radicalducati Chapter 188 Coercion
Chapter 188 Coercion
Countless ninjas gathering intelligence in the surrounding area swallowed hard, their faces showing shock. Most of the Konoha ninjas looked delighted, but some of the ANBU and Root ninjas who knew the inside story and came to deliver the information were sweating profusely. Their orders were to confirm Hyuga Kanan's strength in order to decide whether to take action against him.
Not far away, all the ninjas in the Cloud Ninja camp wore expressions of both anger and fear. The strength displayed by their adversary far exceeded their understanding and perception of the ninja profession. In a mere instant, hundreds of ninjas on guard duty were completely wiped out, causing their deepest fear to swell and spread. The Cloud Ninja commanders, amidst their terror, also recognized Hyuga Kanan's true identity—he was none other than Hyuga Kanan, the Konoha Village's publicly declared defector! At this moment, the power of his Wood Release technique was even greater than before, and the aura emanating from him was even more overwhelming. Clearly, his appearance this time had a very specific purpose: to target the Cloud Ninja Village's plan to seize the Hyuga clan's Byakugan from Konoha. Moreover, he likely had another deeper meaning: to warn other ninja villages that coveted the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, deterring them from acting rashly.
However, as the most volatile ninja village in the ninja world—the Hidden Cloud Village—even knowing full well that their strength was inferior to their opponent's, they would never easily retreat before even engaging in battle. After all, in the last war, the Hidden Cloud Village had lost over 500 elite ninjas! Most of them came from this border army, and many knew each other. Now, facing this perfect opportunity to avenge their fallen comrades, how could they easily give up without even fighting? At this moment, Hyuga Kanan stood in mid-air, gazing at the massive Hidden Cloud army ahead, their faces filled with fear yet also hatred, showing no intention of giving up. Because he knew that if arrogant ninja villages like the Hidden Cloud Village were not made to suffer heavy losses and learn a painful lesson, they would never learn how to respect others. Instead, they would mistakenly believe that the other side was weak and easily bullied, and thus escalate their provocations and aggression.
This Cloud Ninja force was a massive force of over three thousand men! And, surprisingly, most of them were seasoned veterans. These veterans were experienced in countless battles, each a true elite among elites. The Cloud Ninja commander firmly believed that with such a huge numerical advantage, they would surely wear down the enemy completely. He secretly planned that, just like when the Iwagakure village besieged the Third Raikage with nearly ten thousand ninjas, he would now trap Hyuga Kanan on this battlefield, leaving him nowhere to escape.
Of course, this might come at a great cost, but the Cloud Ninja commander believed it was all worthwhile. Successfully holding off and killing the enemy would deal a heavy blow to Konoha's morale. At the same time, it would elevate the Cloud Ninja Village's prestige in the ninja world to a new level, potentially even allowing it to replace Konoha as the new number one ninja village! Thinking of this, the Cloud Ninja commander's eyes gleamed with excitement; he seemed to already see the dawn of victory.
At the command of the Cloud Ninja Force commander, the Cloud Ninja soldiers, their faces filled with fearlessness and roaring with fury, charged straight at Hyuga Kanan like a pack of ferocious beasts. They seemed to have already forgotten the shock of Hyuga Kanan's instantaneous slaughter of nearly a hundred guards earlier; now, they had only one thought in their minds: to utterly defeat the person before them.
Before long, these Cloud Ninjas crossed several kilometers and launched a fierce attack on Hyuga Kanan. However, Hyuga Kanan stood still, showing no fear in the face of the surging enemy. He flashed and rushed into the Cloud Ninja army like a streak of light.
He formed a sword-finger gesture with both hands, and a surge of powerful energy within him converged at his fingertips, rapidly condensing into sharp sword beams. As Hyuga Kanan moved swiftly, these sword beams flashed and darted among the Cloud Ninja like ghosts. Each time a sword beam grazed past a Cloud Ninja, it precisely sliced across their throat, causing them to immediately clutch their necks, collapse to the ground, lifeless.
Hyuga Kanan moved like a ghost among the Cloud Ninja. Every strike he made was a fatal blow, and countless Cloud Ninja who approached him fell dead. In the blink of an eye, the surrounding ground was stained crimson with blood, resembling a sea of blood. However, Hyuga Kanan, dressed in white, remained unharmed, not even a drop of blood staining his white robes.
The Cloud Ninja gradually realized that close combat alone posed no threat to this powerful enemy. So they changed their strategy, no longer rushing forward rashly, but instead began unleashing various Lightning Release ninjutsu. In an instant, countless lightning shockwaves converged in the air, forming a powerful force that surged towards Hyuga Kanan.
Faced with such a dense barrage of attacks, Hyuga Kanan did not back down. He dodged the first wave of lightning shockwaves with a swift movement. Then, he spun rapidly in the air, gathering energy in his hands to create streaks of cold light, shattering each incoming lightning shockwave. However, the Cloud Ninja's attacks continued relentlessly, wave after wave. Hyuga Kanan stepped back slightly, his internal energy surging, and clasped his hands together. In an instant, the ground cracked, and countless trees grew wildly like untamed horses, forming a green ocean that surged and swept across the battlefield. Countless Cloud Ninja were mercilessly impaled by sharp branches in this rapidly growing forest, hanging gruesomely from the branches. However, these Cloud Ninja showed no sign of retreating. They quickly gathered, forming a massive formation. Countless ninja simultaneously unleashed hand seals, their chakra surging forth and coalescing into a powerful force. In the blink of an eye, countless bolts of lightning, condensed from chakra, soared into the sky like a giant dragon, converging into a mighty thunder sword that cleaved down with unparalleled power towards the wildly growing trees.
A deafening roar erupted as the wildly growing trees collided with the thunderous giant sword, unleashing a thunderous boom. Instantly, billowing dust blotted out the sky, obscuring the view of everyone on the battlefield. The previously rampant trees snapped and their growth halted under the fierce attack of the thunderous giant sword.
The commander at the rear of the Cloud Ninja camp couldn't help but smile smugly as he watched the troops at the front successfully stop the trees from growing using Lightning Release. This was a countermeasure they had painstakingly developed after their previous clash with Hyuga Kanan.
At that moment, faced with Hyuga Kanan's attack, the Cloud Ninja were utterly powerless to retaliate, forced to watch helplessly as their troops became trapped in the dense forest. However, defeat did not discourage them; instead, it ignited their fighting spirit and wisdom.
After countless trials and training sessions, the Cloud Ninja finally found a way to counter this large-scale area-of-effect ninjutsu. They discovered that by having numerous ninjas combine their Lightning Release techniques, they could generate a powerful electric field that would suppress plant growth. This discovery thrilled them, as it meant they were no longer passively defending themselves, but had gained the ability to retaliate.
Now, faced with the same situation again, the Cloud Ninja did not hesitate to employ this tactic. Working closely together, they gathered their chakra to form a powerful lightning barrier. This barrier not only successfully stopped the trees from growing further but also made the enemy feel the power of their unity.
The commander knew that although this victory was just a small milestone, it proved the efforts and growth of the Cloud Ninja. They would continue to improve and refine this tactic to deal with even stronger enemies they might encounter in the future. At the same time, he believed that as long as the Cloud Ninja maintained this tenacious spirit, they would surely achieve more victories in fierce battles.
As the smoke cleared, the smile on the Cloud Ninja commander's face froze, and the Cloud Ninja who launched the attack at the front line also stood frozen in place, their eyes losing their expression.
At this moment, Hyuga Kanan stood atop a giant dragon head made of trees, stretching for thousands of meters. His body was ramrod straight, and he stood calmly with his arms crossed, looking down at the Cloud Ninja troops below, who resembled ants. Just moments before, the Cloud Ninja had unleashed a powerful combined Lightning Release ninjutsu in an attempt to stop the trees' rampant growth, but this action had not caused Hyuga Kanan the slightest trouble.
However, the Cloud Ninja's tenacious resistance proved somewhat troublesome for Hyuga Kanan. He had initially hoped the battle would end quickly, but now it seemed he would have to exert his full strength to break the stalemate. Therefore, he resolved to use his true power to shatter the enemy's confidence and end this tedious conflict as soon as possible.
The intense collision just now allowed Hyuga Kanan to gain further control over the Wood Element rules. It also allowed him to perceive the last thin membrane that hindered his comprehension of the Life Element rules, enabling him to cross the threshold of the Life Element and successfully grasp a sliver of its mysteries. Furthermore, the trees formed from the Wood Element rules, empowered by the Life Element rules, experienced an unimaginable strengthening of their already powerful Wood Element nature.
This kind of wood element gathering to form a giant dragon was something Hyuga Kanan could do before, but it was completely incomparable in terms of gathering speed, size, and sturdiness.