Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 379 The Turbulent Ninja World

As Hyuga Kanan entered seclusion, his consciousness gradually blurred, as if drawn by a mysterious force. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. It was filled with endless light and strange energy fluctuations, leaving him utterly awestruck.

A surge of excitement welled up in Hyuga Kanan's heart, for he knew this was the legendary place of origin—the source of the world. Here, everything was in a state of chaos, without the concepts of time and space, only the most primal forces flowing.

His gaze was drawn to a dazzling light—a constantly evolving force of rules. These forces danced like countless dragons, each change containing infinite possibilities. Hyuga Kanan felt an unprecedented excitement; he knew this was a rare opportunity to delve deeper into the mysteries of the universe.

He quietly observed the evolution of the power of rules, trying to understand its patterns. As time passed, he gradually grasped some clues, but more questions arose as well. However, he did not give up, but continued to immerse himself in this magical world, striving to comprehend it.

Hyuga Kanan believed that, with time, he would gradually emerge, showcasing extraordinary talent and potential. He believed they wouldn't become arrogant or complacent, but rather more humble and cautious. Because he understood that the enemies awaiting him were exceptionally powerful, and the slightest misstep could lead to utter failure. But it was precisely this awe of the unknown that drove him to constantly surpass himself and strive for even greater heights.

One day, when Hyuga Kanan stands atop the final battle, his gaze will be resolute, his aura unstoppable. Even facing the legendary Sage of Six Paths, he will show no fear, his heart filled with boundless courage and conviction. This life-or-death struggle is not only a matter of personal honor but also the future destiny of the entire Daoist lineage. In the fierce clash, Hyuga Kanan, with his unwavering perseverance and exceptional skill, gradually gains the upper hand… Ultimately, he will successfully defeat the Sage of Six Paths, paving a bright path for the flourishing of the Daoist lineage in the ninja world!

The training ground, which had been restless due to Hyuga Kanan's conflict with the world's will, gradually returned to tranquility after Orochimaru and Hyuga Neji met with Kanan and received an explanation. Orochimaru and Neji didn't linger outside but quickly immersed themselves in training. Reminded by Kanan, they knew their time for peaceful training was running out; they had to achieve a breakthrough as soon as possible and increase their strength quickly to prepare for the impending crisis.

As time went on, Orochimaru and Neji Hyuga's training progressed smoothly, and their strength steadily increased. However, at this time, the situation outside became increasingly tense. Jinchuriki from various ninja villages were being captured by the Akatsuki, and these events seemed to foreshadow a major upheaval.

Faced with this situation, the Hyuga clan, after receiving intelligence from the outside world, decided to accelerate the training of the younger generation. They began teaching them more advanced training techniques and providing them with more guidance. With the full support of the Hyuga clan, the strength of the younger generation at the training grounds improved further, but they still felt immense pressure.

Meanwhile, various ninja villages across the ninja world began taking action to address this potential crisis. Some villages strengthened their military forces, while others actively engaged in diplomatic activities, seeking alliances and cooperation. At this critical moment, many villages realized that relying solely on individual strength was far from sufficient; they must unite all forces that could be united to jointly confront this crisis. Consequently, previously extremely tense relations between ninja villages reduced friction, and they contacted other powers to garner more support and cooperation.

In response to Akatsuki's continued actions, several ninja villages and organizations have expressed their willingness to provide aid and support. However, this is merely a drop in the ocean; more strength is needed to combat such a powerful enemy. During this difficult time, the alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure has become even stronger, and they are determined to spare no effort to unite with other ninja villages and protect the world from the threats posed by Akatsuki.

Unfortunately, years of war between the various ninja villages have deeply rooted hatred in their hearts. The flames of war and slaughter have taken a heavy toll on each village; countless lives have been lost, homes destroyed, and endless pain and sorrow permeate the land. Even though the fighting has temporarily ceased, the past wounds remain vivid and unforgettable. This deep-seated hatred is not easily eased; it requires time, effort, and the building of trust. True peace and reconciliation can only be achieved when both sides truly let go of past grievances and are willing to face the future together. However, this is no easy task, as hatred is deeply etched into people's hearts, becoming an indelible memory. Nevertheless, Konoha cannot give up hope and must continue its efforts to advance the peace process, creating a better world for the ninja world.

The proposal from Sunagakure and Konoha to jointly target the Akatsuki was met with silence from the other ninja villages. However, they did not give up and took several measures to counter the Akatsuki threat. First, they reduced friction between themselves to avoid escalating internal conflicts. Second, they each dispatched elite ninjas to various locations to gather intelligence on the Akatsuki. These ninjas bore a crucial mission: to collect information about Akatsuki members, their areas of activity, and their objectives. They traversed mountains and forests, infiltrated cities, and made contact with various forces, attempting to unveil the Akatsuki's mysteries. However, the Akatsuki were no ordinary group; their elusive movements and secretive actions posed significant challenges to the ninjas' investigations. But these ninjas were not deterred by these difficulties. With unwavering perseverance and exceptional skills, they relentlessly searched for clues, gradually approaching the truth.

Less than a year after the Akatsuki's invasion of Sunagakure, news of Jinchuriki disappearing frequently came from various regions. These Jinchuriki, who had been closely protected by their respective ninja villages, vanished one after another in a short period. This situation aroused great concern and anxiety from all sides. The ninja villages began to confirm that a mysterious and powerful force was indeed operating in secret, attempting to acquire all the Jinchuriki.

However, deep distrust and suspicion existed among these ninja villages. Each village feared that the others would use this opportunity to weaken their strength or try to control more of the Tailed Beasts' power. This atmosphere of mutual suspicion prevented them from uniting against the Akatsuki. It was precisely because of this situation that the Akatsuki was able to seize the opportunity and defeat each ninja village one by one. Due to the lack of trust and cooperation among the ninja villages, the Akatsuki was able to easily infiltrate and attack those villages protecting the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki. Using their superior strength and strategy, they successfully defeated the guards and captured the Jinchuriki. In this way, the Akatsuki successfully completed the capture of the Jinchuriki from the One-Tailed to the Seven-Tailed. Each operation brought them one step closer to their goal, but also plunged the world into greater crisis. All of this was caused by the distrust between the ninja villages. If they could have united, they might have been able to stop the Akatsuki's plot, but now it was too late. As time went on, the Akatsuki's power continued to grow, and the power of the Tailed Beasts gradually fell into their hands. The fate of the world seems to be becoming increasingly uncertain, and people can only hope that one day someone will step forward and prevent this disaster from happening.

Both Konoha and Sunagakure had personally experienced clashes with the Akatsuki. Although they successfully defeated Deidara and Sasori in this second battle, this victory did not make them complacent; instead, it deepened their understanding of the threat posed by this mysterious organization. It's worth noting that they only managed to defeat them by a hair's breadth, after the death of Sunagakure's elder Chiyo and injuries to several members of Kakashi's and Guy's teams.

Chiyo was a top fighter in Sunagakure, possessing Kage-level combat power and leading the village's strongest puppet collection—the Chikamatsu Ten. This puppetry technique was created by Bunkaemon, the progenitor of puppetry. The Chikamatsu Ten consisted of ten white-clad puppets capable of highly complex combination attacks and ninjutsu. Chiyo could simultaneously control these ten puppets with each of her ten fingers, one puppet per finger, allowing for all-around attacks. This puppetry not only showcased Chiyo's exceptional control skills but also demonstrated the formidable combat power of the Chikamatsu Ten as Bunkaemon's masterpiece. The power of the Chikamatsu Ten was praised as "one puppet against a thousand," meaning the combined combat power of these ten puppets was equivalent to a thousand ordinary puppets. Furthermore, these puppets could not only perform combination attacks but also execute various ninjutsu, making them exceptionally agile and powerful in battle. However, they were all destroyed in battle, ultimately forcing Chiyo to sacrifice her own life to save Gaara.

Teams Kakashi and Guy were Konoha's most elite ninja teams. Both Kakashi and Guy possessed Kage-level strength, and their subordinates were at least Chunin-level, with Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha even having Jonin-level combat abilities. Despite this formidable strength, they were nearly wiped out by the enemy's self-destruction.