Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic

Chapter 1 Dead Tree Comes Back to Life

The Death Forest lives up to its name!

Qingwu realized something was wrong with this mission three hours after entering the forest.

It's too quiet.

There were no insects chirping, no birds singing.

Even the rustling sound of the wind passing through the treetops carried a sense of cautious repression.

"Stop!" Squad leader Uzuki Yugao suddenly raised her hand, her voice extremely low.

The three-person team—Qingwu, Uzuki Yugao, and Umino Iruka—immediately formed a triangular formation back-to-back, which was advantageous for defense.

"There's a chakra reaction, three o'clock in the opposite direction, fifty meters away, behind the tree!" Uzuki Yugao raised her finger to sense it.

Her usually cool voice tightened slightly, "Ten o'clock, underground, two!"

"An ambush?" Iruka's voice trembled.

How could these three, who were just recently graduated genin, encounter enemies while carrying out a seemingly simple C-rank investigation mission?

Qingwu gripped the short knife at his waist tightly, his palms sweating profusely.

Wasn't it supposed to be a Class C mission that was "just peripheral reconnaissance, absolutely safe"?

"Retreat!" Uzuki Yugao was the calmest of them all. "Let's go back the way we came. I'm the strongest; I'll cover the rear!"

Before the words were even finished, the sound of something cutting through the air arrived.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Several incredibly fast kunai attacked under the cover of night, blocking all escape routes in a fan shape.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!" Qingwu formed the hand seals almost instinctively. This was the ninjutsu he was most proficient in, and also... the only ninjutsu he knew.

Dangdang Dangdang!

The kunai was driven into the earthen wall, and one of them flew past Iruka's cheek at the very edge, leaving a trail of blood.

"Ah!!" Iruka cried out in fright.

Since the night of the Nine-Tails last year when both his parents died, he seems to have become increasingly fragile.

clang!

Uzuki Yugao drew her sword and slashed, deflecting the last kunai aimed at Aogo.

However, the real killing move came after the kunai—two figures leaped out from the ground, hidden by the shadows of the trees, like ghosts, their ninja swords gleaming coldly.

"It's Kumogakure!"

Seeing the headband on the enemy's head, Uzuki Yugao's heart sank.

This team is composed of at least Chunin level members who dare to enter Konoha territory independently to complete their mission.

"Is that kid from Konoha lost?"

The black-skinned Cloud Shadow on the left spoke in a flippant tone, his blade aimed straight for Iruka's throat, who was frozen in place.

Iruka tried to dodge, but fear and blood seemed to freeze his body, and the glint of the blade in his pupils drew ever closer.

clang!

On the right, the afro-haired Cloud Villager launched an attack on Uzuki Yugao.

Based solely on the Konoha squad's reaction just now, they were able to deduce who the strongest among them was.

Yugao, entangled by the afro-haired Cloud Villager, anxiously shouted, "Iruka, retreat!"

The blade drew closer, and Iruka, his face deathly pale, closed his eyes as if resigned to his fate.

Just then, a figure stepped in front of Iruka without hesitation.

puff--

The sound of the ninja sword piercing flesh was incredibly clear, and a spray of blood splattered all over Iruka's face.

"Qingwu!" Iruka cried out involuntarily as he opened his eyes.

"Tsk, Konoha brats, you've certainly impressed me!" Black-skinned Cloud Hermit looked down from his high vantage point and uttered a praise that sounded both mocking and amused.

"Haaah!" Qingwu had forgotten his fear at this moment, and the fighting spirit etched in his bloodline drove him to take the next step:

He forcefully wedged the black-skinned Cloud Village ninja sword between his left shoulder blades, and with his right hand, he drew a short sword from his waist and thrust it straight at Cloud Village's lower abdomen.

"Nice eyes, but... too naive!"

The black-skinned Cloud Ninja maintained his flippant demeanor, unleashing "Lightning Release: Lightning Bind!"

Shila-

The lightning blade, lodged in Qingwu's shoulder blade, emitted a dense burst of lightning.

The short knife that Qingwu thrust forward came to an abrupt halt.

"hey-hey……"

Hei Pi Yun Yin let out a cold laugh, but suddenly turned around and kicked out.

boom!

Having briefly escaped her opponent, Uzuki Yugao, who had come to provide support, was kicked away.

"Ahhhhh—"

Iruka, his face covered in blood, charged forward screaming. No matter what, Qingwu had just taken the blow for me; I had to…

"Pfft—"

With his other hand outstretched, the black-skinned Cloud Hidden thrust a kunai into Iruka's chest.

"Holy crap—" Blood spilled from Iruka's mouth.

"It's over!" The dark-skinned Cloud Village no longer looked at Iruka, who was slowly falling, and slowly raised his ninja sword from Qingwu's shoulder.

The ninja sword was raised high.

As the numbness subsided slightly, Qingwu's eyes widened, her mind blank.

Am I going to die? Like my parents, dying on a mission, dying in some unknown corner?

Unwilling...

anger……

A surge of intense, almost burning anger exploded from his heart, overwhelming fear and shattering reason.

In a daze, he "saw" a world.

Towering trees reach for the sky, and clear streams meander through the forest...

At the same time, another torrent of fragmented memories crashed into his mind.

Skyscrapers, flickering screens, a young man battling it out in front of his computer late at night, the screen displaying the battlefield of Heroes of Might and Magic III...

"The Barrier... my favorite faction..."

A severe headache struck.

The memories of two lives and two souls intertwine and merge wildly—Seigo of Konoha Village becomes one with an ordinary young man on a certain blue planet.

【Ding! 】

Qingwu felt himself regaining his mobility. "I... am a transmigrator?"

"I, Qingwu... am not a commoner without a surname, but a member of the 'Senju' clan who voluntarily gave up my surname and integrated into Konoha?"

[Compatible bloodline detected... Strong will to survive... Meets the binding requirements for 'Heart of the Barrier']

[Binding successful!]

Welcome, heir to the forest!

The cold, mechanical synthesized voice resonated directly within my soul.

Qingwu's view was swallowed up by pure emerald green.

He saw a giant tree that reached the sky;

I saw a kingdom built under the shade of trees, seemingly living in harmony with the forest;

I saw centaurs running through the forest and sprites on guard in the treetops;

I saw a soaring silver Pegasus and a unicorn drinking water by the stream;

In the deepest part of the forest, atop the cliff, a massive, majestic being bathed in golden light slowly opened its amber vertical pupils.

The screen collapsed, transforming into an extremely simple yet incredibly clear interface:

[Heart of the Fortress (Level 1) Bound to: Thousand Hands Green Willow]

[Natural Energy: 100/100]

Gold Coins: 0

Timber: 0

[Stone Ore: 0]

[System-bound gift pack has been issued. Do you wish to use it?]

The interface disappeared from Qingwu's sight, leaving only a gift pack shape.

It seemed like only a moment had passed, but the ninja sword in the black-skinned Cloud Village remained in the downward slashing posture.

There's no time to think!

Qingwu issued the command in her mind: "Yes!"

[Use the gift pack to receive one random troop recruitment (quantity * 1)]

Centaur

·dwarf

Wood Elf

Pegasus

Tree Spirit

·unicorn

Green Dragon

The light spot spun rapidly, quickly passing over the seventh-tier units of the Bastion faction.

"Damn, random? In this situation, a Tier 1 Centaur won't be of much use, will it?"

[Consume all natural energy for a random summon!]

"Why are you taking so long? I'm about to die!"

"Yes! Summon them!!"

Qingwu issued another command.

[Command confirmed, consumes 100 Natural Energy]

Qingwu felt a sense of emptiness.

At the same time, the black-skinned ninja sword of the Hidden Cloud Village, crackling with lightning, struck right in front of them.

"boom--!!!"

The ninja sword struck.

But it's not flesh and blood.

It's wood, but it doesn't look like wood.

"What?!"

The sinister smile on Hei Piyun's face froze.

The earth beneath Qingwu's feet seemed to come alive...