Golden specks of light shimmered around Simu's body, standing out starkly against the dark night.
"Finally found you. What a hassle."
Simu kept his hands in his pockets. Though his tone remained casual, the lazy expression on his face had vanished, replaced by an icy coldness.
The moment Simu appeared, all the Cloud Shinobi instinctively drew their weapons.
"What? It's just a kid?"
One of them felt he might have been overreacting.
Simu looked about the same age as Kushina. How strong could he possibly be?
However, Lei Xiao's expression turned serious.
"Don't underestimate him. Judging by his speed, this guy is no ordinary kid."
Tayura's face was even grimmer. A bad feeling stirred in his heart.
As someone from Anbu assigned to protect Kushina, he was well aware of Simu's strength.
"Be careful. He's a teammate of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, and his strength is at least on par with a Jōnin."
"A Jōnin? Did I hear that right?"
Zhiyou sneered, thinking Tayura was joking.
How could a little brat like him have the strength of a Jōnin?
"Oh, believe whatever you want."
Tayura didn't bother arguing with trash like Zhiyou. Instead, his gaze shifted toward the real leader—Lei Xiao.
This was an Elite Jōnin who had shined in the Second Great Ninja War.
Unlike Zhiyou, Lei Xiao possessed both strength and sharp judgment.
Meanwhile, Simu let out a quiet breath of relief after confirming that Rei and Kushina were still alive.
Then, he casually said, "If you're not making a move, then I will."
"Stay sharp!"
Lei Xiao's pupils shrank as Simu suddenly vanished from sight. A golden flash streaked through the darkness, closing in on him.
He's fast!
However, Lei Xiao was no ordinary ninja. As an Elite Jōnin who had survived countless battles, his reflexes were honed to perfection.
He immediately raised his ninja blade in defense.
"Oh? Not bad. Your reaction speed is impressive."
Simu smirked.
In the blink of an eye, his attack shifted. His kick turned into a step, landing precisely on Lei Xiao's blade.
Crack!
Lei Xiao's sword bent violently before shattering under the immense force.
Shards of the broken blade shot through the air, one of them leaving a fresh scar on Lei Xiao's face.
Simu's attack didn't stop there.
Even though Lei Xiao had managed to block some of the force, the remaining impact was more than enough to send him flying.
He crashed into a massive tree with a heavy thud.
The battlefield fell into stunned silence.
Especially Zhiyou, who had just been boasting about Lei Xiao's strength—only to see him get kicked away like a ragdoll.
This level of speed and power…
The only ones Zhiyou had ever seen move like this were the Third Raikage and Ai!
But these were all experienced ninjas.
Even the weakest among them was a Special Elite Chūnin with unique abilities.
Their reaction time wasn't slow. In less than a second, they had already regrouped.
Two Cloud Shinobi lunged at Simu, their blades crackling with blue lightning as they attacked from above and below, flanking him on both sides.
Simu leaned back, narrowly dodging the synchronized strike.
"Phew, that was close. Almost got sliced into three pieces."
Without missing a beat, he pulled his hands from his pockets and slammed them against the ground.
Using his legs in a split, he delivered two powerful kicks to the Cloud Shinobi.
They hadn't expected him to dodge so effortlessly.
Before they could react, Simu's feet connected, sending them both flying.
"Damn it! I told you to be careful!"
Tayura cursed.
If this mission failed, both Konoha and Cloud Shinobi wouldn't let him off.
No—he would have nowhere left to go in the entire ninja world!
Which meant…
He had no choice but to kill Simu!
"Stop wasting time! Kill him now!"
Zhiyou quickly weaved hand seals.
"Earth Style: Yellow Spring Swamp!"
The ground beneath Simu's feet shifted as if it had come to life.
Once solid earth turned into a treacherous swamp, sinking and binding him.
"It's now!"
Another Cloud Shinobi seized the opportunity, dashing forward with a lightning-charged blade.
"Lightning Style: Thunder Beast!"
A massive thunder-beast, resembling a ferocious wolf or tiger, erupted from his sword.
It roared and lunged, its electrified fangs aiming straight for Simu's head.
A direct hit from this jutsu would mean either death or severe injury.
"How terrifying."
Simu's expression showed exaggerated shock.
Then, just as the Thunder Beast struck—he vanished.
The lightning beast crashed into the swamp, sending mud flying everywhere.
"Damn it! Wasn't he trapped?!"
Zhiyou's face darkened.
Trapped?
What a joke.
Simu had mastered Moonwalk—he could literally walk on air.
A mere swamp was nothing to him.
"Have you ever been kicked by light?"
A chilling voice whispered in Zhiyou's ear, like a Shinigami announcing his fate.
BOOM!
A golden flash streaked through the night.
And then…
Zhiyou was gone.
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