Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 348 Locking on the Target

Gazing at the intense battle raging around him like a volcanic eruption, Hyuga Kanan pondered his next move. He knew the situation was incredibly complex, but after careful consideration, he decided to first head to the battlefield considered most likely to reveal Deidara's location. After all, it might hold crucial clues about the Akatsuki's whereabouts.

This vast land seemed to have been plunged into an endless war, with smoke billowing and flames soaring into the sky. Hyuga Kanan, however, concealed his figure, stealthily approaching, traversing the thick layers of battle, and speeding straight towards his target. His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, were fixed on the unpredictable and dangerous area ahead.

Along the way, Hyuga Kanan surveyed the ravaged forests and land, riddled with craters from bombing. These scenes only served to confirm that this battlefield was the most likely location to lead to the Akatsuki's final destination. He nimbly traversed the fallen trees, skillfully avoiding the battlefield. At the same time, relying on his exceptional strength and keen perception of the environment, he continued to advance.

Finally, after some time, Hyuga Kanan arrived at his destination. The sight before him filled him with awe: the devastation was horrifying, and a palpable aura of death permeated the ruins. Deidara was now completely outmatched, being relentlessly suppressed by Kakashi Hatake and the others, in a very dangerous situation. One of his arms had been completely severed, and he had been knocked to the ground from the air.

Hyuga Kanan stood in the shadows, his keen senses spreading outwards like radar. After a meticulous exploration, a strange feeling welled up within him—there were other people lurking in this seemingly peaceful, dark corner! And what surprised him even more was that the figure hiding in the shadows, watching everything, was none other than the mysterious masked man he had met once before.

Meanwhile, Hyuga Kanan, with his unique insight into chakra, sensed a familiar yet eerie aura emanating from the masked man. This aura was elusive, seemingly blending seamlessly with its surroundings, yet it couldn't escape his sharp eyes. After a brief moment of thought and judgment, he finally confirmed: the aura belonged to White Zetsu! These cunning creatures had cleverly concealed themselves within the surrounding trees, attempting to remain undetected. However, they ultimately couldn't escape Hyuga Kanan's keen observation. At this moment, he stared intently at the seemingly tranquil forest, silently calculating the possible scenarios and his countermeasures.

After a long and arduous tracking and investigation, Hyuga Kanan finally obtained some extremely important and crucial clues! This valuable intelligence showed that the mysterious and fearsome Akatsuki organization was indeed intricately connected with the legendary Sage of Six Paths! Hyuga Kanan couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Especially the man who always wore a strange mask, whose identity was even more mysterious. Years ago, this masked man had forcibly descended into his body in an unimaginable way through the Sage of Six Paths and fought him. At that time, Hyuga Kanan was deeply shocked, and at the same time, he was filled with curiosity and vigilance towards this masked man.

What's even more intriguing is that this masked man seems to be secretly plotting something enormous. His movements are elusive, like a ghost, yet he always manages to cleverly evade everyone's sight. Meanwhile, there are indications that some White Zetsu are always silently protecting him, as if safeguarding him. This elusive relationship makes the entire situation increasingly complex.

Hyuga Kanan stood rooted to the spot, his brow furrowed, his mind racing as he pondered the significance and implications of these new discoveries. He knew that facing such a powerful and enigmatic opponent as the Sage of Six Paths, he had to be extra cautious. However, a burning desire for the truth within him compelled him to continue his exploration…

Hyuga Kanan stood rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the scene unfolding before him. He knew perfectly well that at this moment, he needed to take no action; he could simply observe and wait patiently. The situation was clear—Deidara was now virtually powerless to resist, and the enigmatic masked man would obviously not stand idly by and allow Deidara to perish here.

Therefore, Hyuga Kanan secretly made up his mind to quietly follow them, closely monitoring their retreat route. This way, he could avoid alerting them while ensuring he didn't lose sight of his target. After all, for this experienced ninja, tracking enemies was commonplace. As long as he maintained sufficient vigilance and sharpness, he was confident he could successfully complete the mission. Thinking this, Hyuga Kanan couldn't help but smile slightly, a hint of confidence and determination flashing in his eyes.

Hyuga Kanan narrowed his eyes, secretly calculating in his mind. He carefully circulated the powerful and mysterious energy within his body, concentrating it at his fingertips. As a faint but infinitely mysterious light flashed, a divine sense mark, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, quietly landed on Deidara.

This small mark may seem ordinary, but it was actually meticulously crafted by Hyuga Kanan, incorporating his profound understanding and unique insights into the Way of Divine Sense. Once planted, it will subtly connect with the surrounding天地力 (heaven and earth energy) and constantly emanate a special fluctuation.

As long as Deidara remained within Hyuga Kanan's spiritual range, even if they were tens of kilometers apart, he could keenly perceive the information conveyed by the mark. Deidara's movement trajectory, locations of rest, and changes in the surrounding environment were all detectable by Hyuga Kanan. This undoubtedly provided him with immense convenience, allowing him to easily grasp the enemy's movements and make thorough preparations for subsequent tracking operations.

On the battlefield, amidst the smoke and deafening shouts of battle, Deidara was surrounded and had nowhere to retreat, yet his resolute and determined eyes showed no trace of panic. He leaned wearily against the giant clay bird that had just been shot down by the enemy, as if it were nothing more than a trivial setback.

However, Hyuga Kanan, standing opposite him, keenly sensed something amiss—Deidara, who seemed to be in dire straits, was actually exceptionally cunning! Just when everyone thought the situation was settled, Hyuga Kanan, using the perception marked by his divine sense, caught Deidara's subtle movements. It turned out that Deidara was quietly using his unique ninjutsu to swap his body with the remaining portion of the giant clay bird behind him.

The Deidara who was originally half-lying there had already been replaced by a clay clone that looked exactly like him. Meanwhile, the real Deidara had already secretly hidden his body inside the huge, lifelike clay bird.

At this moment, Deidara was completely focused on controlling his clay clone, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to his opponent. His eyes gleamed with determination and resolve as he silently calculated his next move. For this ninja, who excelled at using art to showcase the beauty of explosions, every battle was a magnificent performance, and this was a masterpiece he had meticulously planned.

In the blink of an eye, Deidara's clay clone sprang up like a spring and shot towards Kakashi Hatake and his group like an arrow! Its speed was lightning fast, as if it were tearing the air apart! At the same time, the clone rapidly mobilized its chakra, its hands constantly forming hand seals, clearly preparing a devastating explosive attack!

As Deidara's actions grew increasingly violent, Kakashi and the others felt a chill run down their spines. Was this madman truly planning to perish with them, unleashing that terrifying self-destruct technique? The thought instantly made their expressions grave, and beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads. After all, no one could predict what would happen next; if Deidara did choose to self-destruct, everyone present would likely perish.

Just then, the previously quiet clay clone suddenly seemed to be injected with endless power, and began to expand rapidly at an astonishing speed! This sudden change shocked Kakashi Hatake and the others, and an unprecedented sense of crisis instantly surged into their hearts!

Faced with such a terrifying sight, they instinctively retreated, but quickly realized that, given the current situation, completely evacuating this dangerous area on the verge of eruption was practically impossible. Seeing the clay clones growing larger and more unstable, threatening to trigger a massive explosion at any moment, Kakashi Hatake made a decisive decision—he knew that with his and his companions' current speed, they simply couldn't escape far enough before the catastrophe struck.

So, at the critical moment, Kakashi Hatake unhesitatingly activated his long-hidden ultimate technique—his Sharingan, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened and quickly transformed into the mysterious and powerful Mangekyou Sharingan! Immediately afterwards, a dazzling light shot out from his eye, rushing straight towards Deidara, who was expanding wildly and preparing to self-destruct!

At the same time, the surrounding space seemed to be affected by some immense force, violently distorting and deforming! In the blink of an eye, a bottomless black hole suddenly appeared in mid-air, like a hideous and terrifying maw, mercilessly swallowing Deidara, who was on the verge of self-destruction! Accompanied by an extremely muffled roar, the entire world seemed to tremble...