Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 241 Amidst the Storm

Gazing at the old gates of Konoha from afar, Hyuga Neji strode forward with firm steps. His figure drew closer and closer until he finally stopped in front of the guards at the gate.

The village of Konoha has seen its commerce decline, and the once bustling caravans no longer frequent the area. Over the years, the atmosphere in Konoha has become strangely unsettling. While outwardly peaceful and harmonious, astute merchants have sensed the changes. Through intuition and experience, they've realized that Konoha is no longer the formidable village capable of single-handedly confronting multiple enemies. The village's ninjas are no longer the most reliable and safest choice for escorting caravans. This subtle shift is unsettling, as if an invisible pressure hangs over the village.

While Konoha Village still appears to be the same glorious village it once was, it has in reality fallen into ruin, exuding an aura of age and decay. It is no longer the powerful and fearsome village it once was; even ordinary bandits and wandering ninjas dare to easily provoke it. However, faced with this reality, the village's ninjas are unable to deter these enemies with their former prestige, leaving them feeling utterly helpless. Worse still, Hiruzen Sarutobi and other high-ranking officials of Konoha remain immersed in the village's past glory and prosperity, blind to the current state of affairs, overconfident in their own strength, and completely unaware of the severity of the problem.

Neji Hyuga didn't notice the change in the gazes and attitudes of those around him. After all, he had been away from Konoha for many years, and his understanding of the village was limited to vague memories from years ago. Moreover, his feelings for Konoha had gradually faded with time. At this moment, all that came to his mind was the shy little sister who always timidly followed behind him—Hinata Hyuga.

Hyuga Neji strode towards the gates of Konoha, intending to enter the village. However, as he reached the entrance, two Konoha ninja guarding the gates stopped him, much to his surprise. The Hyuga clan of Konoha should be well-known to all the ninjas. Neji's distinctive Byakugan eyes made it immediately clear he came from the prestigious Hyuga clan. Even so, the guards at the gates still prevented him from entering Konoha.

The gatekeepers of Konoha should, by all accounts, be at least Chunin level, and as Konoha's first line of defense, they should have a good understanding of the village's basic situation. However, these two gatekeepers seemed to know almost nothing about the Hyuga clan, and began questioning Hyuga Neji about his identity and purpose in coming to Konoha.

Faced with this situation, Hyuga Neji frowned slightly, looking somewhat helpless. After all, he was a member of the Hyuga clan, a family with an important position in Konoha. The other party's behavior seemed to genuinely show little knowledge of the Hyuga clan of Konoha, not even recognizing his clearly obvious Byakugan, which puzzled him greatly. In his view, these actions were simply very strange.

It's important to understand that the Hyuga clan is a renowned and prestigious force throughout the entire ninja world. Even ninjas from other villages have a clear understanding of the Hyuga clan's characteristics and can easily distinguish them. However, the current situation is that these two Chunin-level guards at the Konoha gates are completely unaware of the Hyuga clan's features and are even questioning Hyuga Neji about his identity—this is truly baffling.

However, Neji Hyuga wasn't focused on this. He diligently cooperated with the gate guards, registering his identity and purpose. His mind was entirely preoccupied with reminiscing about his younger sister, Hinata Hyuga. He was about to meet his sister, with whom he had shared an incredibly deep bond, and wondered if she still remembered him as her brother. Had her personality changed? Was she still as shy and reserved as before, hesitant to interact with strangers?

After completing detailed identity registration and stating the purpose of his visit, Hyuga Neji finally set foot on this long-lost land—Konoha Village. With mixed feelings, he strolled through the once-familiar streets, feeling the weight of time.

Years have passed, and Konoha Village remains much the same, though it has gained a touch of antiquity. The ancient buildings and streets seem to tell stories of bygone eras, and Hyuga Neji listens quietly to their whispers. Following his childhood memories, he slowly walks towards the Hyuga clan's territory, each step filled with emotion and reminiscence.

The scenery along the way made Hyuga Neji sigh. Although it was no longer as prosperous as it once was, it still exuded a unique charm. The busy figures of the villagers, the innocent smiles of the children, and the tranquil lake—everything was so familiar, as if time had never left. However, compared to his current training ground, Konoha Village seemed somewhat decaying. There, life and vitality abounded, while here, a faint aura of decay and decay permeated the air.

Hyuga Neji took a deep breath, trying to banish the feeling from his mind. The changes in Konoha were of little concern to him, and he had no intention of changing anything here. The choices made by the villagers themselves were not something he could easily alter.

Hyuga Neji continued his journey towards the Hyuga clan's territory. Although he sensed masked ninjas monitoring him, he made no move and continued walking with a steady pace. Neji paid no attention to the ninjas watching him. As a stranger who had left Konoha many years ago, it was normal for him to be monitored. As long as they didn't attack him, they could freely monitor his movements. He believed they would leave once he reached the Hyuga clan's territory.

Inside the Hokage's office in the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to the ANBU ninja's report on the surveillance of Hyuga Neji, a hint of worry creeping into his heart. Over the years, the Konoha leadership had relentlessly suppressed the Hyuga clan. They had constantly pressured the Hyuga clan to make concessions, while simultaneously erasing the Konoha ninja's knowledge of them. The fact that even the Konoha gate guards didn't recognize the Hyuga clan's features was the work of Hiruzen Sarutobi and other Konoha leaders. The plan had gone very smoothly; the Hyuga clan had made continuous concessions, even forcing some of their more sociable members to leave the Konoha ninja ranks and fade from public view. They seemed completely unfazed by the pressure from the Konoha leadership.

This constant concession led Hiruzen Sarutobi and other Konoha high-ranking officials to believe that Hyuga Kanan had likely died in that battle, and that the Hyuga clan, having lost their support, could tolerate their continued oppression and concessions. They even relinquished some of their commercial interests in Konoha to these Konoha high-ranking officials.

The current ninjas of Konoha, aside from the older ones, have absolutely no understanding of the Hyuga clan. They treat Hyuga ninjas as ordinary civilians, or even lower in status. Yet, the Hyuga clan has offered no resistance and has even tacitly approved of the actions of the Konoha leadership.

Konoha Village is now completely under the control of Hiruzen Sarutobi and his forces, who have even seized the commercial interests of many ninja clans. The Hyuga clan, once a powerful family in Konoha, now appears incredibly low-key, even humble. Their ninjas rarely appear in Konoha, and their interactions with other clans are extremely limited.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and his allies planned to follow the same path as the Uchiha clan, causing the Hyuga clan to disappear completely from Konoha. In that case, Hiruzen Sarutobi's clan would become a powerful and prestigious family within Konoha, much like the Senju clan's heyday.

However, Neji Hyuga's appearance in Konoha has suddenly given Hiruzen Sarutobi a tremendous sense of crisis. It's worth noting that Neji was personally brought back to Konoha by Kanan Hyuga, proving that Neji received Kanan's tutelage. Neji's return to Konoha now suggests that Kanan was the victor in that battle. Furthermore, does Neji's return foreshadow Kanan's own return to Konoha?

Therefore, the plan targeting the Hyuga clan could not continue. If Hyuga Kanan were truly angered, he would show no mercy in destroying Konoha, having no feelings whatsoever for the village. Without Konoha, what hope would the Sarutobi clan have of becoming the next Senju clan?

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind was in utter turmoil, a jumbled mess of thoughts he couldn't unravel. He knew he could no longer exert pressure on the Hyuga clan. Moreover, he should take the initiative to show goodwill and mend the broken relationship with them.

Just then, the Ninja Academy was about to graduate, including Hinata Hyuga—daughter of Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the Hyuga clan. This was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to ease the tense atmosphere between the two sides. Originally, Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to randomly assign Hinata to one of the Chunin as a student, as her talent in ninjutsu wasn't outstanding, and such an arrangement was reasonable. However, times had changed, and this decision had to be reconsidered. Coincidentally, Asuma Sarutobi's girlfriend, Kurenai, was about to be promoted to Special Jonin and marry into the Sarutobi clan. Having her as Hinata's mentor was perfect. In this way, a teacher-student relationship would be established between the two families. While it wouldn't guarantee a close alliance, it would at least establish a connection. Hiashi Hyuga would understand his intentions, which would greatly help ease the current tension.