Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 251 Shock

Hiruzen Sarutobi, looking at Hayate Gekko's furious challenge before him, felt a surge of anger. He felt he had already been quite lenient, yet Neji Hyuga was so oblivious. If it were Kanan Hyuga, it would be easier to say, but Neji was merely Kanan's disciple, and didn't seem very old. What gave him the right to so blatantly disrespect Konoha's ninjas? Did they really think Konoha was without its share of trouble?

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched everything unfold before him and nodded slightly in agreement. He knew these young people had their own pride and confidence, but they also needed to learn to respect others. He believed they would all gain something from this competition. Then, he looked at Hayate Gekko and reminded him, "Be careful not to hurt him."

Hayate Gekko nodded, a resolute glint in his eyes. He understood Hiruzen Sarutobi's meaning; although this match infuriated him, he couldn't afford to harm his opponent. He took a deep breath, and in a flash, appeared before Neji Hyuga. A sinister smile crept across his face as he coldly said, "Kid, you're far too arrogant. I'll show you the true strength of Konoha ninjas. Let's go to the training grounds."

Having said that, Moonlight Gale stopped talking nonsense and turned to speed towards the nearest training ground. He was incredibly fast, like a bolt of lightning streaking across the sky, leaving a trail of blurry afterimages.

Hyuga Neji, on the other hand, shrugged at Hyuga Hiashi beside him with a calm and even somewhat helpless expression, indicating his current attitude.

Although Hiashi Hyuga had never formally fought his nephew Neji Hyuga, he could tell from the occasional aura Neji revealed when Neji was teaching his two daughters that Neji was quite strong. Furthermore, the fact that Neji became Yoshihiro Hyuga's disciple and received his younger brother's permission to train alone suggested that his strength was acknowledged.

Thinking of this, Hiashi Hyuga said softly, "Then you should show your strength and let the other party see it. This will also reduce future troubles."

Hyuga Neji nodded, and quickly headed in the direction the other person had left.

The people present didn't have time to ponder the meaning of Hyuga Hiashi's words and hurriedly followed. They also wanted to see what gave Hyuga Neji such arrogance the confidence to act this way. If it was merely based on the prestige of the Hyuga clan, then it was rather laughable.

And so, the ninjas who had originally come to watch the ninja academy's graduation group formations all left the academy and headed to the nearest training ground.

The graduates in the classroom waited quietly for their instructor to arrive. They were unaware of what was happening outside, but they were filled with curiosity and nervousness as they imagined what kind of ninja their future instructor would be.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" In an instant, many ninjas appeared in an empty training ground. They were the group who had just left the Ninja Academy. In the center of the field, Hayate Gekko and Neji Hyuga stood facing each other. The others had all gathered on the tree trunks around the training ground, quietly waiting to watch the battle unfold.

At this moment, Hayate Gekko's anger had reached its peak, his eyes seemingly spitting flames. Meanwhile, Neji Hyuga was surveying the area, his face displaying an indifferent and nonchalant expression, not even glancing at him. Hayate Gekko struggled to suppress his rage, speaking in an indignant voice, "Kid, what kind of attitude is this? Do you think I'm not worthy of your attention? Hmph, just you wait and see, I'll make you understand that the ninjas of Konoha are not to be underestimated by short-sighted cowards like you. Come on, let's fight!" However, in response to Hayate Gekko's roar, Neji Hyuga merely glanced at him indifferently, then waved his hand lightly, indicating that he was ready to attack at any time and there was no need to waste time on pointless words.

Unable to contain his anger any longer, Hayate Gekko finally snapped. Ignoring whether his opponent was prepared, he swiftly pulled several kunai from his ninja tool pouch and hurled them. The entire process took less than a second, and the kunai were already hurtling towards Hyuga Neji. This demonstrated Hayate Gekko's basic qualities as a Special Jonin.

This time, Hayate Gekko threw the kunai with all his might, holding nothing back. However, he didn't aim for Hyuga Neji's vitals. Despite his rage, he remembered Hiruzen Sarutobi's instructions not to kill him. Such speed and force would be almost impossible for an ordinary genin to react to; they would likely be hit by the kunai instantly. Hayate Gekko's goal wasn't to harm Hyuga Neji, but to put him in a difficult position. If Hyuga Neji couldn't react in time, the kunai would leave several holes in his body, but certainly not endanger his life.

Facing the oncoming kunai, Hyuga Neji slightly shifted his body, letting the kunai whiz past him. Simultaneously, he channeled his inner energy, filling his palms with it, and then swiftly reached out, grabbing the flying kunai. He then toyed with them, and said to Gekko Hayate opposite him with a faint smile, "Is that all? Weren't you going to show me the power of Konoha ninjas? How boring!"

Hearing Hyuga Neji's provocation, Gekko Hayate's rage finally consumed all reason. He no longer cared about killing Neji, drawing his ninja sword and charging at him with all his might. As he charged, he unleashed his strongest swordsmanship. As a ninja trained in Konoha-ryu swordsmanship, his strength increased by at least one level when using it. He was now displaying the power of a Jonin.

"Konoha Style Swordsmanship: Dance of the Three Suns and Moons!"

The Moonlight Hayate, who had been slashing at Hyuga Neji, instantly transformed into three figures, striking down from three directions. This was the strongest sword technique the Moonlight Hayate could currently unleash, with absolutely no intention of holding back. From the moment Hyuga Neji easily caught the kunai he had thrown, he knew that his opponent was no ordinary opponent. He had to use his full strength to have any chance of defeating him, and there was no time to hold back.

Those watching from afar were somewhat surprised by this scene. Gekko Hayate had actually used his full power, unleashing a technique of this level to attack Hyuga Neji, and they couldn't help but glance at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hiashi Hyuga.

Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a hint of panic. He was extremely worried that Hayate Gekko might not be able to hold back her attack, inflicting significant damage on Neji Hyuga, or even killing him. That would be a huge problem for Konoha, as Neji was Hyuga Kanan's disciple. If Neji died here, Kanan might erupt in anger, destroying Konoha to avenge his disciple. However, they were currently too far from the battle to stop Hayate Gekko's attack immediately.

On the contrary, Hyuga Hiashi remained remarkably calm. Any Chunin from the Hyuga clan could easily withstand an attack of this magnitude, let alone a genius like Hyuga Neji, a disciple of Hyuga Kanan. As the clan most adept at close combat, the Hyuga were practically in their element in close-quarters battles. Even if the opponent's attack looked decent, it was far from threatening Hyuga Neji. Therefore, he didn't take it to heart at all, simply observing indifferently.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had initially been worried, abandoned his plan to immediately stop Hyuga Hiashi after seeing the calm demeanor of the latter. He knew Hiashi's personality very well; his composure meant that Neji would be safe.

As expected, Hyuga Neji looked at his opponent's move with a very disdainful expression. He also said, "Using such a childish move to attack a Hyuga clan ninja is simply laughable. It seems that many people in Konoha have forgotten the prestige of the Hyuga clan."

After speaking, his figure moved slightly. All three of Moonlight Gale's slashes missed their mark, and he didn't even see Hyuga Neji's movement clearly.

With a dull thud, Moonlight Gale suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg, instantly losing his balance and falling to his knees. However, this was far from over.

Just as he was struggling to his feet, a chill suddenly swept over him, and he was horrified to find that a cold kunai had been silently pressed against his neck. The sharp blade emitted a chilling glint, as if it could slit his throat at any moment.

Sensing the sharpness of the kunai, Gekko Hayate dared not make any further moves, remaining stiffly in a half-kneeling position. His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief and bitterness.

In a mere instant, he was so easily defeated, utterly powerless to retaliate. This made him recall every detail of the battle, his heart filled with regret and self-reproach. If only he had been more cautious, if only he had anticipated the opponent's attack… Alas, there is no going back.

At this moment, Gekko Hayate felt extremely heavy-hearted. He knew that this defeat would not only affect his own reputation, but could also cause irreparable damage to the reputation of Konoha Village.

Hyuga Neji simply said, "You've lost!" before releasing the kunai he was holding and calmly leaving Gekko Hayate's side to watch the others. This level of battle wasn't even a warm-up.

Everyone present was also shocked. The strength Hyuga Neji displayed was unbelievable to them. Most of these ninjas were capable of defeating Hayate Gekko, but to take him down so easily was not an easy feat. Moreover, Hyuga Neji was only 12 or 3 years old, and the fact that he could display such formidable strength was what truly astonished them.