Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 161 The Nine-Tailed Fox's Chaos

In that dark, deep, and silent secluded training room, Hyuga Kanan took a deep breath, as if exhaling all the fatigue and pressure he had been under. After a long period of dedicated study of the power of the metal element's rules, he was now experiencing for the first time the pressure that had been as heavy as Mount Tai was gradually lessening.

However, despite this, he knew that his current strength and realm were far from enough to deal with future powerful enemies. Although the rules of the gold element could indeed greatly enhance his attack power, his own foundation was too weak, and the gap between different levels was still difficult to overcome. Therefore, he must not become arrogant or complacent because of this insignificant progress, and must constantly remind himself to work harder and quickly improve his realm to strengthen his foundation.

At this moment, Hyuga Kanan secretly resolved to devote all his energy to improving his cultivation level. Once he broke through to the Golden Core Realm, not only would his physical strength increase by leaps and bounds, but his spiritual power would also experience a qualitative leap. In this way, he would be able to face the various challenges of the future with more composure and confidence.

More importantly, upon reaching the Golden Core Realm, comprehending and understanding the workings of the world's rules becomes much easier. There might even be a brief opportunity to communicate with the world's will, exploring whether there's a chance to cultivate within its origin realm. If such an opportunity is truly obtained, one's cultivation will undoubtedly reach new heights.

It is believed that the pressure from the Sage of Six Paths will only increase over time. In this situation, the World Will, which desperately needs Hyuga Kanan's assistance, will certainly not stand idly by. It will undoubtedly try to create an opportunity for Hyuga Kanan to enter the Sage's realm of origin, immerse himself in its teachings, and strive for rapid advancement in strength, thus providing the strongest possible support. In this way, he will have the chance to perfect the laws within his own World Law, laying a solid foundation for creating his own unique world in the future, and providing a model and support for others to learn from.

However, the most urgent task was for Hyuga Kanan to devote himself fully to cultivation, making the most of every minute, and striving to break through to the Golden Core realm as soon as possible. Now everything was ready, except for the final push—he only needed to calm his mind, focus on cultivation, and carefully comprehend the teachings. Therefore, Hyuga Kanan abandoned all distractions, emptied his mind, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to this crucial Golden Core realm seclusion cultivation.

At this moment, the surrounding natural energy seemed to be drawn by some mysterious force, continuously converging towards the secret chamber. This extremely dense natural energy surged like a tidal wave, causing Hyuga Kanan's body to gradually sink into the already somewhat hazy and illusory waves of natural energy.

As time passed, Hyuga Kanan entered into deep seclusion for training, while Konoha Village in the ninja world underwent its greatest change.

In Konoha, Minato Namikaze has been Hokage for a year. With his growing strength and prestige, Minato is no longer content with being a puppet Hokage; he has begun cultivating his own trusted confidants and Anbu members. Besides transferring Kakashi Hatake to the Anbu as his direct subordinate commander, he has also subtly hinted to Hiruzen Sarutobi that he needs Hiruzen to relinquish control of the Anbu. Simultaneously, he is deepening ties with the struggling Uchiha clan, providing them with prestige and support in exchange for their backing.

Minato Namikaze not only secretly contacted two former temporary teammates, but these two were also no ordinary people. One was the current head of the Akimichi clan, Akimichi Choza; the other was about to take over as head of the Ayuna clan, and his name was Ayuna Shio. Both of them had a close relationship with Minato Namikaze and had fought side by side for a long time.

They all expressed their firm support for Hokage Minato Namikaze. Given the deep bond between the Aburana and Inu-ga clans, gaining the Aburana's support was tantamount to winning the Inu-ga clan's approval. Furthermore, the Akimichi clan's most reliable allies were the Ino-Shika clans of Konoha; if they could secure the Akimichi clan's full support, the other two clans would undoubtedly step forward to show their support for Minato.

Currently, these are roughly the most powerful clans in Konoha. Of course, apart from the Hyuga clan, which has always maintained a neutral stance, the other major clans have all shown their support for Minato Namikaze.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew perfectly well that Minato Namikaze was currently at the height of his power, unstoppable. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio had once been his staunchest supporters; however, times had changed. Now, even the current head of the Akimichi clan had openly declared his support for Minato, making the stance of the other two clans self-evident. It was well known that the Nara clan had traditionally acted as the brain trust among the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Yet, they hadn't stepped forward to oppose the Akimichi clan's statement, which undoubtedly indicated the entire clan's inclination.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi tried every means to delay and refuse to hand over power to Minato Namikaze, he knew very well that this situation could not last long. After all, Minato Namikaze was originally a commoner ninja, and naturally enjoyed the support of many ordinary ninjas. Now, with so many clans expressing their support for him, it meant that the vast majority of ninjas in Konoha had become important bargaining chips in his hands.

Faced with this change in the situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi was unwilling, but he knew he was powerless to change it. Helpless, he had no choice but to gradually delegate power to Minato Namikaze and step down to the second line, handing the stage over to this young and promising junior, allowing him to officially ascend to the position of Hokage of Konoha and obtain the power of Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's delegation of power, however, made Danzo Shimura feel truly threatened. Without Hiruzen's support, Root would soon be taken back by Minato Namikaze. Root was essentially a training center for Konoha's Anbu, and the Anbu were the Hokage's most important force. Without Hiruzen's cover, Root would cease to exist. Without Root ninjas, Danzo would lose all power in Konoha, becoming a mere honorary elder.

For Danzo Shimura, this was worse than death. How could Danzo, who had always considered Konoha his own, accept losing power over it? Without power, how could his research continue? Orochimaru had already made progress, capable of weakening and transplanting the weakened form, and he was about to master Konoha's most powerful force—Wood Release. Danzo had even secretly planned and prepared to assassinate Minato Namikaze; now he was simply waiting for the right opportunity.

Ambitious Minato Namikaze is determined to create a stable and peaceful Konoha Village for his children.

It was as if the wheel of fate had already quietly turned, and everything seemed to have been meticulously orchestrated. Minato Namikaze, who had once been full of confidence and fully prepared to welcome the birth of his child, suffered the heaviest blow of his life at this moment.

The once cheerful and dashing Minato Namikaze now stood there with a somber expression, his heart filled with an unprecedented struggle. On one side was his newborn son, and on the other was his beloved wife, Kushina Uzumaki, whose body was extremely weak from childbirth. Faced with such a difficult choice, Minato felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

However, just as he hesitated, he met his wife's gaze. From her unwavering eyes, Minato Namikaze instantly understood—his wife had made the decision for him, a decision that could not be disobeyed. And so, in that instant, Minato Namikaze made up his mind to take action.

With a swift, ghostly movement, he snatched the child back with astonishing speed and carried him to a completely safe place. Having accomplished this, he didn't hesitate for a moment, immediately turning back to his room, for his most important task now was to save his beloved wife.

In the blink of an eye, Minato Namikaze vanished from the room, as if he had never been there at all. Only silence and endless worry remained.

However, before Minato Namikaze could return to his lover's side, a figure clad in black robes suddenly appeared in mid-air in the center of Konoha Village. This person had sharp eyes and an imposing aura. He slammed his palm into the air and roared, "Summoning Jutsu!" With this roar, a massive nine-tailed fox, radiating a violent and evil aura of chakra, suddenly appeared.

This nine-tailed fox was enormous, its nine whip-like tails lashing wildly, causing nearby houses to collapse and raising clouds of dust in its wake. At the same time, it continuously unleashed deafening roars of rage, terrifying the villagers of Konoha and plunging the entire village into chaos.

Faced with this unexpected situation, the Konoha ninjas demonstrated exceptional adaptability. They acted swiftly, immediately assembling into a ninja team and rushing to the front of the giant beast, establishing a solid defensive line to prevent it from penetrating deeper into Konoha. In an instant, countless dazzling ninjutsu rained down on the enormous figure, everyone working together with one heart, determined to drive the beast out of the village.

Just then, Minato Namikaze keenly sensed that the Nine-Tails had appeared in the village! He was extremely anxious and immediately got up to rescue it. However, just as he was about to move, the mysterious figure in black robes reappeared in front of him and swung a cold-glowing iron chain at him, blocking Minato's path.

In an instant, a breathtaking battle erupted! Minato Namikaze and the man in black robes displayed their extraordinary abilities, neither giving an inch, and for a time, it was impossible to determine a victor. On the other side, Hiruzen Sarutobi also swiftly arrived at the location of the Nine-Tails in the village, unleashing his most powerful strength without hesitation. With the assistance of the world's foremost summoning beast—Enma the Monkey King—and the combined efforts of numerous brave and fearless Konoha ninja, they successfully forced the Nine-Tails out of the village in a short period of time.

Unfortunately, their good fortune was short-lived. Despite the valiant efforts of the Konoha ninja, they suffered heavy losses in such a short time. Many excellent ninjas tragically sacrificed their lives, a truly heartbreaking tragedy.