Konoha, Just Like Kizaru

The aftermath of the incident was far from over.

Sunagakure was now facing a major crisis.

The Kazekage's Office, a large spherical sand structure, had become the center of this storm

Present in the office were Sunagakure's advisers, Chiyo and Rasa, along with several Elite Jōnin of the Sand Village.

With the Third Kazekage missing, Chiyo was now the most critical figure in the room.

Her face showed signs of exhaustion—first, losing her brother in battle, and now, the disappearance of the man hailed as the strongest Kazekage, Saramon.

Yet, despite her weariness, Chiyo knew she couldn't show any sign of weakness. In this precarious moment, Sunagakure needed her strength.

Those present did not know that Third Kazekage had died yet.

But judging from the depressing atmosphere at the scene, it always felt that something was wrong.

None of the troops led by the Third Kazekage into Konoha had returned.

Everyone present couldn't help but think of the worst.

Chiyo decided not to hide the truth.

"Everyone here is a pillar of Sunagakure," she began, her voice steady but heavy.

"So I will not conceal this from you."

"Lord Third Kazekage... has fallen in battle."

The room fell into stunned silence.

The Elite Jōnin exchanged disbelieving looks.

"Fallen... in battle?" 

That was the strongest Kazekage in Sunagakure's history—how could he have died so suddenly?

Chiyo scanned the room, her gaze firm yet sorrowful.

"Though I am deeply grieved, this is the truth"

"The Third Kazekage was killed yesterday... in a battle against Hanyu Simu."

The silence grew even heavier, as if the weight of her words crushed the air out of the room.

"Hanyu... Simu?" Pakura whispered, her voice trembling.

Rasa, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.

"What about Hanyu Simu? What's his condition?"

Chiyo replied without hesitation, "He's seriously injured."

She knew better than to reveal the full truth.

If the people of Sunagakure learned that Hanyu Simu not only killed the Third Kazekage but did so while defeating thousands of ninjas and killing a legend like Dodai, morale would crumble instantly.

Rasa clenched his fists tightly, his face unreadable.

Pakura and Baki, standing nearby, wore expressions of disbelief and conflicted emotions.

The thought weighed heavily on them—

The same boy who had taken the joint Chūnin exams with them, someone younger than themselves, was now capable of killing the Kazekage they had looked up to.

If they knew the full truth of the battle, they might very well lose their sanity.

Pakura stepped forward, raising her arm decisively.

"Senior Chiyo"

"I volunteer to lead the fight. I will avenge Kazekage-sama against Konoha!"

As soon as Pakura made her statement, several Sand Shinobi Jōnin eagerly volunteered to join the fight.

However, Baki remained silent. Rasa also stayed quiet, his face calm and thoughtful.

Unlike Pakura, they were thinking more strategically.

With the Kazekage gone and Sunagakure in turmoil, this was not the time to rashly engage Konoha again.

Rasa's thoughts were heavy. Sunagakure wasn't without its internal factions, just like Konoha.

What if someone used this chaos to seize power and take control of the village?

On top of that, Simu's actions had already caused immense damage.

He had destroyed Black Iron Town, the Wind Country's key weapons center.

Several vital supply lines to the border had been cut

And the culprit was a rising Konoha ninja named Namikaze Minato.

The situation was dire. Sunagakure could not afford another misstep.

If things continued like this, Sunagakure wouldn't just lose the war—its very survival would be in question.

The most urgent task now was to stabilize the village, elect a new Kazekage, and restore order.

This new Kazekage would need to lead the war efforts, rally the people, and unite the village in this time of crisis.

Chiyo was fully aware of this and made her stance clear.

"For now, we must focus on electing a new Kazekage."

Without wasting time on formalities, she said directly, "I propose Rasa to succeed as Kazekage."

As a senior advisor, Chiyo carried huge influence.

Her words represented not just her opinion but also the support of the Jōnin in her faction.

With Ebizō now dead, many of the Jōnin who had aligned with his faction naturally followed Chiyo's lead.

If Chiyo had wanted, she could have even claimed the position of Kazekage for herself. But she didn't.

She believed that the future of Sunagakure rested in the hands of the younger generation.

Her decision was a strategic one—paving the way for a stronger, unified Sunagakure.

Rasa, who inherited the Magnet Style, is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate to become Kazekage.

While Sunagakure struggled with both internal and external crises, Konoha managed to secure some breathing room at the border.

This battle, however, came at a great cost to both sides.

Sunagakure lost 4,000 ninjas and their Kazekage.

Konoha, on the other hand, suffered heavy casualties, with hundreds of injured ninjas who wouldn't be able to fight again anytime soon.

Among the wounded was Akamichi Torifu, who had lost an arm. His injuries were so severe that participating in further battles was out of the question.

To guard against any counterattack from the Land of Wind, the Third Hokage ordered Orochimaru to station 5,000 ninja troops at the border.

But Konoha faced another pressing issue—Mount Kikyo

At this time, a 6,000-strong ninja force from Kumo Shinobi Village was stationed on Mount Kikyo, watching like a predator ready to strike.

They could penetrate deep into the Land of Fire at any moment.

The Third Hokage sat silently in his office, overwhelmed.

He stared at the report in his hands, pieced together from the accounts of survivors.

It detailed the terrifying strength Simu had displayed in the recent battle.

On his desk, the distinctive Kazekage hat sat as a heavy reminder.

"Teacher, about Hanyu Simu..."

Tsunade, standing across from him, broke the silence.

After all, Simu had achieved such an extraordinary military feat—rewarding him wasn't just appropriate; it was necessary.

The Third Hokage was well aware of this.

"Reward Hanyu Simu with 5 million Ryo in my name," 

"5 million Ryo?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. It wasn't that she thought it was too much—it felt like too little.

This is the Kazekage we're talking about! The strongest Third Kazekage! Even the bounty on him from the underground gold exchange is higher than that. Right?

The Third Hokage sighed heavily.

"I know it's not much, but our hands are tied. For some reason, the daimyo's supplies have been delayed, and the funds we have left must be prioritized for the war effort..."

In simple terms, Konoha's coffers were running dangerously low.

Tsunade frowned, clearly displeased by the situation.

"I'm afraid the daimyo is displeased with how we prioritized saving Simu"

"But rather than confront us directly, they're expressing their dissatisfaction by delaying supplies."

Third Hokage rubbed his eyebrows, looking a little tired.

Tsunade asked again: "The matter of the Mito family..."

The Third Hokage's expression hardened instantly, his tone turning cold.

"The investigation is complete. The Mitokado family was caught reselling military supplies. When the war broke out unexpectedly, they couldn't replenish their stock and resorted to purchasing goods from the underground exchange."

"I have already dealt with all relevant personnel."

There was one thing he didn't mention: in the aftermath of the investigation, all Konoha arsenals were now under the control of the Sarutobi family.

"What about Mitokado Homura?"

Tsunade is most concerned about this.

Neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya had any affection for Konoha's two advisors or Danzo.

The Third Hokage lit his pipe, his tone soft but firm.

"I've stripped him of all his positions, leaving only the title of advisor. He holds no real power now."

He obviously didn't want to continue on the topic.

"Who do you think we should send to support Mount Kikyo?"

"I'll go," Tsunade responded decisively.

Tsunade didn't refuse this time.

This time, she didn't hesitate. After all, Kato Dan was still alive, and she hadn't developed her hemophobia yet. She wasn't as opposed to war as she would be later.

Now that Konoha was in trouble, she felt it was her responsibility to step up.

Not to mention, the person currently in charge of the defense at Mount Kikyo was her friend, Jiraiya, one of the Sannin.

The Third Hokage exhaled a slow puff of smoke, deep in thought.

The Third Hokage slowly spoke, "Let Simu go."

"Simu?" Tsunade was momentarily confused.

The Third Hokage's meaning became clear.

This time, the Kumo Shinobi team was led by the Fourth Raikage, Ai, a candidate for Raikage.

Additionally, Konoha's Anbu had discovered an important figure during recent battles: Killer B, the Eight Tails Jinchūriki from Kumo Shinobi Village.

His strength was formidable, and together with Ai, they formed a nearly unstoppable duo.

The AB combination, the new generation of Kumo Shinobi, was incredibly fast. They moved through the battlefield with ease, to the point where even Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, was unable to match them.

It wasn't that Jiraiya couldn't defeat them.

The problem was, they avoided fighting Jiraiya altogether.

They specialized in guerrilla tactics on Kikyo Mountain, making life difficult for Konoha's ninja troops.

With Simu's help, however, it might be possible to limit the effectiveness of Kumo Shinobi's AB combination.

So, after just five days of rest, Simu received another transfer order: recover Kikyo Mountain.

"Really troublesome, why does this old man keep sending me on these errands?" Simu muttered to Tsunade in frustration.

After what happened last time, Lindy and Kushina had finally accepted living together with him.

Now this old man was coming to disrupt his peace.

Tsunade looked at Simu, a vein popping on her forehead.

Despite his talent and strength, his temper was unbearable!

She had to take a deep breath and keep herself calm.

Simu's eyes brightened as he swiftly grabbed the check.

He examined it closely, and sure enough, it was real!

Tsunade rubbed her forehead, speechless.

A true Konoha Shinobi should devote their life to the will of fire. Why was this guy only interested in money?

"Don't just look at it, it's really five million Ryo!" Simu said, trying to contain his excitement.

He casually added, "It's for a Kazekage, and yet it's only five million Ryo..."

Tsunade sighed and began to explain.

"Sarutobi Sensei said Konoha has no money right now, but he'll make it up to you later."

"That's fine," Simu said with a smile.

This guy...

"Clean up, then head to Kikyo Mountain."

"Got it."

Fueled by the five million Ryo, Simu felt energized. He went back to the house and told Lindy, "I destroyed Black Iron Town in the Land of Wind half a month ago. The Land of Wind is probably short on weapons now."

"Have Hyuga Tokumitsu's Aster Flower Merchant send the batch of weapons I gave him last time to Sunagakure and sell them to their ninjas."

Kushina frowned.

"It's wartime now. If you sell your weapons to the Wind Country..."

Simu smiled slightly.

"Don't worry. Those weapons aren't ordinary. They're the low-quality ones I looted from Black Iron Town..."

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TO BE CONTINUED

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