Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

The Great Elves were positioned on the tops of the Deadwood Guardians and on some of the surrounding boulders, constantly firing to harass Kakuzu's movements.

Kakuzu roared in fury.

This is the advantage of ranged units; otherwise, mid-tier units would definitely be instantly killed when facing an enemy of Kakuzu's caliber.

Qingwu kept moving above the head of the withered tree guardian, and its [Magic Arrows] kept shooting at Kakuzu as if they were free.

After a prolonged assault, they finally made some progress, with a magical arrow combined with the Great Elf's Shadowless Arrow severing one of Kakuzu's arms.

However, Kakuzu simply used his tentacles to pull the severed arm back and quickly stitched it back together.

And he looks completely fine.

"I hate undead guys the most." Qingwu also started to pant.

After fighting for so long without any substantial results, he began to consider quitting.

……

At the same time, Kakuzu was also experiencing extremely complex emotions.

There was rage, resentment, and even a hint of apprehension that shouldn't have been there.

At first, he was driven by pure greed and contempt.

But when he arrived and saw that his companion had been dealt with in a short time, he put away his contempt.

However, as the battle progressed to this point, he realized that he had underestimated this young man.

Having lived for nearly a hundred years, he had never encountered such an opponent—who, without any particularly powerful ninjutsu, had forced him into this predicament simply by summoning creatures.

He... also considered leaving, but... felt ashamed.

Even though Akatsuki's current rules don't allow them to show their faces in the ninja world, if they were forced to retreat by a mere brat, then they would have wasted nearly a century of their lives.

Just who is this kid?

Kakuzu somewhat regretted not having read the intelligence report carefully beforehand.

Time ticked by, and Kakuzu grew increasingly anxious.

After he reduced the frequency of his ninjutsu, the roots of the withered tree guards unknowingly formed a thick and sturdy cage.

Just as Kakuzu realized what was happening and was about to use a wide-range ninjutsu again, Qingwu seized the opportunity.

"Now!"

Roots entangled Kakuzu's legs, and Qingwu risked leaving the top of the withered tree guardian's head. Suddenly, the earth magic [Slow Spell] enveloped Kakuzu.

The air-based magic [Magic Arrow] was cast instantly at close range, forcing Kakuzu to use his "Earth Spear" to strengthen his arms in defense.

"puff--"

Qingwu instantly appeared behind Kakuzu, and the kunai in his hand precisely pierced Kakuzu's heart.

"You brat, you actually destroyed one of my heart!"

Kakuzu did not die, but instead went completely insane.

The Earth Grudge's tentacles grew even thicker, and the jet-black tentacles reconnected to the two masks.

Lightning Release Mask and Fire Release Mask bite and recombine, "Composite Ninjutsu: Strange Mask Explosion!"

"boom--!!"

The powerful ninjutsu once again wiped out all the roots, but what the enraged Kakuzu saw was the figure of the silver Pegasus soaring into the sky...

Chapter 151: The First Area-of-Effect Spell

Gone.

There was nothing left inside.

None of those large psychic creatures have been found.

It was as if the great battle just now was just a dream.

Kakuzu: "..."

Looking up at the silver dots in the sky, Kakuzu gritted his teeth in anger.

It wasn't a dream, because he had actually lost a life.

A mix of emotions welled up in his heart, ultimately transforming into a ruthless killing intent.

He slowly walked towards the masked man's corpse in the distance, a murderous intent and indifference flashing in his eyes.

Slowly crouching down, the black tentacles of the Earth Grudge Unhesitatingly pierced the masked man's chest, ripping out his heart and clutching it in his hand.

"Useless trash, can't even stop a little brat."

"Hmm... Your heart is still active for a short time, so contribute your last bit of value!"

What he lost was the Wind Release Mask, but his comrade's heart could make up for it.

Kakuzu retracted his heart into his body using his tentacles, stood up, and looked in the direction where the silver Pegasus had disappeared. "Kid, I... will remember you!"

……

High in the sky, Qingwu looked back at the ground and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and ran away.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be Kakuzu who couldn't hold on first, but rather the one who couldn't hold on if the fight continued.

Most of the Deadwood Guardians were already low on health, and each one was extremely valuable; losing them would be a painful loss for him for a long time.

His tense nerves relaxed, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Not bad, they took Kakuzu's life.

Open the panel to view system records:

【Ding! 】

[Battle results: Experience +5000, Natural Energy +500, Gold +500]

That's amazing, even better than the reward I got from fighting Orochimaru back then.

Of course, Qingwu knew in his heart that it was not that Kakuzu was stronger than Orochimaru, but that the results of the two battles were different.

In the fight with Orochimaru, at most, I managed to force Orochimaru to use his "Orochimaru Substitution Technique".

This time, however, it was a genuine killing of Kakuzu.

He discovered that the earth magic [Slow Spell] was always surprisingly effective when used for surprise attacks.

The lack of intelligence meant that neither Orochimaru, nor Onoki, nor Kakuzu today anticipated that a "ninjutsu" could instantly affect their bodies and chakra circulation.

So happy~~

As Qingwu was in high spirits, the system notification continued to sound:

【Ding! 】

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

【Ding! 】

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

The user, who was already at level 39 with 89% experience, leveled up two levels with 5000 experience points, reaching level 41.

Qingwu was overjoyed; he could obtain another magic spell.

He currently possesses two intermediate-level spells: the water-based [Purification] and the air-based [Protective Shield], both of which are support-type spells.

"Let's unleash an area-of-effect spell!" Qingwu silently prayed.

【Ding! 】

[Level 40 reached!]

[Level Reward: Meteor Shower (Intermediate Earth Magic)]

"YES!"

Area-of-effect damage skills have finally arrived.

However, Qingwu was slightly taken aback when he saw the skill description carefully.

So much time has passed that he has forgotten the detailed categories of skills in the game. Just by looking at the name of the magic, he initially thought it was a fire-type area-of-effect spell.

However, it is actually earth magic?

Open the skill description:

【Meteor Shower】: Intermediate Earth Magic.

[Effect]: Summons a meteor from outer space to bombard the target area, dealing magic damage to all targets within a 20-meter radius simultaneously.

"I see!"

If they weren't still in the air, Qingwu, itching to try it out, would have wanted to do it immediately.

Level 1 has a range of 20 meters, and if you upgrade to level 4, it should have a range of 40 meters, although it can't compare to some of the "beasts" in the Naruto world.

For example, Deidara's ultimate move can cover a distance of 10 kilometers.

However, that "Patrick Star" was obtained through suicide, and Qingwu was satisfied with the effect of [Meteor Shower].

Intermediate spells don't have high mana costs or long cooldowns, so this area-of-effect spell is of great significance to him, making up for a very important weakness.

Yes, especially on the battlefield, he will become even more terrifying, it's like a divine skill for clearing "weeds"!

Imagining the massive experience points he would gain on the battlefield, Qingwu adjusted his course and flew towards the capital of the Land of Fire...

——Tanpaku Street

A few heads peeked out from behind the city wall, cautiously peering at the devastation outside the city.

The commotion from the battle had subsided long ago, but no one dared to go out and investigate, and naturally no one knew who the two sides in the battle were.

That level of combat was beyond the comprehension of ordinary ninjas.

There are Konoha ninjas hiding in Tanabata Town who only leave the city to investigate at night.