Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 297 Attempting Cultivation

The bright moonlight, like a veil, spilled over the buildings nestled in the mountains, draping the entire training ground in a mysterious silver cloak. Inside a simple room, Orochimaru sat upright on the bed, his expression serious and focused. His eyes revealed a mixture of anticipation and tension, as if he had returned to the time decades ago when he first refined chakra.

At this moment, Orochimaru felt a mixture of excitement and worry, a complex emotion that reminded him of his feelings as an apprentice. Back then, he too had nervously refined his chakra, unsure if he could embark on the path to becoming a ninja. Now, facing new power and challenges, Orochimaru couldn't help but recall those youthful days, filled with emotion.

Time flies, and Orochimaru sighed with emotion: "Unconsciously, so many years have passed. I never thought I would experience the feeling and emotions of starting training all over again."

He recalled his past experiences, when he was just a child, full of curiosity and dreams. Now, he stood at the starting line again, but with a different mindset. He knew that this journey of cultivation would be a completely new challenge, requiring even more patience and effort.

Orochimaru's gaze hardened and focused; he resolved to cast aside all distractions and dedicate himself entirely to his training. He told himself that this was not merely a training exercise, but a test of his inner strength. Only through continuous effort and perseverance could he break through his limitations and achieve a higher level.

At this moment, images flashed through Orochimaru's mind—the path he had walked before, and the path he would walk in the future. He knew this path would not be smooth, but he was willing to pave it with sweat and perseverance. He believed that as long as he persisted, he would surely be able to forge his own path, see the truth of the ninja world, and embark on the true path of cultivation.

Orochimaru took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and focused his mental energy on a single point, trying to eliminate distracting thoughts. His consciousness gradually penetrated his body, sensing that familiar yet unfamiliar flow of chakra. This was a habit he had cultivated over many years, but now, he needed to break this habit and allow his body to adapt to the new training method.

Orochimaru gritted his teeth, struggling to suppress the urge to refine his chakra. He told himself he had to persevere, or he wouldn't be able to embark on this entirely new path of training. Time ticked by, and sweat began to bead on Orochimaru's forehead as he felt his body struggling against old habits.

At the same time, Orochimaru began practicing the Nourishing Spirit Technique. Following the incantation, he adjusted his breathing and focused his spiritual energy on his brow. Guided by his will, a faint energy emerged from his brow and gradually permeated his entire body. This feeling was incredibly wondrous; Orochimaru could sense that his soul seemed to be nourished and strengthened in some way.

As his training deepened, Orochimaru discovered that his soul was becoming increasingly powerful. He could clearly sense every subtle change in his surroundings, as if the entire world had become more real and vivid. Moreover, he found that his control over chakra had become more effortless, allowing him to easily refine and integrate it into various parts of his body.

However, Orochimaru knew this was just the beginning. He needed to continue training to strengthen his soul and better control the chakra within his body. Only then could he truly embark on this unique path of cultivation. So, he closed his eyes again, focusing intently on his training.

But just ten minutes later, Orochimaru suddenly opened his eyes. A hint of confusion flashed across his face before his gaze slowly returned, and he exhaled a soft breath. A trace of helplessness appeared on his face before his resolve hardened again. Just moments ago, he had entered the meditative state of the Nourishing Spirit Technique, and his body instinctively began to refine chakra, a move that directly interrupted his continued cultivation. Although he had been constantly telling himself not to refine chakra, when the Nourishing Spirit Technique began to cultivate the soul, his body involuntarily began to refine chakra, forcing him to stop his practice. The faint trace of soul power gained from cultivating the Nourishing Spirit Technique was quickly corrupted by the chakra, ultimately turning into a slight increase in chakra.

Orochimaru was now feeling somewhat troubled and confused. Based on Hyuga Neji's description, cultivating the Spirit Nourishing Technique was undoubtedly a crucial and challenging step, as it was the key to breaking through chakra limitations. After all, soul power was the core force for clearing and refining chakra, and also the cornerstone guiding him on his path of cultivation. However, due to his long-standing habit of refining chakra, his body seemed to have developed an unchangeable instinctive reaction. Whenever his soul power slightly increased, his body would naturally integrate that trace of soul power into his chakra. This instinct made it difficult for him to purely accumulate and utilize soul power, which was precisely the key to cultivating the Spirit Nourishing Technique. Faced with this problem, Orochimaru needed to find a way to overcome his body's instinct in order to better master and utilize soul power.

According to Hyuga Neji, Hyuga Kanan was always by his side during his training. Whenever chakra formed within his body, Kanan would immediately disperse it. This allowed Neji to focus entirely on cultivating his spirit-nourishing technique. Only after the technique raised his soul power to a certain level could he begin to expel and refine chakra, stopping his body from refining it. Only then could he begin training in the Daoist Demon-Subduing Fist, gradually adapting his body to natural energy. After all, if chakra remained within his body, he couldn't directly resonate with natural energy, making it difficult to truly embark on the path of cultivation.

Orochimaru frowned deeply. He knew very well that Hyuga Kanan's method was only effective against young children who hadn't fully adapted to chakra refining. After all, Hyuga Neji was just a child; even if he instinctively refined a small amount of chakra, it was extremely weak, which was why Kanan could easily disperse it. However, the situation was completely different for him. He possessed a vast amount of chakra, refined over many years, making it an instinctive bodily function. Even Kanan couldn't possibly disperse such a massive amount of chakra within him. If she forced it, he would likely perish. Therefore, he had to quickly change his body's chakra refining habits, making his body completely forget about refining chakra. However, this was no easy task; it would require a considerable amount of time for him to gradually adjust and improve.

Orochimaru's eyes hardened, burning with a fierce determination, a testament to his yearning and resolve to explore the unknown. A faint smile played on his lips, as if he could already see the path ahead.

"Interesting, really interesting!" Orochimaru muttered to himself. He realized that completing this task might take some time, but he wasn't discouraged or disheartened. On the contrary, he felt that such a challenge only fueled his inner fighting spirit.

For someone as determined and persistent in his pursuit of power as Orochimaru, difficulties cannot stop him. Every setback is merely a stepping stone on his path to growth, motivating him to work harder to overcome them and achieve his goals.

This change meant breaking with habits of the past decade, but Orochimaru firmly believed he could do it. He longed to embark on the path of cultivation as soon as possible and become a truly powerful being. He would use his wisdom and perseverance to complete this transformation as quickly as possible and continuously improve his strength.

Throughout the night, Orochimaru was immersed in constantly experimenting with and adjusting his body. He focused intently on exploring every subtle change and gradually accumulating experience. Although the night was short, Orochimaru had already made significant progress.

After numerous attempts and improvements, Orochimaru successfully made many important adjustments. However, completely changing his body's instinctive habit of refining chakra was no easy task. Nevertheless, his efforts yielded some results. Now, his body can slow down the rate of chakra refining, and even sometimes pause the process.

Although this progress was small, it was a significant step for Orochimaru. He knew that as long as he persisted, one day he would achieve his goal, completely master the power of his body, and become an invincible being.

As dawn broke, Orochimaru, exhausted but hopeful, ended his night of experiments. He knew there was still a long road ahead, but he firmly believed that as long as he persevered, he would eventually overcome all difficulties and achieve glory.

When Orochimaru entered the reception room again and saw Kabuto and the others, his lips twitched slightly. His subordinates all had dark circles under their eyes, bloodshot eyes, and were slumped listlessly on the table. Kimimaro, in particular, was in a semi-conscious, dazed state, as if he might fall asleep at any moment.

Orochimaru glanced around and immediately understood that these people's experience the previous night was exactly the same as his. After hearing Hyuga Neji's method, they eagerly threw themselves into training, trying repeatedly throughout the night. However, judging from their expressions now, they clearly hadn't achieved much, perhaps nothing at all. After all, they had spent years refining their chakra, and changing that habit in just one night was no easy task. But fortunately, they were still young, which meant they had more opportunities to make changes, and relatively more easily.