Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

What's the difference between that and sending someone to their death?

This will only further damage morale and expose our own weakness.

"Give the order," Tu Tai finally spoke, his voice hoarse and weary:

"All forward outposts and guard units, withdraw to the second line of defense. No offensive action is permitted without my order. Strengthen reconnaissance and closely monitor Konoha's movements. Furthermore..."

He paused, a resolute glint in his eyes:

"In my name, I am sending an urgent report to the village, detailing Lord Raikage's injuries and the situation at the front, requesting... authorization to activate the contingency plan, and considering the possibility of... contact with Konoha."

"Lord Tsuchidai! You mean..." The Jonin looked up in shock.

"Execute the order!" Tu Tai interrupted him sharply.

How could he be content with this?

But as the commander, he must be responsible for the overall interests of the Hidden Cloud Village.

Continuing to fight on a demoralized front against an opponent with a necromantic army that seems like a "catastrophe" is the most foolish choice.

Now, the primary task is to cut losses, preserve strength, and deal with potential threats from our enemy, Iwagakure, or from other directions.

As for face... it's insignificant compared to the safety of the nation and the film industry.

The Cloud Hidden troops began to quietly retreat, abandoning a large number of fortifications and sentry posts at the front, further shrinking the defensive line.

Faced with the intimidating advance of the Konoha summoning beast army, they chose to retreat.

When Qingwu's summoned beast army "took over" the forward positions abandoned by Yunyin without bloodshed, and continued to advance steadily—

The more than three hundred Konoha ninja following behind erupted in cheers.

Without losing a single soldier, relying solely on the intimidation of the summoning beasts, they forced the Cloud Village to retreat and abandon the position they had held for more than two years!

What a triumphant victory this is!

All the Konoha ninja looked at the young figure at the front of the battlefield, and the silent yet powerful army of summoned beasts behind him, with eyes filled with sincere admiration and awe.

Even a touch of fanatical trust.

"Captain Qingwu! Long live Captain Qingwu!"

"Shadow Guard! Long live the Shadow Guard!"

No one knows who shouted it first, but the cheers were like a mountain roar and a tsunami, resounding through the sky.

At this moment, the prestige of Senju Seigo and his Shadow Guard reached an unprecedented height on the eastern front of Konoha.

"Reorganize and consolidate the new defense line!"

Qingwu didn't say much, and the Konoha ninjas following behind him got to work.

After half an hour.

Suzaku Nara arrived with his men and took over the Kumogakure camp.

Then, the camp gates were opened wide.

The tireless spirit army marched out once more, Qingwu's gaze resolute: "Keep pushing forward!!"

……

The western front.

On a border between the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Fire.

A major battle is also underway.

The battlefield here is even more brutal than the one on the eastern front.

There are no eerie summoning beast armies or wondrous magic, only violent clashes of ninjutsu and hand-to-hand combat.

And the countless ninjas who paid the ultimate price to slaughter each other in ravines, rocks, and forests.

The sky was illuminated by the flickering light of various ninjutsu techniques.

The massive earthen walls were torn apart by the violent wind release, the scorching fire release collided with the viscous earth dragon bullets, and the sharp water-cutting waves clashed fiercely with the heavy rock fist technique.

Explosions, roars, screams, and the clash of kunai and shuriken filled the air, thick with the smell of gunpowder, blood, and scorched earth.

In the center of the battlefield, on a relatively open flat area, the level of combat far exceeded that of other places.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in his combat uniform and wielding his Adamantine Staff, is engaged in a fierce battle with the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, who is floating in mid-air!

"Dust Release: Particle Style: Detachment Technique!"

Onoki shouted, and the white cube in his palm suddenly expanded, shooting out a white beam of light powerful enough to separate matter into atomic states, sweeping towards Hiruzen Sarutobi!

"Spiritual Spell - Ape Demon - Vajra Prison Wall!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was solemn. He and his summoned beast, Enma, worked seamlessly together, and the Vajra Staff instantly lengthened and thickened, transforming into countless staff shadows.

They intertwined to form a massive, impenetrable wall of rods, blocking the dust escaping beam!

laugh--!

A piercing annihilation sound rang out as the white dust escape beam clashed violently with the golden staff wall.

The shadows of the sticks at the point of contact continuously turned into the most basic dust and scattered, but the subsequent shadows of the sticks kept replenishing, firmly resisting the erosion of the dust escape.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's forehead was covered in sweat; maintaining such a high level of defense and combat was an immense burden for someone his age.

Of course, Onoki in mid-air wasn't much better off.

"Let's see how long you can hold out!!"

Despite the drain on his chakra, Onoki stubbornly persisted.

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't want to waste his energy responding to the taunts; it wouldn't be easy for the two of them to determine a winner.

Therefore, he didn't want the fight to escalate to this point from the very beginning.

However, Onoki struck first and even killed Hakuun Hayama, a veteran Jonin of Konoha, so he had no choice but to fight Onoki as soon as he arrived.

On the other side, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio is engaged in a fierce battle with Onoki's son—possibly the second strongest Iwagakure player, Kyoto—and several Iwagakure Jonin.

Huang Tu was tall and strong, with amazing strength and profound mastery of earth-escape techniques. With a move called "Mountain Earth Technique", he created two huge hemispherical rock walls, attempting to sandwich Akimichi Choza between them.

Nara Shikaku's Shadow Grip Technique spread like a serpent, tightly binding Huang Tu's feet, buying time for Akimichi Choza.

Yamanaka Inoichi kept trying to use the Mind Transfer Technique to control the other Jonin of Iwagakure and disrupt their coordination.

Taking advantage of the situation, Choza Akimichi used the Multiply Technique to break free from the control of the rock wall.

The two sides fought fiercely, with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio barely managing to withstand the fierce attacks of the Yellow Earth with their perfect teamwork and clan secret techniques, but they were also held back and unable to support the Hokage.

Further out, Konoha and Iwagakure's regular troops were locked in combat.

The Konoha ninjas are individually more skilled and have better teamwork, but they are outnumbered and their morale is low due to continuous battles, breached defenses, and broken lines.

On the Iwagakure side, a considerable number of Kusanagi ninja were helping them. Relying on their superior numbers and the Tsuchikage's personal support, their offensive was relentless.

Every minute, every second, ninjas fall; life in this valley is as cheap as grass.

"Lord Hokage! Watch out on your left!"

Even amidst the fierce battle, Nara Shikaku remained focused on the overall situation and loudly reminded everyone.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just dodged a sneak attack from a Tsuchiya spear using a substitution jutsu, felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

Suddenly, several Jonin from Iwagakure on the left formed hand seals and jointly unleashed "Earth Release: Earth Release: Earth Rising and Digging," causing the earth to rise violently and form a huge, sharp stone pillar that crashed into him!

He was focused on dealing with Onoki's Dust Release and couldn't afford to be distracted.

"We've successfully outflanked the enemy! Charge!"

At the critical moment, a roar rang out from the side and rear of the battlefield!

"Ninja Art: Human Bomber Tank!"

Akimichi Tangdong took the lead, charging into the battlefield like a heavy tank, his massive body sending a line of Iwa ninja flying.

Behind him, Shiro Aburame stretched out his arms, and countless black parasitic insects surged out from his sleeves, rushing towards the Iwagakure Chunin who were forming hand seals like a dark cloud!

"It's Lord Tangdong and Lord Zhihei! Reinforcements have arrived!"

"We've won on the Eastern Front! They're coming to our aid!"

"Reinforcements have arrived! Counterattack!"

"Konoha! Charge! Charge! Charge!!"

A joyful shout erupted from the Konoha troops, instantly boosting their previously low morale!

……

Chapter 224 is simply unbelievable.

The number of people brought by Akimichi Tōdō and Aburame Shiko was not large, only a few hundred elite troops.

However, their appearance indicates that the situation on the eastern front has stabilized, and they may even have gained the upper hand!

This was undoubtedly a huge encouragement to the Konoha ninjas on the western front who were struggling to hold on.

"Secret Technique: Insect Jade!"

With a wave of his hands, Shiro Aburame unleashed a swarm of parasitic insects that instantly enveloped a leading Jonin from Iwagakure, frantically devouring his chakra and interrupting his ninjutsu.

"Multiply Technique: Super Push!"

Akimichi Touto then swung his enormous hands, crushing a group of Iwa ninjas gathered together into the ground.

Originally, although Konoha was at a disadvantage, it was temporarily a matter of "soldiers against soldiers, kings against kings," and the situation was in a delicate balance.

The arrival of reinforcements, especially the two elite Jonin, Akimichi Toudou and Aburame Shiko, completely shattered the balance.

Chaos reigned within the Iwagakure unit.

With the pressure eased, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Akimichi Toudou and Aburame Shiguro with relief in his eyes.

He knew that the Hidden Cloud Village on the eastern front was also under great pressure, but the presence of these two meant that Konoha must have won a great victory.

Taking the wind... As expected of you, and... Qingwu...