Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 154 Frenzied Slaughter

A ray of sunlight pierced through the dense forest, falling upon Hyuga Kanan's face, but this warm light did nothing to dispel the piercing coldness and intense killing intent in his eyes. Facing the Root ninjas surging towards him like a tidal wave, Hyuga Kanan exuded a chilling aura, like an insurmountable mountain standing before his enemies.

The raiders were stunned by the overwhelming force before them, their steps faltering, and they dared not launch an attack. However, as deeply brainwashed tools who obeyed Shimura Danzo without question, their deep-seated obsessions still drove them to carry out that cruel order.

In an instant, countless kunai and shuriken, gleaming with cold light, flew towards Hyuga Kanan like a storm, their sharp whistling sounds echoing through the air. Following closely behind were various incredibly powerful ninjutsu, and in an instant, flames soared into the sky, smoke filled the air, and the entire area was enveloped by this terrifying attack, leaving Hyuga Kanan no room to dodge.

Watching the overwhelming onslaught, Hyuga Kanan's lips curled into a slight, contemptuous smile. These ninjas from Konoha's Root were launching a rash attack without knowing anything about him, attempting to surround and kill him. Such a plan could only be conceived by someone as ruthless and cold-blooded as Shimura Danzo, who treated his subordinates as mere tools.

In Shimura Danzo's eyes, these Root ninjas were nothing more than pawns to be discarded at will. Their lives were irrelevant, as long as the mission was completed. Even if they were to die, he could simply recruit and train a new batch of members. After all, Konoha Village had a large population, and the various clans would carefully train their juniors, providing him with a continuous stream of capable individuals.

With a flick of his arm, Hyuga Kanan caused the earth to tremble violently, and several thick, solid earthen walls rose up, forming an impenetrable barrier not far ahead. All attacks struck these suddenly appearing walls; in an instant, countless shuriken and kunai rained down upon them, followed by a barrage of various ninjutsu. However, these seemingly fragile walls remained as solid as a rock, completely unaffected, standing firmly in place.

Unlike usual, Hyuga Kanan didn't wait for his opponent to perform; this time, he decided to take the initiative. He lightly stomped the ground, his figure vanishing from his spot like a ghost. In an instant, he appeared abruptly in front of a Root ninja, his left hand gripping the man's throat like an iron clamp. With a slight exertion, a crisp "crack" rang out, and the ninja's neck snapped, his life ending instantly.

At the same time, Hyuga Kanan caught the ninja sword that had slipped from the enemy's hand with his right hand, the movement fluid and seamless. Then, without hesitation, he hurled the lifeless body at another attacking ninja. The thrown corpse, carrying immense momentum, slammed into the opponent, catching him completely off guard.

Gripping his blade tightly, Hyuga Kanan's chilling killing intent instantly materialized into action. Using his powerful spiritual sense, he accurately locked onto the nearest ninja, then transformed into a streak of light, weaving and darting through the dense forest. In an instant, numerous Root ninjas hidden in the trees clutched their bleeding necks and collapsed to the ground. They didn't even have time to utter a sound before their lives were over.

The Root ninjas in the distance stared wide-eyed, yet could barely make out Hyuga Kanan's movements. All they could see was a streak of light rushing past at an astonishing speed. However, these men showed no sign of retreating, for Shimura Danzo had given them a death order—Hyuga Kanan must be killed! If they failed in their mission, how could they easily retreat out of fear of death?

The Root ninjas, gradually gathering, began rapidly forming hand seals, attempting to use various ninjutsu to slow Hyuga Kanan's movement and create an opportunity to kill him. Suddenly, a roar rang out: "Wind Release - Wind Cutting Technique!" A ninja completed the hand seals and swung his finger sharply towards the forest ahead, unleashing a massive, incredibly powerful wind blade that seemed poised to tear apart anything in its path.

The wind blade was like a giant sword; wherever it passed, numerous towering trees nearby fell and were cleaved in two, leaving the clearing littered with broken branches and leaves. Hyuga Kanan, who was in the forest, easily dodged the wind blade's attack with her agile movements and landed steadily in the center of the open space.

Before Hyuga Kanan could even catch his breath after his feet touched solid ground, he saw a massive fireball, three meters in diameter and radiating scorching heat, hurtling towards him! Unfazed, he immediately swung his arm, and a menacing water dragon erupted from his hand, roaring as it charged toward the fireball.

The two collided with a deafening roar, sending up a cloud of water mist that instantly obscured everyone's vision. However, this had no effect on Hyuga Kanan—he instantly activated his Byakugan, locking onto the Root ninjas in the distance, and then, with a flash, pounced on them again like a ghost.

In the misty forest, screams of agony echoed intermittently. As time passed, these sounds grew fewer and fewer, eventually disappearing completely. When the mist gradually dissipated, a gruesome scene unfolded before one's eyes: the ground was littered with the corpses of Root ninjas lying in pools of blood, their crimson blood staining the entire land, as if recounting the harrowing battle that had just taken place.

Hyuga Kanan stood in the center of this carnage, surrounded by the haphazardly lying corpses of his enemies. He gripped a blood-stained ninja sword, casually planting it into the earth beneath his feet. Blood trickled down the sharp edge, dripping onto the blood-soaked ground. Having done this, Hyuga Kanan glanced around indifferently, then turned and left, leaving behind only deathly silence and the stench of blood.

Konoha Village actually dispatched over a hundred highly trained and powerful Root ninjas at once! However, what was truly shocking was that these elites of the elite were all wiped out by Hyuga Kanan alone, leaving not a single survivor!

Meanwhile, ninjas from other villages who had noticed the unusual commotion rushed towards the scene like the wind. Undoubtedly, they all believed that ninjas had successfully intercepted the important figure possessing the Byakugan and capable of using Wood Release techniques.

Upon arriving at their destination, they were met with a tense and eerie scene: numerous ninjas from different villages were facing each other on high alert; and lying on the ground were cold corpses wearing Konoha ANBU masks—not a single one had survived.

Although it's unclear what exactly happened here, the fact that they've witnessed this scene is enough to prove that their direction is correct. As long as they continue to follow this clue, they will surely be able to find that crucial target.

At this moment, none of the village ninjas in the standoff had any intention of starting a war. After all, they all understood each other's tacit intentions, and they might even need to cooperate to fight their target later! In that case, why increase casualties unnecessarily? Remaining inactive for the time being was the wise thing to do.

The Cloud Village's massive, overwhelming force had already thoroughly tracked down the enemy's movements. Now, all they needed to do was tighten their impenetrable encirclement, and they were certain they could trap them inside. With the most comprehensive intelligence and the largest troop numbers, the Cloud Village was practically certain of victory in capturing their enemy.

In the dense forest teeming with trees and ninjas, Hyuga Kanan's trail was quickly discovered again, this time by his old rivals—the Iwa ninja team. Leading them was a tall, young ninja, followed closely by ten ninja squads. The moment they spotted Hyuga Kanan, they immediately unleashed a combined Earth Release ninjutsu, instantly sealing off all escape routes. Countless towering stone walls surrounded Hyuga Kanan like an impenetrable fortress, while the Iwa ninja squads, like a pack of wolves, surrounded him from all sides, ready to annihilate him.

The ninjas who spotted the massive stone wall in the distance rushed towards it like the wind. The consensus among all the ninjas present was that even the corpses of ninjas with Byakugan and Wood Release techniques possessed immense research value, and they were determined not to let Iwagakure monopolize this benefit. The most eager among them were the Kumogakure team; this was a target they had long targeted, and they certainly wouldn't let Iwagakure, whom they hated most, reap the rewards.

Among the Iwagakure ninja was a sensory ninja who noticed numerous ninja from other villages rapidly approaching. He immediately reported the situation to the tall, young Iwagakure leader. After a moment's thought, the leader decided to hold back for now and wait for the other ninja to arrive. He had gathered intelligence indicating that their opponent was no ordinary foe and might not be easily defeated in a short time. If they were ambushed by other ninja during a stalemate, the consequences would be dire. Especially the Kumogakure ninja; if they saw an opportunity, they would likely try to wipe out the entire Iwagakure ninja force.

Hyuga Kanan stood quietly in the center, showing no immediate intention of escaping. This was part of his plan; he needed to gather all the ninjas pursuing him and eliminate them all at once. Otherwise, these ninjas would constantly swarm him like flies, wasting time and only increasing his frustration. Giving them a chance to gather before eliminating them all would not only rid him of the annoying entanglement but also send a serious warning to these ninja villages. He believed these ninjas who had come here were elites from their respective villages; such a large loss should have made them realize they were not someone these villages could afford to worry about.