Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 149 True Strength

Looking at the still energetic Cloud Ninja before him, Hyuga Kanan couldn't help but sigh softly and shake his head with a hint of disappointment. This attack, which appeared to be imposing and incredibly powerful on the surface, had actually not caused any real damage to any of the Cloud Ninja; it had only caused them to expend a large amount of chakra.

"I never imagined... that my current control over the power of the wood element would be so shallow! Even though I've infused my own high-quality energy into the Wood Release techniques, the gap between me and Hashirama Senju is still as insurmountable as an insurmountable chasm. Perhaps I really need some of Hashirama Senju's original cells to carefully study and analyze that mysterious and unpredictable power."

When they noticed the dissatisfaction on Hyuga Kanan's face, the anger in the hearts of many Cloud Ninja was instantly ignited. However, the thought of the terrifying barrage of Wood Release attacks just now involuntarily stirred a sense of fear deep within them. The Raikage, A, standing at the forefront of the group, felt his astonishment grow even stronger. He knew far more about the earth-shattering power of the Wood Release displayed by the legendary Konoha ninja, Senju Hashirama. The Cloud Village preserved many glorious historical records of Hashirama's Wood Release prowess, which shook the entire ninja world.

Forcibly suppressing the immense shock he felt at the reappearance of Wood Release in the ninja world, A's eyes, like those of a hawk, were fixed on Hyuga Kanan's body. The appearance of the person before him was clearly that of a member of the Hyuga clan, especially his striking Byakugan eyes; anyone with even a slight knowledge of the clan could recognize him at a glance.

However, just now, this person actually used the Wood Release technique, which only the Senju clan could possibly master! This astonishing turn of events left A deeply confused, unable to discern the other party's true identity for a moment. Whether it's the Hyuga clan or the Senju clan, both are extremely attractive and coveted by Kumogakure.

The immediate priority is to figure out how to capture the other party and bring them back to the village. After all, the barrier has not yet been broken, which means they still have a chance to achieve their goal. Earlier, when they broke out of the dense forest, A had decisively ordered a special person to be sent to the contact point to quickly relay the situation to the Cloud Village ninja forces that were coming to meet them.

The Wood Release technique used by the opponent differed greatly from the description of Hashirama Senju in the historical documents of Kumogakure, as evidenced by the unharmed Kumogakure ninja around them. At this moment, Raikage A had no intention of letting go; in fact, he was filled with joy, for he believed that the person before him was a wonderful gift bestowed upon Kumogakure by heaven.

While this person's strength is astonishingly exceptional, he is still far from reaching the level of Hashirama Senju, who could single-handedly contend with an entire nation. Even the Raikage A himself is confident in his ability to fight him. By simply wearing down his chakra and waiting for reinforcements from Kumogakure to arrive, capturing this enemy will be easy, and the odds of victory are quite high.

After pondering for a moment, Raikage A acted decisively. His primary task was to buy time and ensure that the Cloud Village's support forces could arrive in time.

"Who exactly are you? You have the appearance of a member of the Hyuga clan, yet you can use the Wood Release technique of the Senju clan."

Listening to the other person's incessant barrage of questions, Hyuga Kanan felt nothing, and even felt a little amused. He had absolutely no interest in responding to the person's pointless interrogation; all he wanted at that moment was to end this meaningless entanglement as quickly as possible so he could save his precious time for something more meaningful.

Just moments before, when the forest destroyed the shop, the sharp-eyed Hyuga Kanan immediately noticed many unfamiliar metal materials scattered on the ground. He promptly took action, using his nimble, snake-like branches to quickly gather the precious metal materials one by one. Thus, the primary mission of this trip down the mountain had been successfully accomplished—not only did he obtain the rare materials he had longed for, but he also took the opportunity to test his mastery of the power of the wood element.

Having already achieved his goal, why waste any more effort here? Hyuga Kanan adopted a haughty demeanor, unleashing his Byakugan without hesitation, his eyes wide open as he stared intently at the outermost barrier meticulously set up by the Cloud Ninja. He intended to find the barrier's weak point, planning to break through this obstacle in one fell swoop and leave gracefully.

The Cloud Ninja looked at the enemy who suddenly unleashed the Byakugan not far away, their faces showing astonishment, and for a moment they were at a loss. You see, when the opponent used Wood Release, they already felt that they were difficult to deal with, and now seeing the opponent use the Byakugan, the fear in their hearts intensified.

Raikage A glanced at the expressions of the Cloud Ninja around him and realized that he couldn't delay any longer. At this moment, the Cloud Ninja team was already quite frightened by the bloodline limit displayed by their opponents, and their resolve was beginning to waver. Seeing that his opponents ignored his questions and instead activated their Byakugan, clearly intending to continue the fight, this suited him perfectly. After all, he had been genuinely startled by the strange Wood Release technique earlier, failing to dodge the surging sea of ​​trees in time. However, now that things had come to this, he decided to no longer hold back and must go all out, because if they wanted to repeat the same tactic, this Wood Release technique alone would probably be insufficient to catch his agile movements.

A powerful aura suddenly erupted from his body, his previously calm face now contorted into a ferocious grimace, and his eyes flashed with lightning. The surging lightning-attribute chakra within him burst forth like a flood, instantly engulfing his entire body. At the same time, his hair stood on end, as if attracted by static electricity, countless tiny currents coursing through it.

With the surge of chakra, his speed and strength increased dramatically once again. He was like a dazzling shooting star, hurtling straight towards Hyuga Kanan. He uttered a low shout: "Lightning Crusade Level!"

His body suddenly transformed into a dazzling bolt of lightning, wielding a thunderous hand blade imbued with terrifying power. With lightning speed, he slashed down fiercely towards Hyuga Kanan's neck. This strike was incredibly powerful, carrying an unstoppable momentum; he was clearly determined to kill his opponent.

However, faced with such a fierce attack, Hyuga Kanan, possessing the Byakugan, remained calm and composed. Under the gaze of his clear, transparent eyes, his opponent's lightning-fast movements were clearly visible, displayed without any omission. A sense of irritation welled up within Hyuga Kanan at the enemy's renewed assault; this relentless harassment was utterly tiresome.

He knew that if he didn't teach the other party a painful lesson, this person would cling to him like glue, making his life miserable. Thinking this, a ruthless glint flashed in Hyuga Kanan's eyes, and he decided to no longer tolerate it. He roared, "Eight Trigrams Palm - Heaven's Return!"

Countless blue energies surged around Hyuga Kanan's body, which then assumed a Baguazhang (Eight Trigrams Palm) stance and began to spin rapidly, forming a bowl-shaped sphere of light that enveloped his entire body. This time, the technique he was testing wasn't the Hyuga clan's secret technique, but rather a modified version of it by Hyuga Kanan based on its principles. Both its defensive capabilities and rebounding power were significantly enhanced. Furthermore, this blue energy could also launch surprise attacks on the opponent's meridians.

The lightning-infused hand slashed fiercely at the blue ball of light, instantly wiping out all the chakra within. The energy of the Heavenly Reversal Barrier deflected the opponent's body back, and the energy even flowed into the opponent's arm through the point of contact. The repelled Raikage A slammed into a tree trunk, shattering it into pieces.

The Raikage, lying on the tree trunk, was protected by his Lightning Release chakra mode and suffered no real injury. However, he felt a sharp pain inside his arm, as an energy surged through his meridians, causing some damage. Had the Raikage not undergone years of lightning training, which had also greatly strengthened his internal meridians, they would likely be shattered by now.

Hyuga Kanan, not wanting to give his opponent another chance to attack, flashed to the Raikage's side, his whip kick striking the Raikage's ribs, sending him flying once more. Before the Raikage even landed, Hyuga Kanan reappeared above him, his fingers forming a sword-like gesture, aiming for the Raikage's brow.

The Raikage was also a highly experienced fighter, and he was very skilled at rapid, continuous attacks. His reactions were also incredibly swift. When Hyuga Kanan appeared above him, he had already covered his head with both hands.

Hyuga Kanan's sword finger struck the opponent's arm directly. Even with the Lightning Release protecting him, a bloody hole instantly appeared in his arm, and his body slammed heavily into the ground.

With a deafening roar, Lei Ying's massive body smashed through the tree trunk and crashed into the ground, creating a huge crater.

The Raikage slowly rose from the crater. The attack had inflicted considerable damage; had he not used his arm to block it, giving him a chance to adjust his posture and avoid the sword-like energy that continued its trajectory from his arm, he would likely have been killed instantly by the sword piercing his head. The powerful impact, however, caused him to slam into the ground, leaving his internal organs throbbing with pain. Clearly, the impact had caused concussion injuries to his internal organs.

Raikage A finally realized the true strength of his opponent. The speed was faster than his own, the attack power incredibly intense, and even his most prized physical defenses were directly breached. Hyuga Kanan looked down at the Raikage in the crater, his eyes filled with cold indifference.