Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

Yes, the New Year is almost here again, and Qingwu is also a little dazed.

Since the awakening of the Heart of the Barrier, his life has undergone a complete transformation.

"At the meeting after the New Year, I will promote you to elite Jonin."

The Third Hokage's voice seemed to come from afar, almost unreal, "Your strength is definitely enough, and having returned from the Iwagakure battlefield and gone to the Kumogakure battlefield, you shouldn't face any obstacles."

"Well, those families may object, but my mind is made up. If they are not convinced, let them go to the battlefield."

"After the New Year, you'll be a year older. Once you become an elite Jonin, you'll need to think things through more carefully before acting."

"I have high hopes for you, Qingwu..."

Qingwu shook his head, pulling himself back from his daze, and listened to the Third Hokage's endless stream of "truths."

He suddenly felt... that he shouldn't blame all the responsibility on the old man in front of him.

At least so far, apart from indulging Danzo in the recent incident, he has never mistreated himself in any other way.

Thinking of this, Qingwu said softly, "Lady Tsunade has always been thinking of you."

"Huh?" The third generation leader was taken aback, his aged eyes filled with astonishment.

Qingwu smiled and said, "When she met Lady Tsunade, she asked, 'How is the old man's health?'"

The third generation stared blankly at Qingwu, the astonishment in his eyes slowly fading away. This was the first time Qingwu had smiled at him today.

The wisps of smoke from the burning tobacco blurred his features, adding a touch of gentle melancholy to his weathered face.

After a long silence, he gently tapped his pipe, suppressing his surging emotions, his voice as soft as a sigh: "This girl..."

……

When we came out of the Hokage Building, the moon was already high in the sky.

There are only two weeks left until the Chinese New Year.

"Tsk, what a life of toil!"

Qingwu, with her hands as a pillow, walked towards the Forest of Death.

Qingwu didn't really have any thoughts on whether or not he could stay in the village for the New Year.

It doesn't matter to him where he is; what matters is that he has familiar people around him.

...Return to the territory.

Naruto has fallen asleep under Kakashi's watchful eye.

Tenzang used Wood Release to build several new houses on the open ground. The environment in the territory was neither too hot nor too cold, and no other facilities were needed for habitation.

After greeting Tianzang, Qingwu thought for a moment and then went back to the wooden house to lie down.

The territory is different now than it used to be.

Since there are children, let's not disturb them. We'll build a level 6 barracks tomorrow morning.

Anyway, there are still three days until next week's update, so it won't cause any problems.

He had agreed with the Third Generation that he would depart for the Land of Fields in three days, in order to catch the new week's barracks refresh.

The level 6 barracks [Forest Sanctuary] can spawn 2 unicorns every week, at which point he can take 4 unicorns to the battlefield.

If we compare a Tier 5 Deadwood Guardian to an elite Jonin, the Unicorn might reach Kage level.

What does it mean to have 4 Kage-level fighters? It means that as long as you don't directly confront the Cloud Village's A and B duo, you'll feel incredibly safe.

Of course, the distinction between elite Jonin and Kage-level ninja has always been blurred.

Often, what we call a shadow is merely the shadow of a single village.

The difference in combat power between Kage is also significant. For example, the Raikage of Kumogakure and the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure are not ordinary Kage-level beings.

Moreover, battles between ninjas are full of unknowns, and many factors determine the outcome.

Qingwu's requirements are "not high"; he only needs the unicorns to have a combat power that is about half that of the tailed beasts. Anyway... they can eventually be mass-produced as a type of soldier.

Amidst her jumbled thoughts, Qingwu fell into a deep sleep in the wooden house...

Chapter 183, Tier 6 [Forest Sanctuary], Construction Begins!

early morning.

Qingwu opened her eyes and heard the sound of wind breaking outside.

Looking out the window of the cabin, one could see Kakashi sparring with Mumu, dodging and weaving.

Unlike other units, Mumu, once it becomes a hero unit, possesses an intelligence that other units lack—it has independent thinking and the ability to communicate with others.

Although no one except Qingwu can understand its language.

However, it was probably Kakashi who asked Mumu to spar, and Mumu, whom Kakashi knew well, did not refuse.

Qingwu stood by the window for a while, then landed on the ground and asked, "Captain, do you want a summoning beast?"

Kakashi didn't want the Silver Pegasus before, but he set his sights on the Dryad Guardian.

However, Qingwu didn't have many withered wood guards before, and he thought he would give them to her later. After that, he left the village to find Tsunade, but he never succeeded.

Upon hearing this, Kakashi stopped his attack, wiped his sweat, and pointed at Mumu, saying, "I want to form a summoning contract with it."

"..." Qingwu almost choked to death. What a load of rubbish! Besides, Mumu is a hero unit and cannot form a natural contract with others.

"I was just kidding." Kakashi sheathed his ninja sword and said, "Also, don't call me captain anymore."

He is no longer the captain of the Shadow Guard, and if nothing unexpected happens, Qingwu should be the next captain.

Qingwu shrugged and said nothing more. He summoned a withered tree guardian and had it form a natural contract with Kakashi.

"Spiritual communication!"

Kakashi summoned a twelve-meter-tall withered tree guardian, then looked at the tree that stood twice as tall in his territory and said regretfully, "The difference is quite large."

Qingwu rolled her eyes. "I might create an even stronger summoning beast later. If you don't like the tree spirit, I'll give you a new one."

Unexpectedly, Kakashi shook his head, "No need, I'm content that the tree spirit can protect Naruto."

Qingwu turned around and asked, "Where's Naruto? Is he still sleeping?"

Kakashi nodded, then asked curiously, "Are you going to build a new summoning medium?"

From the very beginning, as a member of the secret service responsible for monitoring the territory, he has watched Qingwu gradually build the territory into what it is today.

Qingwu wasn't in a hurry. "The noise might be a bit loud. Let's wait until Naruto wakes up. Kids need plenty of sleep. By the way, why are you working so hard?"

I started sparring with Mumu early in the morning, but there was still no movement from Tianzang's wooden house.

With new "tenants" joining the territory, Tianzang finally converted the "wooden prison" into a proper wooden house, probably to save face...

Kakashi glanced back at Tenzo's wooden hut and said in a deep voice, "I need to become stronger to protect my teacher's children."

In fact, what Kakashi didn't say was that this incident greatly affected him.

The former underdog has long surpassed him, the captain, and can even defeat veteran powerhouses like Danzo.

Kakashi felt... that he was really too far behind.

Qingwu looked at Kakashi, hesitating to speak.

He really wanted to tell Kakashi: Why don't you try developing that eye?

Obito's eyes have already awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, but Kakashi is not a member of the Uchiha clan and has not yet discovered the Mangekyou Sharingan's abilities. Currently, its only uses for Kakashi are his super-powerful dynamic vision and... copying.

But upon further reflection, Qingwu suppressed the thought.

Obito has gone mad. If we disturb him too soon, who knows what might happen.

I still need to develop myself, and before I find a way to deal with "Shinwei", I shouldn't make any rash moves that might alert him.

Kakashi noticed Qingwu's hesitant expression and was about to ask when Naruto came out rubbing his eyes.

He wasn't wearing shoes; his chubby little feet stepped on the cool morning ground, leaving a trail of shallow footprints.

Naruto ran up to Mumu and, without any fear, looked up and exclaimed, "Wow, he's so tall! Oh my, he's looking at me!"

Mumu leaned forward slightly, her emerald green eyes reflecting Naruto's small figure.

Qingwu loved pinching Naruto's chubby cheeks, his fingertips brushing over the marks that resembled fox whiskers, and he laughed, "That's right, he's looking at you."

In a sense, Mumu and Naruto have some similarities—their ability to sense malice.

So far, Qingwu's friends and Mumu have become familiar with each other. Whether it's Kakashi, Tenzo, Iruka, Anko, or others, Mumu is very friendly to them.

Now, another Naruto has been added to this list.

When Kakashi saw Naruto come out, he turned back into the house and came out a while later with a bottle of freshly prepared baby formula.

When Qingwu saw this, he couldn't help but smile. Who would have thought that the cold-blooded Kakashi from a few years ago would become like this?

Even Tianzang, who had just come out of the room, was slightly taken aback.

Clearly, he had never seen Kakashi like this before.

Just then, Iruka walked towards the ancient tree carrying breakfast.

As long as Qingwu was home, he was always there on time, but as the number of people increased, his burden naturally became heavier.

Kakashi took out his own money and handed it to Iruka.

Iruka was about to refuse, but Qingwu said, "Keep it. We'll all take care of Naruto together from now on."

Tianzang silently handed over a money bag, saying, "There's a share for me too."

Iruka waved his hand and said no, explaining that as a teaching assistant at the school, he had a stable salary and breakfast didn't actually cost much.

Qingwu gestured for Iruka to put it away, and then offered one for himself, saying, "We're often not in the village, so please use the extra to help the orphanage."

Thinking of the children in the orphanage, Iruka ultimately put away the funds that everyone had donated.

While eating the bread in his mouth, Iruka said, "Red Bean was supposed to come with me, but she was just called away by the Anbu."

Qingwu paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "She'll be here soon."

The fact that Anko was called away most likely means that the Third Hokage wanted to talk to her about joining the Shadow Guard.

After breakfast, Iruka packed his things and went to school.