radicalducati Chapter 147 Conflict
Chapter 147 Conflict
While Hyuga Kanan was sizing up A, A was also observing Hyuga Kanan.
He then fixed his gaze on Hyuga Kanan's Byakugan, which was gleaming with a faint light, and could no longer suppress the excitement that emanated from his lips.
Raikage A carefully examined the person named Hyuga Kanan before him, thinking to himself, "Without a doubt, this person must be from the Hyuga clan." His gaze was fixed on Hyuga Kanan's pair of white pupils that shone with a captivating luster—a unique eye feature that only the Hyuga clan possessed throughout the entire ninja world.
However, what truly excited A was not just that. When he noticed that Hyuga Kanan was not wearing the Konoha headband, an astonishing discovery unfolded before his eyes—there was not a trace of the Caged Bird Seal on that smooth forehead! You must understand, for the Kumogakure, which had previously attempted to capture members of the Hyuga clan, this phenomenon was something they had never encountered before.
Past experience taught them that once a member of the Hyuga clan was captured, the cursed seal on their forehead would quickly become agitated, then spread like a plague throughout their entire head. Ultimately, not only would the brain and optic nerves suffer severe damage, but even the eyeballs would burst under the strain, making the acquisition of the Byakugan impossible. Therefore, all the major ninja villages knew perfectly well that all the Hyuga clan ninjas active outside the village were, without exception, members of a branch family, and each had the Caged Bird Seal etched on their forehead, ensuring that no other village would have the slightest chance to obtain the Byakugan.
At that very moment, something unexpected happened! The person standing before Raikage A wasn't marked with the Caged Bird Seal! What did this mean? Without a doubt, he must have come from the mysterious and powerful main branch of the Hyuga clan!
Thinking of this, Raikage A felt a surge of joy. For their village, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Possessing a pair of flawless Byakugan would bring unprecedented power and advantages to Kumogakure. Moreover, if they could successfully capture this member of the Hyuga clan's main branch, perhaps new Hyuga clan members would be born in Kumogakure in the future.
Could it be that even the heavens are beginning to favor our Cloud Village? They have personally delivered such a precious person to our doorstep, giving the entire village a chance to obtain the most valuable and strategically significant bloodline limit in the ninja world—the Byakugan! This is undoubtedly a great gift from heaven to the Cloud Village, and also an opportunity to change our destiny.
Hyuga Kanan stared expressionlessly at the muscular, excited man before him, already knowing why the man had come. In fact, several days earlier, he had sensed the presence of several ninjas in the vicinity using his powerful spiritual sense, but due to the distance, he couldn't immediately determine who they were targeting.
However, today, when he stepped into the shop, he was shocked to find that the ninjas who had been hiding in the shadows were following him like shadows. At this moment, Hyuga Kanan was finally certain that this group's target was him. Looking at the burly man's greedy gaze fixed on his eyes, the answer was self-evident—what they coveted was nothing more than the Byakugan in his eye sockets.
What a bunch of idiots, blinded by greed and irrational! Judging from the insignia on their headbands, they seem to be ninjas from Kumogakure. Judging from the respectful attitude of those around him towards that burly man, and his confident and self-assured demeanor, he must hold a very high position in Kumogakure. But what does that have to do with me? The Hyuga Kanan of today is no longer the child who struggled to survive on the battlefield.
As for his own strength, to be honest, even Jia Nan wasn't entirely sure. But given the current state of the ninja world, there was probably no ninja who could pose a real threat to Hyuga. Even Nagato Uzumaki, who possessed the Rinnegan in the Akatsuki organization, was someone Hyuga was confident he could handle. Therefore, facing these mere ninjas from Kumogakure was nothing to fear.
The Fourth Raikage, A, was completely captivated by the allure of those flawless, pure Byakugan eyes, but he didn't lose his vigilance or judgment. While intently staring at those Byakugan eyes, he calmly ordered the Cloud Village ninja beside him to quickly set up a tight barrier to prevent ninjas from Konoha from coming to rescue this person.
After the Cloud Village ninjas successfully completed the barrier deployment, A finally felt relieved. However, the biggest problem facing him at this moment was: how to prevent this member of the Hyuga clan's main family from destroying his Byakugan and choosing to take his own life? Just as he was lost in thought, his gaze involuntarily fell on Hyuga Kanan's face, which seemed indifferent and completely unaffected by the Cloud Village barrier.
What does this mean? Ai couldn't help but ponder to himself. The other party's calm and composed demeanor could only mean two things: first, this person had absolute confidence in the strength of the Konoha ninja protecting him, to the point that he didn't take them seriously at all; second, it meant that he might just be a greenhorn with no combat experience, who knew very little about Hyuga Village and the entire ninja world.
Based on previously gathered intelligence, members of the Hyuga clan's main branch rarely get involved in ninja world affairs, and their status within the clan is exceptionally high. It seems both possibilities exist! Thinking this, A's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of doubt and worry flashing in his eyes…
However, A had no intention of giving up. After all, members of the Hyuga clan's main branch rarely appeared outside of Konoha, making this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Furthermore, he had complete confidence in his own strength, firmly believing he could defeat his opponent and demonstrate the power of a Kage-level figure from the Hidden Cloud Village.
"Little guy, you seem to be bursting with confidence. I wonder if this confidence comes from yourself or from the Konoha ninjas protecting you? But don't worry, even your newly appointed Hokage can't break through this barrier anytime soon. So, you'll just obediently be a prisoner of our Kumogakure! Don't worry, our Kumogakure will take good care of you and will never let you suffer any harm."
"If you are willing to join my Hidden Cloud Village, I can guarantee you that your status in our village will be no less than, or even more prestigious than, your time in the Hyuga clan of Konoha. The various generous benefits will go without saying. What do you think? Are you willing to consider this carefully?" At this moment, Ai's face flushed with excitement, for he knew all too well that Hyuga Kanan was already a piece of Hidden Cloud Village's grasp. Even if the Hokage of Konoha were to arrive now, he wouldn't be able to stop him from bringing this man back to the village.
Facing the burly man with an excited expression, Hyuga Kanan had no interest in getting entangled with him. He turned his gaze directly to the shopkeeper standing behind the Cloud Village ninja squad and coldly asked, "Judging from the current situation, I suppose you haven't gathered all the metal materials I need? You should not know my temperament. I hate being deceived the most. I hope you have gathered those materials for me, otherwise you will soon experience the consequences of daring to deceive me."
Seeing that the guy opposite him was ignoring him, Raikage A's anger surged. He was, after all, the Kage of Kumogakure, one of the five great ninja villages in the ninja world. Even the Hokage of Konoha wouldn't dare to disregard him like this. It seemed he had to teach him a lesson to show him that this wasn't just happening within the Hyuga clan.
"Damn it!"
After shouting at Hyuga Kanan, Raikage Ai immediately took action.
With a flash, he appeared beside Hyuga Kanan and swung his massive fist towards Kanan's abdomen. Clearly, he intended to incapacitate Kanan with this attack without causing significant immediate damage.
Hyuga Kanan remained unfazed as the fist drew closer. With a slight movement of his hand, he caught the fist aimed at his abdomen. Then, with a powerful flick, he sent the fist flying, slamming it into a shelf. Instantly, the shelf shattered, fragments flying everywhere, and Ai's body was buried among the various items.
The surrounding Cloud Ninja, also showing surprise, hurriedly went to check the ruins where Raikage A's body was located. Before they could even get close, a violent surge of electricity shook apart the shattered cargo, and a strong figure stood up again amidst it all.
As the dust settled, A's once resolute face became contorted with extreme rage, almost distorted. This blast hadn't caused him any real harm, but it had instilled in him an unprecedented sense of humiliation. As the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure, even if he had underestimated his opponent's strength and failed to unleash his full power, being so easily tossed around like trash was a humiliating defeat.
However, at the same time, a sense of vigilance welled up deep within A. Just now, although he hadn't used his full power, even an ordinary Jonin would likely have struggled to react quickly and mount an effective counterattack. The enemy before him was clearly no ordinary person; his strength must be considerable. If he continued to be so careless and reckless, he might very well allow the enemy to hold out until Konoha ninjas arrived as reinforcements.
Looking at Hyuga Kanan, he still maintained his calm and composed expression, as if easily knocking the Raikage away was nothing more than a trivial matter.
The Cloud Ninja, who had been calmly watching the Raikage teach the opponent a lesson, also dropped their playful expressions and became serious. The move the opponent had just revealed made them realize that he was not some weakling they could easily bully.