Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 548 Enraging the Person Behind the Scenes

The Third Raikage moved like lightning, his taijutsu attacking Hyuga Neji like a raging storm! Every punch and kick carried the force of a thunderbolt, as if tearing the air apart. At the same time, the Second Mizukage was not to be outdone, unleashing a variety of exquisite water-style ninjutsu. Surging torrents of water transformed into enormous water dragons, baring their fangs and claws as they lunged at Neji; or they coalesced into countless sharp ice spikes, shooting out in dense, unstoppable waves.

However, despite the relentless onslaught, Hyuga Neji remained remarkably calm and composed. His Byakugan eyes gleamed faintly, their powerful observation skills allowing him to clearly discern the trajectory and weaknesses of his enemy's attacks. With this unique talent and his own formidable physical strength, Neji excelled in close combat.

As the Third Raikage's fist hurtled towards him, Neji sidestepped, easily avoiding the fatal blow. Immediately after, he swiftly struck out with a palm strike, accurately hitting the Raikage in the ribs, causing him to stagger. Neji also handled the Second Mizukage's water-style ninjutsu with equal ease. He nimbly weaved between water dragons and ice spikes, as graceful as a butterfly in flight. Occasionally, he would seize an opportunity to launch a swift counterattack, causing considerable trouble for his two powerful enemies.

Hyuga Neji keenly sensed that the seemingly fierce and powerful attacks from these two former Kage were not actually a full display of their true strength. Based on his understanding of these two predecessors, powerful ninjas who had achieved renown and made great contributions in the ninja world could not possibly possess only this level of power.

Hyuga Neji pondered the reasons behind this, and soon a possibility came to mind: perhaps it was because he belonged to the Allied Shinobi Forces, the side of justice, and the other side did not want to go against their conscience and embolden the evil forces, that they were intentionally suppressing their fighting power in this battle. This speculation was not without basis; after all, for these former powerhouses, their inner moral principles and sense of justice were often more important than mere brute force.

However, the battle at hand was not what Hyuga Neji desired. What he longed for was to clash with a formidable opponent, one who could exert immense pressure and unleash his full potential. A fight like this, which appeared thrilling but was actually quite dangerous, could not satisfy his thirst for intense combat.

"It seems necessary to provoke them a bit! However, given their positions, they have no chance of unleashing their full power to inflict substantial damage on the Allied Shinobi Forces. Therefore, I should probably turn my attention to the mastermind behind their Edo Tensei. The mysterious figure manipulating them will surely not tolerate my blatant provocation!" Hyuga Neji fought bravely while racking his brains for a strategy to successfully ignite the fighting spirit of these two formidable enemies before him.

With a swift, ghostly movement, Hyuga Neji dodged the Third Raikage's powerful hand strike, which carried the force of a violent lightning release. His movements were agile and decisive; using his left leg as a solid support, he crouched slightly and quickly braced himself with his hands on the ground, as if becoming one with the earth.

Immediately afterward, his right leg shot out like lightning, kicking upward with tremendous force. This powerful kick, like a giant hammer, struck the tall and imposing Third Raikage squarely in the chest. A dull thud echoed through the sky, and the Third Raikage's massive body was sent flying backward by this upward kick!

After arcing through the air, the Third Raikage crashed heavily into the vast desert, kicking up a cloud of dust. With a deafening roar, his body slammed into a massive, bottomless crater tens of meters in diameter, sending sand and gravel raining down. At the same time, a slight indentation could be clearly seen in the Third Raikage's chest, indicating a significant injury.

In that instant, Hyuga Neji's figure shot out like lightning, his entire being seemingly transforming into a dazzling white light. This light traversed space at an astonishing speed, arriving beside the Second Mizukage, who was concentrating intently on preparing to unleash another ninjutsu, in the blink of an eye.

Hyuga Neji swiftly formed his hands into a sword-like finger shape, his fingertips flashing with a sharp, cold light. Without hesitation, he aimed a sharp strike at the Second Mizukage's neck, his movement as swift as lightning, so fast that no one could react in time.

With a dull thud, Hyuga Neji's sword finger struck the Second Mizukage's neck with deadly accuracy. The powerful impact and penetrating force made his finger like a sharp blade, easily piercing through the Second Mizukage's tough skin, muscles, and bone tissue, completely piercing his neck!

After swiftly defeating the two, Hyuga Neji did not, as expected, immediately signal the sealing ninjas of the Allied Shinobi Forces who were waiting in the rear to rush forward and complete the sealing mission. Instead, he stood quietly in place, like a steady mountain, his gaze cold and sharp, fixed on the two who were lying on the ground and slowly beginning to recover.

As time passed, the horrific wounds on the two men began to heal at a visible speed, their muscles and bones gradually returning to their original positions, as if they possessed some kind of miraculous self-healing ability. However, faced with this astonishing scene, Hyuga Neji remained unmoved, only a slight, barely perceptible smile of contempt playing on his lips.

Finally, when the two had fully recovered, they leaped to their feet, glaring angrily at their seemingly nonchalant opponent. But before they could utter a retort, Hyuga Neji broke the silence. He slightly raised his chin and said in an extremely indifferent tone, "Hmph, with this level of skill? Trying to threaten me is a pipe dream! It seems the Akatsuki organization, so much for its legendary power, is nothing more than this."

In a shadowy corner, Hiruko, hidden behind layers of curtains, quietly manipulated the Impure World Reincarnation technique. At this moment, the summoned Second Mizukage was silently listening to every word Hyuga Neji spoke. The instant these words reached Hiruko's ears, a flash of anger suddenly appeared in his eyes, which had been hidden in the darkness.

Hiruko's life was shrouded in a deep resentment towards geniuses. He recalled his time in Konoha when he witnessed the legendary Sannin display astonishing strength, easily leaving him far behind. No matter how hard he tried, how diligently he trained, he could never catch up to them.

It was precisely because of this painful and humiliating experience that Hiruko devoted himself to the in-depth study of the Demon Sprout Technique. This extremely dangerous and forbidden technique became his last hope and sustenance in his attempt to surpass those so-called geniuses. However, at this moment, through the Second Mizukage resurrected by Edo Tensei, he saw Hyuga Neji—another being who could also be considered a top genius.

The innate arrogance emanating from Hyuga Neji, and his condescending attitude towards others, pierced Hiruko's most vulnerable spot like a sharp sword. This scene involuntarily reminded Hiruko of the legendary Sannin of Konoha who had tormented his soul, and the anger in his heart burned even more fiercely.

The flames of jealousy in Hiruko's heart burned fiercely like raging fire! His eyes widened, flashing with anger and resentment.

After years of tireless effort and research, he finally succeeded in developing the powerful forbidden technique of the Ghost Sprout Technique, and also mastered the fearsome Impure World Reincarnation method. However, even with such astonishing achievements, those so-called geniuses still looked down on him and treated him with cold indifference.

"Hmph! What right do they have to look down on me?" Hiruko muttered to himself through gritted teeth, his hands clenched into fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms without him even noticing. He could not tolerate such contempt and insult, and the anger in his heart burned ever brighter.

"Just you wait and see! I'll make these self-important geniuses understand that I've already surpassed them!" Hiruko vowed silently, a ferocious and resolute smile appearing on his face. He was determined to prove his strength to everyone, to make those geniuses awestruck and utterly subdued.

Immediately afterward, Hiruko's hands moved with incredible speed and fluidity, a series of complex and mysterious hand seals blooming from his fingertips. As the last hand seal was completed, a powerful and eerie energy surge suddenly erupted!

This energy, like a surging torrent, rushed straight towards the Second Mizukage and the Third Raikage. In an instant, the consciousnesses of these two once-mighty ninja were mercilessly devoured and obliterated by this power. Their previously suppressed strength, like a beast breaking free of its restraints, was instantly unleashed, gushing forth without reservation.

At this moment, the Second Mizukage and the Third Raikage had become Hiruko's sharpest weapons, their terrifying aura causing the surrounding air to seem to freeze. Hiruko's lips curled into a sinister smile as he thought to himself, "With these puppets resurrected through the Impure World Reincarnation technique under my control, I will surely crush this so-called genius of the Hyuga clan in one fell swoop, making him and all those other self-proclaimed geniuses obediently submit to my feet!"