Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

The two knelt down, and Yugao said, "Lord Hokage, please let us go to provide reinforcements. It is not our intention to abandon our teammates and escape."

Tianzang simply whispered, "I'm going to save Qingwu."

The Third Hokage said gently, "I'm glad that you've formed a bond, but this is no longer something you can interfere with."

Watching the Third Hokage depart, Yugao and Tenzo exchanged a glance, both seeing the resolve in each other.

However, when they returned to the village to resupply and tried to leave again, they were stopped by the ninjas guarding the gate.

"No one is allowed to leave the village without a mission order!"

The two had no choice but to go back to find the third generation.

Their status as Shadow Guards meant they could ignore the Dark Division's obstruction and see the Third Hokage at any time.

Unfortunately, the secret service informed us:

The third generation leader left the village "on his own initiative" without notifying the Shadow Guard.

Yugao and Tenzo were anxious, but there was nothing they could do, so they were forced to stay in Konoha.

……

The country of Taki.

The place where Qingwu fell off the cliff.

When Baiyun arrived with the centaurs early in the morning, he only found Wenya's corpse.

"it turns out……"

After recognizing Wen Ya, his subordinates exclaimed in surprise, "Was it that kid from the Shadow Guard who killed Wen Ya?"

They had been locked in a standoff with the Iwa ninja for many years and knew all too well how powerful the ninja, Bunya, was.

Baiyun had his men search the area early in the morning, but they couldn't find any trace of Qingwu. He turned to look at the cold pool and said, "Let's go downstream."

Because the centaurs were also moving downstream.

After taking two steps, Baiyun stopped and instructed his subordinates:

"With Wenya killed, a major battle is likely to break out on the border. Go back and organize the defenses. If necessary, request support from Takigakure."

"Yes!" The subordinate bowed and left.

Baiyun sighed inwardly in the morning, deciding to follow in the footsteps of the centaurs.

Regardless, the Shadow Guards were the Third Hokage's closest people; they had to be found, whether alive or dead!

……

[Natural energy recovery 0.1]

[Natural energy recovery 0.1]

【…】

Qingwu opened her eyes and found that the cold pool water had been replaced by warm bedding, and the scent of herbs filled her nostrils.

"This is……"

Struggling to his feet, he found his shoulder wrapped in thick medical bandages, indicating that the injury had clearly been treated.

I shook my head, and my vision gradually cleared.

This is a wooden hut. On a low table in the corner sits a medicine bowl, steaming with wisps of heat.

The wooden door was gently pushed open, and upon seeing that he had woken up, a female ninja dressed as a medical ninja exclaimed with delight, "I'll go and call the leader right away."

leader?

Qingwu quickly stopped the female ninja, examined her headband closely, and asked uncertainly, "Am I... in Takigakure?"

"Don't worry, you are the chief's friend, so you are the friend of our entire village."

The female ninja noticed Qingwu's wary expression and reassured him, "I'll go tell the leader you're awake right away."

"..."

Watching the clumsy female ninja leave, Qingwu tugged at the thick bandages, feeling speechless.

Although it was well-intentioned... the medical conditions in Takigakure are far inferior to those in Konoha.

Looking at the natural energy levels, it had long since returned to a safe level.

It's likely that the fatigue from the past few days triggered a physiological adjustment, causing him to sleep for a long time.

Water-based magic [Healing] activated...

A moment later, Qingwu forcefully tore off the bandage, and the injury on her shoulder had completely healed.

"Clap!"

The female medical ninja who burst in covered her mouth in surprise and said, "Has my medical ninjutsu improved so quickly? Shibuki, come and see, my herbs have healed him."

Behind him followed a young man wearing a blue haori and an elderly ninja from Takigakure dressed in combat gear.

Is it related to wood?

Qingwu looked up and saw that it was indeed the Takigakure boy he had met during the Chunin Exams.

Shibuki said happily, "I'm glad you're alright."

He then introduced the person behind him to Qingwu, saying, "This is my father, Shechuan, who is also the leader of Takigakure Village!"

His tone was not without pride.

The old man had deep nasolabial folds and looked to be at least 6 or 70 years old.

"Having a child late in life? Still vigorous in old age?"

Qingwu's thoughts wandered unconsciously, it was really... the old man looked old enough to be Shemu's grandfather.

The leader, Shechuan, forced an ugly smile, his teeth almost falling out. "I heard Shemu mention him; I should thank you for saving him last time."

"I should be thanking you." Qingwu politely stood up and bowed. "If you hadn't saved me, I probably would have frozen to death in the pool."

Qingwu knew his physical condition at the time; if he hadn't been discovered, hypothermia could have killed him.

Moreover, besides Wenya, there were also many Iwa ninja pursuing them.

"Look at Shibuki, how amazing my medical ninjutsu is! He can even stand up now," the female ninja said, eager to take credit.

"Heh...heh...heh..." The old man let out a halting laugh. "Xing, you may step back now."

"Yes!"

The female ninja watched Qingwu reluctantly leave the room, calling out, "I'm going to tell my sister Feng, who said I can't become an excellent medical ninja? Hehe!"

Shemu turned around and joked, "Your sister Feng is only a little over 100 days old. She's the only one who won't argue with you because she can't speak yet."

"Hehe~!" Anzu made a face at Shibuki and skipped away.

"Heh...heh..." Takigakure's leader, Shibukawa, didn't linger, telling Seigo to rest and recover.

He then claimed that he would use the Ninja Hawk to tell the Third Hokage the good news that "Seigo is in Takigakure Village," leaving the space to the younger generation.

Shibuki reached out and helped Qingwu sit down, saying happily, "Takigakure Village hasn't had any guests for a long time, so please feel free to stay here."

Sensing Shemu's kindness, Qingwu did not refuse and replied with a smile, "Okay!"

There are probably still a large force of Iwa ninja outside.

His natural energy recovery will take time.

I need to get myself back to my best condition before I go looking for Kakashi.

Chapter 88 Intermediate Water Magic

country of earth

——Iwagakure Village

The short-statured Tsuchikage Onoki sat on a large chair, several battle reports spread out in front of him, each seemingly soaked in the thick stench of blood.

"Where's Hunting?"

Why didn't he come back by himself?

Onoki spoke slowly, his voice hoarse yet carrying the weight of a mountain.

The office was deathly silent.

The Iwagakure ANBU member in charge of the report knelt on one knee, his forehead pressed against the cold ground, barely daring to breathe.

"I see."

"They're just too scared to come back!"

Onoki's voice was icy:

"None of the men he took with him came back, including Suma Shi!"

"Overnight, three strongholds that Iwagakure had been operating for five years were destroyed!"

"Hundreds of elite ninjas!"

"The village's core Jonin!"

"Supplies stockpiled at the outpost!"

With each word he spoke, the atmosphere in the office grew increasingly tense.

In the end, the air seemed to solidify into rock, making it hard to breathe.

"Konoha..." Onoki placed his hand on the battle report, "Good Konoha, good... Shadow Guard."

He raised his head, his cloudy eyes burning with a cold, furious rage.

"Order all border troops to enter Level 1 combat readiness!"

"Also, the intelligence squad is to be dispatched immediately. I need information on all members of the Konoha Shadow Guard, especially that brat named Qingwu."

"I want all information about him, from his birth to the present, what he has eaten, what he has said, and who he has come into contact with. I want to know everything."

"Also—tell Huang Tu that he will be in full charge of the village while I am away."