Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

"Firstly, although today's matter ended in a transaction, this person has a close relationship with Shikkotsu Forest, and his strength, potential, and character are all top-notch. He will surely cause waves in the ninja world in the future."

Signing a contract with him is like planting a pair of eyes and a link by his side. Through me, Ryuchi Cave can learn about his movements and Shikkotsu Forest's intentions.

Even… at some point in the future, exerting influence or acquiring information could be advantageous to Ryuchi-dō!

Qingwu looked strange. This... sounds so reasonable, but... they just said it so bluntly in front of me?

Princess Ichikishima said urgently, "But elder sister, if you do that you will..."

Princess Tianxin raised her hand to stop her and continued:

"Secondly, it's due to my personal reasons."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the dark, damp, unchanging cave, and over the ravaged battlefield and countless snake corpses below.

A faint, almost imperceptible hint of weariness and...longing flashed in his eyes.

"I have spent hundreds of years in Ryuchi Cave, and I have become accustomed to the same rocks, the same swamps, and the same kind of fighting among themselves..."

What is the Ninja World, the world that the snakes of our Ryuchi Cave can only glimpse through contractors, really like?

That prosperity, that strife, those lives and civilizations so different from our own… I want to see them with my own eyes.”

She looked at the White Snake Immortal, her tone tinged with earnestness:

“Immortal, I know that once the contract is signed, I will lose some of my freedom and will have to respond to spirit summons, but I promise that I will always belong to the Goddess of Ryuchi Cave.”

"Please... grant me permission, Immortal!"

The cave fell silent again.

Princess Ichikishima and Princess Takitsu both fell silent; they understood their elder sister's feelings.

For these highly intelligent, immortal beings, centuries of monotonous guarding and the same scenery day after day must be a form of torture.

They had never expressed themselves as clearly as the eldest sister, nor were they willing to pay the price of "losing some of their freedom."

The White Snake Immortal stared intently at Tianxin Shenji with his golden vertical pupils. His gaze held scrutiny, contemplation, and a subtle, complex emotion.

It understood that the "eyeliner" effect mentioned by Princess Tashin was indeed real.

Forging a closer connection with such a person with unlimited potential and a complex background may not be a bad thing for Ryuji-dong in the long run.

Moreover, Princess Tianxin is calm and intelligent, making her the perfect candidate to carry out this "surveillance" mission.

But... even when it came to this, it still couldn't bear to part with its most beneficial subordinate.

Qingwu's gaze shifted slightly, looking at this and that, and gradually things became clear in her mind.

Tianxin Shenji deliberately stated her purpose in front of him, which can be considered a kind of honesty. As for whether there would be any risks... he wasn't afraid of the White Snake Sage, who was only a Kage-level expert!

At this moment, the White Snake Immortal slowly spoke, his voice carrying an aged sigh: "Tian Xin, have you... thought it through?"

"Yes, Immortal, I've made up my mind," Princess Tianxin replied firmly.

"Alright." The White Snake Immortal said no more and slowly nodded. On its massive body, the part connected to the temple, a faint light flashed.

A huge scroll flew down and said, "Since you have made up your mind, then do it."

"Thank you for your kindness, Immortal!" Goddess Tianxin bowed deeply.

Princess Ichikishima bit her lip. Although she was still unwilling, seeing that the immortal and her elder sister had made their decision, she didn't say anything more. She just glared at Qingwu fiercely.

Qingwu stared at the spirit scroll in Longdi Cave, his eyes burning with desire.

For him, Princess Tianxin's suggestion was entirely beneficial.

First of all, there is no doubt about the strength of Princess Tianxin. She is the leader of the three great goddesses and is proficient in illusion magic and a weakened version of inorganic reincarnation.

While her direct combat prowess may not be as ferocious as Ichikishima-hime's or as powerful as Takitsu-hime's long-range artillery, her overall abilities are extremely strong, especially her illusion magic and crowd control skills.

Her smoke illusion can perfectly conceal the ranged unit, the Great Elf, allowing a rain of arrows to fall without the enemy noticing.

Her weakened version of Inorganic Reincarnation, while not as large-scale as the White Snake Immortal's revitalization of heaven and earth,

However, by combining their own or Mumu's arrival in the Tree Realm, they can definitely make their "home advantage" even more versatile.

This will greatly enrich his tactical system!

Secondly, signing the contract means that he has gained a channel to "communicate" with Ryuchi Cave at any time, although Shinki Tanshin may not agree to "reverse communication".

But... it also means that his current hostile relationship with Ryūchi-dō could potentially turn into "cooperation"!

As for the "eyeliner" function mentioned by Princess Tianxin.

He knew perfectly well what was going on, but he wasn't worried.

Contracts are two-way, and he is confident that he can gradually take the initiative in their future interactions.

The process of signing a psychic contract is not complicated, especially when both parties are willing.

Qingwu bit his thumb and used his blood to imprint the scroll with specific summoning runes. He even saw Orochimaru's name on the scroll.

However... Orochimaru's name belongs to the second-in-command, Princess Kishima, and his "weight" is very low.

However, Qingwu's name is above the three great goddesses.

This is simply unimaginable in the strictly hierarchical Ryuchi Cave. If Orochimaru saw this, he would be utterly astonished.

Om-!

The contract was established, and just like the spirit contract signed in the Wet Bone Forest last time, a strange connection was formed between Qingwu and Tianxin Shenji.

"All right."

Qingwu, sensing the newly established contractual connection, nodded to Tianxin Shenji:

"Then, Princess Tianxin, please take care of me from now on. If you don't need anything for now, you can stay in Ryuchi Cave to cultivate."

"Yes, Lord Qingwu!" Princess Tianxin bowed slightly, her attitude becoming respectful. "If needed, you may summon me at any time!"

"Big sister..." Princess Ichikishima, her eyes red, stepped forward and took Princess Tashin's hand, her voice choked with emotion.

Tuanjin-hime also approached silently.

"Alright, it's not like we're going to die, it's just that we've lost some of our freedom."

Princess Tianxin patted the hands of her two "younger sisters" with whom she had lived for hundreds of years, a slight smile appearing on her face:

"I'll still be here most of the time. It's just... I might need to go out more often in the future."

The White Snake Immortal watched this scene, and his massive body twitched slightly.

Suddenly, a flash of white light appeared on its body, and the enormous snake body rapidly shrank and changed, eventually transforming into an old woman with a wrinkled face and a purple silk headband.

This is precisely its human form.

The white snake immortal in human form walked up to Princess Tianxin, extended his hand, and gently patted her shoulder with his withered palm. His voice was old and gentle:

"Tian Xin... keep a close eye on this human boy for me."

The White Snake Immortal had a premonition, or rather, it understood why this kid was valued by the Old Slug.

To have such strength and potential at such a young age... perhaps... this kid will become the "protagonist" in future changes!!

The White Snake Immortal turned to look at Qingwu, his tone returning to its coldness, "Remember your vow."

Qingwu assured him, "I will never tell anyone! I won't tell even if Orochimaru asks me."

"Hmph!" Mentioning Orochimaru, Princess Ichikishima couldn't suppress her anger again, and she said viciously:

"Human, you better treat my older sister better! If I find out you've mistreated her, I'll chase you to the ends of the earth and tear you to pieces!"

Qingwu laughed it off, "Don't worry, I will never let her down."

Slugs are not suitable for traveling in the ninja world, but Tashin Shinhime's human form is. If she wants to stay in the outside world for a long time, Qingwu has no objection.

"Alright, let's go." The White Snake Immortal seemed unwilling to see Qingwu any longer, waving his hand and pointing to the still-rotating spatial vortex.

Qingwu said no more and nodded to Tianxin Shenji.

He glanced once more at the white snake immortal in human form and the other two goddesses, then turned and stepped into the spatial vortex.

The light flickered, and the scenery changed.

The cold, sticky sensation of being transported through time returned, but this time it lasted only a short time.

The next moment, a biting cold wind and the scent of ice and snow rushed towards us.

Qingwu found himself back on the icy plains of the Frost Kingdom, standing right next to the serpentine ritual pattern from before.

The pattern had completely faded, mostly covered by newly fallen snow.

"Oh? It's out? A bit faster than I expected, and... it seems pretty intact?"

A hoarse voice, tinged with curiosity and amusement, came from the side.

Orochimaru was still wearing his red cloud-patterned black robe, leaning against an ice rock not far away.

The golden snake eyes were scrutinizing him up and down with great interest.

It was as if they were inspecting an experimental subject that had just been taken out of the laboratory, and they didn't know if it was intact.

Qingwu raised an eyebrow. "What? Orochimaru-senpai wants me to become...incomplete?"

"Hehe... It seems that Qingwu-jun's 'visit' to Ryuchi Cave went quite smoothly?"

……

Chapter 235 A Worthwhile Trip

Orochimaru licked his lips and carefully examined Qingwu.

He noticed that although Qingwu's breathing was somewhat unstable after the battle, and there were traces of the battle and some bloodstains on his robes,

But he was in high spirits, with sharp eyes, and showed no signs of injury.

This was quite different from what he had expected—that he would "at least recover from a painful experience."

Qingwu dusted himself off, feeling the newly established contractual connection, and was secretly pleased. He looked at Orochimaru with a half-smile on his face.

"Thanks to the senior, it was... not a wasted trip."

"Oh?"

"It's just that the hospitality in Ryukichi-dong is a little too enthusiastic."