Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 273 The Konoha Crush Plan Begins (Part 3)

Gaara clearly had no patience for Sasuke to continue showing off; on the verge of a mental breakdown, he only wanted to tear Sasuke to shreds. The sand in the gourd behind him began to stir, and the killing intent in his eyes almost enveloped the entire area.

The battle quickly escalated, and Sasuke Uchiha clearly possessed a deep understanding of Gaara's attacks and defenses. His previous battle with Rock Lee had already revealed much of Gaara's combat intelligence. Sasuke, already a master of combat strategy, had also learned offensive ninjutsu from Kakashi Hatake that could break through Gaara's defenses, hence his overwhelming confidence.

"Sand Binding Coffin!" With Gaara's roar, a massive wave of sand surged towards Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke, prepared, dodged the attack with a swift movement. Simultaneously, he formed hand seals and chanted, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" A gigantic fireball hurtled towards Gaara.

Gaara calmly manipulated the sand to form a shield, blocking Sasuke Uchiha's Fireball Jutsu. However, Sasuke's attack did not stop; he formed hand seals again and unleashed a ninjutsu. His eyes turned red, and three tomoe swirled within his pupils.

"Sharingan!" Gaara was startled. He knew that the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan was a powerful eye technique that could see through the enemy's movements and ninjutsu.

After activating his Sharingan, Sasuke Uchiha's speed and strength increased. He swiftly charged towards Gaara, displaying speed and techniques remarkably similar to those of Rock Lee. Gaara hastily used sand to block his attack, but Sasuke easily bypassed the sand barrier using his speed.

Gaara was shocked; he hadn't expected Sasuke Uchiha to be so fast. He quickly retreated, manipulating the sand to form a barrier in an attempt to block Sasuke's attack. But Sasuke's Sharingan had already seen through his movements, easily bypassing the sand barrier and slamming his fist into Gaara's face.

Just then, Gaara's body was sent flying by the immense force of the punch, crashing to the ground. Sasuke Uchiha was stunned; he had used his full strength in that punch, yet Gaara stood up unharmed. His expression grew even more serious, preparing to launch another attack. He believed that if he continued, he would gradually peel away the layer of sand covering Gaara's body. Suddenly, he sensed a powerful aura erupting from Gaara. He quickly looked down and saw Gaara standing there, his eyes flashing with rage.

Gaara roared, and a massive sandstorm surged towards him. Sasuke Uchiha didn't have time to attack; the sandstorm healed the damage from the previous attack. But Gaara's expression became even more ferocious and terrifying, as if he was about to lose his mind. He immediately used his last shred of sanity to manipulate the sand, forming a sphere that completely enveloped him.

Sasuke Uchiha, unaware of Gaara's unease, launched another attack. However, his full-force punch was instantly paralyzed, drawing blood. Clearly, this level of taijutsu was completely ineffective against Gaara's current defense. A smug smile appeared on Sasuke's face; he had already been taught ninjutsu by Kakashi Hatake to break through such defenses. He abruptly retreated, creating maximum distance between himself and Gaara, reaching the highest point of the arena's wall. He rapidly formed hand seals, gathering lightning chakra in his palm. Soon, visible lightning chakra appeared on his hand, enveloping it and forming a hand blade of lightning chakra.

"Chidori!" Sasuke Uchiha whispered. This was a ninjutsu taught to him by Kakashi Hatake, and one of his strongest attack techniques. He knew Gaara's sand defense was strong, but he believed Chidori could break through it.

Gaara sensed no change in Sasuke's aura; Sasuke's consciousness was now clouded. Even his eyes were changing, transforming from human pupils into a strange kind of pupil.

Sasuke Uchiha didn't see Gaara's reaction, secretly relieved that he had made the right choice. He took a deep breath, gathering all his strength into his palm, preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

"Take this, Gaara!" Sasuke Uchiha shouted, then charged forward, his Chidori flashing with dazzling light as he pierced Gaara's sand ball.

Sasuke Uchiha's Chidori struck the sand sphere, producing a series of piercing sounds. However, he did not stop, but continued to charge forward, the Chidori in his palm breaking through the sand sphere's defense.

A strange expression appeared on Gaara's face. Although his consciousness was not very clear, he still felt the pain. After Sasuke Uchiha's Chidori pierced through the sand sphere, the remaining power struck Gaara's shoulder, causing blood to flow instantly. When he felt the warm blood flowing from his body, his expression became extremely distorted.

This was the first time in many years that Gaara had felt his own blood. In that moment of distraction, he transformed into a small monster formed from sand, which rapidly coalesced into a gigantic hand that gripped Sasuke's arm that had pierced his shoulder. This sand hand was filled with immense pressure, capable of crushing an enemy into a pulp.

Sasuke Uchiha sensed Gaara's attack and inwardly cried out in alarm. He tried to dodge, but it was too late. A sandy hand swiftly grabbed his arm, enveloping it completely.

Sasuke Uchiha felt an immense pressure coming from all directions, as if his bones were about to be crushed. He struggled desperately, but to no avail.

Sasuke Uchiha's eyes suddenly hardened, and a powerful force surged within him. His body began to radiate a violent lightning-attribute light, shattering the sand enveloping his arm and allowing him to pull it out of the sand sphere.

The cave seemed like a passage to another world, deep and mysterious. Uchiha Sasuke gazed through it at the scene in the darkness. Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a strange light. It was a pupil he had never seen before, shimmering with an eerie light, like the brightest star in the night sky. Just one glance sent a chill down his spine, and his heart involuntarily quickened.

The shape of this pupil was completely different from any human eye he was familiar with; it resembled the pupil of a wild beast, embedded in darkness. It exuded an indescribable aura, both terrifying and alluring, drawing the eye in at the same time. The aura it emitted was incredibly violent, sending a chill down Sasuke's spine.

Gaara quickly regained some of his sanity, snapping out of his daze and suppressing the leaked tailed beast chakra, returning to normal. However, he was completely drained of energy, lacking even the strength to stand up again.

Seeing this, Orochimaru's men knew they couldn't delay any longer and had to put their plan into action immediately. They secretly began forming hand seals, then channeled their chakra to unleash a wide-ranging genjutsu. Most of the spectators, including ordinary people and some genin, quickly fell under the genjutsu and lost consciousness.

Hyuga Kanan raised an eyebrow slightly after sensing the activated genjutsu. "Orochimaru really cares about Konoha! Using such a large-scale genjutsu is to avoid affecting these commoners and nobles, and to prevent any reputational damage to Konoha." Hyuga Kanan couldn't help but sigh. Orochimaru's bond with Konoha was truly profound; he had even paved the way for the village's future. Any successor with a bit of courage could revitalize Konoha.

Hyuga Kanan turned to look at Hyuga Hiashi and the others, and found that Hinata and Hanabi were both trapped in a genjutsu, which left him speechless. The Byakugan was the bane of all genjutsu, and the fact that these two little girls had fallen for it made Hyuga Hiashi feel ashamed. He then said, "Big brother, take Hinata and Hanabi back to the clan compound! The compound needs you there right now. Neji, make sure they return safely."

Neji Hyuga actually wanted to stay and watch the show, but after seeing Hinata trapped in the genjutsu, he nodded in agreement. Protecting his adorable little sister was the most important thing to do now.

Watching Hiashi and the others leave quickly, Kanan Hyuga looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru on the platform, a rare smile appearing on his face. This was a grand spectacle meticulously prepared by Orochimaru, one he absolutely couldn't miss. He wanted to see just how far Orochimaru would go for Konoha.

The instant the genjutsu was activated, Orochimaru swiftly appeared behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, pressing a kunai against his throat. Hiruzen's bodyguard was pinned to the ground by the kunai, unable to rise. Orochimaru then rode Hiruzen to the highest rooftop, allowing most of the Konoha ninja present to clearly witness the scene.

At the same time, the four figures that Orochimaru had already arranged quickly occupied the four corners of the roof, rapidly forming hand seals and striking the roof.

"Four Purple Flame Formation!"

A purple barrier instantly enveloped the entire rooftop, enveloping Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi, cutting off the advance of Konoha ninja reinforcements. This left Orochimaru and Hiruzen alone within it.

After observing the barrier that had formed, Hyuga Kanan couldn't help but admire Orochimaru's meticulous care for Konoha and Hiruzen Sarutobi. He could have easily killed Hiruzen directly, dealing the greatest blow to Konoha. Yet, he went to the extra mile to preserve Hiruzen's dignity and minimize the damage to the village. It seemed Orochimaru's bond with Hiruzen was deeper than he had imagined! Even after Hiruzen had been declared a rogue ninja, Orochimaru still wanted to give him the image of protecting Konoha and dying on the battlefield.