Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

"Tang Dong, Zhi Hei, fight them off with all your might!" Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted in a deep voice while blocking Onoki's Dust Release.

At this moment, boundless power surged from his aged body—on the importance of morale!

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Led by Akimichi Tōtō and Aburame Shiguro, the Konoha reinforcements pierced the Iwagakure forces from the flank and rear like a sharp knife, forming a pincer attack on Iwagakure.

The morale of Konoha surged once again, while the Iwagakure side, especially the Kusanagi ninja, began to stir.

"asshole!"

Huang Tu roared and forced Qiu Daoding back with a punch, his face turning ugly.

He didn't expect reinforcements to arrive from the eastern front. Was Raikage a dead man?

Father's plan was to use the Hidden Cloud Village to tie down the main force of the Leaf Village, while his side took the opportunity to expand their gains and even threaten the heartland of the Land of Fire.

The same should be true on the Cloud Village side; when the father takes action, it signifies a certain tacit understanding.

Who would have thought... that the Hidden Cloud Village might have already collapsed?

Otherwise, how could Konoha have the spare resources to support the western front...?

Huang Tu's idea was not an isolated case; almost all the people in Iwagakure, and even Onoki, had similar thoughts at this time.

boom--!!

After exchanging another ninjutsu with Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Tsuchikage Onoki flew higher, hovering in the air with an uncertain expression.

He glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose eyes remained sharp.

He glanced down at the Konoha troops below, whose morale had soared with the arrival of reinforcements and who were now launching a counterattack, as well as at the Allied Forces on his side, which were beginning to show signs of instability.

The main problem is with those grass ninja; some of them have already started to run away.

Onoki's face darkened as he quickly calculated in his mind that continuing the fight in the face of a broken balance would be counterproductive.

More importantly, we need to figure out what's going on with the Cloud Village on the eastern front as soon as possible.

If Iwagakure suffers too many losses here without fully understanding the situation, it's hard to guarantee that Kumogakure, or even Sunagakure, won't have any ulterior motives...

"Father!"

Huangtu unleashed his chakra, breaking free from the shadow's restraints, and looked at Onoki, awaiting his decision.

Onoki closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and stopped unleashing his ninjutsu.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the opportunity to catch his breath and watched him warily.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha got lucky this time."

Onoki opened his eyes, his hoarse voice carrying a deep sense of resentment, but also a hint of relief:

"The variable on the Eastern Front should be those two kids, right? Senju and Uchiha, humph, they've really produced two remarkable offspring."

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes but did not respond.

Without saying another word, Onoki addressed the Iwagakure troops below and the anxious Kusanagi ninja in a deep voice:

"Iwagakure members, take turns providing cover and retreat! Grass Ninja members, please make yourselves at home!"

Upon receiving the order, the Iwagakure troops began an orderly retreat, demonstrating extremely high tactical proficiency.

The grass ninja scattered in disarray, but because they were not organized, they became the rearguard of the Iwagakure forces, and many were killed by the Konoha forces.

Onoki clearly intended to abandon the Grass Ninja.

In his eyes, ten "fence-sitters" grass ninjas are no match for one rock ninja.

Of course, the Grass Ninja were used to being treated this way. They survived in the cracks between major powers and had their own set of survival rules.

……

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the Iwagakure army slowly retreat and did not order a pursuit.

He knew that if Onoki was pushed too far, and the other party fought desperately, Konoha would have to pay an unbearable price.

Being able to force Iwagakure to retreat and stabilize the western front is already the best possible outcome.

"Clear the battlefield, treat the wounded, and reinforce the defenses!"

Despite his exhaustion, Hiruzen Sarutobi issued the order.

He walked up to Akimichi Tangdong and Aburame Shiguro and asked in a deep voice, "Tangdong, Shiguro, thank you for your hard work, on the eastern front..."

Phew——!

A ninja hawk landed in front of Nara Shikaku, interrupting Hiruzen Sarutobi's question.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked over; the message had arrived so urgently that he vaguely sensed something serious had happened.

A moment later...

Nara Shikaku approached and whispered, "Hokage-sama, Lord Torifu..."

……

The eastern front, the border between the Land of Fields and the Land of Lightning.

Within just a few days, Konoha's front line advanced like a snowball under the intimidation of the summoning beast army led by Qingwu.

Yunyin retreated again and again.

They almost abandoned all their strongholds and defenses built up over many years in the Land of Fields, retreating entirely back to the Land of Lightning to defend their home ground.

The choice of the earthen platform was both wise and unavoidable.

Faced with that tireless and fearless army of spirit beasts,

And then there's the "natural disaster" Senju Seigo, who can directly confront the AB combination; any direct confrontation would seem futile and foolish.

Preserve strength and stabilize the core base.

Waiting for the Raikage's injuries to stabilize and for further instructions from the village leadership is the best course of action.

When Qingwu's summoned beast army finally stopped a few miles outside the border of the Land of Thunder...

The Konoha ninja behind them began to establish solid forward observation posts and defensive fortifications, while the Cloud Village showed no signs of counterattacking.

Everyone understood that the fighting on the Eastern Front had temporarily come to an end.

Konoha not only held its defensive line, but also completely drove Kumogakure out of the Land of Rice Fields.

The buffer zone between the two great powers has "returned" to Konoha.

When the news reached the rear bases and the western front, which had just stabilized, the entire Konoha combat force was in an uproar!

Since the death of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, Konoha has been on the defensive in border skirmishes with Kumogakure, even retreating repeatedly, which has emboldened Kumogakure.

Now, after a fierce battle, they have actually launched a strategic counter-offensive and driven the Hidden Cloud Village back!

This is a glorious victory worthy of being recorded in the history of Konoha!

The key figure who created this miracle—Qian Shou Qingwu—and his Shadow Guard reached an unprecedented peak of prestige.

In the eyes of the Konoha ninjas on the eastern front, Senju Seigo was already a legend comparable to or even surpassing veteran powerhouses.

In the eyes of commanders who held military power, such as Nara Shikaku, Suzaku, Shirakumo Hayato, and Akimichi Touto, Seigo had long been considered a strategic unit.

The atmosphere inside the newly built forward command post was completely different from the previous somber atmosphere.

Although they were still busy, everyone's face showed relief at surviving the ordeal and joy at the victory.

Suzaku Nara looked at the newly drawn map.

The area newly controlled by Konoha and the defense line of Kumogakure were clearly marked on the screen, and a relieved smile finally appeared on his face.

Although behind that smile lies the heavy weight of Akimichi Torifu's death in battle and the sacrifice of countless comrades.

"Captain Qingwu!"

Nara Suzaku said to Qingwu who had just entered, "Kumo has retired. Our strategic objective has been achieved. Next..."

“Next, we just have to wait,” Qingwu replied, his face showing no joy, as calm as if all of this was expected.

“Yes, we wait!” Nara Suzaku said.

“Tutai isn’t stupid. There’s no point in them lingering here. I guess it won’t be long before an envoy from Kumogakure, or at least some kind of signal, arrives.”

Qingwu nodded. "Peace talks are their best option right now! Moreover, we hold the initiative in these talks."

The promise I made to the Third Hokage has finally been fulfilled.

His mindset has also been constantly changing with his experiences.

At first, he even considered "nurturing bandits to enhance his own importance," keeping Konoha and Kumogakure at odds for three years on the border in order to gain experience points.

But as familiar faces passed away one by one, he inevitably developed a sense of war-weariness.

He... was ultimately a living, breathing human being, and could not remain heartless in the face of death.

The passing of Hakuun Hayatsumi and Akimichi Tokifumi, in particular, brought him a great emotional shock.

Therefore, the subsequent proactive responsibility was taken, and the battle plan and actions were taken to completely drive Kumogakure back to the Land of Lightning.

Of course, another reason is that once you reach this level, the rewards for ordinary battles are far less than those for fighting against a Kage-level powerhouse.

A few days ago, I teamed up with Mumu to fight against the Cloud Hidden AB combination, and the battle results improved by two levels.

But the "expulsion battle" that followed didn't even advance one level.

Now his level has reached 53, and his natural energy has exceeded 60,000.

His strength has steadily improved, and he no longer has much interest in ordinary battles.

It can be said that, given time, even if he only accumulates a large number of basic troops, he could fight a great nation all by himself.

Therefore, let's end this kind of petty war as soon as possible.

As his level and strength increased, his sights were set on "higher places".

Now, with his Sage Mode fully unleashed and the help of Mumu and the Unicorn, he should have already reached the pinnacle of the current ninja world—the level of a powerful Kage!

He is on the same level as the Raikage, Tsuchikage, Hokage, and the perfect Jinchuriki.

But what about those above the Shadow level?

There's also Super Shadow, Six Paths, and... Otsutsuki!