Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 271 The Konoha Crush Plan Begins (Part 1)

The arena, resembling the ancient Roman Colosseum, was surrounded by tiered stands. The stands were packed with people who had come to watch the Chunin Exams. Some stood, some sat, holding various items—food, drinks, and homemade signs and flags. Some had even brought their pets or children, families gathered around the stands, their laughter and chatter filling the air.

"Who do you think will win this time?" a young man asked excitedly.

“Of course it’s Sasuke from the Uchiha clan! He’s a genius ninja! And the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan, he’s definitely far superior to other ninjas,” another young man immediately replied.

"I also think Uchiha Sasuke will win. He's so handsome, he must be the strongest," the girl next to her interjected.

"Hmph, what about Gaara? He's a contestant from Sunagakure! And no one posed any threat to him in the previous trials; he completely overwhelmed the other ninjas," someone else said.

"Tch, he's just a gloomy brat, all menacing, not cute at all. How could he possibly win against anyone?" the girl retorted. In her eyes, only the handsome Uchiha Sasuke was the strongest ninja.

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, each expressing their own opinions, cheering on their favorite players, and arguing with others. For a time, the stands were filled with a cacophony of noise and a vibrant atmosphere.

In an inconspicuous corner of the stands, two figures sat quietly—Hyuga Kanan and Hyuga Hiashi, who hadn't been seen for a long time. Beside them sat Hyuga Neji and Hyuga Hinata, the siblings.

Originally, Hyuga Hiashi had no intention of coming to witness this farce. He preferred to use his time to prepare the Hyuga clan's defenses to ensure that the impending chaos would not affect the clan's territory. However, Hyuga Kanan expressed great anticipation for Orochimaru's meticulously planned spectacle, and Hyuga Hiashi felt he couldn't miss the opportunity, so he came along as well.

As for the players in the competition, neither Hyuga Kanan nor Hyuga Hiashi showed much interest. Although Gaara from Sunagakure performed well, he was at most a Jonin, far from enough to attract their attention. Uchiha Sasuke was even further behind. Although he possessed Uchiha blood, Hyuga Hiashi, who was also proficient in ocular jutsu, was more confident in his own bloodline.

With the arrival of Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Fourth Kazekage, who took their seats on the highest platform, the Chunin Selection Examination was officially declared to have begun.

Hyuga Kanan raised an eyebrow slightly; he never expected Orochimaru to be so cunning. The Fourth Kazekage sitting next to Hiruzen Sarutobi was actually Orochimaru in disguise! This kind of disguise was child's play to Hyuga Kanan's incredibly powerful spiritual sense. However, what puzzled him was that Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed completely oblivious to all of this, continuing his friendly conversation with Orochimaru.

Hyuga Kanan couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of the world. He quietly observed the situation, pondering what might happen next. A strong sense of anticipation welled up within him; he couldn't wait to see how this farce would end. After all, in this unpredictable ninja world, anything was possible.

Looking at Hyuga Kanan's expression, Hiashi Hyuga felt a surge of doubt. He noticed Kanan's gaze was fixed in a specific direction, as if he were observing something. Just as he was about to ask, Kanan suddenly spoke up, "Big brother, please activate your Byakugan and take a look!" Hiashi was taken aback; this sudden request surprised him greatly. However, when he saw Kanan's firm and confident smile, he realized that things might not be so simple. After hesitating for a moment, Hiashi decided to heed Kanan's advice and slowly activated his Byakugan.

With the activation of his Byakugan, Hiashi Hyuga's vision instantly changed. He could clearly sense everything around him, including the flow of chakra in everyone and the details of their movements. Just then, Hiashi's gaze fell on the Fourth Kazekage in the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly, revealing a hint of surprise. He had discovered that the Fourth Kazekage was actually Orochimaru in disguise, participating in this trial. This astonishing fact shocked Hiashi; he never imagined Orochimaru would be so audacious as to impersonate a Kage-level shinobi from another country and infiltrate Konoha.

Hiashi Hyuga knew that if this plan were discovered, Orochimaru would be surrounded by Konoha ninja. Even with Orochimaru's exceptional strength, he would find it difficult to escape under the combined attack of numerous Konoha ninja. At this moment, Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi were only protected by one guard, and the nearest Konoha ninja was at least a hundred meters away. If Orochimaru could quickly subdue Hiruzen, the Konoha ninja would be unable to rescue him in time. Furthermore, Orochimaru's audacity in acting this way indicated he was prepared and likely capable of preventing Konoha ninja reinforcements.

Hiashi Hyuga's expression flickered with surprise before he closed his Byakugan. He knew Orochimaru had his own plans and schemes, none of which concerned the Hyuga clan. As the leader of the Hyuga family, Hiashi had already made thorough preparations to ensure his clansmen suffered no harm. He was well aware of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, and his loyal followers' hostility towards his clan. Therefore, he saw no need to warn them of the impending danger. Doing so would not only cause unnecessary trouble but could also lead to further conflict. Thus, Hiashi chose to remain silent, quietly observing the situation and awaiting the final outcome. Regardless, the Hyuga clan would always protect its interests and safety.

At this moment, Nara Shikamaru and Temari were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle. Although Shikamaru was somewhat overwhelmed, he continued to use his wits to outmaneuver Temari. Taking this opportunity, Hyuga Kanan instructed Hyuga Neji, "Neji, you see, in battle, strategy is important, but you must not neglect the essentials. No matter how brilliant your battle wisdom, it must be based on strength. Battle wisdom is merely a technique to aid in combat; it only becomes truly crucial when facing an opponent of equal skill. However, how often are real battles fought against equally matched opponents? Therefore, improving your own strength is paramount. If your strength far surpasses your opponent's, then even if they possess the most sophisticated battle wisdom, they will ultimately be defeated by primal power."

Hyuga Neji watched the battle unfold while listening to his teacher's instructions. He didn't take the strength of these people seriously, but Nara Shikamaru's strategy truly caught his eye.

"So that's how it is. This is the wisdom of the Nara family," Hyuga Neji thought to himself.

However, the teacher is absolutely right. A scheme without a solid foundation is nothing but a mirage.

Nara Shikamaru quickly raised his hands in surrender. Temari's strength far surpassed his, and although he had made many plans, he ultimately gave up the fight due to excessive chakra depletion.

"I surrender!" Nara Shikamaru said.

Upon hearing this, the audience sighed. They had thought that Nara Shikamaru would cause Temari some trouble, but they didn't expect him to admit defeat so quickly.

Temari walked off the field with a relaxed expression, knowing she had won easily. Nara Shikamaru, on the other hand, returned to his position with a helpless look, knowing he had lost decisively.

"It seems the wisdom of the Nara family isn't all-powerful after all," Hyuga Neji thought to himself with a smirk.

Next comes the battle between Yamanaka Fu and Uzumaki Naruto. This time, Yamanaka Fu has accepted a secret mission from Shimura Danzo. He needs to make Uzumaki Naruto go berserk, preferably causing some damage. In that case, Sarutobi Hiruzen will have no choice but to hand over his Jinchuriki to Danzo for training. Danzo, who has the Jinchuriki under his control, will surely make Konoha even greater.

The battle was incredibly dull, lacking both powerful ninjutsu and taijutsu clashes; it was merely a typical ninja fight. It could even be described as a one-sided beating. Finally, after Yamanaka Fu, who held a decisive advantage, defeated Uzumaki Naruto, he suddenly stopped and used a secret technique of the Yamanaka clan, putting Naruto into a peculiar state.

Then, Naruto Uzumaki emitted a peculiar chakra, filled with an evil and violent aura. The blood-red chakra made everyone present feel a strong sense of oppression. Hyuga Kanan suddenly opened his eyes, and at the same time, his previously restrained spiritual power burst forth, carefully probing this chakra. This was Hyuga Kanan's first contact with Tailed Beast chakra, and under his careful perception, he revealed a peculiar feeling. This chakra gave him a strange insight, providing a slight opportunity for a breakthrough in his previously bottlenecked cultivation. Although he was far from achieving a breakthrough, it brought him a spark of inspiration.

The Tailed Beast chakra, perceived through Hyuga Kanan's spiritual power, provided him with inspiration for a breakthrough and also allowed him to discover the formation of the Tailed Beasts. The so-called Tailed Beasts are merely a collection of fragments of will separated from the rules of a world, possessing a very complete operation of the world's rules, allowing Hyuga Kanan to perceive some of these world rules.

Unfortunately, the tailed beasts of Konoha Village were only a part of it, providing Hyuga Kanan with only a sliver of inspiration. However, if he could gather all the tailed beasts and fuse them together, it might offer him even greater insights. Nevertheless, this trip to Konoha Village was still very fruitful. The mere sliver of inspiration from the Konoha tailed beasts was a huge gain; otherwise, it might have taken him a considerable amount of time to find that crucial breakthrough.