Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

As the eastern sky began to lighten with the first light of dawn, the nameless valley fell completely silent, leaving only the heavy stench of blood and corpses scattered across the ground.

Of the 1,200 elite Cloud Hidden warriors, almost all but a very few who managed to escape using secret techniques were wiped out.

Qingwu stood on the edge of the high ground, looking at the carnage below, and remained silent.

Tenzo and Anko have returned. After their initial excitement, their faces were pale. Even for ninjas, such a large-scale death and injury was enough to shock them.

Shisui also returned, with some bloodstains on his body, but his eyes remained calm.

"Clean up the battlefield and gather valuable intelligence!" Qingwu said, recalling the centaurs and dwarf warriors from the bottom of the valley.

If it weren't for the time wasted during the pursuit...

With his primary troops, which outnumber the Cloud Village forces, he could probably wipe out the entire Cloud Village.

This battle should be enough to make him famous throughout the ninja world.

The key point is that this is the first battle in which he has not relied much on lord skills, but rather on his troops to fight.

In fact, this is the correct way to be a lord.

However, because the individual strength in the ninja world increases as time goes on, he cannot ignore his own progress.

……

Half an hour later, the Shadow Guard assembled on the high ground.

Below is a valley littered with corpses.

Shisui handed over Kayui's head and the intelligence scroll.

Qingwu's lips twitched. "You can keep it for now."

Kayuu's head was brought by him, and as for the intelligence, it was enough to confirm that the Cloud Village that landed from the Frost Country had indeed split into two groups.

After this battle, Qingwu even began to covet another Cloud Village force that might have over 2000 members, as that would be a huge amount of experience points.

But the most urgent task is to return to camp and resolve the problems on the front lines in the Land of Fields.

Furthermore, if another Cloud Village unit were to break into smaller groups and cause sabotage after penetrating deep into the Land of Fire, it would be very difficult for the Shadow Guard to track them down one by one.

We still need intelligence!

"team leader……"

Tianzang looked at Qingwu's calm profile, opened his mouth, and then hesitated, unsure of what to say.

He believed himself to be the one in the Shadow Guard who knew Qingwu best.

But witnessing tonight's scene, which resembled a mythical war, he truly realized how unimaginable, almost inhuman, the power wielded by Qingwu was.

After her initial excitement subsided, Hongdou dared not look down at the valley below. She forced herself to endure the discomfort and asked, "Shall we go?"

Shisui silently put away his head and the intelligence, his scarlet Sharingan closed, and his pupils returned to their jet-black state.

"Even though they are enemies, we cannot leave these Cloud Ninja's bodies to rot in the wilderness."

He had grown accustomed to the cruelty of war, and said calmly, “Burn it. Even though it’s winter, we must prevent a plague.”

This valley is located between the Frost Country, the Fire Country, and the Field Country. If it is not dealt with, it will still affect the civilians.

ka ka ka-

Countless roots sprouted from beneath Qingwu's feet, piling up the corpses of the Cloud Ninja at the bottom of the valley.

Seeing this, Tenzo also joined in, using Wood Release to help.

Hongdou turned pale and dared not look any further.

Shisui formed a hand seal, unleashing a wide-ranging Fire Release technique.

Finally, Qingwu used the continuous fire magic [Fire Wall] to finish off the flames that were enough to incinerate everything.

The blazing firelight illuminated the gradually brightening sky, and thick smoke rose into the air.

Qingwu didn't linger. He summoned the Silver Pegasus and led the Shadow Guard into the sky, flying towards the Konoha front-line stronghold.

They arrived under the cover of night and launched a surprise attack; they returned at the break of dawn.

During the flight, after recovering, Hongdou asked with a face full of curiosity, "Captain, how many spirits can your spirit creatures summon at once?"

Shisui also looked over.

Qingwu was skilled in summoning information, and the Uchiha also had some knowledge of it, but no one could have imagined... that there would be so many.

"It seems endless to me, Captain. Can our Pegasus really communicate with so many spirits? And that great spirit... Good heavens, I initially thought my great spirit was a treasure."

Hearing Hongdou's chattering questions, Tianzang also looked over.

He believed he knew Qingwu's strength better than anyone, but this time... even his understanding was overturned.

Qingwu explained simply:

"The number of psychic creatures is related to my own natural energy. Tonight is my current limit. As for the Silver Pegasus... once you and Tianzang's strength improves further, we can also give you the Tree Demon."

He didn't elaborate on the existence of the Heroes of Might and Magic system, but this vague explanation was enough to make Hongdou and Tianzang's imaginations run wild.

Zhi Shui, on the other hand, is more concerned with the strategic level:

"Captain, once news of this battle spreads, Kumogakure will definitely not let it go. The Raikage has a violent temper, and their reaction will likely be very intense."

Qingwu looked ahead and said calmly:

"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. After this battle, the Hidden Cloud Village will have to think twice before organizing a surprise attack or a frontal assault of this scale in the near future, and..."

He paused, his voice carrying a hint of coldness:

"The more they value us, the stronger the forces they send. This may not be a bad thing for our overall battle situation; at least, the pressure will be concentrated on us."

Zhi Shui nodded thoughtfully.

Indeed, once the Shadow Guard's achievements are known, they will attract the most elite and powerful forces of Kumogakure, thereby relieving pressure on other defensive lines and other Konoha units.

"It feels like we're not very useful. Captain, you could wipe them all out by yourself, right?"

The huge gap left Hongdou feeling somewhat dejected and disappointed.

Qingwu withdrew her gaze and turned to the three of them:

"No, this battle was not my achievement alone. Without the cooperation of the three of you in harassing, decapitating, and covering, I would not have been able to defeat the enemy so smoothly."

"In particular, the hunting of meerkats disrupted the enemy's command structure and played a crucial role."

"And Snake Queen and Tenzang, your aerial bombardment and pursuit also played a crucial role. The Shadow Guard is indispensable!"

His words were not merely words of comfort.

Admittedly, his troops were the main force, but without Hongdou and Tianzang creating chaos and drawing some of the fire,

Without Shisui's precise elimination of the Cloud Village's squad leaders and sensory ninjas, the Cloud Village's command structure was quickly paralyzed after the first wave of attacks.

The battle will never be so one-sided.

The Cloud Hidden Army is, after all, an elite force. If they were to fully organize themselves and fight to the death, even if they won, the losses would be far greater.

Soldiers, after all, lack intelligence and are like puppets, only obeying the orders of their lord.

The presence of teammates can enrich tactics and make up for those shortcomings.

Hearing Qingwu's words, Hongdou's expression softened, and the sense of alienation she felt from the overwhelming scene faded.

The captain is still the captain, a comrade-in-arms.

……

The return journey was much faster.

As dawn broke, the Konoha frontline outposts appeared in the mist.

The Konoha ninja on the watchtower spotted the Silver Pegasus and immediately sent out a signal.

Soon, Akimichi Toudou, Nara Suzaku, Aburame Shiguro, and others appeared at the entrance of the stronghold, eagerly waiting, clearly having not slept all night.

The silver Pegasus landed smoothly.

As soon as Qingwu dismounted, Qiu Daotangdong rushed forward, grabbed Qingwu's shoulders with both hands, and asked anxiously with wide eyes:

"Why are you back so soon? How did it go?"

Suzaku Nara and Shiguro Aburame behind him were also staring intently at Seigo.

Although she maintained a calm expression, the tension and anticipation in her eyes were undeniable.

They stayed up all night, anxiously awaiting news.

"I have fulfilled my mission!" Qingwu nodded and said succinctly, "The 1,200 Cloud Ninja led by Kayuu of Cloud Village were intercepted by my Shadow Guard at the border of Tianshuang and Tian Country."

Qiu Daotang's face lit up with joy.

But they were even more curious, "Your Shadow Guard arrived in time? What happened after you stopped them?"

"In the skirmish, except for a few routed soldiers who escaped, the rest of the Cloud Village were annihilated. Their commander, Kayuu, has been killed by a mongoose. No one in the Shadow Guard was injured!"

Qiu Daotang was stunned for a moment before realizing that only Tianzang and Sheji were behind Qingwu. He subconsciously asked, "Where's the mongoose?"

Qingwu said, "He went to take care of some business and will be back soon."

"What did you say? Annihilation??" Aburame Shigoku finally realized what Qingwu had said in such a calm tone.

Qiu Daotang Dong realized what was happening too late and opened his mouth wide.

It wasn't that he didn't believe it, but... it was too sensational.

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Qiu Daotang Dong forgot to let go of Qingwu's shoulder.

The usual composure on Nara Suzaku's face shattered at this moment, turning into utter astonishment.

Annihilated? 1,200 people? No casualties?

When these pieces of information are put together, they're completely stumped.

Despite their hopes for victory and their belief in the Shadow Guard's strength, this result has exceeded even their wildest expectations!

Before they set off, the Shadow Guard only said, "Delay, harass, and even break through a part of their forces to reduce the pressure on the front line."