Naruto: The Immortal Sage

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Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk in the Hokage's office, watching the five young shinobi in front of him. He felt a bit wistful as he realized how much Konoha's next generation had grown. They were nearly adults now.

"Your main goal is to help Uzushiogakure, which is under attack. If you can, bring a group of Uzumaki infants safely back to Konoha," he said, his pipe between his teeth.

Bringing those children back was not just an act of kindness. Hiruzen had to think about Konoha's future.

Mito Uzumaki's health was getting worse, and the village needed a new Nine-Tails jinchūriki.

The Uzumaki lived longer than most, but Konoha couldn't rely on just one person's lifespan. They needed to plan ahead.

The Senju clan had already blended into the rest of the village, so there were few good candidates left. They would have to turn to the Senju's relatives in the Land of Whirlpools.

All five nodded.

"Manji will lead the team. He'll be in charge during the mission." Hiruzen looked at the others, then turned to Manji with a confident smile.

"Any objections?"

"None from me!" Tsunade answered first, smiling at Manji as though she couldn't think of a better choice.

"I agree," Orochimaru said with a nod.

People listened to Manji, and he was just as clever as Orochimaru. No one else on the team had both qualities. Making him the leader made sense.

"Agreed," Sakumo said.

Manji was the strongest among them. In the shinobi world, that was reason enough to make him the leader.

Jiraiya was the only one who hesitated. He still couldn't remember anything about Manji, and the idea of following his orders made him uneasy. But since the others trusted Manji completely, Jiraiya gave a reluctant nod.

"No objections."

"All right, then." Manji agreed, sounding a bit resigned. He realized he might have made his new persona too perfect, given how much everyone trusted him.

"Let's get going."

With their leader chosen, the five gathered their gear and set out.

..............

After traveling all night and crossing a rough sea, the team finally reached the battered shores of the Land of Whirlpools.

Kirigakure and its allied shinobi clans had surrounded Uzushiogakure—blocking all the roads with checkpoints and guards. The five couldn't risk running into the blockade. They needed a safe place nearby to settle first.

Most of the towns they passed were empty because of the war, and almost every inn was closed. After trying and failing to find a place to stay, they took shelter in a temple to the Sage of Six Paths on the edge of a town.

Inside, Manji stood before a portrait of the Sage with several sticks of incense in his hands.

"Sage of Six Paths, please allow us to take shelter in your temple. Bless our mission with success."

He offered the incense and bowed to his own portrait, trying hard not to smile.

Behind him, Sakumo, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya each offered incense and paid their respects. Even Orochimaru was completely serious during the ritual.

Manji rubbed his forehead as he watched them.

After they finished and the others sat around the fire talking, Manji noticed several fresh oranges on the altar.

'Now we're talking. Whoever left these knows I like oranges. They deserve a reward.'

When no one was watching, he took a few, peeled them, and popped the fruit into his mouth, swallowing each orange whole.

He saw nothing wrong with eating his own offerings.

Soon, only one orange was left.

Manji looked at it for a moment, then glanced outside.

..............

"Here, everyone. Have some oranges."

Manji peeled an orange and split it apart, filling the air with a sweet citrus smell. He handed out the golden pieces, then ate the biggest one himself.

The others took their pieces without a second thought, the smell of orange peel lingering on their fingers.

"You brought oranges on a mission?" Tsunade took a bite.

"No. I just took them off the altar." Manji shook his head, perfectly at ease.

Orochimaru nearly spat out his mouthful. He managed to choke it down after a couple of strained swallows.

Jiraiya stopped with his orange segment halfway to his mouth, staring at Manji. Next to him, Sakumo's hand also paused, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"Manji!" Tsunade put her hand on her hip and poked his arm, torn between scolding him and laughing. "Those are offerings for the Sage of Six Paths! You can't just take them. Did he say you could?"

Manji shrugged and ate another segment.

"He didn't say I couldn't," he replied with his mouth full. 'Relax, kids. You have my permission.'

For a moment, everyone stared at him.

Then they all burst out laughing.

Their laughter broke the solemn mood in the small temple. With their worries gone, they grabbed more oranges, peeling and eating as they sat by the fire. They joked and talked between bites, filling the hall with laughter.

Jiraiya sat off to the side, holding an untouched orange segment and trying to keep a smile on his face.

Whenever someone made a joke or mentioned a shared memory, the others understood right away. Jiraiya couldn't join in because he didn't recognize the people or events they talked about.

During the journey, Manji had been friendly with everyone and treated Jiraiya just as kindly. But no matter how hard Jiraiya tried, he couldn't remember ever meeting Manji, let alone doing anything together.

The gap in his memory was starting to scare him. The only reason he could think of was that something had gone wrong during his last Sage Art training on Mount Myōboku, erasing that part of his past.

As soon as the mission ended, he would have to go back and ask Lord Fukasaku what happened.

What if he forgot Orochimaru next, or his adoptive father, or Grandpa Kakuzu?

He couldn't let that happen.

The five spent the night in the temple. The next morning, Manji spread out a map and explained their plan.

"To stay safe, we'll stick together. First, we'll work with the Uzumaki. They'll attack from inside the village while we attack from outside. Once we drive off the shinobi around Uzushiogakure, we'll try to get the infants to safety."

The others nodded their agreement.

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