Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

"...That's such a shame."

Qingwu didn't tell Iruka the true identity of "Chino," nor was it necessary.

Seeing Iruka's dejected expression, Qingwu was about to offer a few words of comfort when...

【Ding! 】

[Trigger Mission: Drive Out the Invaders 3]

[Mission Description: Defend your territory and repel the invaders]

[Quest Reward: Slow Spell (Basic Earth Magic)]

"???" Qingwu was dumbfounded.

So it really is a "tower defense game," this is the third time!

What's even more frustrating this time is that he wasn't in the territory, and he took all the basic troops with him.

"Qingwu, what's wrong?"

Noticing Qingwu's anxious expression, Iruka asked.

Fortunately, a Tier 5 Deadwood Guardian was left in the territory this time, which put Qingwu at ease. "Iruka, how much longer will it take us to get back?"

"You also have something urgent to do?"

Iruka, who was in charge of looking at the map and planning the route, thought for a moment and said, "At a normal pace, we should be able to get back to the village by the afternoon."

...If it were Cloud Ninja, the Drywood Guardians should be sufficient to defend against it, but it cannot be ruled out that this was Root's action after Nonou sent a message in Tanabata yesterday.

Qingwu pondered, "The art of spirit communication!"

Two centaurs were summoned.

"Rope!" Qingwu reached out to Iruka.

Qingwu made two simple reins out of rope and said, "Take the main road and go back at full speed."

Iruka noticed Qingwu's anxiety and stopped talking.

It just felt a bit odd that the reins were around the centaur's waist.

Because the upper body of a centaur is "human-shaped".

Qingwu couldn't care less about that now; he tightened the reins and gave the order.

The centaur neighed and began to gallop forward at full speed.

"Waaaaah—" Behind him, Iruka was shouting loudly.

Iruka knew the centaurs were fast, but their relentless charge without slowing down still terrified him.

"Whoosh!"

Kakashi appeared in the middle of the road.

Watching the two speed away, he shook his head helplessly and chased after them...

……

at the same time.

The Forest of Death, on the edge of the territory.

Three figures emerged from the shadows of the trees like ghosts, without making a sound.

They were all wearing masks.

The leader was of medium build, and his mask had no extra lines, only two thin, knife-like slits around his eyes that barely revealed a pair of emotionless eyes.

Behind them were two people, one of whom was wearing a mask with red patterns.

The other one wore a simple, unpatterned white mask and was the shortest of the three.

Judging from the design of their masks, they are distinct from the animal masks worn by the Anbu, and are indeed ninjas from the Root.

"This is it."

The cold-faced ninja in the lead said, "Bing and I will hold off the Anbu members. Jia, you go inside and gather intelligence."

The red-patterned mask reminded him, "Jia, use your Wood Release to infiltrate; do not force your way in."

"Yes!" the short ninja called "A" replied in a low voice, his voice still carrying the immaturity of a young boy.

The other two Root ninjas exchanged a glance. "Disperse!"

A moment later, the sounds of battle could be heard in the distance.

A walked to the foot of the wall, raised his hands to form a mudra, and his movements were skillful and precise.

"Wood Release: Thorn Technique!"

"Laughable" thickets of thorns sprouted behind and above him as he cautiously peeked out from behind the wall to investigate.

"No barrier, no alarm triggered!"

The territory was completely silent, and Jia immediately spotted the unique ancient tree in the center.

"despair!"

It landed gently.

Knowing his time was running out, A glanced over the strange buildings, including the centaur stables and the dwarf village.

Using the thorns as cover, he moved straight toward the ancient tree.

Their mission was to gather intelligence about the area while their "master" was away, and A's intuition told him that the secret lay in that ancient tree.

What puzzled Jia was that the closer he got to the ancient tree, the more active his Wood Release chakra became.

It even carried a strange sense of excitement.

He couldn't resist reaching out to touch the warm, smooth bark.

Just then—

"Buzz!"

A large tree next to the ancient tree has come back to life.

The withered tree guardian has moved.

Two beams of eerie green light suddenly lit up, instantly locking onto Jia, who was less than 3 meters away from the ancient tree.

"Crack!"

The ground beneath A's feet suddenly exploded, and several roots as thick as a wrist burst out of the soil, coiling around his legs like giant pythons!

Despite his young age, A's reflexes are incredibly fast.

The instant the roots touched him, he leaped backward while simultaneously forming hand seals: "Wood Release: Wood Wall!"

The wooden retaining wall rose up, slightly blocking the surging roots.

A took the opportunity to retreat several meters further.

He found that releasing Wood Release here seemed...very easy.

Not only does it consume less chakra, but it is also more powerful.

Suppressing his doubts, Jia skillfully dodged the attacks of the roots and moved closer to the ancient tree once again.

Since there are guards around the ancient tree, it proves that his guess was correct.

The thought of completing the task occupied his entire mind.

However, he underestimated the protective capabilities of the withered tree guardians...

Chapter 33 A? Tenzo? Yamato?

More and more roots are breaking through the soil.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for A to break through to the next level.

"A wooden substitute!"

He chose to take the risk, using his wooden substitute to escape the attack range again just as the roots were about to get close, and rushed forward.

however……

The Deadwood Guardian's "prepared" ultimate move was now complete.

In front of it, a large fan-shaped area, both underground and above, is filled with dense, thick roots.

A shadow loomed over him, revealing Jia's terrified pupils.

"We only used ground attacks before, but this monster can actually use tactics!"

He closed his eyes in despair...

……

Around noon.

Qingwu, who returned ahead of time, didn't have time to go to the mission center. He left Iruka, who was slower than him, and headed straight for the Death Forest.

As soon as he stepped into the vicinity of the territory, he sensed an unusual aura.

There are signs of a battle on the ground.

Turned-up soil, scorched spots, scattered pebbles...

"The Drywood Guardians shouldn't have left their territory. Did the Dark Guard engage in combat with someone?"

Qingwu felt a pang of anxiety and quickly returned to his territory.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the withered tree guardian remain silent.

Just as he was about to ask, Qingwu noticed a wooden cage beside the withered wood guard.

Inside the cage was a small, thin figure.

Qingwu: "???"

He sent a signal to the withered tree guardian for an inquiry.