Wuye Jinmaru was no ordinary person.
As an A-rank wanted criminal of Kirigakure, he once had the terrifying record of killing a Kirigakure Jōnin single-handedly.
Although it may not have been a direct confrontation when he accomplished it, such details hardly matter on the battlefield. In the end, people only care about life and death.
Simu's talent was already astonishing enough to make Jiraiya click his tongue in admiration.
But even so, he hadn't expected Simu to be capable of killing Wuye Jinmaru on his own.
What was even more shocking was that, judging by Simu's relaxed posture with his hands still in his pockets, it didn't even seem like he had gone through a fierce battle.
"This kid is really an unbelievable treasure," Jiraiya muttered to himself.
Instead of stepping forward, he continued to observe Simu's actions from the shadows.
Simu withdrew his gaze from Wuye Jinmaru's lifeless body.
His attention shifted to a tree hollow not far away.
With all the commotion from their battle, the people inside the gold exchange must have noticed the intrusion by now.
And sure enough—
Just as Simu stepped toward the cave entrance, three ninjas rushed out.
Their eyes landed on Simu, then on Wuye Jinmaru's corpse lying motionless at his feet.
"L-Lord Wuye… actually…"
Their faces were filled with disbelief.
After all, Wuye Jinmaru was the strongest underground mercenary in this region, acting as the guardian of several gold exchanges.
Yet now, he had been slaughtered by a mere boy who looked no older than eleven or twelve?
"This is bad. We need to retreat!"
The three ninjas made a quick decision.
If Wuye Jinmaru couldn't handle this kid, they stood no chance.
Unfortunately, Simu had no intention of letting them escape.
A flash of golden light suddenly condensed in front of them.
"Do you want to know what it feels like to be kicked by light?" Simu asked casually.
Before the mercenary in the middle could react, his two companions had already been blasted away by a burst of light.
"Uh… can I surrender?" the remaining mercenary stammered, raising his hands.
Seeing the brief hesitation on Simu's face, he immediately threw his jacket at him.
Then, without wasting a second, he bent his body backward, using the momentum to push off the ground and escape as fast as he could.
"What an idiot," Simu muttered.
Sizzle...
The discarded jacket suddenly began to spark.
It was covered with explosive tags!
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted, engulfing Simu in flames.
Even a ninja skilled in taijutsu wouldn't be able to survive such a blast!
The mercenary smirked.
"Hah… trying to fight me? You're still too inexperienced, kid."
Tricking a teenage brat was nothing for a seasoned warrior like him.
He turned around, ready to search the area for the corpses of his two companions and Wuye Jinmaru.
But the moment he did—
A golden flash appeared right in front of him.
Simu fell from the sky.
With a slow descent, his face emerged from the light, staring at the mercenary.
"Not bad, not bad. As expected of a mercenary. That was pretty scary," Simu remarked with an amused expression.
Then, raising his foot slightly, he added, "To prevent you from harming me again, I'll have to ask you to die now."
Boom!
The mercenary barely had time to react before he was launched into the air, sent flying backward like a broken doll.
By the time he crashed into the ground, his life had already ended.
Simu spun mid-air, landing lightly with a graceful 360-degree turn.
He dusted off his slightly dirtied pants and sighed.
"What a hassle… Now I have to wash my clothes again when I get back."
Stuffing his hands back into his pockets, he strolled toward the tree hollow.
"Moshi Moshi~ Is anyone home?" he called out playfully.
Mimicking the shape of a phone with his hand, he placed it near his mouth and continued, "If no one's answering… I'll have to open the door myself."
A golden light flashed.
With a single light-speed kick, he obliterated the rotting tree trunk blocking his path.
The impact sent violent tremors through the ground, causing it to collapse and reveal a hidden underground passage.
Inside, crouching behind a wooden counter, was a short, balding man with a greasy Mediterranean hairline, trembling as he covered his head.
Various bounty posters lined the wall behind him.
One of them caught Simu's eye.
It was his own teacher, Jiraiya—one of Konoha's legendary Sannin.
The bounty on his head was an astonishing 70 million ryō.
That was equivalent to dozens of S-rank missions!
Simu couldn't help but swallow.
Damn… Should I trick Jiraiya, capture him, and sell him for some easy cash? he wondered.
"You… Y-You dare attack an underground gold exchange?!" the bald man finally blurted out in shock.
Simu tilted his head. "Huh? Why not?"
The man gritted his teeth and warned, "You don't understand… The underground gold exchange is backed by powerful forces! The people behind this operation are not someone a brat like you can afford to mess with!"
"Oh no, that sounds terrifying," Simu replied sarcastically, feigning fear.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned to the man and asked, "By the way, have you guys been… taking children from the nearby villages lately?"
The Mediterranean man scrutinized Simu's face carefully.
This kid… does he have a thing for children?
Forcing a smile, he quickly nodded. "Of course. Fresh stock arrives all the time. In fact, we even have some from Konoha."
He hurried over and opened a metal cage.
Inside sat a little girl with short black hair.
Her delicate features suggested she would grow into a beauty in the future. She appeared to be about the same age as Simu.
But what caught Simu's attention the most—
Were her pale, white eyes.
Wait a minute…
She looked exactly like Hinata!
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