Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic

Chapter 109 What do you want with Jiraiya?

Valley of the End

Two enormous stone statues face each other across the lake.

Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, like eternal nemesis, cast long shadows under the moonlight.

The roar of the waterfall echoed through the canyon, drowning out any other subtle sounds.

In the darkness, Qingwu and Tianzang appeared on the rocky platform on the east bank of the lake.

The two looked up at the enormous stone statue of Hashirama Senju.

Even though it's a stone sculpture, the imposing aura of the "God of Ninjas" seems to still emanate from it through the ages.

"This is it!"

Qingwu closed his eyes, fully activating his natural senses!

Now, his natural energy level has exceeded 10,000, and his perception ability is naturally far beyond what it used to be.

The sensory domain continuously expands outward from his body, and in Qingwu's "vision," the world seems to have become a painting of flowing energy.

He "saw":

The waterfall contains violent water energy, but it becomes exceptionally gentle and clear when it flows through the pool below the stone statue.

He "saw":

Deep at the bottom of the lake, there are two huge, intersecting cracks, which should be the "scars" left by the clash between two top ninjas in the past.

He "saw":

Directly beneath the Thousand-Armed Hashirama statue, deep underground... there is a point of emerald green light, like a sleeping star...

"Found it!"

Qingwu opened her eyes and said happily, "It really is here."

"Where is it?" Tianzang was also very happy.

Qingwu pointed to the base of the stone statue between the pillars, "It's below, very deep, it'll probably take some effort."

"I'll help you!" Without hesitation, Tenzo shouted, "Wood Release: Wood Digging Technique!"

Several thick roots sprouted from his palm and silently seeped into the rock strata. "Qingwu, you direct the direction of my spell."

Using Wood Release is a good method because it doesn't easily damage the ley lines and the foundation, but...

Qingwu shook his head and laughed, "Tianzang, it would be difficult for your chakra to reach a depth of over 200 meters underground."

"Ah, I just wanted to help you."

"Can you keep watch for me? I don't know if bringing him back will cause any trouble."

"...Alright, Qingwu, then be careful."

"Okay, let's recall the Wood Release. I'll handle this!"

In terms of the strength and application of his roots, with his current natural energy exceeding ten thousand, he must be superior to Tianzang, not to mention that he also knows a bit of earth escape.

Slowly sinking into the ground, Qingwu constantly adjusted its direction, using earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique in Chinese fantasy novels) and roots to approach the light.

Thirty meters...

Fifty meters...

One hundred meters...

150 meters...

Two hundred meters...

Qingwu "stood" in front of the light spot.

It was larger than Qingwu had imagined, and it was different from the "light cocoon" that had formed on the ancient tree of life.

About the size of a fist, it is emerald green all over, with fine, leaf-vein-like golden patterns flowing slowly inside. Around the essence, countless slender, almost transparent energy threads are wrapped.

These threads extend from all directions and eventually converge at the top of the essence.

Qingwu was able to easily sense it, thanks in no small part to these subtle energy threads.

"Those two fought several times in the Valley of the End, and several decades have passed."

"Tsk tsk, even residual energy can form natural essence. Just how powerful was Hashirama Senju at his peak!"

Just by getting close, Qingwu felt the natural energy within her body cheering and leaping with joy, as if a long-awaited rain had come after a drought.

Suppressing the urge to absorb it, Qingwu's hand touched the "spot of light".

【Ding! 】

[Obtain Natural Essence*1]

A smile appeared on Qingwu's lips. "Just as I expected!!"

"So now that we have two, we only need one more to build the most crucial resource for the [Forest Sanctuary]."

"The Forest Sanctuary also needs many other resources, such as gold coins... I already have some ideas, and we also need to accumulate wood and stone ore."

"No rush, we should be able to find some information about the 'holy land' by then."

As it pondered, the green wutong tree slowly rose upwards using its roots.

If all goes as expected, the final ultimate barracks, Dragon Cliff, will also use 'Natural Essence'.

Having gained the experience of harvesting the "essence of nature," he believes that he will be able to find the answer once he reaches the sacred site!

Back on the ground, Tianzang greeted him: "You got it?"

"Hmm!" Qingwu nodded, looking at the stone statue of Senju Hashirama with a hint of respect in his eyes.

It seems... I still have a long way to go.

"Let's go back!"

The two took one last look at the Valley of the End, then turned and left.

The roar of the waterfall gradually faded into the distance behind us...

……

The next day, Qingwu found the Third Hokage and asked him directly about Jiraiya's whereabouts.

"What do you want with Jiraiya?"

"I've hit a roadblock regarding the application of natural energy, and I'd like to ask Jiraiya-sama for some advice."

"Hmm... I see. I can help you contact Jiraiya, but I can't guarantee he'll come back."

"Thank you, Hokage!"

"Don't thank me yet. In fact, I haven't seen him for several years. Sometimes he sends messages back on his own initiative. Although he leaves the village's contact information for him, Jiraiya's whereabouts are unpredictable, so it may not be easy to find him."

"I'll leave it to fate. Whether I can receive guidance from the Three Legendary Sannin depends on my luck," Qingwu said with a grin. "There's also something I'd like to ask the Hokage."

"You're already a Jonin in the village. Even without your status as a member of the Shadow Guard, you can still give me advice anytime."

"Well, because of my status as a member of the Shadow Guard, what I want to ask is... when I'm not on a mission, can I temporarily leave the village?"

"..."

"Uh..." Qingwu asked cautiously, "Is it not allowed?"

"It's not that I'm restricting your freedom," the Third Hokage sighed. "I'm worried about Orochimaru, Onoki, or even others..."

"..."

"..."

Both Qingwu and the Third Generation fell silent.

Long ago, the third generation knew that Qingwu always wanted to leave the village, and he understood this: young people, how could they not be restless?

However, as Qingwu became more and more important in the village, he had no choice but to use the "Shadow Guard" to temporarily restrain him.

However, the Third Hokage also knew that as the boy in front of him grew stronger, he would eventually be unable to bear such... constraints.

...As for Qingwu, although he has obtained a lot of resources in the village... well, so far, whether it is gold coins, wood, or stone ore, they all come from Konoha.

Sometimes he felt like a "giant leech," rapidly "growing" by absorbing nutrients from the leaves.

Therefore, he never thought of falling out with the village—the third generation had treated him well!

However... the gold coins needed to build new barracks are increasing, and relying solely on the Shadow Guard's wages... it will take a long time to save up.

As his strength increased, Qingwu felt that... the underground gold exchange was a good place to go.

"Qingwu, if you want to leave the village to clear your head, there is an opportunity right now."

The third generation broke the silence.

"What opportunity?" Qingwu looked up.

"To the capital!" The third lord tossed a document over:

"In fact, the daimyo's envoy invited you before the new year, but because he wanted to promote you to Jonin at the time, I temporarily put it aside..."