Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic

Chapter 52 Who can withstand this?

Qingwu was confused by the series of information in the third generation's words.

Jonin?

Shadow Guard?

When the Third Hokage said he would recruit him into the Shadow Guard to train him, he thought it was too early and didn't take it seriously.

I didn't expect this old man to be serious!

"Hokage-sama~" Qingwu politely declined, "I am still too young to shoulder the responsibilities of a Jonin, and the Shadow Guard is also..."

"Eh~!" The Third Hokage laughed, "If I was worried before that you wouldn't be able to handle it, all those concerns have disappeared since yesterday."

"..." Qingwu opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

Who would have thought that a battle with Orochimaru would have so many "aftereffects"?

"No one is more suitable than you!" the Third Hokage said. "Seigo, Konoha needs you, I... I need you!"

Who could withstand this... If I hadn't awakened my innate wisdom, I probably would have already bowed down in worship by now!

Qingwu sat back on the hospital bed and remained silent for a moment before saying:

"Lord Hokage, I still want to go home first. Yesterday's battle consumed a lot of my natural energy, and I can recover much faster at home."

"As for... the Shadow Guard, let's talk about that after the Chunin Exams."

At this moment, he even had some thoughts of deliberately slacking off, wondering if losing to a mere genin in the exam would cause the Third Hokage to rescind his appointment.

The Third Hokage paused for a moment, then smiled again. "Child, don't worry, I, the Hokage, am here for you."

He assumed that Qingwu's reluctance to take on this important task stemmed from a commoner's habitual inferiority complex, and expressed his understanding.

"Genin, Chunin, and Jonin are completely different for the village. Only by becoming a Jonin can you contribute more to the village, and even..."

The third generation leader stopped himself in time and didn't continue.

It's too early to say things like "I might even become Hokage."

Anyway, once he joins the Shadow Guard, Qingwu will gradually understand on his own.

Thinking of this, the Third Hokage said, "The preliminary rounds start the day after tomorrow. If you insist on going back, I'll have someone accompany you."

Qingwu finally found an opportunity to ask the question that had been bothering him earlier, "What kind of unexpected event did the Hokage mention?"

"That's how it is..." The Third Hokage briefly explained the unusual situation at the tower last night, "The current investigation has found nothing."

He looked at Qingwu, "But it's still a potential problem, which is why I suggested you stay in the hospital."

"..." Qingwu appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was in turmoil.

If the Third Hokage is correct about the timing, then it must have been when he built the Magic Tower.

Is it...

Thinking of this, he wanted to go back even more immediately.

"Let Kakashi-senpai accompany me. I need to recover my mental and energy levels quickly in order to prepare for the exam."

"Alright." The Third Hokage did not force the boy in front of him.

Moreover, the tower is some distance from Qingwu's "home" and there has been no movement so far. Sending people inside to check has not revealed anything unusual.

"Slap! Slap!"

The third generation clapped his hands.

Whoosh!

Kakashi appeared instantly.

The Third Hokage didn't say much, just nodded to Kakashi and Qingwu, and then turned and left.

Kakashi turned his head to speak to Qingwu, but suddenly disappeared from Qingwu's sight with a "whoosh".

"..." Just as Qingwu was confused, there was a knock on the ward door.

Hongdou pushed open the door and entered.

She looked somewhat haggard and was still wearing a hospital gown.

"Qingwu..."

Hongdou cried out, and tears streamed down her face.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know... I really didn't know that the teacher would..." she stammered, her voice broken.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Qingwu had never seen red beans like this before.

Is this still the same "Anko Mitarashi" who was fearless in school?

"I'm sorry!" Hongdou covered her face with her hands, her shoulders trembling.

Qingwu began to realize what was going on.

Anko probably felt guilty not only because Orochimaru suddenly intervened.

A deeper reason... most likely, is the blow Orochimaru's defection dealt her.

"Sigh..." Qingwu sighed silently and said, "Hongdou, I have never blamed you."

"Waaah—"

"I know you didn't bring the person. That scoundrel is plotting against people. How could someone as naive as you possibly protect yourself?"

"Ugh—Qingwu, are you saying I'm stupid?"

"..." After all, she's still just a teenage girl. Qingwu pouted. "No, if I were smart enough, I should have been on guard against that rascal snake from the moment you joined the team."

"Waaah—you still blame me."

"..." Qingwu chuckled, "No, Hongdou, look, before your teacher defected, who would have thought he would take action?"

"Waaah—"

"Even the Hokage didn't expect this. When it comes to understanding someone, who understands him better than the teacher of that rascal?"

"Waaah—I don't have a teacher anymore, waaah—"

"..." Qingwu patted his forehead in exasperation. No wonder Kakashi ran so fast.

This girl's crying is truly heart-wrenching.

"Alright!" he raised his voice and shouted, "I'm a patient, I need to rest."

"..." Hongdou gradually stopped crying. "Qingwu, you really don't blame me?"

"Has the Hokage left?" Iruka returned at this moment and was also stunned for a long time when he saw Anko's appearance.

After learning the truth, Iruka became Seigo's "mouth substitute".

When it comes to comforting people, the warm-hearted Iruka is clearly superior to Qingwu.

After sharing her innermost thoughts, Hongdou finally calmed down.

However, it was the two of them who "escorted" them home.

Of course, Kakashi was probably following from the shadows.

Return to territory.

Using the excuse of recovering energy by getting close to the ancient tree, Qingwu leaped alone into the wooden house and closed the doors and windows.

He first confirmed the casualties of the military personnel yesterday.

Centaurs, now there are 48 left.

He originally had 76 and a half centaurs, but lost 28 in yesterday's battle.

The remaining statuses all indicate that the character is ready to fight.

These basic cannon fodder units are hard to get hurt... because they're instantly killed when they encounter powerful enemies.

The dwarves suffered the least loss; they originally had 60, but now they have 51 left.

Although 14 of them were marked as unavailable for battle, only 9 actually died in the battle.

From another perspective, sometimes having short legs has its advantages... it means you're slower to die!

The loss of the Wood Elves was the most heartbreaking for Qingwu among the basic unit types.

There were 45 wood elves, and 25 remained.

When fighting the Ten Thousand Snakes, the Wood Elves suffered zero casualties.

The 20 who died were all killed instantly by the Kusanagi Sword during close combat with Orochimaru.

"call……"

Finally, Qingwu took a deep breath and focused his gaze on the withered wood guardian.

The status is displayed as a dark red color indicating severe injury.

Keep in mind that the two dwarves who were previously reduced to low health by Kakashi only showed red.

Given the withered tree's current state, Qingwu doesn't know when it will fully recover...

Just then, he felt something and looked up towards the center of the Death Forest.

There……

Pushing open the window, the top of the tower shimmered with a pale blue light.

"The Magic Tower!"

Qingwu leaped out of the window and raced towards the tower...