Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 158 Rogue Ninja

A shocking message suddenly spread from Konoha Village to the outside world: Hyuga Kanan is a traitorous ninja! It is said that he defected from Konoha more than ten years ago. Currently, Konoha is completely unaware of his whereabouts or any related circumstances. Furthermore, Konoha has issued an appeal to the entire ninja world, imploring all ninja villages to cooperate in the pursuit of this traitor.

This news shocked all the ninja villages. The Cloud Village, in particular, had long harbored suspicions about Hyuga Kanan. After all, as a member of the Hyuga clan's main branch in Konoha, he held a prestigious position. However, what was puzzling was that when he was trapped in the forging town of the Land of Iron, not a single Konoha ninja came to his rescue. Even more suspiciously, after breaking through the encirclement, Hyuga Kanan fled directly to the Land of Fire, and the Cloud Village had already confirmed the location where the Konoha Anbu engaged him in a fierce battle and were completely annihilated.

This fierce battle undoubtedly proved Hyuga Kanan's identity as a "Konoha traitor" to the village. Consider this: otherwise, why would Konoha's ANBU ninja have engaged in such a brutal conflict with him? This series of events inevitably raises questions: Why did Hyuga Kanan betray Konoha? Is there a deeper conspiracy or secret hidden within?

As time went by, rumors about Hyuga Kanan intensified. Some said he had mastered some powerful forbidden technique and wanted to dominate the ninja world; others speculated that he might have discovered a secret within Konoha… Various theories spread like wildfire, but the truth remained elusive. In this turbulent situation, how would the various ninja villages choose? And what would become of the enigmatic Hyuga Kanan? Everything was filled with uncertainty and anticipation.

However, at that very moment, all the ninja villages missed a golden opportunity to continue their attack on Konoha. In reality, these villages were simply looking for a pretext to deflect attention from the turmoil caused by the heavy casualties among their ninja. If they could force the Konoha leadership to order the execution of that powerful ninja, that would be ideal. After all, if Konoha possessed such a young yet exceptionally strong ninja, the entire ninja world would soon return to the era of Hashirama Senju.

Now that the Konoha ninjas have publicly declared this individual a traitor to Konoha, and considering the intelligence gathered by their respective villages, everyone is astonished to discover that Hyuga Kanan indeed has no connection to Konoha and is undoubtedly a rebel against the village. Under these circumstances, many ninja villages have resolutely abandoned the idea of ​​further provoking a ninja of this caliber. After all, judging from the terrifying strength he has displayed, destroying a small ninja village would be incredibly easy. If they stubbornly persist in provoking him, they could very well bring annihilation upon their own village.

However, these powerful ninja villages harbored their own calculations. Hyuga Kanan's ruthless treatment of Konoha ninjas convinced them he was no longer from Konoha. Thus, a tempting thought arose: could their own village secretly recruit him?

After all, this mysterious figure not only possesses the two rare bloodline limits of Wood Release and Byakugan, but his strength is also unfathomable. If we can successfully recruit him into our village, even if he is unwilling to represent the village in battle, simply retaining his bloodline resources could potentially allow us to acquire these two extremely valuable bloodline limits. Given time, perhaps our village could also cultivate a family with similar bloodline limit abilities.

Following this, the Hidden Sand Village, Hidden Cloud Village, and Hidden Stone Village all quietly dispatched special personnel to search for Hyuga Kanan's whereabouts. This time, their goal was no longer limited to creating friction with him, but rather to engage in in-depth communication, fully demonstrate their village's friendly attitude and sincerity, and take the opportunity to explore whether they could invite him to settle down in their village.

To the disappointment of these ninja villages, Hyuga Kanan seemed to have vanished from the ninja world since the conflict erupted, with no one able to detect any trace of him. Even after searching the entire Land of Iron, they found nothing. They even secretly dispatched personnel into the Land of Fire to search covertly, but to no avail. In the end, they had no choice but to abandon the search and wait for him to reappear in the ninja world before attempting to contact him again.

In the secluded and dimly lit underground laboratory of Konoha Village, Orochimaru stared intently at the mysterious piece of flesh in a glass dish on the lab table. Although it looked like just an ordinary lump of meat, it emanated a strange chakra fluctuation, as if it contained endless life force.

Orochimaru had been studying this flesh and blood for a long time, and he knew that the surging life force it contained was undoubtedly an ultimate source of power. However, what troubled him greatly was that he had not yet found an effective way to control and utilize this powerful energy.

These cells within flesh possess an incredibly terrifying corrosive power. Once implanted into another person's body, the recipient will be mercilessly devoured by these cells within moments, perishing in the process. Faced with such a thorny problem, Orochimaru fell into deep thought.

A series of "crack, crack, crack!" sounds as a cane struck the ground emerged from the darkness behind Orochimaru, appearing under the bright lights.

A short, middle-aged man, his face half-covered except for one sharp eye. He always wore a black eye patch, giving him an air of mystery. His hair was gray, neatly combed, revealing wrinkles on his forehead that seemed to tell tales of a life weathered by hardship.

His skin had a sickly pallor, as if he had been living in a dark environment for a long time. His lips were always tightly pursed, revealing his determination and resolve. His jawline was sharply defined, making him appear very resolute.

His clothing was usually predominantly black, and he was always fully covered, giving him an impression of secrecy and conservatism. He often wore a wide robe decorated with intricate patterns, perhaps hinting at the power and secrets he wielded.

Overall, he exudes an aura of authority and mystery. His eye patch and conservative clothing make him stand out from the crowd, arousing curiosity about his true intentions and strength.

This person was none other than Danzo, who was known in the ninja world as the Dark One.

Danzo is a contradictory and mysterious figure. He is often portrayed as a schemer lurking in the shadows, an ambitious man with ulterior motives. His appearance is serious and cold, with deep, penetrating eyes that seem to conceal countless secrets.

Danzo was always cautious and cunning, adept at using power and means to achieve his goals. His decisions were often driven by his own interests and desire to rule Konoha, for which he would stop at nothing, even at the cost of others' lives.

However, Danzo also possessed unwavering convictions and loyalty to Konoha. He believed that sometimes extraordinary measures were necessary to protect the village's interests. This contradictory mindset made his actions and motives complex and unpredictable.

Overall, Danzo is a multifaceted character; his ambition, methods, and contradictory beliefs make him a highly controversial figure.

But for Orochimaru, none of this concerned him; their relationship was purely transactional. Danzo needed his help in researching these flesh-and-blood cell transplants. In return, Orochimaru needed Danzo's vast knowledge of Konoha and ample funding to support his research.

Orochimaru didn't even turn his head, continuing to carefully observe the mass of flesh before him. At the same time, he picked up a vial of green-glowing liquid and slowly injected it into the flesh. This was an inhibitor he had developed over time, capable of significantly suppressing the rampant corrosiveness within the flesh, but also greatly reducing its vitality.

Danzo watched Orochimaru conduct his experiments absentmindedly, his only concern being the final result. After the meeting today, he couldn't wait to rush back to this mysterious laboratory hidden deep within Root. At this moment, he yearned to quickly master Wood Release techniques.

"Orochimaru, Wood Release has reappeared in the ninja world, and it has even fallen into the hands of that kid with the Byakugan! I just want to know, after so much research, how long will it take you to truly master Wood Release?" Danzo's voice was full of urgency and anxiety, and suddenly rang out behind Orochimaru, like a thunderclap breaking the silence, reminding Orochimaru, who was concentrating on observing the flesh and blood samples in the experimental apparatus.

Orochimaru, who had initially ignored Danzo, suddenly looked up when he heard Danzo mention the Byakugan boy, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. He stared at Danzo, seemingly trying to glean more information from his expression.

"Yes, it's that Byakugan kid you're thinking of!" Upon hearing Danzo's words, Orochimaru's face revealed a strange, indescribable expression. At this moment, he was even more curious about this mysterious figure, Hyuga Kanan.

For years, Orochimaru had devoted himself to studying Hashirama Senju's flesh and blood cells, attempting to find a way to enable other ninjas to use Wood Release. However, despite his immense efforts, he failed to succeed. Furthermore, he transplanted Hashirama's cells into numerous experimental subjects, hoping to awaken their ability to use Wood Release ninjutsu. Unfortunately, contrary to his wishes, while these subjects exhibited some characteristics of Wood Release ninjutsu, they all died rapidly.

Now that Orochimaru has learned that Hyuga Kanan can easily master Wood Release ninjutsu, his eagerness is palpable. He desperately wants to travel to Kanan's location and discuss with him in depth how to control this miraculous ninjutsu. However, reason tells Orochimaru that there are still many important things in Konoha that he hasn't obtained yet, and that will require some time and effort to acquire.

Despite his burning impatience, Orochimaru suppressed his impulses and decided to hold back for the time being. After all, to achieve his goals, he needed to remain calm and patient. So, he continued to bury himself in his research while closely monitoring Hyuga Kanan's every move, waiting for the right opportunity to act.