"What do you think you're doing?!"
The Third Hokage stood up in alarm.
But Simu had already turned into a flash of light and burst through the windows of the Hokage building.
Down below, the envoy from the Land of Wind stood arrogantly.
After all, before he came here, the daimyo had already instructed him:
Even the Fire Daimyo was in favor of handing Simu over in exchange for peace between the two nations.
This matter was practically decided.
If war broke out, Konoha's logistics would still rely on the support of the Fire Daimyo.
At such a critical moment, not even the Hokage could defy the daimyo's will.
This was the true reason behind the envoy's arrogance.
He was certain this meeting would end in the Hokage's concession.
And as for that brat—he was already imagining dragging Simu before the daimyo and torturing him for revenge.
Just then, he was blinded by a sudden burst of light.
Simu flew into the sky.
"So you're the envoy from the Land of Wind? How scary."
At some point, Simu had activated Sage Mode.
A dark red pattern had spread across his face.
The energies of nature and his Devil Fruit surged through him, combining in perfect balance.
A small ball of light formed at his fingertips.
He pinched it between his thumb and middle finger.
Then, he lightly flicked it down at the envoy.
"Senjutsu: Core Jade."
An indescribable sense of dread instantly swallowed the group of envoys.
It was as if the gates of hell had opened, and they were being dragged in.
The light orb, which was no larger than a marble at first, rapidly expanded as it flew.
By the time it neared the ground, it was already as massive as the Hokage building!
Before this giant, sun-like sphere of destruction, the envoys of the Land of Wind couldn't even think of resisting.
Their mouths hung open, frozen in place, awaiting death.
Fortunately, the Third Hokage arrived in time.
The old man appeared in front of them in a flash.
He bit his finger and slammed his hand to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashomon!"
The earth shook as three towering, monstrous gates erupted from the ground with thunderous force.
Each one bore a demonic statue atop it—twisted and terrifying.
Simu merely watched, expressionless.
This move—Senjutsu: Core Jade—was one he had created himself, based on the Tailed Beast Bomb.
By combining the natural energy of Sage Mode with the Devil Fruit energy in precise proportions,
he had created something terrifying.
Even more frightening, the attack continued to absorb natural energy as it flew, growing larger and more destructive with each second.
A golden light illuminated the Third Hokage's face.
He watched helplessly as the blazing orb collided with the first Rashomon gate.
BOOM!
The ghostly statue atop the first gate was instantly vaporized.
The gate itself shattered a heartbeat later.
Then came the second gate.
And the third.
Even the Triple Rashomon summoned by Hiruzen Sarutobi himself only managed to slightly delay the attack.
The Third Hokage lifted his hat slightly, his face serious.
He looked up at Simu, who was floating in the sky, bathed in divine golden light.
His eyes were calm. Determined.
The red pattern of Sage Mode painted across his face.
A trace of struggle flashed through the Third Hokage's eyes.
Finally, he made his decision—and vanished.
The envoys of the Land of Wind stood frozen.
Hadn't Konoha agreed to hand over Simu?
Even if they hadn't, wasn't killing him a bit much right off the bat?
And now the Hokage himself was gone?
Wait, Hokage-sama, don't go!
Their screams were the last thing they ever said.
The massive orb of light engulfed all of them in an instant.
Then it roared down the main road—from the Hokage building to the front gate of Konoha—blasting open the barriers protecting the village.
It finally exploded in the forest beyond the walls.
The shockwave tore through the trees. The air turned molten.
The explosion's light made it seem like it was midday across the entire village.
A towering mushroom cloud pierced the heavens.
Simu slowly descended to the ground.
The coat of justice he wore fluttered behind him.
The Third Hokage stood behind him, his Hokage robe swaying slightly in the aftermath.
The entire place was silent.
He had just obliterated the Hokage's own defensive jutsu…
And that power…
It was absurd!
The Anbu agents nearby hesitated.
Should they try to capture Simu?
But then Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke.
"Alert the border troops. Prepare for a counterattack from Sunagakure."
"Yes!"
All the Jōnin present responded and immediately prepared to move out.
Uchiha Mikoto, who had earlier called for unity and tried to protect Simu, suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
It seemed Simu didn't need anyone to protect him at all.
"...Hiruzen, if you go through with this, the daimyo won't be pleased," Utatane Koharu said coldly.
What Simu did tonight had thoroughly embarrassed the Konoha advisors.
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his cigarette.
"I'll negotiate with the daimyo."
Simu looked at Sarutobi's back, a little surprised.
It had to be said—Sarutobi Hiruzen at this point in time wasn't yet the old, indecisive Hokage he would become.
He still had confidence, strength, and the ambition to face the Kingdom of Wind head-on.
And Simu's role—
Was to display overwhelming and terrifying strength, beyond imagination.
To become the weight that tips the scale.
To give Sarutobi Hiruzen the courage to go to war with the Kingdom of Wind—and win.
Just as Simu thought things had been settled and he could go back to bed with Kushina in his arms…
The Third Hokage's voice shattered his illusion.
"Hanyu Simu, come here."
"Huh?"
"Okay, okay…"
Simu lazily followed the Third Hokage back to the office.
Inside, Hiruzen looked at Simu with a serious expression.
"What are you planning to do next?"
"What?"
Simu's face was full of question marks.
Hiruzen tapped the table with a cold expression.
"Now that you've offended the Land of Wind, what will you do if they declare war?"
Simu scratched his head.
"You're the one who said it."
"If they want to fight, let them fight. Worst case, I'll be the one leading the charge."
Simu said it casually, clearly not taking the prospect of war seriously.
Seeing Hiruzen hesitate, Simu spoke slowly:
"Lord Hokage, do you really think that surrendering me will prevent the Third Great Ninja War?"
The Third Hokage fell silent.
Simu might act frivolously, but his insight and big-picture thinking far surpassed the average ninja.
For years now, the ninja world had been in turmoil beneath the surface.
Like a volcano waiting to erupt.
All it needed was one excuse.
Small nations were constantly clashing, and the Four Great Nations had long been eyeing the fertile land of the Land of Fire.
The hatred and bloodshed from the last two Great Ninja Wars had never been resolved.
Each nation had countless ambitious figures yearning for revenge, with blades in hand.
Under such conditions, war was inevitable.
Simu's appearance only provided a convenient excuse.
If they could eliminate one of Konoha's rising stars easily, that'd be ideal.
If not, they'd just find another reason to launch an attack.
But only Hiruzen, who had long wielded the Will of Fire like a banner, believed he could outmaneuver fate.
It wasn't so easy to manipulate Simu.
"Do you think saying all that will get you out of punishment?"
Hiruzen said coldly.
Simu scratched his head.
"I don't think I did anything wrong."
Then he rubbed his hands together with anticipation.
"But if you must make an example out of me, how about banning me from missions for two years?"
Hiruzen's face darkened.
His fingers tapped the table rhythmically.
"I think I should've just handed you over earlier."
"Hey, hey, I was just joking!"
Simu adjusted his glasses with a grin.
"Come on, what dirty job do you want me to do?"
"As long as the pay's right, even if you tell me to assassinate the Third Kazekage tonight, I'm in."
Normally, when Hiruzen put on this "grace-and-pressure" attitude, Simu knew what it meant—
He was about to become a tool.
Hiruzen completely ignored the part where Simu casually talked about killing the Kazekage.
He opened a map and pointed to a location in the Land of Wind.
"This is the largest mine in the Land of Wind."
"Over half of their weapons, armor, and puppets are produced from this one place."
"I want you to destroy it—within ten days."
Simu nodded. Ten days? He could make it on his own easily.
Hiruzen crossed his fingers and glanced at Simu's half-reluctant face.
With a sigh, he added:
"1,000."
Simu's eyes lit up instantly. He completely forgot his complaints about overtime.
"Mission accepted! Guaranteed results!"
Not long after Simu left, Danzo entered the office.
"I didn't expect you to act so decisively this time,"
Danzo said, studying his old friend with a curious expression.
After a long pause, he added,
"That brat Simu seems to satisfy you quite a bit."
Hiruzen took a slow drag from his cigarette.
"He will be a sword—a very sharp one."
Danzo narrowed his eyes.
"I don't disagree. But can you control that sword?"
Hiruzen didn't answer the question. Instead, he changed the subject:
"Don't you think Homura and Koharu are overstepping their bounds?"
"There are some things I can give… but they cannot take."
His eyes glinted sharply, as if he could pierce straight through Danzo's heart.
Danzo stared at him for a long time, then finally closed his eyes.
Hiruzen hadn't named anyone.
But all the accusations had landed where they were meant to.
Danzo stood up and left, but not before leaving behind one final remark:
"I don't oppose your methods. But a sword that can cut down your enemies… can also cut you."
Long after Danzo had disappeared, the Third Hokage muttered to himself:
"No matter how sharp a sword is—it's still just a tool."
"And any tool… can be gripped tightly in the hands of Sarutobi Hiruzen."
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