At the end of June, Jiraiya, who had come to Konoha Hospital for another check-up, kept sighing. After receiving a message from his disciple, he ultimately decided to continue resting.
After finding Nagato's hiding place, Jiraiya planned to strike at the heart of the enemy. However, his self-blame clouded his judgment, and he subconsciously blamed himself for Nagato's change of heart.
" Lord Jiraiya, your recovery is excellent!"
"Avoid intense battles and frequent Chakra extraction during this period."
After recording the data, Shizune smiled and gave Jiraiya responded softly, then hesitated for a moment before asking quietly, " Shizune, does Tsunade have any time lately?"
"The ceasefire agreement should be signed early next month, which should ease up the Hokage's workload a bit."
Noticing the expectant look on Jiraiya's face, Shizune shook her head helplessly, then whispered, " Tsunade- sensei has just too many documents to deal with every day!"
"Without Xiu's help, my work efficiency has dropped significantly, and my temper has been getting worse lately. Lord Jiraiya 'd better watch out."
Jiraiya was deeply moved that Tsunade could still find time to visit him under such circumstances. A bright smile spread across his face as he stood up and confidently declared, "I can't help with the village's affairs, but this time I will definitely investigate Nagato's problem thoroughly."
"After I finish the mission, I'll come back and have a drink with Tsunade."
"I will protect Tsunade and the village. That kind of attack will never happen again!"
Shizune nodded. The girl felt that Lord Jiraiya had misunderstood something because of his injury, but she really wanted to bring the two together so that Shu Furukawa wouldn't have to bury himself in work when he returned.
During lunch break, Mitarashi Anko came to the office again. The girl had grown a lot in the past two years, but her figure was still flat.
Fortunately, the Shizune was almost gone, which restored her confidence. "When will you be back, senior? Are you deliberately hiding this from me?!"
Anko squeezed next to Shizune, sharing dumplings and Anko while muttering under her breath. Thinking about her age, the girl added angrily, "Don't treat me like a little girl, I'm already Chunin."
Shizune glanced at Anko; aside from growing a bit taller, the other girl was still a "bean sprout," munching on Three-Color Pills, and grumbled irritably, "I have a lot of work to do after I get back; I'm not going to spend time with a little girl like you doing boring cultivation."
"Also, stop hanging around the medical department all the time. Doesn't Lord Orochimaru have a lot of work to do? You're not slacking off again, are you?"
The two quickly started teasing each other until Rin Nohara appeared. Anko then reverted to her ladylike demeanor, offering Rin dumplings and warmly greeting her, "Rin, do you have any news about your senior?"
"Damn it, Shizune always tries to brush me off!"
Rin Nohara tilted her head, feigning deep thought, then smiled reassuringly, "You'll be back in the village by mid-next month at the latest. Don't worry, Kakashi told me there's no more fighting on the front lines!"
"The leader of the Kumogakure is said to be coming to our side, and the village will hold a peace celebration then. This war has indeed lasted far too long."
Through the continuous battles, Shizune, an elite ninja in the Medical Corps, witnessed many deaths. "Kurenai's father also sacrificed himself in the mission to the Land of Frost. She's been depressed for the past six months. We'll talk to her again after she recovers."
Upon hearing Shizune's words, Rin Nohara immediately agreed. The older generation suffered the most casualties, and this war made many ninjas realize how precious peace is.
"You can come to my house for dinner tonight, Kakashi bought a lot of ingredients!"
Rin Nohara extended an invitation full of energy, and Shizune and Anko immediately responded. The girl whispered that she would bring desserts, which immediately earned her a teasing "brat" from Shizune.
Seeing this, Rin Nohara's face lit up with a bright smile. With the war over and Kakashi and her friends by her side, the girl looked forward to the future even more. "I really want to turn 18 soon!"
Jiraiya accepted Minato's advice and recently began to focus on training in Senjutsu at Mount Myoboku. However, his talent didn't seem to be that great, and he always encountered problems when refining Senjutsu Chakra.
"Ouch, that hurts! Fukasaku- saku!"
Jiraiya had been knocked to the ground by Sage Fukasaku's staff, ended his frog transformation. Touching the large bump on his head, he complained in frustration, "Damn it, Natural Energy is so hard to control. I didn't expect that just refining it would be so difficult."
"What should I do about the Sage Mode later on? I can't keep using Toad Oil, can I?"
Jiraiya, sitting up straight, hurriedly asked a question, but Sage Fukasaku sternly criticized him. "Do you see those petrified Toad? It's not just humans who find it difficult; we face enormous risks when we train."
"All you have to do is let your body remember that feeling, and my wife and I will help you with that later."
Jiraiya inexplicably thought of insect ramen and insect dishes, his face turning green for a moment. He quickly changed the subject, saying, " Fukasaku, I want to meet the Great Toad Sage. I still have many questions about the Child of Prophecy."
As soon as Sage Shima over, she heard Jiraiya's request and immediately retorted irritably, " Little Jiraiya, don't take the old master's prophecies to heart. Sometimes the old master doesn't even remember what he said!"
"If you're going to try and access the Rinnegan, remember to summon us using the Summoning Jutsu."
"Just looking at those compiled intelligence reports is extremely dangerous. How did you defeat him back then?"
Before Jiraiya respond, Sage Fukasaku immediately chimed in, "It was that boy named Shu Furukawa who defeated the attackers. He must also possess Senjutsu Mode, far more so than Little Jiraiya."
"The lord's prophecy will not be wrong, Little Jiraiya, we will support you."
Deeply moved, Jiraiya was about to express his gratitude when Sage Shima, lifted the basket and handed him the insect dish with a smile, " Little Jiraiya, this is a brand new seasoning I specially prepared for you!"
Staring at the bowl of bright green insect ramen, Jiraiya wanted to refuse, but seeing the expectant expressions on the two sages' faces, he finally mustered the courage and loudly declared, "I'm starting!"
"Vomit..."
Late at night, in an underground laboratory in the dense forest west of Konoha, Orochimaru coughed lightly from time to time, intently observing the changes in the experimental subject's data. Finally, he whispered, "Kabuto, try activating this body one more time."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"
Although Yakushi Kabuto wore round-framed glasses, was only 10 years old, he was indeed a genius in Medical Ninjutsu. After activating the experimental subject, he immediately stepped aside.
"Looks like that guy wasn't lying after all."
" The Sharingan's power is difficult to further develop after transplantation; the Mangekyō Sharingan can only be born in the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan."
After saying this, Orochimaru covered his mouth and coughed lightly. Even though the experimental subject's body used Hashirama Cells, the Sharingan didn't receive much of a boost.
" Lord Orochimaru, your body is collapsing."
"Even with my seniors and me working together, it would be difficult to maintain my current physical condition."
After giving his advice, Yakushi Kabuto stopped analyzing. Orochimaru tried to sense the vessel; he hadn't expected his body to collapse so quickly. He chuckled softly and replied in a hoarse voice, "Looks like there's still time. Kabuto, what do you think of the power of Kekkei Genkai?"
"Extremely powerful, especially its Dōjutsu; ordinary ninjas would have difficulty resisting them."
Orochimaru laughed again after hearing the answer, which was also why he hadn't reincarnated into the prepared Three Tomoe container.
The Sharingan's ocular power seems to be innate; whether one takes medicine or alters their body, there are limits to its power.
"No need to notify for repairs, the container can still withstand the pressure for a while."
Yakushi Kabuto immediately bowed in response. The boy, recalling Shu Furukawa's instructions, couldn't help but secretly admire him. "As expected of Lord Osamu, he foresaw Orochimaru's intention to target the village's Kekkei Genkai ninjas!"
Having arrived in the capital of the Land of Frost, Shu Furukawa and Minato Namikaze await their meeting with the village's delegation to sign a new agreement, a troublesome matter that will likely involve several days of debate.
The Fourth Raikage A, still wore a sullen expression, feeling incredibly frustrated whenever he saw the two lightning-fast ninjas moving about so freely.
After the Daimyo left in the afternoon, only a few people remained in the embassy. The Fourth Raikage A, began his usual provocation, confidently declaring, "It seems you Konoha ninjas haven't discovered the evil brat yet!"
"I don't know what Konoha's plan is, but it must be to kill and devour the Tailed Beast. That ability is your secret, isn't it?"
"If it weren't for the Eight-Tails reminding me, I might have been deceived by him too."
Minato Namikaze felt he couldn't keep up with the Raikage's rambling thoughts, and seeing that the other wanted to add more, he reluctantly interrupted, " Lord Raikage, Tailed Beast don't die."
"Humans simply cannot devour Tailed Beast; the Chakra of Tailed Beast is filled with severe malice."
Shu Furukawa hadn't expected the Fourth Raikage A, to be so direct. After listening to the two argue for a while, he added with a smile, "Actually, the Lord Raikage is right. My goal is to become an eternal being like the Sage of Six Paths and achieve great unification!"
"Such ambition is hardly a secret. What I'm more curious about is how the Kumogakure deals with the malice within the Tailed Beast's power?"
" Tailed Beast Chakra can affect the emotions of Jinchuriki, but Killer B doesn't seem to have this problem."
Minato also showed curiosity. He had experienced the hatred contained in the Nine-Tails Chakra with Kushina, and he had no way to resolve it.
"Hmph! That's a top secret of Kumogakure!"
The Fourth Raikage A, hadn't expected Shu Furukawa to be so observant. He snorted and fell silent, a hint of doubt appearing on his dark face. Few people in the village knew about the training of Perfect Jinchuriki.
The Fourth Raikage, who had just been stirring up trouble, became irritated by Shu Furukawa's subtle probing. Finally, he angrily shouted "Evil boy!" and quickly left.
The remaining Minato Dodai had to bow slightly in apology to the two. Minato smiled brightly, while Shu Furukawa stroked his chin, trying to recall the " Waterfall of Truth ": "This should be a natural place to 'purify Heart Demon,' it's a waste to leave it to the Kumogakure."