Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 240 Arrival in Konoha

The man in black robes trembled violently, his single eye filled with shock and disbelief. He had never imagined this person would appear here. The area within a ten-kilometer radius was swarming with White Zetsu; this person shouldn't have been here at all. But the reality was undeniable, forcing him to accept this cruel truth.

Standing before the man in black robes was the energy clone that Hyuga Kanan had left for Hyuga Neji. This energy clone had consumed a great deal of Hyuga Kanan's energy and time, possessing half of his formidable strength. When it appeared, the aura emanating from it exuded an indescribable pressure.

The man in black robes stared wide-eyed at the energy clone before him. He could clearly feel the terrifying pressure emanating from it, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on him. This pressure made it almost impossible for him to breathe, and a wave of despair washed over him. He knew all too well that with his own strength, he was absolutely no match for such a being.

Although he lost consciousness in the last battle, the attack, powerful enough to tear space apart, was still deeply imprinted in his mind, lingering there. Despite his lucky escape that time, he wasn't so fortunate next time. He had no confidence that he could contend with his opponent again. Therefore, his immediate priority was to escape this dangerous place as quickly as possible and find a safe haven.

He dared not hesitate for a moment, nor did he want to waste time communicating with the other party. After all, the other party might launch an attack at the slightest provocation. So, he decisively activated his Mangekyou Sharingan, concentrated all the chakra in his body into his leg muscles, and started running at top speed.

As the Mangekyou Sharingan was activated, a vortex rapidly appeared in the surrounding scenery, as if being pulled by an invisible force. His body also began to quickly enter the vortex, leaving a faint afterimage before completely disappearing from the spot. In this life-or-death moment, he had to go all out and unleash the full power of his Mangekyou Sharingan to ensure that his chance of escape was not interrupted.

Hyuga Kanan's clone showed no intention of making a move. He simply stood there quietly, watching coldly as his opponent gradually disappeared from sight. In truth, he could easily have stopped his opponent's escape if he wanted to, but doing so would have been pointless. After all, the lesson from last time was still fresh in his mind. With Hyuga Neji present, killing him again would only attract the attention of the mastermind behind it all. That would likely bring them even more trouble and problems.

As the other person's figure completely disappeared into thin air, Hyuga Kanan's clone slowly turned his head and turned his gaze to his disciple, Hyuga Neji. At this moment, Hyuga Neji looked extremely disheveled, with a trace of bright red blood at the corner of his mouth, his body trembling slightly from the intense pain, and his hands limply hanging at his sides.

Hyuga Kanan's clone had been keeping his attention focused on his opponent the entire time. From the beginning until now, he had silently observed without ever considering offering any assistance. He knew that this battle was not only a challenge for his opponent, but also a rare opportunity for growth. Only by experiencing such a battle firsthand could one truly understand its meaning and value. Therefore, he chose to wait patiently, hoping that his opponent would gain more experience and insights from this battle. These valuable lessons would become important foundations for his opponent's future training.

When the opponent loses the ability to resist and faces a real threat to their life, he will step in to help them overcome the crisis, successfully training Hyuga Neji!

He believed that after experiencing such a life-or-death ordeal, the other party would have greatly improved in both strength and character. And all of this was because of his timely assistance. Watching everything unfold before him, Hyuga Neji was deeply moved. He realized that if it weren't for his teacher's timely intervention, he might already be dead. Thinking of this, he was filled with gratitude towards Hyuga Kanan.

At this moment, Hyuga Neji disregarded his own injuries, focusing intently on the figure of Hyuga Kanan's clone. His mind was filled with doubt and curiosity: Why was his teacher here? And at the most crucial moment? He desperately wanted to know the answer.

Hyuga Neji stared at Hyuga Kanan with excitement, his eyes filled with confusion and curiosity. He couldn't understand why his teacher had suddenly appeared here, and at such perfect timing, as if he had foreseen everything. Faced with his student's question, Hyuga Kanan's lips curled into a mysterious smile. He gently patted Hyuga Neji's shoulder, encouraging him to use his Byakugan to find the answer. Hyuga Neji followed his teacher's advice, closed his eyes, concentrated, and activated his Byakugan. When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him shocked him. He had initially thought his teacher would have meridians, but that wasn't the case. His teacher's body was entirely composed of energy, with no meridians whatsoever. This discovery made him realize that his teacher was merely an energy clone.

Hyuga Kanan seemed to sense Hyuga Neji's surprise. His energy clone maintained its gentle smile and softly explained, "I've always been by your side, I just didn't let you notice." These words flowed like a warm current into Hyuga Neji's heart. He had never imagined that his teacher cared so much about them, silently protecting them all along. This concern moved him to tears, and his eyes welled up with moisture.

Hyuga Neji lowered his head, his voice slightly choked, and said, "Teacher, thank you for taking care of me all this time. I will definitely train harder and live up to your expectations!" Hyuga Kanan nodded gently, showing his recognition and encouragement for his student. He believed that as long as Neji persevered, he would surely achieve even greater things in the future.

"Alright, this energy clone can't exist for long once it's activated. However, the energy it contains is enough to restore you to your former state, or even surpass it. I hope this will be helpful to you. From now on, you'll have to rely on yourself." Hyuga Kanan's energy clone reached out and gently stroked Hyuga Neji's forehead, its eyes filled with affection. Then, it began to pour an immense amount of life energy into Hyuga Neji's body.

Under the infusion of immense life energy, Neji Hyuga's internal organ injuries and broken arm recovered rapidly and healed quickly. At the same time, all the cells in his body experienced a strong sense of fullness.

Hyuga Neji didn't delay any longer. He immediately sat cross-legged and began to regulate his breathing and refine this vast, pure energy. This allowed his innate flower, which was already in its seed-like stage, to receive a tremendous energy boost. The twin flowers of essence and energy, which were previously in a basic state, quickly began to condense and take shape with this infusion of energy, even slowly forming blossoms, on the verge of blooming. This saved Hyuga Neji at least a year of time refining energy to nourish his twin flowers of essence and energy. From then on, he could focus all his attention on the Nourishing Spirit Technique and strive to improve his soul power.

After sensing that the energy injection was nearly complete, Hyuga Kanan withdrew his hand and stood quietly beside Hyuga Neji, guarding him as he refined the energy. Most of the energy Kanan injected this time was transformed through the laws of life, which would strongly promote Hyuga Neji's body and greatly benefit his future training.

As time went by, Hyuga Neji's training gradually came to an end.

Hyuga Neji reopened his eyes and exhaled a deep breath. He felt that he was one step closer to the Innate Realm. As long as his soul power grew to the corresponding level, there would be no more obstacles to entering the Innate Realm.

Looking at his teacher protecting him, Hyuga Neji was deeply moved. Although Hyuga Kanan didn't spend much time teaching him, he cared for him immensely. While Hyuga Neji had ostensibly said he had to rely on himself for everything during his training trip down the mountain, Kanan had secretly sent a clone to protect him, ensuring his life was never in danger.

"Teacher, thank you for protecting me!" Hyuga Neji murmured to Hyuga Kanan's clone. He made up his mind to train hard and improve himself, so as not to let his teacher down.

"Neji, this clone's energy can't last much longer. From now on, you'll have to walk your own path. A fledgling eagle needs to spread its wings and soar, and I believe you're ready."

As he spoke, the clone began to slowly dissipate. Finally, it vanished before Hyuga Neji, transforming into countless specks of light. This energy clone had reached its limit and could not continue.

Hyuga Neji watched his teacher's energy clone dissipate, his eyes filled with unwavering determination. His teacher couldn't protect him forever; the path of training ultimately required him to walk it step by step on his own. Only with a steadfast heart could he continue on this path.

Despite the darkness of the night, Hyuga Neji's eyes shone brightly. This battle had profoundly tempered his resolve, further solidifying his determination to train.

As they continued their journey and drew closer to Konoha Village, they encountered no further unexpected events. They rarely encountered bandits or refugees, but rather quite a few peaceful and tranquil villages.

"It seems that the area around Konoha Village is relatively peaceful and stable. Come to think of it, if the villages around Konoha Village were in complete chaos, Konoha, the number one ninja village in the ninja world, would probably become a laughing stock. All the Konoha ninjas are very dedicated to maintaining the surrounding area."

After several days of travel, Hyuga Neji finally arrived not far from Konoha Village.