Konoha, the greatest village, but beneath this grand tree lies its deepest darkness.
Deep underground, hidden in the shadows—Root.
Aburame Ryoma, wearing his signature round sunglasses, knelt on one knee before an elderly man.
That man was none other than Shimura Danzo, known in the ninja world as the Darkness of the Shinobi.
At this moment, Danzo's arm was wrapped in bandages, an injury he had carried for years. One of his eyes remained permanently shut.
Seated at the head of the chamber, he listened quietly to his subordinate's report.
"Lord Danzo, we have completed the investigation on Hanyu Simu."
Aburame Ryoma was one of Danzo's most trusted subordinates. This time, he had been assigned to Simu's team to monitor the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
And Hanyu Simu—rumored to have mastered Wood Release, a kekkei genkai long believed lost—had now become a person of interest.
Before this, there was only one known user of a Kekkei Tōta (Bloodline Selection) in the entire shinobi world—Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure.
That old man was a relic from the era of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. He was even older than Hiruzen Sarutobi.
In the original timeline, by the time most other villages had a Fifth Hokage, Onoki was still in power—a testament to the lack of fresh talent in the Land of Earth.
However, despite his age, Onoki was still in his prime.
The Land of Earth had always harbored ambitions of challenging the dominance of the Land of Fire.
Now, a new shinobi prodigy had appeared in Konoha, and he also possessed a Bloodline Selection ability.
As the shadow ruler of Konoha, how could Danzo not take notice?
And as it turned out, Hanyu Simu was indeed worth paying attention to.
"Hanyu Simu's speed is extraordinary, making it difficult for Root operatives to monitor his full battle against Goba Jinmaru."
"By the time we and Lord Jiraiya arrived, the fight was already over."
"In other words, Hanyu Simu took down Goba Jinmaru in under five minutes."
Danzo's single visible eye gleamed with interest.
"You're telling me that a freshly graduated Genin took out a Jōnin-level rogue ninja in under five minutes?" he asked hoarsely.
Aburame Ryoma lowered his head. "That is correct… but we cannot be certain if he used any special techniques or whether Goba Jinmaru was already injured beforehand."
The implication was clear—Simu might have taken advantage of a weakness.
After all, a 12-year-old Genin defeating a Jōnin was difficult to believe.
Danzo tapped his fingers against the armrest of his chair, deep in thought. Then, he waved his hand.
"I understand. You may leave."
"Yes, Lord Danzo…"
Aburame Ryoma hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"There is another matter, my lord. The Underground Bounty Exchange is displeased with Simu's actions."
"They claim that Konoha has violated their agreement. If we do not compensate them, they will halt the delivery of test subjects."
Danzo narrowed his eyes, a faint killing intent flickering in them.
"Those fools really think they can manipulate me…?"
He paused before speaking coldly.
"Tell them I will allow them to establish two strongholds on the border. As for compensation—you handle it."
"Yes, my lord."
"One more thing," Ryoma continued.
"Hanyu Simu's underground bounty has been raised to 15 million ryo. His new code name is [Kizaru of Konoha]."
Danzo raised an eyebrow slightly.
"So… they want to make an example out of him?"
He tapped the chair's armrest lightly.
"Let them do as they please. If Hanyu Simu can't survive the bounty hunters, then he's not qualified to be the sword in my hands."
"Yes, my lord."
Meanwhile, Simu was completely unaware that his bounty had just skyrocketed.
If he found out, he'd probably sell himself off, escape, and then return—right?
Tsk, tsk… that's not something an admiral should do.
More like something Rayleigh would pull.
That being said, the notoriety of the name "Kizaru" was working in Simu's favor.
His Imitation Value had increased.
Before this mission, his imitation percentage was only 22%—but after his battle, it had risen by 5%, reaching 27%.
It seemed that deep down, even Kizaru had a bit of heroism in him.
Satisfied with his progress, Simu devoured twenty bowls of tonkotsu ramen in one sitting.
The only person worse than him was Hyuga Rei—her appetite was even scarier than Simu's.
In front of her were fifty empty bowls.
"Uh… guys, you can slow down…" Minato said awkwardly, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Originally, he had been prepared for Simu alone to bankrupt him.
But now—another monster had joined the fray…
Simu glanced at the empty bowls stacked in front of Rei.
A thought crossed his mind.
'Could it be that Hinata inherited her huge appetite from her mother?'
"Uhh… Did I eat too much? I'll pay for my own share," Rei said awkwardly, feeling a bit guilty.
After all, the food she had while imprisoned was awful.
Now that she could finally eat freely, she lost control.
Simu patted her head. "Don't worry. Minato's treating us today."
"Wait… Minato's paying?" Rei asked, blinking.
Simu simply lifted his chin towards Minato.
Minato sighed and nodded with a wry smile.
Watching Simu and Rei interact, Kushina felt an indescribable feeling stir within her…
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