Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 166 Meeting

Orochimaru spent an entire day meticulously searching and investigating the surrounding area, but to no avail. When he returned to the original spot, he found Orochimaru standing there, his face ashen and deep in thought.

Orochimaru trusted Hyuga Kanan—their transactions had always gone smoothly, and Kanan had a strong need for Konoha's secret ninjutsu; logically and emotionally, Kanan had no reason to provide false information to mislead him. Moreover, Orochimaru had just thoroughly searched the surrounding area and found no trace of human activity; even more strangely, there wasn't a single animal in sight!

"Hmm... not a trace of any animal activity? There must be something fishy about this! There's definitely something wrong! This place isn't extremely harsh, it shouldn't be so desolate that birds and beasts have disappeared... It must be that Xiang Jianan went to great lengths that day to set up a concealment barrier here to prevent others from seeing his whereabouts and disturbing his cultivation. Hehe, what a clever trick!"

Orochimaru suddenly lowered his head and murmured something softly. After some thought, he finally understood the other party's plan. Clearly, Hyuga Kanan was highly skilled in acquiring knowledge about barrier and sealing techniques from Konoha, and had even developed such deceptive and covert barrier techniques! This trip to trade and exchange skills with Hyuga Kanan would surely be very fruitful.

Having figured out Hyuga Kanan's formation, Orochimaru knew that finding her wouldn't be difficult. He swiftly formed hand seals, then unleashed countless sharp wind blades from his mouth, hurtling towards the forest ahead like a torrential downpour. These wind blades whistled loudly, seemingly capable of tearing the entire forest apart.

Just as countless wind blades were about to slice into the tree trunks in the forest, they suddenly disappeared less than a meter in front of the trees. Orochimaru smiled slightly; he had detected the fluctuations and exact location of the barrier jutsu.

He walked briskly toward the barrier, but there was still nothing before him, and the surrounding environment remained unchanged. Nevertheless, Orochimaru knew very well that a mysterious and unpredictable barrier technique stood not far ahead.

This barrier is unique; it offers no real obstruction, yet it cleverly uses visual illusions to bewitch people. Anyone who steps inside is immediately subjected to a powerful illusion, causing them to act erratically. Those affected often fall into a bizarre cycle: they unknowingly wander around the perimeter, mistakenly believing they have thoroughly explored the entire area.

In fact, Orochimaru had been deceived by both visual illusion and illusion, leading him to believe that he had thoroughly investigated his surroundings and failed to notice anything amiss. Had he not placed absolute trust in Hyuga Kanan, and been certain that the latter would not deceive him, he might not have been able to see through the deception and would have left much earlier.

Orochimaru wore an expression of intense excitement. This was the kind of expression he only showed when he encountered something that truly intrigued him. Clearly, the barrier technique set up by Hyuga Kanan had successfully piqued Orochimaru's interest. Even someone as self-assured as him, who believed he had mastered all the world's ninjutsu, could be caught completely off guard by such a mesmerizing barrier technique! This novelty truly astonished him.

However, this was not the time to stop studying this barrier technique; meeting with Hyuga Kanan was far more important. Orochimaru extended both palms, channeling his chakra into them, and gently stroked the empty space in front of him. Initially, there was nothing there, but as Orochimaru's senses became increasingly refined and acute, he eventually realized that his palms seemed to have touched something strange. Then, Orochimaru further increased the output of his chakra, and a thin, almost transparent veil gradually appeared in the previously empty space before him.

After continuously channeling chakra for about a minute, Orochimaru slowly withdrew the hand that had been channeling the chakra, standing quietly in place, waiting silently. He was convinced that the chakra he had just injected would alert Hyuga Kanan, and that she would likely come to investigate soon.

Hyuga Kanan, who was diligently cultivating in his secluded training room, suddenly sensed an unfamiliar chakra quietly invading the array barrier he had personally set up. However, after only a minute, the chakra stopped flowing in, and at the same time, a strange sense of familiarity welled up in his heart.

Hyuga Kanan suddenly opened his eyes and unhesitatingly unleashed his powerful spiritual energy in that direction. In an instant, he keenly spotted Orochimaru standing outside the barrier, exuding a chilling aura.

When Hyuga Kanan realized the visitor was Orochimaru, a subtle smile crept onto his lips. Orochimaru was arguably the person Hyuga Kanan knew best in Konoha. More importantly, Orochimaru's presence at this moment undoubtedly meant he had something to ask for—a transaction might be about to begin. For Hyuga Kanan, he was currently in dire need of certain items from Konoha, and Orochimaru's initiative saved him the trouble of traveling there himself. Thinking this, Hyuga Kanan was secretly delighted.

A figure flashed past like lightning, disappearing from the secluded training room in the blink of an eye. Just a few minutes later, Hyuga Kanan appeared at the outermost edge of the barrier.

Orochimaru was resting peacefully with his eyes closed. However, when he sensed an unusual noise around him, he immediately opened his eyes alertly and looked sharply in the direction of the sound. Sure enough, what came into view was Hyuga Kanan walking towards him.

As Hyuga Kanan approached, Orochimaru's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. He thought to himself, "I knew that as long as he's within this barrier, he'll quickly sense my arrival." Orochimaru was now intensely interested in Hyuga Kanan; both the mysterious barrier and the astonishing Wood Release technique he'd witnessed in the ninja world's legends deeply captivated him.

Orochimaru came to seek out Hyuga Kanan with the intention of having a heart-to-heart talk, exchanging skills, and gaining new knowledge from him.

Upon arriving near Orochimaru, Hyuga Kanan's spiritual power surged forth like a tidal wave, instantly enveloping the entire area. He was completely focused on sensing everything around him, not daring to relax for a moment. He needed to ensure that no one else was following Orochimaru into this area.

For Hyuga Kanan, this was his safest retreat, a sanctuary deep within his heart. He absolutely did not want to reveal this secret to other forces, especially the mysterious and dangerous White Zetsu organization he had previously discovered. If they became aware of its existence, it would likely bring endless trouble and crisis.

After a careful search, Hyuga Kanan found nothing unusual. Relieved, he walked briskly towards Orochimaru's location. Soon, he stopped a short distance in front of Orochimaru and said in a meaningful tone, "I thought I'd have to wait quite a while longer for you to arrive here, Orochimaru-senpai!"

Orochimaru smiled slightly, seemingly fully aware of the meaning behind Hyuga Kanan's words. His deep eyes gleamed with wisdom, as if he could see through everything. Clearly, Hyuga Kanan had also anticipated Orochimaru's presence. Their tacit understanding allowed them to both comprehend the situation, but neither revealed the reason.

Through long-term observation and analysis of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru knew that his former master would never tolerate him remaining in Konoha.

"Kanan-kun, I never expected you to know my Hokage mentor's personality so well! However, to me, all of that is irrelevant now. Konoha Village and Sarutobi-sensei are both things of the past. Now, I am quite interested in this place. Would I have the honor of being invited inside?" With a hoarse, deep voice, Orochimaru's gaze was fixed on the approaching Hyuga Kanan. At this moment, Hyuga Kanan exuded an increasingly mysterious and unpredictable aura, and this invisible pressure made Orochimaru feel increasingly heavy and oppressed.

Clearly, Hyuga Kanan has made significant breakthroughs and progress during this period, and his strength has surpassed the level that ordinary Kage-level ninjas can reach.

Hyuga Kanan nodded slightly to Orochimaru, a bronze token appearing in his hand, which he tossed to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru, without any warning, simply reached out and caught the tossed token. Looking down at it, he saw intricate patterns engraved on it, surrounding two Chinese characters in the center. Orochimaru had never seen this script before and didn't know its meaning, but the fact that Hyuga Kanan had given him the token meant it must have some purpose.

Seeing Orochimaru's gaze fixed on the token, Hyuga Kanan explained, "This is the pass token I set up for the barrier here. As long as you hold this token and infuse it with chakra, the barrier here will no longer affect you."

Upon hearing Hyuga Kanan's words, Orochimaru immediately began experimenting with great interest, channeling his chakra into the token in his hand. Soon, the token emitted rays of golden light that surrounded him, especially around his eyes.

Orochimaru offered no resistance, allowing the golden light to surround his body and eyes, quickly covering his entire being. Then it dimmed and finally disappeared completely.