Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

The remaining bounty hunters were terrified and fled the area in a panic, never daring to look back.

Hongdou and Tianzang felt their scalps tingle.

This woman is ruthless!

"Now, it's peaceful."

Honglian clapped her hands, as if she were just dusting off some dirt, and her gaze returned to the ice cave. "Will you come out obediently on your own, or should I freeze you into beautiful ice sculptures and take you back?"

"Don't even think about it!" Tenzo gritted his teeth and slammed his hands on the ground. "Wood Release: Wood Wall!"

Several thick wooden walls rose up instantly, blocking the entrance to the ice cave.

"Wood Release? Interesting."

A flicker of interest flashed in the eyes of the bronze-armored man, but he didn't stop. He formed a hand seal and slammed it onto the ground, shouting, "Magic Illusion: Hellfire Technique!"

As the flames scorched the wooden wall, Honglian also made her move.

"Crystal Escape: Crystal Pentagonal Path!"

The ground beneath her feet was instantly covered in shimmering pink crystals, which then spread rapidly into the ice cave as if they were alive.

Wherever the crystal path passed, the chill was biting, and even the air seemed to freeze.

This crystal path not only restricts enemy movement, but also possesses extremely strong freezing and piercing capabilities.

The wooden ingot wall that Tianzang had hastily formed was instantly shattered.

call out!

The man in the crimson armor instantly appeared in front of Tianzang, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Absorb!"

Tenzo's eyes widened in anger, but he felt the already dwindling chakra rapidly draining from the shoulder where he had been touched.

"Tianzang!" Hongdou cried out in alarm.

He pulled out a kunai and stabbed it at the copper armor, never expecting that this strange guy would possess a secret technique to absorb chakra.

At the same time, the dwarves and the great elves also made their moves.

However, it was easily frozen in place by the red lotus's crystal path, turning into an ice sculpture.

The crystal path was about to reach Tianzang, who was trapped in place—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The snow around the ice cave suddenly exploded one after another!

A towering, withered tree guardian and twenty dwarf warriors burst through the ice, fiercely blocking the crystal path.

It was Qingwu's secret plan, hidden beneath the ice and rock crevices before setting up the battlefield and heading to the town, as a precaution!

"What?!" Honglian and the red copper armor were both shocked.

They were completely unaware that so many psychic creatures were lurking nearby.

A single dwarf warrior is nothing special, but twenty of them are a different story.

The Crimson Lotus's crystal path was smashed to pieces by the dwarves' wielding warhammers, and the Deadwood Guardians were even more beyond their reach.

The surging roots forced the two of them to retreat repeatedly in an instant.

"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"

Tianzang seized the opportunity, bursting out of the ice cave. He pressed his hands to the ground, and resilient trees broke through the ice and grew, wrapping around Honglian and Chitongkai, attempting to restrict their movements.

"Ninja Technique: Hidden Shadow Snake Hand!"

Anko managed to unleash a ninjutsu, though its power was insufficient, it combined with Tenzo's Wood Release to create a decent coordinated attack.

"Crystal Release: Crystal Shuriken!"

With a wave of her hands, Honglian unleashed a barrage of sharp crystal shurikens at the trees and pythons that were coiling around her and her companion.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Honglian and the copper-clad warrior retreated rapidly, landing in the distance.

The man in the bronze armor gave Hongdou a deep look.

To him, it was utterly incomprehensible that Anko, who had inherited the Snake-type ninjutsu, would not follow in Orochimaru's footsteps!

"trouble!"

Honglian frowned. She found these summoned beasts to be more troublesome than she had anticipated, especially the tree demon. Although it moved slowly, it could also use "Wood Release"!

Even more terrifying, several tall figures appeared in the distance—the summoned beasts were not limited to those in front of them.

Qingwu left behind several teams of "organized" withered wood guards and dwarves. After sensing the presence of Hongdou and Tianzang's spirit troops, the ambushes were triggered and they are on their way.

The copper-clad armor also found the situation troublesome.

His ninjutsu and chakra absorption abilities were completely ineffective against numerous summoning beasts with extremely high defenses!

Just then, Orochimaru's hoarse yet calm voice rang in both of their minds simultaneously, clearly some kind of communication ninjutsu.

"...The plan has changed. The target is protected by a powerful spirit beast. We will temporarily abandon the capture and retreat immediately. We will wait at the second rendezvous point."

Guren and Akakon-gai exchanged a glance, both seeing the resentment in each other's eyes, but even more so, absolute obedience to Orochimaru's orders.

"Hmph, consider yourself lucky."

Honglian glanced coldly at Tianzang and Hongdou, who were standing guard under the protection of the summoned beasts, and then looked towards the main battlefield in the distance before giving up on the fight.

It disappeared into the vast snowstorm after a few leaps and bounds, arriving suddenly and leaving just as abruptly.

"They're gone!?"

Tianzang breathed a sigh of relief, plopped down on the ground, and gasped for breath.

Maintaining Wood Release and the burst of power he had just unleashed had nearly depleted his already limited chakra.

Hongdou slid down the ice wall and sat down, her face looking extremely pale.

"Thanks to the captain's contingency plan..." Hongdou said with lingering fear.

If it weren't for the sudden appearance of these withered tree guardians and dwarf warriors, the two of them would probably be in grave danger today.

……

The main battlefield is on the icy plains.

Orochimaru seemed to have "listened" to his subordinate's report, his regret deepening, but also showing a greater degree of caution.

He withdrew his fingers from his temples and looked back at Qingwu and Zhishui.

Especially when his gaze lingered on Shisui for a moment longer, the burning greed cooled slightly.

"It seems I underestimated your protectiveness towards your companions, Qingwu-jun, and I also underestimated your intelligence."

Orochimaru spoke slowly, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger:

"My two incompetent subordinates seem to have failed to complete the 'invitation' mission, which has deprived me of a good bargaining chip."

Qingwu felt a sense of relief.

It seems the contingency plan laid out beforehand has worked; Hongdou and Tianzang are safe for now.

This also means that Orochimaru's plan to use Anko and the others to threaten him failed.

"So, what do you plan to do now, Orochimaru?" Qingwu asked, his hands ready to strike at any moment.

He knew that Orochimaru was not easy to kill, and that the guy could even use the Heavenly Curse Seal to resurrect infinitely. As long as the ninja world had his chakra, he would not be able to be killed!

But at this moment, he felt that Orochimaru should realize the current situation—he was no longer an opponent that Orochimaru could easily manipulate!

Orochimaru remained silent for a moment.

The golden snake eyes swept over Qingwu and Zhishui, as well as the still imposing troops behind them.

He was actually weighing the options!

To take action? Judging from the strength Qingwu had previously displayed, he had no confidence in defeating him at all.

Besides, although Uchiha Shisui appears weak, who knows what kind of power those eyes can unleash! Given the current inability to subdue him, forcibly taking him is no longer a realistic option.

"Hehehe..." Orochimaru suddenly laughed again: "Perhaps we should change our approach. Sometimes, people need to take a step back."

There was a hint of "compromise" in this guy's tone? Or more accurately, a sense of "pragmatism"!

"Qingwu-kun previously said he wanted information about 'Ryuchi Cave.' In exchange, you can share your insights on natural energy and allow me to study your summoned beasts?"

“I did say that, except for unicorns!” Qingwu nodded.

Since it was produced by the system, he wasn't worried at all about what Orochimaru could research. However, anything only seems real when it has conditions.

Things seemed to take a turn for the better at this moment. Qingwu added, "However, your information must be true and valuable, otherwise... hmph!"

Orochimaru said hoarsely:

“I can tell you how to get to Ryuchi Cave, and even… if the time is right, I might even take you there myself. But in exchange, I need more than just ‘insights’ and ‘research permission’.”

Qingwu frowned: "What do you want?"

"One, a complete one!" Orochimaru stretched out his slender finger and pointed behind Qingwu. "I want one of your 'Tree Spirit' summoning beasts, complete and alive."

Orochimaru was deeply impressed by the withered tree guardian in the Forest of Death.

Moreover, after today's great battle, he could naturally see that, apart from the unicorn, the withered tree guard was the strongest. However, he was not satisfied with studying some parts or fragments; he wanted a complete tree spirit.

In that case... perhaps we can truly understand Qingwu's power system through research!

"Captain!" Shisui hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

He didn't understand why the captain wanted to make a deal with a rogue ninja, but out of respect and trust, some things couldn't be said to his face.

Qingwu waved his hand, then feigned a groan as he faced Orochimaru, "A complete... one..."

Just one Deadwood Guardian? This condition is much "milder" than Qingwu had anticipated.

While the Deadwood Guardians are precious, they are now something he can mass-produce. More importantly…

If Orochimaru establishes a natural contract with the Dryad Guardian, then as the lord, he can know Orochimaru's location at any time. This is practically a gift delivered to his doorstep.

Based on previous experience with natural contracts with teammates,

Once a spirit contract is signed, unless the lord retracts it, the unit bound by the natural contract will have the ability to be resurrected!

Yes, it resembles the slug splitting form of the Wet Bone Forest in form.