Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 255 Discovering the Problem

On the training ground, dust billowed, leaving a scene of utter chaos. Kakashi Hatake lay pale on the ground, struggling to his feet, but his body wouldn't obey him. Neji Hyuga stood silently to the side, his eyes cold. The battle ended in Kakashi Hatake's defeat, bringing this unexpected clash to a close.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched this scene with a complex expression. He had originally hoped that Kakashi Hatake would display even greater strength and defeat Neji Hyuga. But now, things seemed to have become somewhat troublesome. He sighed inwardly, ultimately deciding against attacking Neji, as he wasn't confident he could handle the Hyuga clan's resistance and Kanan Hyuga's retaliation. With a grim face, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned and left, leaving the training ground in silence.

Everyone present sensed the tense atmosphere. They fell silent, their gazes darting back and forth between Hyuga Neji and Hatake Kakashi. They knew this battle was more than just a casual sparring match; there might be deeper reasons behind it. However, no one dared to ask, and they all silently left the training ground, as if afraid of being drawn into this vortex.

Hyuga Neji stood silently, his gaze sweeping over the departing crowd before he slowly closed his eyes. He knew that today's events had caused a huge uproar, and the days to come would likely be anything but peaceful. He had to prepare for all sorts of challenges and protect himself and his family. At the same time, he also needed to continue his rigorous training and break through to the Innate Realm as soon as possible.

Konoha Village returned to calm, unchanged by the battle. Hiruzen Sarutobi remained committed to training Hinata Hyuga as a Jonin, placing his hopes on the future. The graduates were reassigned to their original ninja teams.

The only one who changed somewhat was Kakashi Hatake, the lazy guy. After his defeat against Neji Hyuga, his personality shifted slightly. His previously zombie-like state improved considerably, and his already sharp mind regained its ability to think. Moreover, facing Sasuke Uchiha, the orphan, made him realize the problems plaguing Konoha.

Over the years, Konoha Village seems to have become incredibly weak. Since the Nine-Tails' attack, every capable Konoha ninja has either defected or left to travel. After the sacrifice of Minato Namikaze, one of Konoha's pillars, the village has fallen into a deep recession. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is still alive, but he is too old to support the village's future. Other ninjas are either not strong enough or, like Jiraiya, unwilling to take responsibility. Konoha now lacks any young Kage-level ninjas. The entire village exudes an aura of decay, completely lacking the atmosphere of the strongest ninja village in the world.

This situation worried Kakashi Hatake. He realized that if things continued this way, Konoha would lose its former glory. Therefore, he began to consider how to revitalize Konoha. He knew that to change the status quo, a strong leader was needed to guide Konoha towards prosperity. At the same time, he also needed to cultivate a new generation of ninjas, making them the backbone of Konoha. Only in this way could Konoha once again become the dominant force in the ninja world.

Kakashi Hatake pondered carefully, realizing he had completely overlooked these issues, unable to break free from his immersion in past memories. Now, having regained his senses, he began to focus on the current predicament facing Konoha. Konoha had become extremely vulnerable, with almost no powerful force to rely on.

More importantly, the demise of the Uchiha clan is shrouded in mystery. Meanwhile, the Hyuga clan has also become unusually enigmatic. Kakashi Hatake was astonished to discover that the Hyuga clan, one of Konoha's most prestigious families, was virtually unknown among the new generation of Konoha ninja. Even within the Konoha ninja ranks, the Hyuga clan seemed to have vanished, their numbers dwindling to a mere handful, and they maintained a low profile.

With just a brief investigation, Kakashi Hatake realized that the Hyuga clan had been oppressing and threatening Konoha's higher-ups for many years, just as they had treated the Uchiha clan. This behavior puzzled him.

Looking at the boy before him who bore a striking resemblance to his teacher, Kakashi Hatake felt a pang of guilt. For so many years, he had been consumed by painful memories of the past, ignoring his teacher's teachings. Now, seeing his teacher's son again, he realized how much he had missed out on in the past few years.

He carefully examined the boy before him, and couldn't help but sigh, "So this is my teacher's child..." Kakashi Hatake thought of the gentle man from back then—Minato Namikaze. He had asked himself countless times if he had been stronger back then, could he have saved his teacher? If he had been braver, could he have changed everything? However, reality is always cruel; he could not go back to the past, nor could he change what had already happened.

But now, Kakashi Hatake has decided to stop running away. He will strive to become a better person to make up for the time he missed. Because he knows that only in this way can he be worthy of his deceased teacher and his wife. Looking at Naruto Uzumaki before him, Kakashi Hatake secretly vowed to make this child feel the warmth of a family and to make him understand that he is not alone.

The attitude Hyuga Hiashi displayed during their meeting, and Neji Hyuga's reaction when mentioning his father during their fight, along with the behavior of his companions, all made Kakashi Hatake sense that something was amiss.

"It's truly perplexing! I never imagined so many strange and bizarre things would happen in the village over the past few years. I used to have no interest in these things, so I didn't pay much attention. But now, the village's situation has clearly reached a very serious point, so why hasn't anyone suggested making any changes? Perhaps I should have a deeper conversation with Hiashi Hyuga, get more information from him, and find out what exactly has happened to the village over the years." Kakashi Hatake gazed into the distance, his gaze falling on the three children who were carrying out a D-rank mission, but his thoughts had already drifted far away.

Immediately after completing his mission, Kakashi Hatake secretly traveled to the Hyuga clan's territory. The outer perimeter of the Hyuga clan's territory was unusually quiet, with very few other Konoha ninjas approaching. However, Kakashi, arriving covertly, noticed ANBU ninjas monitoring the Hyuga clan from the shadows, causing him to frown. It seemed rather strange that a Konoha clan was being monitored by ANBU directly under the Hokage's command. Avoiding these ANBU ninjas, he stealthily infiltrated the Hyuga clan's territory.

Kakashi Hatake was discovered by the Hyuga clan as soon as he entered their territory and was quickly surrounded by them. Kakashi did not resist but simply asked to see Hiashi Hyuga.

Soon, Kakashi Hatake was brought before Hiashi Hyuga. Hiashi was instructing Hanabi Hyuga in Gentle Fist; their movements were incredibly slow, as if their bodies had merged with the surrounding air. Every movement was so natural and fluid, reminiscent of the wind and water of nature—this gentle power was the essence of Gentle Fist.

Kakashi stood quietly to the side, carefully observing their every move. His eyes were focused and sharp, as if he wanted to learn more about Gentle Fist techniques from Hiashi Hyuga's teachings. He knew that although he possessed the Sharingan, he still needed to continuously learn and hone his skills to better master a taijutsu like Gentle Fist.

Half an hour passed before Hiashi Hyuga finally stopped what he was doing, sighed softly, and turned to look at Kakashi beside him. His gaze was calm and profound, as if he could see through Kakashi's thoughts. He smiled slightly, nodded to Hanabi, indicating that she could leave. Then, he slowly walked towards Kakashi, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. He didn't know what Kakashi had come for, and why he had done so discreetly. But he believed that Kakashi must have something important to ask him.

Hiashi Hyuga quietly walked up to Kakashi, looking at him calmly, as if waiting for something. Kakashi, without hesitation, asked, "Clan Chief Hiashi, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you. I hope you can explain them to me, would that be alright?"

Hearing this, Hiashi Hyuga nodded, indicating his willingness to answer. Although he didn't think highly of Kakashi, he wouldn't hide anything and would still do his best to provide help and information. So, he smiled and said, "Please tell me. If I know the answer, I will definitely tell you." This surprised Kakashi somewhat, but he didn't show it and simply continued to ask his questions.

"I want to know why there is such a big rift between your Hyuga clan and the village, and why there are ANBU ninjas monitoring your clan's movements outside your clan's territory. Also, the village is obviously in a very weak state right now, so why is it still spending so much effort to monitor your clan?"

Kakashi Hatake's words silenced Hiashi Hyuga. After a while, he calmly replied, "The reason is actually quite simple. Our Hyuga clan is a powerful clan in Konoha. Our strength and prestige have instilled fear and jealousy in the village's higher-ups. They are also worried that our clan will affect their status. That's why they sent people to monitor us."