Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 428 Xiao Nan's Backup Plan

After carefully sensing the masked man, Orochimaru discovered something even more surprising: the aura emanating from him was remarkably similar to the rare characteristic of the Hashirama Senju cells he had been researching. Could it be… that there was some unknown connection between the masked man and Hashirama Senju? Thinking this, Orochimaru's gaze deepened, as if trying to see through the mask to uncover the true identity hidden behind it.

When it comes to familiarity with Hashirama Senju's cells, Orochimaru is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding figures in the entire ninja world! Back then, Danzo Shimura generously provided him with countless funds and various rare and precious materials, fully supporting his in-depth research on Hashirama Senju's cells. It is precisely because of this that Orochimaru was able to achieve remarkable results in this field.

As for Shimura Danzo's crippled arm, the reason it was successfully transplanted and regained some function was entirely due to Orochimaru's outstanding research on Senju Hashirama's cells. It was precisely because of Orochimaru's superb skills and profound expertise in cell transplantation technology that Shimura Danzo had the opportunity to regain an arm that appeared normal and possessed great strength.

However, at that very moment, the man with the mysterious mask and Sharingan who appeared before everyone exuded an astonishing aura—a powerful energy fluctuation unique to Hashirama Senju cells! This discovery was so unbelievable that it aroused suspicion: Could this enigmatic masked man be an experimental subject secretly controlled by Danzo Shimura? Could he be the terrifying product of the experiment that successfully transplanted and combined the Sharingan with Hashirama Senju cells into one body?

However, upon witnessing the masked man's effortless and skillful use of the Sharingan, Orochimaru instantly dismissed the thought that had just crossed his mind. It's important to understand that the Sharingan possesses an extremely strong rejection characteristic for those not of Uchiha lineage. In Orochimaru's memory, the only exception among those who successfully transplanted the Sharingan and were still able to exert their abilities was Kakashi Hatake. Even a genius like Kakashi Hatake bore a heavy burden due to the transplanted Sharingan, severely limiting and restricting his potential.

But what about the mysterious masked man standing before him? He was completely unaffected by these restrictions! Not only that, but the strength he displayed was also extremely powerful, utterly astonishing. More importantly, Orochimaru clearly saw that this man's Sharingan was no ordinary Sharingan, but had already evolved to the level of the Mangekyou Sharingan!

Furthermore, Orochimaru stared intently at the intense battle between the masked man and the angel Konan, not missing a single subtle movement or detail. As time passed, Orochimaru's keen eyes gradually caught some key points, especially the astonishing power displayed by the masked man's mysterious and fearsome Mangekyou Sharingan.

Whenever Angel Konan launches a fierce attack, the masked man can always make his body instantly become ethereal in an unbelievable way, as elusive as a ghost. Every powerful attack from Angel Konan, whether it's a strong straight punch, a lightning-fast kick, or a powerful energy wave released using ninjutsu, seems to fall into the void the moment it touches the masked man's body, passing through him without any resistance and unable to cause him the slightest real damage.

Even when Angel Konan unleashed her wide-ranging, high-intensity, all-encompassing attacks in an attempt to engulf the masked man and leave him nowhere to escape, all her efforts ultimately came to naught. The masked man was still able to use the Mangekyou Sharingan's abilities with ease, making his body appear perfectly intangible, so that the overwhelming attacks seemed to sink into the sea without even causing a ripple.

Moreover, even when Angel Konan launched a lightning-fast attack at extreme speed, the result was the same. The masked man could always activate the power of his Mangekyou Sharingan at the critical moment, making his body become a phantom shadow. No matter how fast Angel Konan attacked, she could only watch helplessly as her attacks swept past his body, unable to actually collide or make contact. This bizarre and powerful defensive ability truly shocked Orochimaru, who was present.

However, as the battle intensified, the situation became increasingly tense and fierce. At this breathtaking moment, Orochimaru keenly noticed a startling fact—the masked man's technique was far more than just the apparent intangibility! After careful observation and in-depth analysis, he finally concluded that it was an extremely rare space-time ninjutsu! This mysterious and powerful ninjutsu secretly astonished Orochimaru.

Even more shockingly, Orochimaru discovered that the masked man's ability to wield such powerful spatial abilities stemmed entirely from his mysterious and unique Mangekyou Sharingan. This eye seemed to contain endless mysteries and terrifying energy, allowing the masked man to move with ease and grace on the battlefield. Orochimaru knew that to seize the Rinnegan from such a formidable opponent, he had to go all out and unleash his full power.

Meanwhile, this astonishing discovery made Orochimaru's eyes practically pop out of his head! You see, he was incredibly familiar with this kind of news. He had heard countless rumors about Hyuga Kanan long ago. It was said that the power of world rules was divided into three categories: low-level rules, medium-level rules, and high-level rules. And the rules that Orochimaru had painstakingly studied and comprehended over the years almost all belonged to the low-level category, and most of them were just ordinary elemental rules. The so-called life rule that he had so desperately wanted to obtain was actually only a medium-level rule. However, the coveted spatial and temporal rules belonged entirely to the high-level rules. If one could completely comprehend and master either one, it would be enough to easily transcend this ordinary world and enter a new realm, becoming an existence above all others!

Although the spatial rules displayed by the masked man appeared rather crude, it is undeniable that they ultimately fall under the category of spatial rules within the realm of higher-level rules. Therefore, even though Angel Xiao Nan displayed considerable strength, she still couldn't inflict any substantial damage on the masked man.

Angel Xiao Nan quickly realized the situation, but deep down she had no intention of giving up. On the contrary, a mysterious and enigmatic smile quietly appeared on her beautiful face.

After rounds of repeated probing, Angel Xiaonan, with her keen insight and exceptional combat wisdom, successfully discovered the masked man's fatal weakness. This weakness, once grasped and exploited, might become the key to turning the tide of the entire battle.

From the moment the masked man approached her seeking cooperation, Angel Xiao Nan felt a sense of unease. She knew he was no ordinary person, and from that moment on, she devoted herself to studying how to deal with this mysterious and treacherous masked man. She poured countless days and nights into this endeavor, meticulously planning every detail and quietly making ample preparations.

Time flies, and several years have passed in the blink of an eye. Throughout this long period, Xiao Nan has never slackened her efforts, always making guarding against the masked man one of her most important tasks. And in today's fierce battle, Xiao Nan, relying on her keen insight and years of accumulated experience, finally discovered the masked man's deeply hidden weakness.

At this moment, Xiao Nan's eyes gleamed with confidence. She knew that all her preparations over the years had not been in vain. Those hidden, unknown contingency plans were about to unleash their full power, delivering a fatal blow to the arrogant masked man. Xiao Nan firmly believed that when she unleashed these trump cards, the masked man would suffer unprecedented damage, perhaps even being crippled forever. Thinking this, Xiao Nan gripped her weapon tightly, preparing for that decisive moment.

As Angel Konan unleashed all of her chakra, an incomparably powerful force surged outwards from her center. The once calm and wide river surface was as if it had been cleaved in two by an invisible giant axe; in an instant, the river water surged and receded to both sides, revealing a massive, bottomless crack tens of meters wide in the middle!

The masked man had no time to react before he plummeted straight into the crevice. At that moment, a jaw-dropping scene unfolded—countless explosive tags, gleaming with dangerous light, rained down from all directions on the masked man's location, filling the crevice in an instant, transforming it into a terrifying ocean of interwoven explosive tags.

At this moment, Xiao Nan floated silently in the air, her expression unusually serious. Her eyes were fixed on the masked man trapped in a desperate situation below, and she said coldly, "This is a backup plan I carefully prepared for you! Your ethereal technique is powerful, but as far as I know, it can only last for a maximum of 5 minutes. However, I have prepared a full 6000 billion explosive tags for you! They will explode continuously for more than 10 minutes! Today, I will not give you any chance to escape!"