"It scared me to death. I was almost sealed."
Fortunately, Simu managed to defend against it.
Otherwise, I really would have been sealed.
As expected of an old guy who's survived since the First Great Ninja War—none of these veterans are easy to deal with.
That exchange of moves just now dazzled everyone.
Even Minato had to admire Simu's sharp insight hidden beneath his carefree appearance.
The so-called 'tiger within the heart'... is just someone who knows how to smell a rose without getting pricked."
While Simu was speaking, several thin Chakra threads slithered across the ground toward him.
Unfortunately, even this subtle movement didn't escape Simu's Observation Haki.
"A sneak attack? That won't work on me."
Simu raised a finger and tapped twice in Drobby's direction.
Two laser beams shot out and struck at Drobby's feet with lightning speed.
The light exploded into a massive blast, and the resulting flames engulfed Drobby entirely—
until his presence vanished completely.
"Go!"
Ebizō shouted toward Tenmu Hazang.
But it was already too late.
After firing the lasers, Simu appeared directly in front of Tenmu Hazang.
The flashing longsword stabbed forward in an instant!
Tenmu reacted fast—thanks to Ebizō's warning, he adjusted his stance just in time.
Otherwise, the sword wouldn't have pierced his shoulder—
but his heart.
He had been a ninja for many years.
He wasn't some brat who screamed at every little injury.
Tenmu reversed his grip on his own blade and slashed back at Simu.
But his taijutsu wasn't refined enough.
The slash was meaningless against Simu, who had already hardened his body with Armament Haki.
Still, to avoid damaging his Justice cloak, Simu raised a hardened arm to block the attack—
Then swung a powerful kick straight into Tenmu's abdomen!
Tenmu's face turned pale.
Ebizō immediately rushed forward.
His five puppets had been completely destroyed during the battle.
He carried other puppets sealed in scrolls,
But if he took the time to summon one, Tenmu might already be dead.
So instead, he decided to buy time with his own body.
His forearm extended—
A hidden gun barrel emerged from it.
Crimson flames erupted from within, engulfing Simu.
"You really turned your body into a puppet? That's some terrifying determination."
Simu disappeared with a high-speed Shave technique—
then clasped his hands together at his chest.
Dark markings crept across his face—
He had entered Sage Mode.
Ebizō's experienced eyes widened in shock.
"This Sage Mode… It's the First Hokage's…"
Even Ebizō—
a man who had endured countless wars and political storms—
couldn't hide the astonishment on his face.
Because he saw the shadow of a man.
A man who co-founded Konoha.
Who created the system of "One Country, One Village."
The one known as The God of Shinobi.
Senju Hashirama!
A man who once suppressed the entire ninja world by himself.
Who captured all the tailed beasts and distributed them freely just to maintain balance.
It must be said—
The early peace of the ninja world was entirely due to Hashirama's power and charisma.
And that kind of charisma only comes from strength.
Without overwhelming power, no one listens—
People only respect power.
Only strength can suppress human greed.
And now, in Simu, Ebizō saw the shadow of that man.
A man who could overpower the other Four Great Nations by himself.
Simu had no idea how much Ebizō was thinking in that moment.
He simply brought his hands together, forming a square.
Brilliant golden light rapidly condensed—
"Sage Art: Yata Mirror Slash!"
A golden longsword flew toward Ebizō's head.
Ebizō opened his arms like an umbrella.
Behind a black steel frame, countless Chakras condensed to form a barrier.
But it was no use.
The golden sword twisted mid-air, rotated 90 degrees, then again—
and slammed down with another surge of force!
It bypassed the shield and sliced off one of Ebizō's arms!
Losing that support, the powerful Chakra shield collapsed instantly.
Ebizō's remaining arm fired flames wildly in a last-ditch effort—
But Simu simply slashed through the fire with his lightsaber.
"It's over."
Simu's kick, glowing with brilliant light, crashed into Ebizō's body.
He shot out like a beam and slammed into the ruins.
The middle-aged man who had given everything for the Land of Wind since the First Great War—
met his end at last.
"Senior Ebizō..."
Tenmu Hazang stared in disbelief at Ebizō, who had been kicked away and sent flying.
He never imagined that such a legendary figure of the Sand Shinobi Village would meet his end like this.
As a fellow ninja of the Sand Village, Tenmu Hazang knew all too well how terrifying Ebizō's strength truly was.
His vision, his traps, his tactics—layer upon layer.
Even today, Ebizō had demonstrated strength worthy of his fearsome reputation.
In other words, if it had been anyone else, they wouldn't have dared to claim they could defeat him with absolute certainty.
Anyone—except Simu.
Simu calmly slipped his hands back into his pockets, let out a yawn, and muttered:
"Working overtime this late without realizing it... what a pain."
Tenmu Hazang looked at Simu in fear.
"I—I'm the son of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind! You can't kill me!"
"My father has a close relationship with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. If you kill me, he won't let you off!"
Generally speaking, the wars of the ninja world rarely touched the daimyos themselves.
This was one of the strangest flaws in the "one country, one village" system.
Ninjas would fight and die on the battlefield while the daimyos sat comfortably in their capitals,
offering only minimal funds and supplies,
then heading off to enjoy a play in the palace theater.
Even if a nation's ninja forces were completely wiped out,
those noble lords would still be treated with courtesy and respect.
This reminded Simu of the ancient Colosseums.
The ninjas were like caged beasts, fighting for the entertainment of their masters.
And the daimyos? They were the nobles watching from above.
They tossed food to the beasts so that they might fight harder—
to make them look good.
If the ninja lost?
At most, the daimyo would lose a bit of money.
The lives of the ninjas were never part of the equation.
Simu chuckled coldly.
He stared at Tenmu Hazang, his eyes sharp.
"So you're the son of the Land of Wind's Daimyo..."
"Yes! Yes, that's right! Let me go—we don't need to take this any further," Tenmu stammered,
as if granting Simu his mercy was some kind of noble gift.
Simu slowly lifted his foot.
"My name… is just that terrifying, huh?"
"Unfortunately… I don't like threats."
"If you set foot on the battlefield, you'd better be prepared to die on the battlefield…
noble and mighty son of a Daimyo."
His foot came crashing down—mercilessly.
Tenmu Hazang was instantly obliterated.
The ground around the impact sunk by a full meter.
Minato looked at Tenmu Hazang's lifeless body, hesitating to speak.
This wasn't just a matter of battlefield conduct anymore—
it had become a political issue involving the Daimyo.
Simu spoke slowly.
"I know… the 'correct' choice would've been to bring him back to Konoha."
"But you know what would happen then? He'd just be traded back to the Land of Wind."
"He'd survive… and they'd call it diplomacy."
Simu's voice turned cold.
"But if you come to the battlefield, you must accept the possibility of death."
"There's no such thing as a one-sided privilege—
you don't get to kill others but forbid them from killing you."
"What others choose to do is their business.
As for me...
When I fail on the battlefield, there's only one outcome."
"Death."
With that, Simu raised a finger.
A laser beam shot through the ruins, slicing cleanly through a pile of sand-covered rocks.
It pierced straight through Haibara Matsushima, who had been trying to sneak away unnoticed.
Minato pressed his hand to his forehead helplessly.
"Konoha's going to have a headache over this one…"
Meanwhile, Aso Harukami stood frozen, staring at the nearly obliterated Hidden Ash Village.
Wait a minute… wasn't their mission originally just to assassinate the Daimyo of the Land of Ash?
How did it escalate to… wiping out the entire country?
Rei looked up at Simu with sparkling eyes.
If it weren't for Hyuga Ling Yi holding her back, she might've leapt on Simu to smother him with admiration.
After doing all that, Simu acted as though nothing had happened.
He stretched lazily and sighed in boredom.
"Mission finally complete. Let's pack up and head home."
"I'm really craving some of Uncle's handmade ramen right now…"
Rei, watching Simu wrap his arm casually around Ling Yi's waist,
couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
And with that, the group left in a hurry—
Leaving behind only ruins.
With most of the Jōnin wiped out and their leadership dead,
the fate of the Land of Ash was now all too clear.
But the ripple effect of this battle would stretch far beyond that...
Because with the deaths of Ebizō and Tenmu Hazang,
This mission was destined to sweep across the entire ninja world like a tsunami.
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