That night, Simu set off alone for the Kikyo Mountain battlefield to support his nominal teacher.
Although Jiraiya was technically his teacher, he hadn't taught Simu any specific jutsu or techniques—just battle instincts, timing, and general combat awareness.
After all, Simu's power system was completely different from Jiraiya's.
But wait... didn't Minato also make a contract with Mount Myōboku?
On the way, Simu let his thoughts wander, and before long, he approached Kikyo Mountain.
Just then, he came across a Konoha supply convoy headed toward the front lines.
Simu was about to go up and say hello—
But he stopped.
His Observation Haki had picked up on several chakra signatures hidden around the valley.
"…Enemies, huh."
A quiet valley stretched before him.
Within the thick forests on both sides, several figures were hidden in the shadows, their eyes locked onto the Konoha supply team.
"Heh, these Konoha fools really think they can sneak supplies through here at night?"
One of the Cloud Shinobi sneered.
All of them wore demon cat masks—members of a special assassination and sabotage unit built around the power of the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii.
Each had undergone special training.
They used Lightning Style to stimulate their physical bodies, vastly boosting their speed.
This unit was considered one of the sharpest blades in Cloud's arsenal.
Their mission: infiltrate deep into Konoha territory, disrupt supply lines with precision, then vanish without a trace.
They specialized in guerrilla warfare.
Since the war began, at least eight Konoha teams had fallen victim to these masked assassins.
So naturally, Konoha had become cautious.
As the supply convoy entered the valley, the tension rose.
"Stay alert..."
The Hyuga Jōnin leading the convoy had barely spoken when bolts of lightning ripped through the night.
"Enemy attack!"
He shouted as streaks of electricity shot toward them.
Thanks to his warning, Konoha's ninjas had already braced themselves.
"Earth Style: Earth Spike!"
A barrage of stone spikes erupted from the ground, slowing the enemy's charge.
"Tch... Hyuga."
The Cloud Shinobi leader clicked his tongue.
Even with their excellent camouflage, they couldn't hide from the Byakugan.
The Cloud Shinobi loathed the Hyuga clan more than anyone else.
Still, the demon cat unit didn't rely solely on stealth.
There were six attackers.
They moved as one.
"Lightning Style: Thunder Beasts!"
Crackling with lightning, six monstrous beasts surged forward from their bodies and rushed toward the Konoha formation.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
A defensive wall rose up—but it didn't hold for long.
Lightning Style overwhelmed Earth Style, and the Thunder Beasts tore through the wall with ease.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
The Fireballs, boosted by Wind Style, exploded into a sea of flames and collided with the Thunder Beasts.
Boom!
The battlefield was covered in smoke.
"Watch out!"
The Hyuga Jōnin shouted.
From within the smoke, electric arcs zipped forward at terrifying speed.
The enemy's blades were laced with lightning, and their strikes came like flashes of death.
"Too fast!"
The Hyuga Jōnin's expression turned grim.
He quickly gathered chakra into his palm and countered with a powerful strike.
He managed to stop one attacker.
But there were five more.
They broke past him and charged toward the supply convoy.
Aside from the Hyuga Jōnin, the rest of the team was made up of Chūnin.
They couldn't handle this level of assault.
"Damn... these demon cat bastards are terrifying..."
Then—
A lazy voice echoed from above the valley.
"Oh? I thought I smelled some trouble."
A golden flash appeared midair.
Silence fell.
"It's... Konoha's Golden Flash! Hanyu Simu!"
The Cloud Shinobi froze.
The Konoha shinobi let out a collective sigh of relief.
These days, Simu's name echoed throughout every camp.
The genius of Konoha.
The man who killed the strongest Kazekage alone.
The Golden Flash of the Leaf.
They called him many things—though sadly, "Kizaru" had yet to catch on, which annoyed Simu a little.
Still, the enemy's faces changed drastically.
The Cloud Shinobi leader didn't hesitate.
"Scatter and retreat!"
Ever since the surviving members of the Cloud forces reported on Simu's power, a new unwritten rule had spread among them:
If you encounter the Golden Flash—abort the mission and run.
Simu didn't even make a move yet, and they were already scrambling.
"Oh my… that's the fastest retreat I've seen."
He pushed up his sunglasses.
"Didn't you guys forget something?"
"My ability is light."
In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of one fleeing Cloud Shinobi.
"Think you can outrun light?"
The shinobi gritted his teeth and raised his lightning-covered blade to strike back.
But it was useless.
Before his sword even moved, a light-speed kick landed squarely on him—
Crashing him straight into the ground.
Simu's Observation Haki flared.
He instantly pinpointed the other five.
"What a pain…"
He muttered.
To the rest of Konoha's ninjas, all they saw was a flash of golden light streaking through the forest.
In seconds, all six Cloud Shinobi were taken out—completely overwhelmed.
"Holy crap… he's that strong?"
A Uchiha Chūnin couldn't help but mutter in awe.
The rest of the ninjas nodded, stunned silent.
Only the Jōnin of the Hyuga clan looked a bit awkward.
After all, he had been present when Simu stormed the Hyuga compound to seize the bride.
He was one of the Hyuga Jōnin defeated by Simu that day...
Now that Simu's reputation was growing louder and louder, the elders of the Hyuga clan were full of regret.
Had they known, they would've just married Hyuga Ling Yi to Simu directly.
At the very least, it would've secured the Hyuga clan an absurdly powerful ally.
But there's no medicine for regret in this world.
All they could do now was watch the Hyuga clan become the laughingstock of Konoha because of their own arrogance.
Simu scanned the group in front of him.
"Let me guess... there aren't any Yamanaka clan members in your team, right?"
The demon cat unit clearly wasn't limited to just those six captured shinobi.
If Konoha's logistics were to remain safe, they'd have to uproot the entire unit.
But those guys were tough to crack, and without someone from the Yamanaka clan, it would be nearly impossible to get any useful intel.
Everyone shook their heads.
"I figured…"
Simu summoned a portion of Katsuyu.
The slug swallowed all six of the captured Cloud Shinobi.
Then Simu turned to the Konoha squad.
"I'll take them back to the forward camp. Stay alert and don't let your guard down."
"Yes, Lord Simu!"
"Uh, Lord Simu—"
A ninja called out suddenly.
"Hm? What's up?" Simu turned his head.
At some point, everyone had started calling him Lord Simu instead of just Simu.
It wasn't a bad feeling.
The ninja scratched his head awkwardly. "Can I... uh... get your autograph?"
Simu blinked, surprised.
He hadn't expected someone to ask for his autograph.
"Ah... I don't have a pen or any paper."
He looked a little embarrassed. This was new territory for him.
The ninja quickly pulled out a pen. "Here! You can write it on my arm!"
"Well... alright then."
Simu took the pen and neatly signed "Hanyu Simu" on the ninja's arm in elegant, flowing script.
"Whoa! Thank you so much!" The ninja grinned like a giddy fan.
Simu chuckled. "Alright, I'm off. Stay safe."
The portion of Katsuyu vanished.
Simu turned into a beam of light and zipped off toward the frontlines.
But he didn't make it far.
Along the way, he encountered another Konoha squad.
It was the new generation Ino–Shika–Chō team — Nara Shikahisa, Yamanaka Haichi, and Akamichi Choza — also on a supply mission.
Shikahisa lounged on the carriage, chewing a blade of grass and staring up at the starry sky.
Haichi was standing guard nearby when his expression suddenly tightened.
"Someone's coming."
Immediately, Shikahisa and Choza flipped up from their resting positions.
Shikahisa formed a hand seal — his shadow extending and ready to strike.
If the intruder showed hostility, he could bind them in an instant.
Then Haichi would take over using Mind Body Transfer Technique, and finally, Choza would finish them off with a crushing blow.
That was the perfected synergy of the Ino–Shika–Chō formation.
A flash of golden light appeared before them.
"Whoa, as expected of the new generation Ino–Shika–Chō — fast reflexes."
Simu waved casually.
"It's just me."
These three were the future heads of their respective clans — powerful among the new generation.
Though overshadowed by Simu, even Minato's brilliance seemed a little dim in comparison these days.
Yamanaka Haichi looked at Shikahisa, as if asking whether they should verify Simu's identity.
But surprisingly, the normally cautious Shikahisa waved him off.
"No need. He's the only guy in the entire ninja world who uses Light Release."
He added with a deadpan tone, "Besides, even if someone else did learn Light Release, no one else could replicate his ridiculous personality."
Simu looked unbothered and pushed up his sunglasses.
"Oh my, as expected of Shikahisa — sharp as ever."
Shikahisa didn't bother exchanging jabs.
"Alright then. What do you need? You're not here just to protect us, are you?"
Simu scratched the back of his head. "Come on, the legendary Ino–Shika–Chō needs my protection? You're not rookies anymore."
Over the past year, these three had grown tremendously, now standing at the forefront of Konoha's next generation.
A standard Cloud Shinobi unit wouldn't stand a chance against them.
Simu summoned Katsuyu again, who spat out the six captured Cloud Shinobi.
"Here. These guys are from the demon cat unit. Haichi, can I trouble you to search their memories?"
The sight of six mucus-covered shinobi was... unpleasant.
Even Choza took a step back, clearly grossed out.
Shikahisa frowned in clear discomfort.
Haichi, expressionless, simply nodded.
"I might not be able to extract anything if it's protected."
Simu smiled. "I believe in you."
After all, Yamanaka Haichi was the pride of the Yamanaka clan — already hailed as the next big thing in intelligence and interrogation.
Even if he was still young, his talent was undeniable.
"I'll give it a shot."
Haichi didn't hesitate.
"Ninja Art: Mind Probe Technique!"
He formed the signature Yamanaka seal and closed his eyes.
Moments later, one of the Cloud Shinobi stirred, eyes half-open.
Haichi's consciousness was already swimming through his memories, sifting for anything related to their mission.
A few minutes passed.
Suddenly, the shinobi convulsed violently.
Blood oozed from his eyes and nostrils before he collapsed, dead.
Haichi staggered, blood dripping from his own nose.
"Are you alright?" Simu immediately had Katsuyu land on Haichi's shoulder to start healing.
"I'm... I'm fine... cough cough..." Haichi coughed for a moment, catching his breath.
"There was a jutsu embedded in his mind. A seal that destroys the brain the moment someone probes it... probably to guard against memory theft."
Rain Village clearly knew about Konoha's Yamanaka clan and took precautions.
But Simu still looked satisfied.
Even with that, they'd gotten something.
He took out a map, marked it, and said, "The demon cat unit's base should be around here."
Haichi drew a circle on the map.
"As expected of the Yamanaka clan's intelligence prodigy." Simu patted him on the shoulder.
"Thanks a lot."
Then, in a streak of golden light, Simu shot off in the direction marked on the map.
After he left, Haichi gave a weak smile.
"We should be the ones thanking him... after all, he's the one fighting on the frontlines."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
There are 110+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Marvel fanfic!
[Marvel: Starting as a Time Criminal, Stealing Powers]