Reborn in Konoha; I Think I’m Cultivating Immortality

Iwagakure, Tsuchikage's office.

"A coalition of the entire world?"

Ōnoki muttered to himself, staring at the letter from the Daimyō of the Land of Earth, outlining the plans of the nations and their intent to launch an attack on Konoha.

If it had been before the Chūnin Exams, receiving such a letter would have filled Ōnoki with confidence.

But now, he was filled with doubt.

Would the combined forces of the entire world really be enough to destroy Konoha and eliminate Hui?

He wasn't sure.

Because the power Hui wielded had already surpassed the scope of any ninja. It had truly stepped into the realm of gods.

A crater spanning ten kilometers in radius!

What kind of power could create such a miracle on Earth?

It was unimaginable. Unbelievable. Incomprehensible.

Hui could fly, swiftly and at incredible heights.

He could unleash that kind of jutsu from the sky.

And among all the shinobi in the ninja world, there were only a handful capable of stopping Hui mid-air.

Ōnoki was one of them.

The Third Kazekage was another.

Both of them could fly, and their strength was considerable.

There were other shinobi who could fly, but their abilities were far too weak.

And Hui possessed his Shadow Avatar jutsu.

He would undoubtedly use his Shadow Avatar for defense.

To stop Hui from casting that jutsu, one had to defeat his Shadow Avatar first.

But the strength of Hui's Shadow Avatar…

Ōnoki sighed deeply.

To be honest, he didn't have any confidence in defeating his Shadow Avatar.

Unless…

He could drastically enhance his power in a short period of time.

As the thought crossed his mind, Ōnoki's expression hardened.

A sudden surge of realization struck him.

Enhancing his strength within a short time frame…

It wasn't impossible.

But it would come at a tremendous cost.

However, if he was already prepared to die, what difference did it make?

Was there any price higher than death?

His resolve firm, Ōnoki made his way to Iwagakure's Forbidden Jutsu Chamber.

Once there, he approached an old, weathered shelf and picked up a scroll from its surface.

Staring at the worn scroll in his hands, he remained silent for a few seconds before turning away and leaving.

This was a secret technique scroll.

It contained a jutsu that could temporarily boost his strength.

But the cost of using it was permanent. The user would never be a ninja again.

They would become an ordinary person, or worse, a frail, debilitated one.

Because of this, the jutsu was classified as forbidden and had remained untouched in the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber for years.

But today, the scroll had resurfaced.

Despite having no confidence in the upcoming war, Ōnoki was determined to fight.

For this was an unquenchable hatred.

It was also his final pride as the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure.

As long as he lived, Iwagakure would not disappear from the ninja world.

…

Land of Wind, Sunagakure.

Unlike Ōnoki, Sunagakure had no such secret techniques.

But they had something else.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Chiyo looked at the Third Kazekage, asking for confirmation once more.

"This is the only way," the Third Kazekage replied solemnly.

Poison.

"Alright, I understand."

Chiyo sighed inwardly and agreed to the Third Kazekage's request.

For this war, against Hui, she would inject the Third Kazekage with the latest poison she had developed.

It was a toxin designed to induce a state of euphoria, allowing the user to rapidly exhaust their body's potential and lifespan in exchange for a significant increase in strength.

However, its effect only lasted ten minutes.

After ten minutes, the user's body would collapse due to the strain on their life force and potential.

And that wasn't all.

After the body collapses, the poison would still linger.

For those who are injected with this poison, there is only one outcome. Death from the effects of the toxin.

This poison was something Chiyo had originally planned to ban outright because her poisons were meant to be used against enemies.

This particular poison could drastically increase the enemy's strength for ten minutes. While they would die afterward, the ten minutes of enhanced power could still cause devastating damage to her allies.

To Chiyo, this poison was nothing more than a failed product, a useless creation.

Yet she never expected that the Third Kazekage would request her to use it on him in his battle against Hui.

Seeing Chiyo agree to his request, the usually stern face of the Third Kazekage showed a rare smile.

Then, he turned and left.

Chiyo watched the Third Kazekage's figure disappear into the distance, letting out another quiet sigh.

…

Kumogakure, Valley of Lightning.

A streak of light flashed through the valley, and explosions echoed intermittently.

Occasionally, a massive creature would appear, a beast with the head of a bull and eight writhing tails.

It was the Eight-Tails.

The Eight-Tails would sometimes transform into a man, none other than the Third Raikage, A.

He had become the perfect jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails.

The reason he had achieved perfect synchronization with the Eight-Tails in such a short time was due to two key factors.

First, the Third Raikage had fought the Eight-Tails head-on and subdued it with sheer strength.

Second, he had made the Eight-Tails a promise: if it cooperated, once the war with Hui was over and if they emerged victorious, Kumogakure would grant it freedom and never seek to capture it again.

These two factors led the Eight-Tails to fully cooperate with the Third Raikage.

After all, this man was undeniably strong, someone worthy of respect.

Moreover, he had promised it freedom.

On top of that, the Eight-Tails harbored a personal grudge against Hui for defeating it before.

There was no reason to refuse.

Thus, the Third Raikage achieved the miraculous feat of becoming a perfect jinchūriki in record time.

Now, he was tirelessly honing this power.

First, to achieve complete mastery.

Second, to prepare for the use of his new jutsu.

The Third Raikage had been mentored by the Second Raikage, a man known for inventing numerous powerful jutsu.

Though the Third Raikage couldn't create as many jutsu as his predecessor, he had successfully developed one of his own, a life-risking technique.

The concept of the jutsu involved harnessing the violent chakra of the tailed beast to form a special chakra mode, drastically stimulating the body to enhance all physical attributes.

It was a unique version of the chakra cloak.

However, unlike the standard Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the Third Raikage had incorporated an additional component.

Burning his life force, burning his body, burning his flesh and blood, burning his chakra.

All to further amplify his power to an extraordinary level.

Because of this, the technique was classified as a forbidden jutsu.

Like Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage, the Third Raikage was prepared to stake his life against Hui.

The hatred between them ran deep.

His teacher had died at Hui's hands.

His friend, the former jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails, had also fallen to Hui.

Countless shinobi of Kumogakure had perished because of Hui.

The weight of all this hatred had been placed upon him the moment he became the Raikage.

There was no room for reconciliation between him and Hui.

It was a battle to the death, either Hui died, or he would.

In Kumogakure, at a high vantage point.

A tall figure watched the flashes of light in the distance with clenched fists.

He was the designated successor to the position of the Fourth Raikage, the Third Raikage's son.

Yet he knew that he might never officially assume the title.

"Father... Damn it!"

He muttered under his breath, furious at his own weakness, at his inability to help in any meaningful way.

In the coming war, he might be forced to stand by and watch his father die.

His father had told him not to harbor hatred, no matter the outcome of the war.

But how could he do that?

The hatred would inevitably be passed down.

He, too, could never make peace with Hui.

"No matter the outcome of this war, no matter what I face afterward, if I am still alive, I will become stronger. Strong enough to kill Mochizuki Hui!"

In that moment, an unbreakable resolve was born in his heart.

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