Naruto : Crimson wood

The stone forest ahead might seem ordinary at first glance, but it was actually a defensive formation set up by Azure Dragon Academy—meant to protect students on missions during emergencies.

"Roar!"

Despite Qingyun and the others buying them time, the beast tide did not stop.

The vanguard was stalled temporarily, but hundreds of monsters still broke through, hot on the students' heels.

"Don't stop—keep running!"Professor Shizuka Sumiya, leading the group, shouted firmly as she guided them into the stone forest.

Suddenly, she spun around, slammed her palm into the ground, and roared:"Earth Element: Wasteland Wall!"

Boom!

Massive earthen walls shot up behind her, blocking the path and slowing the pursuing beasts.

"Come on, monsters!"With determination, Professor Sumiya placed her hand on a nearby stone pillar, channeling spiritual energy into it.

BOOM!

The entire stone forest lit up with blazing runes.From every pillar, columns of fire erupted—blasting into the monster horde!

Exhaustion Sets In

Meanwhile, Renji Takahashi and the others had been sprinting at full speed for almost five minutes. Their legs burned, and their lungs screamed for air.

"If I keep running, I'll collapse before the monsters even get me," Shun Hayashi panted, finally stopping.

"I… I can't run anymore…"Mei Kobayashi came to a halt, barely able to stand.

Soon, more students slowed and stopped.

Once exhaustion took hold, it was nearly impossible to start running again.

Seeing the group falter, Renji and Yuna Hoshizaki hesitated but ultimately stopped too.

"We can't stop now! If we don't warn the academy, the teachers' sacrifice will be in vain!"Yuna gasped, her face pale and drenched in sweat, but her voice firm.

But no matter how urgent her words were, most couldn't force their tired bodies to move.

Renji took a deep breath, then pulled Shun to his feet."If you can't run, then walk—but don't stop moving!"

"Zhao Mei!"

"Wait for me, Yueyue!"Despite her exhaustion, Mei Kobayashi gritted her teeth and staggered after them.

Suddenly, Mei remembered something."Wait! I just learned a basic healing technique—it can ease our fatigue!"

Blue light shone from her palm, and a soft healing aura surrounded the four of them.

Immediately, the burning pain in their legs eased, and their fatigue lessened slightly.

They weren't fully recovered, but at least they could keep going.

Inspired, other students with Water Affinity also activated their minor healing abilities, creating halos of refreshing water energy.

Soon, several more students felt relief and began moving again.

A New Threat

"ROAR!"

Suddenly, a furious howl echoed through the forest.

A pack of monsters had caught up!

Above them, giant winged beasts circled at low altitude—Storm Eagles, letting out sharp cries to signal their location to other monsters.

"Oh no—they've found us! Run!!" someone screamed.

The students broke into a desperate sprint again.

Behind them, dozens of Corrupt Wolves—a mix of first and second-level monsters—charged forward, closing in fast.

Without anyone left behind to hold them off, the students couldn't possibly outrun the wolves.

"AHHH!"

A few students in the back were quickly caught, their screams piercing the night as the wolves attacked.

Surrounded

Renji and his team ran in front, only to be greeted by a fierce wind.

Whoosh!

Four enormous Storm Eagles descended from the sky, their wings whipping up a violent gust that toppled trees and blocked their path.

"We're trapped…" someone whispered in horror.

Wolves chased them from behind, eagles blocked them ahead.

On the left—dense forest, already swarming with wolves.On the right—a sheer cliff, with a raging river far below. Even there, Storm Eagles circled ominously.

No escape.

"Damn it! If we're going down, I'm taking some of them with me!"Hikaru Saito suddenly roared and charged toward the wolf pack, his fists blazing with lightning.

"Fight them!!"

Finally, the others realized:If they couldn't run, they'd have to fight.

Even if they were rookies—they were still cultivators! Still warriors!

Battle Strategy

"Stay calm and work together! Don't scatter and fight alone!"Renji shouted in a low voice, steadying the others.

Blindly rushing in would be suicide.

Ding! Mission triggered: Break through the siege and escape successfully.Reward: 100 energy points + 1 lottery draw opportunity.

Normally, Renji would've cursed the system for giving such lousy rewards for a life-or-death mission.But now wasn't the time for sarcasm.

Their biggest threat was the four Storm Eagles—first-level intermediate monsters.Flying beasts were always harder to fight than ground monsters.

"I'll take one of the Storm Eagles. You three distract the other three until I finish mine."Renji spoke decisively.

He was confident he could solo one mid-tier eagle—but he couldn't take on more than one at a time.

"Understood."Yuna nodded without hesitation.

"Let's go!" Renji yelled.

The Fight Begins

Yuna, Shun, and Mei attacked immediately.

"Chain of Holy Water!"Yuna summoned long chains of sacred water, locking two of the eagles in place.

"Wood Style: Binding Vines!"Shun summoned thick vines from the earth, tangling a third eagle's wings.

"Chain of Holy Water!"Mei doubled up on Yuna's attack, reinforcing the water bindings.

While they stalled the other three, Renji charged straight at the fourth Storm Eagle.

"Chiuuu!!"

The eagle screeched and dove, slicing the air with gale-force winds from its wings.

"Sharingan!"

Renji's scarlet eyes spun, cutting through the storm.He spotted a tiny gap in the winds and ducked through it, closing in fast.

The Storm Eagle wasn't stupid. Its talons shot out like steel spears, aiming right for Renji's chest.

But in Renji's Sharingan, its movements slowed down as if underwater.

"Dodge!"

He rolled forward, narrowly slipping past the deadly claws.

Missed.

"Your turn to die."

Renji surged forward, dagger in hand, and with both hands drove the blade deep into the Storm Eagle's neck.

The monster shrieked in agony...

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