Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 142 Samurai

Suddenly, Hyuga Kanan snapped his eyes open, his gaze gleaming. He swiftly suppressed the powerful aura emanating from him, and the previously restless natural energy around him gradually calmed down. Hyuga Kanan was secretly delighted with the results of his secluded training.

His dedicated training during this period allowed him to not only successfully comprehend and master the power of the wood element, but also to refine and absorb all the soul energy he had gathered from the ninjas he had previously acquired. Now, he was only a hair's breadth away from entering the Golden Core realm; he only needed to take that crucial final step to achieve his goal. However, faced with this imminent opportunity for breakthrough, Hyuga Kanan did not rush into it, but instead forcibly suppressed his inner desire to succeed.

At this moment, if Hyuga Kanan were to choose to break through to the Golden Core stage, he had a strange intuition—doing so might not be entirely ideal, and could even sow the seeds of great danger for his future cultivation path. Moreover, being in the uniquely advantageous ninja world, blessed with the world's will and support, and possessing such a superior cultivation environment, it would be truly regrettable if he couldn't pursue the ultimate and achieve the legendary Nine-Turn Golden Core.

Now, Hyuga Kanan only needs to comprehend the power of the metal element rules to perfect his golden core. "Hmm... it seems I need to personally go out and collect various metal materials. This will help me better understand the mysteries of the metal element rules. Besides, I am in the renowned Land of Iron, the premier place in the ninja world for forging ninja swords! There should be all sorts of metal materials for me to study and comprehend!" Hyuga Kanan murmured softly, gazing at the ceiling of his secluded training room covered with intricate patterns.

Thinking of this, Hyuga Kanan made a decisive decision: They must put it into practice immediately! After all, time waits for no one. Furthermore, no one knows how long it will take to gather enough metallic materials to analyze and comprehend the power of the gold element's rules. Therefore, they should hurry to the Land of Iron.

......

In that ninja world filled with strife and war, there exists a unique entity—the Land of Iron. This country has always steadfastly maintained an absolutely neutral stance, like a tranquil oasis, far removed from the turmoil of war.

However, the Land of Iron's geographical location is quite unfavorable. Surrounded by rolling mountains, its land is barren and its climate harsh, severely limiting agricultural development. Therefore, the country has to rely heavily on imports of daily necessities and food to sustain its people. This situation undoubtedly brings many inconveniences to the people of the Land of Iron, making their living conditions relatively difficult.

Despite facing numerous difficulties, the Land of Iron did not lose heart. On the contrary, thanks to their samurai families passed down from the Warring States period and their exceptional weapon-forging techniques, their fame spread throughout the ninja world. Whenever ninjas from other countries desired a fine ninja sword, their first thought was to seek help from the Land of Iron.

This is why the Land of Iron successfully earned substantial profits by forging high-quality ninja swords for other countries. This wealth became a crucial source for purchasing necessities from outside, ensuring the basic needs of its citizens were met.

In this seemingly ordinary land, blacksmiths toil diligently, pouring their hearts and souls into forging each weapon; while skilled warriors protect the peace of their homeland with loyalty and courage. The story of the Land of Iron teaches us that even in adversity, as long as we leverage our strengths and persevere, we can always find our own way to survive.

A man exuding an ethereal aura strolled through the most famous forging city in the Iron Kingdom. The town was filled with all kinds of blacksmith shops, and a dazzling array of knives hung among them.

This man was none other than Hyuga Kanan. He had just emerged from his secluded training grounds and rushed here without stopping. After some searching, he finally arrived at this place renowned for its exquisite forging techniques—the forging town of the Land of Iron.

Stepping into the town, Hyuga Kanan was struck by the unusual sights everywhere he looked. Countless pedestrians, their waists adorned with sharp blades, hurried through the streets and alleys. For someone born in a ninja village, this was undoubtedly a novel and awe-inspiring experience. There were no agile figures leaping swiftly across rooftops, nor were there many ninjas wearing headbands. Instead, most passersby were dressed in samurai attire. For a moment, Hyuga Kanan felt as if he had entered another world, as if he were no longer in the familiar ninja realm.

In this world dominated by ninjas, the Land of Iron stands out like a strange jewel, completely out of place with its surroundings. Samurai, a profession that rapidly declined after the advent of ninjas, thrives here and has become the mainstream of the nation.

Everyone knows that the world now belongs to ninjas, who control everything with their unique ninjutsu and superior combat abilities. In contrast, samurai need to spend a great deal of time honing their skills and practicing techniques before they can achieve anything. However, in the face of such a fast-paced era, this slow way of growth is clearly no longer keeping up with the times.

As a result, even those samurai who originally adhered to tradition began to try training in chakra to accelerate their own strength. As a result, those traditional samurai who were truly dedicated to mastering swordsmanship were gradually marginalized, and even faded into the dust of history.

So the question arises: can these samurai who have cultivated chakra still be worthy of the name "samurai"? This undoubtedly becomes a topic worthy of deep consideration. After all, the introduction of chakra has changed their original training path, making them no longer purely reliant on swordsmanship. Perhaps we should re-examine the definition of "samurai," viewing it as an evolving entity that incorporates new elements. Only in this way can we better understand the samurai community of this particular period and the challenges they faced.

To Hyuga Kanan, this was utterly ridiculous! They had actually abandoned the core samurai training of controlling swords with ki to cultivate chakra instead, yet shamelessly still called themselves samurai? In Hyuga Kanan's eyes, these so-called "samurai" from the Land of Iron were nothing more than low-ranking ninjas who didn't even know ninjutsu, and had absolutely nothing to do with samurai in the true sense! Even if they still used swordsmanship as their main means of combat, they could not possibly be classified as samurai.

The Jade of Heaven and Earth contains detailed records about martial artists.

According to records, through this path of internal energy cultivation, martial artists can continuously break through their own limits, refining their inner energy to its ultimate state. When they reach a high level, they can even use martial power to step into the Dao realm, break through the shackles of the void, and ascend to the realm of celestial beings!

Unlike other cultivation systems, martial artists focus more on the cultivation of internal energy. Like ancient warriors, they dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to refining their inner energy, pursuing unparalleled power. It is precisely this focus and dedication that allows martial artists to achieve tremendous improvements in their strength.

Those who truly master this cultivation method possess terrifying combat prowess. They have superhuman physical abilities and combat skills, allowing them to easily handle various challenges and crises. Whether facing opponents from other cultivation systems or dealing with treacherous environments and powerful enemies, these martial artists demonstrate unparalleled resilience and strength.

Therefore, the internal energy cultivation methods inherent in martial arts training are undoubtedly the key to reaching the pinnacle of supreme martial arts. However, to truly comprehend its mysteries and achieve success, martial artists must endure arduous efforts and countless hardships. Although one can ultimately attain enlightenment through martial arts and transcend the world, the process is still extremely difficult and time-consuming.

In that turbulent era of frequent wars, chakra became a coveted goal. Once mastered, even a young child could easily suppress a warrior who had trained for over a decade. Faced with such a tremendous advantage, it was only natural that people turned to chakra training.

After all, in such an environment, personal safety is paramount, and rapidly improving one's strength becomes crucial for survival. Thus, those who could have achieved greater heights through the samurai path had to bow to reality and abandon the path that might have required more time and effort. This was both a reluctant compromise to the current situation and a necessary measure to protect oneself and one's family.

However, this choice is not without its costs. While the chakra system can bring short-term power, it also has certain limitations. Over-refining chakra can lead to a decline in physical abilities and even endanger life. Moreover, over time, whether the development of the chakra system truly has no ceiling is gradually becoming a question worth pondering.

However, in that era fraught with crisis, such decisions were understandable. They sought not only personal strength but also the power to protect everything they cherished. This desire for security and increased speed allowed the chakra system to spread rapidly throughout the ninja world, ultimately altering the very fabric of the world.

However, it's clear that this world has lost its true cultivation system, which has been successfully replaced by the chakra system of the Otsutsuki clan. Hyuga Kanan could only marvel at the Otsutsuki clan's shrewd methods, how they so easily seized control of this world and firmly held it in their hands.

But none of this matters much to Hyuga Kanan, nor does he have the power to change anything. His priority is to cultivate himself diligently in the shadows, ultimately transcending this world and achieving immortality.