Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 549 Astounding Strength (Part 1)

A gentle breeze, like a pair of tender hands, softly caressed Hyuga Neji's long, cascading hair. The strands danced in the rhythm of the wind, weaving a beautiful picture in the air. This flowing hair added an indescribable air of elegance to his already exceptionally handsome face.

The two former Shadows standing opposite him, whose eyes had previously sparkled with brilliance, now seemed to be covered by a layer of frost, instantly becoming utterly indifferent. Then, a terrifyingly powerful aura suddenly erupted from their bodies. This aura, like a surging, overwhelming wave, swept outwards with unstoppable force. The surrounding air seemed to solidify due to this terrifying aura, making it difficult to breathe and causing hearts to race.

Hyuga Neji stood there quietly, his gaze fixed on the breathtaking scene before him. As he witnessed it firsthand, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled up slightly, forming a barely perceptible arc.

His keen senses, like radar, quickly detected the tremendous changes occurring in the two Kage before him. Whether it was the powerful aura emanating from them or the chakra erupting like surging waves, everything spoke of this astonishing fact—the strength of these two Kage had undergone a complete transformation!

What surprised Hyuga Neji even more was that he could clearly sense a glimmer of light that had previously flickered in the eyes of these two Kage, but now it had vanished, replaced by a deathly silence. It was as if their souls had been ripped out, leaving only empty and indifferent shells.

However, Neji Hyuga showed no surprise or worry at this situation; instead, he was secretly delighted. This was precisely the outcome he had always hoped for. He had already discerned the true intentions of those manipulating the Impure World Reincarnation technique—to completely erase the consciousness of these two Kage, preserving only their purest fighting spirit and instincts. In this way, these two once-mighty ninjas would unleash their full power without restraint, becoming the most terrifying killing machines.

Only in this way could this incredibly fierce battle bring Hyuga Neji unprecedented pressure and intense stimulation. This life-or-death struggle under extreme conditions would undoubtedly become a crucial opportunity for him to break through his own limitations and reach a higher level! Thinking of this, Hyuga Neji's eyes grew even more resolute, and every cell in his body seemed to tremble with excitement, eagerly awaiting the coming storm…

The Third Raikage was enveloped in dazzling lightning, his lightning-attribute chakra rapidly flowing and condensing, instantly forming a suit of lightning armor covering his entire body. This armor shimmered with a chilling light, seemingly containing boundless power.

At the same time, the Third Raikage raised his right arm without hesitation, his four thick fingers pointing straight up. In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to be stirred by this powerful aura, and countless streams of lightning-attribute chakra surged wildly toward his fingertips like a tidal wave.

The lightning-attribute chakra gathered and compressed above his fingers, eventually transforming into an incomparably sharp longsword. The blade crackled and sparked with purple lightning, sending chills down one's spine.

"Lightning Release: Hell Thrust!" With a deep and powerful roar, the Third Raikage shot out like an arrow. In that instant, his figure completely disappeared from the spot, replaced by a sharp lightning thrust that pierced the sky.

This lightning-fast thrust hurtled towards Hyuga Neji at an astonishing speed, carving a deep trench in the ground as it passed, raising clouds of dust, and accompanied by a deafening roar of lightning. Its power was enough to destroy anything in its path.

The Second Mizukage, standing nearby, showed no sign of stopping. His hands moved rapidly, forming a dazzling array of complex hand seals, before he slammed his fist into the ground without hesitation. He shouted, "Summoning Jutsu!"

In an instant, the chakra within the Second Mizukage surged wildly like a raging torrent. Accompanying this powerful burst of energy, an enormous clam, astonishing in size, appeared before everyone's eyes.

The moment the clam appeared, it opened its enormous shell and began spewing out a massive amount of water mist. This mist, like billowing smoke, spread at an astonishing speed, instantly enveloping a large area. In the blink of an eye, the entire space seemed to be swallowed up by this white mist.

The Second Mizukage, concealed by the dense mist, vanished without a trace, disappearing completely from sight and leaving his exact location elusive.

Suddenly, a flash of mysterious and profound blue light streaked across Hyuga Neji's normally calm eyes, his Byakugan flashing like lightning. At that moment, the Third Raikage, like a raging storm of thunder, carrying unparalleled power and force, charged straight at him at an astonishing speed!

However, facing such a fierce and relentless attack, Hyuga Neji showed no fear. He stood firmly, clenched his teeth, and exuded an aura of unwavering determination. He faced the powerful impact head-on without flinching, standing as firm as an indestructible mountain.

Despite the Third Raikage's extraordinary speed, it was all laid bare to Hyuga Neji, who possessed the Byakugan. Through the Byakugan's unique perception, he could easily detect every subtle movement, every muscle twitch, and every change in his breath. Therefore, the Third Raikage's seemingly flawless attack path became crystal clear to Hyuga Neji, as if completely dissected.

Under Hyuga Neji's sharp and calm gaze, the powerful Lightning Release ninjutsu unleashed by the Third Raikage bore a striking resemblance to Kakashi Hatake's renowned Lightning Blade! Their principles were essentially identical. Both used Lightning Release chakra to intensely stimulate the body's cells and nerves, significantly enhancing movement and reaction speed. Furthermore, both cleverly utilized the inherent piercing properties of Lightning Release chakra to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.

Just as the Third Raikage's fingers, crackling with dazzling lightning and possessing astonishing power, were about to touch Hyuga Neji's body, he subtly shifted his body to the side, swiftly dodging the attack with an extremely small movement. This seemingly simple action actually required extremely high skill and precise predictive ability. In this way, Hyuga Neji easily avoided the opponent's violent attack, which was like a storm.

However, Neji Hyuga was not content with simply defending. In the instant after successfully dodging, he swiftly mobilized the vast energy hidden within his body, continuously gathering it into his palm. As the light from his palm intensified, a powerful force surged forth, striking the Third Raikage's chest with overwhelming force!

Under the constant stimulation of the violent lightning chakra, the Third Raikage was like a war god surrounded by lightning, and his nerve reflexes instantly soared to an astonishing level! Even when Hyuga Neji dodged with his exquisite movement technique and launched a fierce counterattack, the Third Raikage could easily detect it and make corresponding responses.

However, unexpectedly, the Third Raikage showed no intention of dodging or avoiding the attack. Instead, he resolutely chose to take Hyuga Neji's fierce blow head-on. He stood firmly in place like an unbreakable mountain, seemingly not taking the attack seriously at all.

At this moment, the Third Raikage, driven only by pure fighting spirit and instinct, possessed absolute confidence in his virtually invincible defensive abilities! It's important to understand that in the entire ninja world, if we're talking about physical defense alone, probably no one can compare to the powerful Third Raikage. His body, forged through countless life-or-death battles, had long since become an insurmountable wall of steel.

In that instant, Hyuga Neji's palm slammed down like a whirlwind onto the Third Raikage's rock-solid body! However, the moment his palm made contact with the opponent's body, an incredibly powerful and awe-inspiring force surged forth. This force far exceeded Hyuga Neji's imagination, as if an unshakeable mountain stood proudly before him.

Faced with such overwhelming defensive power, Hyuga Neji's heart sank, but he did not back down. Although his sudden attack failed to push his opponent back even an inch, and his movements even paused slightly due to the impact of the immense force, his eyes remained unwavering.

The Third Raikage, however, seemed to have anticipated this turn of events, showing no surprise whatsoever. His forward-thrusting hand suddenly twisted nimbly, transforming into a sharp hand blade that slashed horizontally towards Hyuga Neji's vulnerable neck with lightning speed! This hand blade moved with incredible speed, creating a sharp, piercing sound, like lightning streaking across the night sky, leaving no time for anyone to react.

The Third Raikage moved with lightning speed, closing in on his target in an instant. He was absolutely confident in his surprise attack! At such a short distance, almost no one could escape this extremely swift and fierce offensive.

At this moment, the Third Raikage's muscles were taut, every line seemingly containing boundless power. His eyes flashed with a sharp light, locked onto the enemy before him, giving him no chance to breathe.

With a flick of his arm, a bolt of lightning suddenly burst forth, hurtling towards his opponent with earth-shattering force. The lightning was incredibly fast, reaching the enemy in the blink of an eye, tearing apart the air in its path and producing a series of ear-piercing explosions.