A surge of overwhelming energy coursed through Simu's body.
The once dense, towering forest had been obliterated in an instant, reduced to nothing but smoke and debris.
The massive trees, split cleanly along glowing golden lines, collapsed with thunderous crashes, kicking up thick clouds of dust.
Even with Wood Style's immense vitality, the destruction was too severe for the forest to recover anytime soon.
The rescued ninjas stood frozen, struggling to process what had just happened.
Simu sighed, finally speaking up.
"What are you standing around for? Run already."
Snapped out of their daze, the ninjas immediately bolted toward the outskirts, some even shouting their gratitude as they fled.
Simu casually shoved his hands into his pockets, surveying the scattered ruins of broken wood.
From the wreckage, an old, frail figure slowly emerged.
Danzo.
His wrinkled, sagging skin hung loosely over a withered frame, his body utterly drained, as if halfway into the grave already.
Though Izanagi had spared him from Wood Style's backlash, the relentless use of the technique had irreversibly damaged his body.
His aged, sunken eyes locked onto the dark marks on Simu's face.
Then, in a hoarse, broken voice, he murmured:
"If… if I had possessed power like this… maybe everything would have been different."
The last Sharingan on Danzo's right arm shut forever.
With nothing left to suppress them, the Hashirama cells in his body went berserk.
Countless jagged, razor-sharp branches erupted from his body, lunging toward Simu like a swarm of spears.
Yet, Simu didn't move.
His hands remained casually tucked in his pockets.
Behind him, the air rippled, as if reality itself was distorting.
A moment later, a massive arsenal of golden weapons, forged from pure light, emerged from the void.
"Sage Art—King's Treasure."
With a simple command, the weapons shot forward like streaks of lightning, slicing through the oncoming branches effortlessly.
The outcome was clear—Simu had won.
At least, that's what everyone thought.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Simu's feet shattered.
Before he could react, a fully lignified arm—twisted and gnarled like ancient wood—clamped tightly around his ankle.
Danzo's face, once drained of life, now twisted into a feral, beast-like grin.
With his remaining hand, he ripped open his shirt, revealing a series of five ominous seals etched into his chest.
His voice, filled with madness and desperation, echoed across the battlefield—
"Hanyū Simu! No matter what… I'm dragging you to hell with me!"
Sealing Technique!
All the darkness in Danzo's heart erupted at this moment.
His blood had already turned black, thick and inky.
As the sealing technique activated, it gushed out violently, inscribing cursed marks into the very air.
A barrier began to form, enclosing Simu within a growing sphere of sealing energy.
But…
Simu leaned forward slightly, his expression calm.
"Did you misunderstand your own technique?"
Unlike Danzo, Simu knew this jutsu well.
Just yesterday, Aburame Ryoma had nearly used the same technique in an attempt to seal him.
While this forbidden jutsu had powerful sealing properties, it had one fatal flaw—
It took too long to activate.
In the original timeline, it had failed to seal Sasuke—so what chance did it have against him now?
Without hesitation, Simu raised the Ame no Murakumo sword.
This time, it wasn't just an ordinary blade.
It was infused with Conqueror's Haki, radiating an overwhelming aura.
The once holy golden glow of the sword darkened into an ominous crimson light.
Danzo's eyes widened in horror.
In the blink of an eye—
The ominous blade slashed through his wooden arm.
Danzo's face was filled with despair.
As his blood drained away, his skin turned pale as paper.
"Impossible… this is my enhanced arm…"
Even in his final moments, he refused to accept defeat.
Simu smiled faintly.
"Elder Danzo, die in peace."
Without wasting another word, he vanished in a flash of light—escaping just before the seal completed.
The black blood, infused with sealing power, flooded the expanding sphere, engulfing everything within its ten-meter radius.
Everything inside was sealed away forever, erased from the world.
Yet in the end, the technique Danzo sacrificed his life for…
Trapped nothing but a pile of rocks.
All that remained was a deep, clean crater in the ground.
Simu glanced at the aftermath and sighed lightly.
"It's over."
With that, he turned away, casually twirling his cup, and began heading home.
But before he could take another step—
Two figures rushed toward him.
Simu raised an eyebrow—not particularly surprised.
After all, with such a major incident happening in the village, it was only natural for them to return.
As Simu turned around, two figures appeared almost simultaneously.
One was Jiraiya, clad in his red vest and ninja attire.
The other was Tsunade, wearing her green coat, the kanji for "gambling" boldly displayed on her back.
Jiraiya had been sent to deal with the Freedom Fighter, while Tsunade had been stationed at the border.
"Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade."
Simu scratched his head and greeted them casually.
Tsunade scanned the devastated battlefield, her gaze settling on the massive wooden stakes littering the ground.
She frowned as a familiar sensation washed over her.
"This… is…"
Simu shrugged.
"Danzo tried using a knockoff version of Wood Style. A failed experiment from the previous generation."
Tsunade's expression darkened instantly.
"That old fool… He never learns! This time, I won't let Sarutobi-sensei cover for him!"
Noticing the awkward silence, she narrowed her eyes.
"What? What's with that look?"
Simu simply raised a hand and pointed at the perfectly round crater before them.
"Danzo blew himself up."
"Blew himself up?"
Both Jiraiya and Tsunade froze in shock.
After all, Danzo's status in Konoha was second only to the Hokage.
He was an advisor, an elder, and the leader of Root, a force that could rival Anbu.
Losing someone of his influence would undoubtedly have a major impact on Konoha.
Simu simply nodded, his tone indifferent.
"Well, Elder Danzo leaked information about Konoha's troops to Iwagakure and Sunagakure. He even joined forces with Hanzo to ambush me, hoping to trap me on the battlefield in the Land of Rain."
A mocking smile flickered across Simu's face.
"Unfortunately for them, they weren't strong enough. Not only did I defeat them, but I also captured Hanzo alive."
Jiraiya and Tsunade's eyes widened in shock, but Simu continued, unfazed.
"Later, Yamanaka Inoichi extracted Hanzo's memories and found proof of Danzo's collusion. After that, Danzo fled with the help of Root."
Simu shook his head dramatically.
"You wouldn't believe it—Danzo was terrifying.
He actually had the First Hokage's Wood Style... and an entire arm covered in Sharingan."
A look of exaggerated fear crossed Simu's face as he patted his chest.
He held up his thumb and forefinger, leaving just a tiny gap between them.
"Just a little bit… just this close… and I'd never see you guys again."
The ninjas behind him stared at him, completely speechless.
"Almost killed? What do you mean?"
He barely even got scratched!
Especially from Uchiha Bakugo's perspective.
As the Uchiha clan patriarch, he knew better than anyone how terrifying the ultimate pupil techniques of the Sharingan could be.
Yet, in front of Simu, even such a powerful dojutsu was nothing more than a last-ditch escape tactic.
If Danzo hadn't possessed seven Sharingan, he would have died countless times.
Jiraiya and Tsunade could no longer remain calm.
After confirming the truth, they could no longer suppress the storm in their hearts.
Others might not understand, but as the famed Sannin, they knew Hanzo's strength better than anyone.
After all, their titles were given by him.
Even in old age, a man once crowned a demigod could never be considered weak.
And yet, Simu hadn't just fought Hanzo alone.
He had faced tens of thousands of enemy ninja, along with Tsuchikage's reinforcements.
And despite being in what should have been a hopeless situation...
Simu had completely crushed his enemies—leaving nothing but destruction in his way.
He even captured Hanzo alive.
But...
Jiraiya suddenly grabbed Simu's wrist.
"Where's Orochimaru? What happened to him?"
Simu winced at the force in Jiraiya's grip.
Realizing this, Jiraiya quickly let go, but the anxious look on his face remained.
He was trapped in turmoil—
On one hand, he didn't want his old friend to die.
On the other, he feared that letting him escape would push him too far down the wrong path.
For once, Simu didn't joke.
His face was serious as he said:
"He's dead."
"D-Dead?"
Jiraiya staggered back, arms slightly raised in disbelief.
Tsunade, standing beside him, also stared at Simu, eyes wide.
"Wait… don't tell me—"
"Yes," Simu interrupted. "I killed Orochimaru."
His voice was calm—as if stating a simple fact.
Jiraiya's fists clenched hard.
He lowered his head, his face hidden in shadow.
And for a long moment...
He said nothing.
"Why did you kill Orochimaru?!"
Tsunade, overcome with emotion, grabbed Simu's collar with both hands.
The ninjas behind moved to intervene, but Simu raised a hand, stopping them.
A strong, steady hand then rested on Tsunade's wrist.
"Tsunade, don't act on your emotion."
Jiraiya's voice was calm, yet heavy.
"Simu did the right thing."
Slowly, he lifted his head.
Sunlight hit his face, revealing the glistening edges of his eyes.
"Orochimaru was a traitor to Konoha. He even killed his own comrades. This was his fate."
"Jiraiya..."
Tsunade's grip on Simu's collar loosened, her expression filled with concern.
Jiraiya turned to Simu and, despite everything, gave him a small smile.
He patted Simu's shoulder gently.
"It's done. Let's go back to Konoha and report to Sarutobi-sensei."
"Yeah"
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
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