Ender 3 with direct drive has severe stringing printing TPU
Due to the flexible characteristics of TPU, stringing is a known &quot;complication&quot; with this material.

                
             is a video from Matterhackers:

no retraction - stringing is expected
dry filament - ensure the filament hasn't been exposed to the air for extended periods - use an oven or dehydrator if needed

There are many other tutorials and videos covering the process.
Tom Sanladerer has also a video covering the use of flexible filament.

ensure correct alignment of hobbed bolt and feed hole
consider to use a piece of PTFE tubing downstream of drive mechanism
use 3 mm (usually 2.85 mm nowadays) filament for better results (if possible)
bed temp - 40 °C with glue stick on bed
print slower
adjust extrusion multiplier by testing various settings

Obviously some of the above references don't apply or are being observed.