Naruto: Immortal Spirit

The moonlight in Xiantan is leisurely at night, and things change and stars move over the years.

Kato Oo, who went to the root base again, felt that the roots seemed to have not changed at all over the years.

Dead branches cut through the night like ghost claws, knocking down nightingales.The cold pool is like a deep abyss reappearing in the world, freezing life.

Deep underground in the jungle of Konoha Village, the root base is still freezing cold.

As he got closer, Kato Oo's eyes moved slightly, and he seemed to feel something different.

The number of root ninjas hiding in the darkness was several times greater than usual. In the night, there seemed to be countless sharp eyes looking around. The air was filled with chills and vigilance. Kato Oo could sense that they were all there. Looking straight at a few of them.

A root ninja poked his head out of the dark night. In front of him, the ninja leading the way immediately concealed himself and faced the secret seal.

As if he didn't notice anything unusual, he nodded slightly in an unknown direction, his hidden sharp gaze gradually disappearing into the darkness.

"I'm afraid it's not just as simple as Beiliuhu's defection..."

In Kato O's perception, there were no fewer than dozens of root ninjas around him, accounting for almost a quarter of all root ninjas. Such an alert level made his heart sink slightly.

The secret seal in the leading root ninja's hand passed through, and the hidden barrier slowly opened.

On the mound that showed no abnormality at all, the root barrier shone with a dark light, like the entrance to the abyss.

Kato Oo followed the four of them and slowly stepped inside. Waiting for him were still several root teams who were waiting in full formation.

"Without the permission of the leader, everyone... is only allowed to enter and not to leave!"

Countless pairs of eyes lit up in the dim base, and their cold eyes passed over the four people one by one, and fell on Kato Oo.

Kato Oo's whole body was tense, but he just lowered his eyebrows and remained silent without saying any words.

The slightly lit blue eyes slowly filled with infinite murderous intent, and he walked past the root ninja one by one, making everyone in the root team instantly alert, staring at his slowly walking figure.

"Wei..., waiting for the leader's summons..., you probably don't understand the basic rules..."

When they arrived at the root base, the leading ninja seemed to be relieved suddenly. His eyes flashed through the mask, his Adam's apple was slightly raised, and he turned around to look at Kato Oo.

"Um……"

Kato Ou didn't expect to conflict with them now, but a slight probing allowed him to confirm his guess. The large-scale movements of the roots had nothing to do with him. It seemed that something happened that caught Danzo off guard.

"Is it... a war?"

Kato Oo, who was deep in thought, was left alone in a small room that was almost the same size as the small room he lived in when he first came to ANBU.

"Da da……"

The footsteps through the door became softer and softer, and the remaining root ninjas walked further and further away, leaving only one person guarding the door of the secret room.

"Shimura Danzo is not here..."

Slowly closing his eyes, Kato Oo's soul fluctuations overflowed, as if blending into the atmosphere of the base. No ninja in the entire root base could escape his perception, but no one could detect it. Such fluctuations.

Since the last time, he vaguely glimpsed the emotions of Danzo and Orochimaru, his perception ability has become a bit stronger.

However, he did not find Danzo.

"Duanzo is not here...the root is so vigilant...seems to be on guard, hiding something..."

His eyes seemed to follow the perception through the rock wall and fell on the guarding root ninja. Kato Oo's eyes glowed with a faint blue light.

"Maybe... they should know something..."

There was no longer any movement. Kato Ou, who was hidden in the dark cabin, seemed to be sitting still, but the shadowy blue light around his figure was burning like a flame.

……

Konoha's Hokage Building stands in the center of the entire city, shining brightly in the dark night, seeming to be the only light in this vast world.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was sitting on the high platform, looking at the people in the audience, a trace of trance flashed in his eyes, as if the last emergency moment like this was still vivid in his mind.

But...how long has it been?

After a moment of silence, the noisy voices in the entire conference room gradually disappeared, and everyone's eyes were focused on Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He exhaled a thick puff of smoke, which seemed to be mixed with a slight sigh, but it was hard to distinguish, and he spoke slowly.

"Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure, the three major ninja villages simultaneously sent troops to invade the territory of the Land of Fire..."

"Just a few hours ago, the frontline position was lost. Now the border ninjas are trapped in the Country of Fire, waiting for reinforcements..."

His eyes seemed to gradually become sharper as the battle situation was described, and his eyes swept over the three elders, Uchiha Fugaku, Hinata Hizashi, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and finally landed on Namikaze Minato.

"We can't waste any more time!"

He slapped the desk hard. In critical moments, one person always needs to make a decision. Regardless of whether there are flaws or not, one should take action instead of letting everyone discuss it.

"Appointment: Namikaze Minato, Kirigakure battlefield commander, go to Kirigakure, resist Kirigakure's landing in the Land of Fire, and intercept Kirigakure outside the coastline!"

"Appointment: Jiraiya is the battlefield commander of Kumo Ninja to resist the attack of Kumo Ninja."

"Appoint: Orochimaru as the Iwa Ninja battlefield commander, and annihilate all the Iwa Ninja who dare to enter the Land of Fire!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly withdrew his gaze and became silent again. He leaned back slightly on his chair and just looked at everyone's expressions.

Hyuga Hizashi frowned slightly, and his eyes fell on Orochimaru. As expected, the Hyuga family would follow Orochimaru into the most brutal Iwa Ninja battlefield. Although there would be military achievements, there would also be countless losses... …

His mixed face was full of complexity.

Uchiha Fugaku slowly nodded to Minato, but also frowned.

Kirigakure has been in chaos for many years, and is the weakest among the three great ninja villages. If the third generation wants to support Namikaze Minato, he will definitely be sent to the Iwa Ninja battlefield.

Now it seems that the Third Hokage, who has ignored all opinions to allocate the battlefield, is still hesitant and indecisive hidden under his seemingly tough tone...

Gently looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen's slightly old and twilight face shrouded in smoke, Uchiha Fugaku seemed to understand something.

"Are you looking for stability? After all, even a great defeat is not as good as an ordinary victory."

The people sitting around the conference table with different expressions were silent and thinking, and the entire conference room was silent.

Just the sudden cold voice interrupted everyone's thoughts in an instant.

"Hokage-sama, Namikaze Minato may be more suitable for the Iwa Ninja battlefield than me..."

Orochimaru's voice, which seemed to have no emotion at all, suddenly echoed in the conference room. Everyone felt shocked and couldn't help but look up, with a bit of confusion, confusion, and even disbelief.

Orochimaru, who just smiled lightly, had no intention of explaining at all. His eyes were cold and calm, and he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen attentively.

The two masters and apprentices seemed to have looked at each other clearly and clearly for a long time. An inexplicable and mysterious atmosphere filled the conference room. The subtle atmosphere made everyone seem to have turned into sculptures, just silent...

Except...that cold old man on crutches.

"Boom!"

Danzo's cane hit the ground hard, breaking the stagnant atmosphere, but he spoke calmly, seemingly not caring about Orochimaru's actions.

"My roots will also participate in this war..."

With a faint look in his eyes, he glanced at Namikaze Minato who was sitting next to Jiraiya, and then fell silent again. His slowly closing eyes made it unclear what he was thinking.

"Sarutobi-sensei... Minato is excellent... isn't he?"

Orochimaru's eyes were shining with an inexplicable look, and with only a gentle word of "Sarutobi-sensei", the coldness on the third generation's face seemed to melt away a bit.

"fair enough……"

"Minato, then you should lead the Uchiha clan and the large forces assembled in the village to rush to the rescue of the Iwa ninja..."

After lightly taking a puff of the cigarette, the third generation nodded slowly, his complicated eyes scanning Orochimaru and Namikaze Minato, wondering what he was thinking.

"Yes!"

Namikaze Minato didn't seem to care where he would go on the battlefield. Although his brows were full of worry, his voice was still clear, as if just contributing his strength to Konoha would satisfy him.

Smiling softly at Jiraiya who was looking at Orochimaru with a frown, Namikaze Minato gave a slight signal to Sarutobi Hiruzen and disappeared from the conference room in an instant.

"The Flying Thunder God's Technique... is really powerful..."

Orochimaru said nothing again, his faint snake eyes just looked in the direction where Namikaze Minato disappeared, but he didn't care at all about Jiraiya's surprised and complicated eyes.

"Everyone else should leave as soon as possible!"

"Yes!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted softly, and everyone clasped their fists in agreement, and quickly left the Hokage Building, which symbolized the highest power center of Konoha, as if they had the illusion of being unable to escape.

Seeing Orochimaru slowly leaving, Jiraiya wanted to stop him and say something, but he suddenly stopped and opened his mouth, but it just turned into a sigh.

On one side was his most proud disciple, and on the other side was his long-time friend. Mixed in between them, Jiraiya felt a kind of entanglement that he had never felt before.

As if thinking of something, Jiraiya suddenly turned his head and looked at the Third Hokage shrouded in smoke. He seemed to have a little more understanding of this teacher who had been criticized for his determination of the position of Hokage.

The conference room in the night became silent again, with only Jiraiya and Sarutobi Hiruzen remaining among the clouds and smoke.

The moon passed through the cracks in the night, casting countless stars in front of the windows of the Hokage Building. The cold silver glow and the flickering lights seemed to merge into a new world. Faintly, the hazy turbid light shone on the two of them. There was an indescribable loss of consciousness on his body.

They just looked at each other expressionlessly, as if they had countless words they wanted to say but didn't know how to say them. Their complicated eyes made it impossible for outsiders to distinguish the meaning.

The constant time makes everyone experience a protracted struggle, but time never needs any weapons to change a person, it will only continue to distort.

because……

They read the same silence in each other's eyes: "Sorry, Orochimaru..."