Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

The Kusanagi sword in his hand was wrapped in cold chakra, and his body twisted as if it had no bones, dodging most of the claw shadows at an eerie angle.

At the same time, the longsword, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, pierced towards the heart of the phantom of Princess Ichikishima.

"You dare fight back!!"

Princess Ichikishima's voice was filled with disbelief.

Orochimaru had always maintained a respectful attitude towards Ryuchi Cave, and this was the first time he had taken the initiative to attack her.

"Hidden Shadow Serpent Hands!"

Countless purple venomous snakes also surged out from Orochimaru's sleeves and under his robes, biting at the phantom from all directions.

Boom! Boom! Crack!

Princess Ichikishima's phantom was finally brought under control, and the Kusanagi sword pierced through it.

The phantom's color quickly dimmed, clearly indicating that Princess Ichikishima, who could not materialize without a summoning contract, was no match for Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru... you just wait! I swear I will never be a snake again if I don't avenge this!!"

Before the phantom completely dissipated, it let out a final, venomous shriek, then with a "poof," it turned into specks of purple light and vanished completely.

The snake pattern on the ground shattered completely with a "bang".

Silence returned to the icy plains, broken only by the howling wind and Orochimaru's slightly heavy breathing.

Orochimaru's face was unusually gloomy as he let the blood flow from the wound on his shoulder that had been cut by the claw blade.

The golden snake eyes flashed rapidly, "Qingwu-jun... just how much did you achieve in Ryuchi Cave?"

He originally thought he had overestimated Qingwu, but now it seems he had underestimated him by a large margin!

Based on the information that Princess Ichikishima "brought" earlier, it seems... that kid really did make the trip worthwhile, just as he said!

"Hehe... Hahahaha!"

Orochimaru suddenly chuckled softly, the laughter gradually growing from suppressed to unrestrained and wild, echoing across the vast, icy plain.

With the excitement of discovering a priceless treasure and... an even more intense desire to possess and explore.

"This is...so interesting! Such 'material,' such 'variables'!"

"While the Uchiha brats have some value, compared to you... they still seem to fall short!"

"Jun Qingwu..."

He looked in the direction Qingwu had left, his eyes burning with an intensity that seemed to solidify into a real flame.

"It seems that the alternative containers for 'Reanimation Jutsu' and the next steps in our contact plan with 'Akatsuki' need to be readjusted."

"Qingwu-jun...you deserve my greater attention..."

"We...will meet again soon..."

Orochimaru licked his lips, as if he had already tasted some kind of ultimate delicacy.

The figure slowly sank into the shadows beneath its feet and disappeared.

……

Country of Fields

Konoha's eastern front outpost.

Qingwu rode his silver winged horse and quietly landed behind his barracks.

It was nearly dusk, and smoke curled from the chimneys inside the stronghold as patrolling ninjas changed shifts, creating a rare post-war tranquility.

He didn't disturb too many people and went straight back to his tent.

Leaning back on the bed, Qingwu finally let out a long sigh of relief, her tense nerves finally relaxing.

Although the trip to Ryūchi Cave was short, its danger and intensity far exceeded any previous battle.

Faced with a super-Kage level old monster like the White Snake Immortal, and the siege of the three goddesses, the troops suffered unprecedented losses.

To be able to escape unscathed and achieve one's goal was indeed partly due to luck.

"call……"

He checked his condition and found that more than half of his natural energy had been used up. His minor external injuries were no longer a problem thanks to the slug's treatment and his own powerful recovery ability.

Although I was somewhat exhausted, I was more excited about the success of the battle and the achievement of my goal.

Then, he brought up the system interface.

As expected, the series of battles with the White Snake Sage and the three goddesses, especially the direct confrontation with the Super Shadow-level White Snake Sage, brought a massive amount of experience points!

[Level +1, Attribute Points Gained: Defense +1, Knowledge +1]

[Level +1, gain attribute points: Attack +1, Strength +1]

[Current Level: 55!]

Two levels in a row! Jumped directly from level 53 to level 55!

Moreover, the experience bar has jumped forward significantly, and it's not far from level 56.

Leveling up results in an increase in all attributes, as well as a significant boost to the maximum natural energy gained from battles.

"Awesome!" Qingwu couldn't help but exclaim softly.

The rewards of this trip were no less than those from Shikhtuynia cordata!

Soon, his gaze fell on the three [Natural Essences] in his inventory.

His burning gaze gradually calmed down, and he fell into deep thought.

He now faces a choice.

His total natural energy, after the battle of Ryuchi Cave and previous accumulations, has reached a very considerable figure: 88696.

It's just over 10,000 points away from the 100,000 mark.

One hundred thousand units of natural energy is a very important threshold.

Based on previous experience, when the natural energy exceeds 100,000, it is highly likely that the conditions for the next stage upgrade of the [Ancient Tree of Life] will be triggered.

The Tree of Life is the core of his territory and the foundation of everything he has.

The new unit types and functions all require the upgrade of the ancient tree.

Therefore, upgrading the Divine Tree will bring tremendous benefits.

Now, all you need to do is absorb one natural essence and casually "grind" some experience points to reach 100,000 points.

but……

Qingwu's brows furrowed slightly.

Based on previous experience in building the Deadwood Arch and the Forest Sanctuary, the Tier 7 barracks [Dragon Cliff] will inevitably also require resources: Natural Essence.

……

Chapter 236 Captain, who is she?

The Tier 5 barracks [Deadwood Arch] requires not only a large amount of wood, gold coins, and other resources, but also one [Natural Essence].

The sixth-tier barracks [Forest Sanctuary] has two.

As the ultimate level 7 troop building for the Bulwark faction in the game, the Dragon Cliff obviously requires more resources.

Based on previous experience, the ancient tree will most likely produce [Natural Essence] fruit after it is upgraded.

But that's precisely the problem—he can't be sure how many [Natural Essences] he'll have, or if there will be enough to build Dragon Cliff.

If he consumes natural essence now in order to trigger the upgrade conditions of the ancient tree, then he will be truly at a loss when he finds that he does not have enough natural essence to build [Dragon Cliff].

Thinking of this, Qingwu scratched his head in distress.

Suddenly, the three "Natural Essence" pills in my hand didn't seem so appealing anymore.

Shikkotsu Forest has been closed for a century now, and Ryuchi Cave has only recently been partially destroyed, so it's unlikely to be open for business anytime soon.

So, apart from the ancient tree bearing fruit on its own, the only other possible way to obtain natural essence is from Mount Myōboku, the last of the three sacred sites.

But Mount Myoboku...

Minato Namikaze is deceased, and the only one now clearly connected to Mount Myōboku is Jiraiya.

That guy is elusive and skilled in intelligence gathering and infiltration. He doesn't show himself, so finding him is incredibly difficult.

Besides, even if it is found, what reason would one have to demand the natural essence of Mount Myoboku?

after all……

Now that I have a psychic contract with two holy lands, I don't know what attitude that old toad from Mount Myōboku will have.

"Therefore... we must use it sparingly!"

Qingwu suppressed the temptation to absorb the essence of nature and forcibly shifted her gaze away.

Anyway, there won't be another major war for the time being, and having Tianxin Shenji is a kind of buff for me.

There's no rush to break through 100,000 points.

Having figured this out, Qingwu felt a sudden sense of clarity.

Just as he finished calculating his gains and was about to lie down for a good rest, he heard footsteps outside the tent.

"Captain, are you there?"

It was the sound of still water, calm yet tinged with concern.

"Oh, looks like you're back."

Another lazy voice rang out; it was Kakashi.

Qingwu sat up and called out, "Come in."

The tent flap was lifted, and Shisui and Kakashi walked in one after the other, both dressed in ANBU combat uniforms with short swords on their backs.

"Captain, are you... alright!?"

Seeing that Qingwu's clothes were stained with dust and some dried dark bloodstains, Zhishui asked with concern.