwined his fingers with hers and earnestly introduced her, "Yes, Rin, Xiu has always taken very good care of us."
"Don't be nervous. If you want to work here, you'll need to trouble Xiu later."
Rin Nohara glanced at Shu Furukawa subconsciously, seemingly infected by his gentle smile. The girl nodded, then straightened up, tilted her head, and cheerfully complained, "My family wants me to quit being a ninja!"
"But I've realized... we seem to be living together, and I've been spending Kakashi's money the whole time. I feel really guilty about it."
"It's okay, Lin, I still have a lot of savings, and I'll work hard in the future."
Kakashi readily agreed; for him, Rin Nohara staying at home was the best possible outcome.
When Shizune entered the room, she couldn't help but look on with envy. Even though Tsunade -Tsunade had created an opportunity for her, she couldn't muster the courage to confess her feelings and invite her to join the conversation.
"Lin, how have you been feeling these past few days?"
Hearing Shizune's question, Rin Nohara smiled again and replied softly as before, "I'm recovering very well, but I've forgotten a lot of things. Fortunately, everyone is helping me, and I also have a familiar feeling."
"Sorry, Shizune, I've caused everyone trouble again. I might become a full-time housewife in the future, which seems to be a bit of a problem. I've completely forgotten how to cook."
Kakashi immediately praised his skills, especially his knife work, which made Rin Nohara blush and look very happy.
Shizune was so envious she was practically twisting in her rage. She wanted to confess her feelings immediately, but when she turned around and saw Shu Furukawa looking at her, she forgot everything she was going to say.
"I... I still have some work to do."
Upon hearing Shizune's words, Rin Nohara noticed that she had left with a flushed face and looked curiously at Shu Furukawa.
"Let's go, Lin, let's go buy some ingredients, and also some gifts and kitchenware."
"Although this isn't the most appropriate time to visit, I want to put your family at ease."
"Ah!"
Kakashi ignored the girl's exclamation, bowed to Shu Furukawa, and then slowly walked away with Rin Nohara, explaining the past as they went.
Shu Furukawa watched the two figures disappear into the Obito, he inexplicably thought of Obito. The traces left behind indicated that Obito had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
If Obito saw that both of his friends were still alive, he might have immediately abandoned Madara Uchiha.
Late at night, Shu Furukawa, as usual, arrived at the underground laboratory to receive materials "delivered" from the front lines by Orochimaru.
"Vomit..."
"Lord Xiu, this guy stinks! Couldn't Lord Orochimaru find some cleaner material?"
"I enjoy working alongside Master Xiu. From now on, Qingqing only wants to serve Master Xiu!"
Its size had increased twice as much, and the Aoda filled the entire laboratory space. After vomiting, it circled around Shu Furukawa with a wronged voice, and then involuntarily drooled again.
"You are a snake! You need to maintain a fierce appearance; you don't need to show loyalty every time."
Shu Furukawa casually tossed four Natural Energy pills into the giant mouth. The Aoda swallowed the pills and tightly closed its mouth, revealing an obedient expression.
"Is this the Storm Release Kekkei Genkai?"
" Orochimaru- sensei is really amazing; he can even capture material like this."
Shu Furukawa smiled and praised Orochimaru, who had volunteered for the mission to gather materials. In just one week, he had obtained the Storm Release Kekkei Genkai ninja. The enemy's intelligence work was not an exaggeration.
"Lord Xiu is still more powerful; he was able to kill the Mizukage! He had the strength of a Kage at the age of 12..."
The Aoda began to flatter him again in a clear, girlish voice, until the Katsuyu slowly crawled into the room. Only then was the Aoda so frightened that it immediately dispelled its Summoning Jutsu.
"Master Xiu, are you able to determine the coordinates of the Pure Land?"
A Little Katsuyu slug crawled onto his shoulder and asked curiously. Shu Furukawa shook his head and simply speculated, "Under normal circumstances, the perception of the Pure Land is very vague. The Pure Land seems to be in another dimension."
"Unfortunately, the time was too short. Indra's Chakra is still developing its Kekkei Genkai in my brain. I can feel the increase in dynamic vision, but I can't be sure that I will awaken the Rinnegan."
"Without these eyes, it's difficult to connect with the Pure Land, unless one undergoes several more One's Own Life Reincarnation."
The Katsuyu shook its antennae to indicate its understanding, then comforted the man in a soft, gentle voice, "Lord Xiu, that's already very impressive, considering it's an ability to transcend life and death."
"The wars have decreased significantly, and the clones' gains have also been declining recently. Master Xiu shouldn't have reached his limit yet, right?"
Shu Furukawa's spiritual energy continued to increase. Even after [ Collection ] it for so long, he still didn't feel saturated. Hearing the Katsuyu's question, he nodded. "Still a little short, but it's okay. Kirigakure still has some gains, enough to make up for the losses of this operation."
Analyzing the Pure Land, if given the opportunity to reach the Six Paths level, Shu Furukawa plans to [ Collection ] that immortal's power; the immortal's power would definitely be a "great tonic."
Even at the cost of his spiritual body, as long as the Collection is successful, the power of the Sage of Six Paths will surely bring him one step closer to immortality.
While organizing the materials, Shu Furukawa remembered the Katsuyu's earlier instructions and smiled as he reminded her, "We'll gain even more from Kirigakure. Once I've completed my transformation and resolved the teacher's troubles, we can go there."
"We can contact Amegakure again then, and continue to gain energy through war commissions."
After responding, the Katsuyu suddenly thought of an old friend, and a hint of curiosity appeared in its tone as it sighed, " Indra and Ashura's Chakra have changed; I wonder if Gamakichi will sense it."
"I'm kind of curious to see its reaction. Perhaps it couldn't have predicted something like Lord Xiu!"