Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic

Chapter 118 Farewell

Three days later.

At the entrance to Konoha Village, the morning light was bright, and the wind carried the coolness of the early morning.

The Shadow Guards are assembled.

Kakashi nodded. "Let's go!"

"Wait a moment."

A loud shout came from afar, "Kakashi—"

A figure dressed in a green bodysuit arrived quickly and punched Kakashi in the shoulder:

"I just got back from a mission and you're leaving already? Kakashi, youth really doesn't waste a single moment!"

Kakashi staggered back two steps, his eyes filled with helplessness. "Gai, you used too much force."

Qingwu curiously examined Might Guy. Even though he was close to Kakashi, he had never actually seen this "Konoha rare beast" many times.

"I heard you're going to the battlefield?"

Might Guy only had eyes for Kakashi. "When are you coming back? I'm still waiting to settle things with you, Kakashi—"

Kakashi took a step back, picked at his ear, and said, "Keep your voice down, Guy. You don't need to shout when we're this close."

Qingwu chuckled inwardly. Kakashi, with his deadpan demeanor, needed a friend like Might Guy.

He could clearly sense that Kakashi was speaking words of rejection, but he was actually more relaxed than usual.

"Green Wutong Tree—"

Just then, Iruka ran over carrying a bag.

"You haven't had breakfast yet, have you?"

Iruka smiled and handed it over, "This is enough for the four of you."

Qingwu felt a warmth in his heart. In order not to worry his friend, he had not appeared in public after the Chunin Exams, but he did not expect that Iruka would still find out.

It must have been Hongdou who told him?

Just then, Mitarashi Anko and Yuhi Kurenai appeared together.

The former also handed over a bag, saying, "Here, these are soldier rations I made myself. Keep them; you might need them."

Qingwu blinked and looked at Hongdou.

Hongdou blushed, a rare occurrence for her: "Although I've never made this before, I did make some under Mom's guidance. The taste might not be great, but it worked."

Xi Yan's pupils widened in shock. She and Hong Dou were already good friends in private, but she had never seen Hong Dou have such an expression and reaction.

And... why is it only Qingwu who has it, and I, as her friend, don't... Xiyan felt a little wronged.

Kurenai stepped forward and handed over a small scroll, her voice soft:

"I see you're still carrying a backpack. This is a space scroll that can temporarily store things you don't use often."

As if sensing something, Hongdou turned to look at Xi Ri Hong. This older sister...

Space scrolls are quite expensive, and most ninjas wouldn't be willing to buy them.

Qingwu was also a little surprised, not expecting that Xi Ri Hong was actually a wealthy woman.

"The battlefield is not that simple; be careful in everything you do."

Kurenai glanced at the group, nodded to Kakashi and Tenzo, and then said to Qingwu, "Remember what we said when we ate the barbecue: 'Return safely!'"

"Thank you, I will." Feeling the care from her friend, Qingwu felt warm inside.

Yugao, standing to the side, felt a little emotional. Seeing that Captain Kakashi and Qingwu had people remembering them and coming to see them off, and then looking at herself...

When the red beans appeared, she thought they were a gift for her.

Thinking of this, Uzuki Yugao looked at Anko with a hint of resentment in her eyes.

Unfortunately, Hongdou's attention was currently focused on Qingwu and Xi Ri Hong, and she... felt a great threat.

Kurenai gave the scroll to Seigo and then went to talk to Kakashi and Might Guy.

Hongdou breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed... like they were just ordinary friends.

Qingwu was unaware of Hongdou's thoughts. He and Xi Ri Hong were just ordinary friends who had interacted a few times. They might have gotten along somewhat, but it was far from an ambiguous relationship.

After storing the soldier's rations in the spatial scroll, Qingwu expressed his gratitude to Hongdou and Iruka.

There is someone... who seems to have been forgotten.

It is not Yugao, but Tianzang.

He was all alone. Having grown up in the roots and in solitude, he tasted loneliness clearly for the first time.

However, Tianzang felt no resentment, only a little...envy.

He subconsciously took a half step back, his eyelids drooping to conceal the hint of loneliness in his eyes.

Iruka, who was hugging Qingwu, happened to see this. He coughed lightly and smiled, "Tianzang, you can have some of the breakfast I brought too."

Tianzang paused for a moment, then looked up and awkwardly forced a smile. "Yes, I heard it just now."

Qingwu then realized what was happening and pulled Tianzang into her arms, saying, "We're the Shadow Guard, we're comrades, we're roommates. You're not alone."

Xiyan leaned closer and said to Tianzang, "Yes, we are companions."

Hearing this made her feel much better; it turned out that... there were people who were even more lonely than her.

Red Bean blushed and tried to cover it up, "There are quite a few soldier rations, Xiyan, you got some too."

Xi Yan rolled her eyes and didn't bother to argue.

In fact, she had more contact with Qingwu. They were teammates before joining the Dark Division. Later... perhaps the change in their status made it difficult for her to accept, and the two were not as close as before.

But she was never stingy when Qingwu needed help.

Sometimes, even Xiyan herself wasn't sure what kind of feelings she had for Qingwu; perhaps it was more of a bond with her as a teammate.

However... when Riyueguang Hayate showed interest in pursuing her, her first instinct was to look at Qingwu's expression...

Shaking her head to clear her mind of the jumbled thoughts, Xi Yan turned to Qing Wu and teased, "Have you become so popular with girls lately?"

At this moment, the Shadow Guard had already walked out of the Konoha gates.

Behind him stood a row of friends bidding him a heartfelt farewell, while Might Guy jumped around shouting things like "Youth" and "Burning."

Tianzang responded softly, "Qingwu has always been very popular with girls."

Xi Yan snorted disdainfully, "It wasn't like this at school."

"What are you saying?"

Qingwu stroked his chin. "I've always been this handsome, and I've received a lot of love letters at school, haven't I?"

"Those clueless little girls only care about appearances," Yugao said, seemingly always trying to show off her uniqueness. "Ninjas are judged by their strength!"

Tianzang chimed in, "Strength... Qingwu is quite strong now too."

Yugao: "..."

She stomped her foot angrily and took two quick steps.

Qingwu smiled from behind. At this moment, she was like a teenage girl. Wasn't it tiring to always be so reserved?

Let's go!

Kakashi didn't participate in the conversation. He turned around, waved to Might Guy, and jumped onto the treetop.

……

After leaving the village area, Qingwu summoned four flying horses in an open space.

Xiyan's mood improved considerably. "My saviors! I can rely on them to fly again."

Qingwu smiled but didn't say that these weren't the same two flying horses from last time.

Pegasus quickly soared into the sky and, after a day and a night of rapid travel, arrived at Konoha's main camp on the northwestern border of the Land of Fire.

The camp was built against the mountain and was heavily guarded.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and dust.

The ninjas coming and going all walked in a hurry, and they all had more or less battle wounds on their bodies, but their eyes were sharp and their expressions were tense.

Clearly, the stalemate at the front was more severe than they had anticipated...