Sunagakure.
In the Kazekage's Office.
"What did you just say?"
"The mission in the Land of Ash failed, and… Ebizō was killed?"
Chiyo, her lavender hair falling loosely around her shoulders, wasn't particularly old yet.
She was in her fifties—about the same age as Sarutobi Hiruzen.
After the Anbu confirmed the news, it was as though her soul had been sucked out.
She slumped heavily into her chair.
"How could this happen…?"
This was clearly an ambush—a carefully planned, foolproof ambush targeting Konoha.
How could Ebizō be the one caught off guard?
At that moment, the Third Kazekage—Salomon, known as the strongest Kazekage in history—stood silently nearby, his expression grave.
Ebizō was a veteran, a hero who had served the village since the First Great Ninja War.
He was a pillar of Sunagakure's strength. No one expected he'd fall during such a mission.
But even more shocking—
Tenmu Hazang, the son of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, had also died during the mission.
This was no ordinary mission failure.
The strongest Kazekage in history could already smell the scent of war on the wind.
He turned to the Anbu who had delivered the report.
"What's the full situation?"
The Anbu didn't dare hide anything and responded immediately:
"This mission was carried out by Konoha's Hanyu Simu squad. The team members were Hanyu Simu, Namikaze Minato, and Hyuga Rei."
"During the mission, the Daimyo of the Land of Ash, Elder Ebizō, and Tenmu Hazang were all killed by Hanyu Simu."
"In battle, he also used a large-scale S-rank Light Release ninjutsu, which nearly destroyed half of the Hidden Ash Village and killed all seven Jōnin stationed there."
By now, Chiyo had composed herself.
She shifted her focus to the Anbu's report.
"According to the information, this brat named Hanyu Simu first killed the seven Jōnin of the Ash Village by himself…"
"Then went on to support the main battlefield, defeated Ebizō, and slaughtered the rest?"
The Anbu lowered his head.
"If the report is accurate—yes, that's exactly what happened."
Salomon gave him a cold glance. "You're dismissed."
"Yes, sir."
The Anbu ninja vanished in an instant.
Now only Chiyo and Salomon remained in the room.
Ebizō's strength was beyond question.
In Sunagakure, he was easily among the top five.
And yet, this seasoned, powerful shinobi had been killed by a kid.
"This is going to be troublesome," Chiyo said hoarsely.
The loss of her dear relative had aged her several years in an instant.
"My condolences," Salomon offered solemnly.
But in the world of shinobi, death was far too common.
"Right now, the Daimyo's attitude is crucial. Regardless, we can't swallow this insult. Prepare for war."
Salomon crossed his arms, his face like ice.
To be honest, he didn't want a war.
It hadn't even been ten years since the end of the Second Great Ninja War.
The village was slowly recovering and growing. If a war broke out now, it would shatter the steady momentum of the Land of Wind's development.
But this situation gave him no choice.
The Land of Wind could not allow this humiliation to go unanswered.
He gave an order into the empty air beside him:
"Summon all the Jōnin of the village for an emergency meeting."
"Yes, sir."
That night, all the Jōnin of Sunagakure were urgently called to the Kazekage's office.
Among them were Ye Cang and Baki—both of whom had encountered Simu before.
Standing beside the Kazekage were Chiyo, and a red-haired man—Rasa.
Many glanced toward the seat that once belonged to Elder Ebizō...
And felt the weight of what had happened.
The conference room was thick with a tense, heavy silence.
The Third Kazekage, Salomon, spoke in a deep voice:
"Elder Ebizō died during the mission."
The faces of every Jōnin in the room changed drastically.
Ebizō had trained many of them over the years, nurturing countless elite shinobi for the village.
At least half of the Jōnin present owed their growth to him.
No one expected this…
"Who did it?" Ye Cang asked coldly.
Salomon didn't hesitate.
"Konoha's Hanyu Simu."
"…It's him again," Ye Cang hissed through clenched teeth.
Before anyone could fully digest the shock, Salomon dropped another bombshell.
"Everyone must prepare for the possibility of war."
Expressions turned from stunned to grave.
They all responded in unison:
"Yes, sir."
At that moment, the Kazekage's secret assistant knocked lightly on the door and entered the room.
"Kazekage-sama, the envoy of the Land of Wind's Daimyo has arrived."
Salomon narrowed his eyes.
"Send him in."
The envoy entered, cloaked in white—traditional attire for nobles of the Land of Wind, shielding themselves from the desert wind and sand.
He bowed slightly toward Salomon.
"Kazekage-sama, I bring a letter from the Daimyo."
Salomon raised his hand. A wave of black magnetic sand floated out and seized the envelope.
His face grew solemn as he read.
As expected, the contents were no surprise.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind was furious and had dispatched a diplomatic envoy to Konoha—demanding that the culprit, Hanyu Simu, be handed over.
In addition, Sunagakure is required to immediately send a large force to adopt an offensive stance along the border with the Land of Ash to exert pressure!
At the same time, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind has made formal representations to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
They hope the Fire Daimyo will consider the bigger picture and force Konoha to hand over the criminal—Hanyu Simu.
Otherwise, the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind will go to war.
This is a matter of utmost urgency.
A small spark could ignite the flames of the Third Great Ninja War.
Saramon looked at the map, eyes fixed on Konoha at its center.
"Will they choose to hand over Simu and preserve stability, or risk being surrounded and go to war with the Land of Wind?"
Saramon was very curious.
Though Konoha had won the Second Great Ninja War, it had also suffered severe losses.
Now that the other great nations had recovered, the Fire Nation's dominant status was in jeopardy.
At such a critical juncture, what choice would Sarutobi Hiruzen make?
As tensions rose in the Land of Wind, the same happened in the Land of Fire.
From the moment the Fire Daimyo arrived in Konoha, Hiruzen had a bad feeling.
And sure enough…
Simu had killed the Daimyo of the Land of Ash, Advisor Ebizō of Sunagakure, and Tenmu Hazang—the favored son of the Wind Daimyo.
Hiruzen's chest rose and fell heavily with frustration.
Why is this kid always so troublesome?
After finally settling the incident with the Hyuga clan, he'd stayed quiet for a whole year.
And now, on his very first mission, he creates this kind of mess?
Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his eyes wearily.
Before he could think of a solution, Konoha's two advisors and Danzo arrived.
Not just them—the heads of several major ninja clans also showed up.
Third Hokage's expression instantly darkened.
"Hiruzen, we've heard about Simu. He's gone too far this time," Mitokado Homura said bluntly.
Utatane Koharu followed immediately:
"It's one thing to stir up trouble within the village, but this time he killed the son of the Wind Daimyo!"
"Doesn't he understand the unspoken rule that the internal struggles of the five great powers should never involve the nobility?"
"The envoy from the Land of Wind is already en route. We need to decide what to do."
The two bombarded him with accusations the moment they entered.
Though Hiruzen's face was grim, he couldn't refute it.
After all, the victim was the son of a daimyo—this made things far more complicated.
Just then, the Fire Nation envoy finally arrived.
He pushed open the Hokage's office door.
"Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen gave a slight nod and asked directly, "What is the Daimyo's stance?"
The envoy looked him straight in the eye.
"Hokage-sama, the Daimyo believes that Hanyu Simu's actions have crossed a line. He hopes Konoha will settle this matter with the Land of Wind as soon as possible, to avoid unnecessary conflict."
The Fire Daimyo's meaning was clear.
Ninjas can fight and kill each other all they want.
But they cannot kill the nobility of the five great nations.
By the same logic, if a noble from the Fire Nation is captured, the other villages will likely hold back.
In short, the Fire Daimyo supports handing over Simu.
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly closed his eyes.
"I'll think about it carefully."
The envoy bowed and left.
"I trust Lord Hokage will make the right decision."
With the Daimyo's stance made clear, the two advisors pressed on.
"Now that the Daimyo has spoken, no matter how fond you are of Simu, you must choose, Hiruzen."
"You can't drag the Land of Fire into a full-scale war just for this one brat!"
Homura and Koharu spoke in unison.
Hiruzen remained silent.
As absurd as it sounded—
He was being asked to sacrifice a loyal ninja who was just executing a mission…
Simply because the enemy happened to be a noble.
If a noble kills a ninja, it's considered a tragedy of war.
But if a ninja kills a noble, it's a diplomatic disaster.
Even though it was clearly part of the mission.
Even though the target was hostile.
Even though Simu only acted in defense of the village.
Still, this was the harsh reality of the world.
It wasn't unheard of for Konoha to betray its own shinobi for political gain.
Wasn't that exactly what happened with Hyuga Hizashi?
The Land of Lightning was the aggressor.
Hiashi fought back to save his daughter.
Yet in the end, Konoha forced Hizashi to die in his brother's place to keep the peace…
Ridiculous.
But to Konoha's higher-ups, a ninja was just a disposable pawn.
The only question was whether the sacrifice was worth the cost.
Meanwhile, the person at the center of the storm, Simu, had no idea he was already being prepared for the chopping block.
He was soaking in a hot spring at home, relaxing peacefully.
Until Minato suddenly appeared.
He looked extremely serious—and was carrying a large bag stuffed with supplies.
It looked like he was preparing to flee.
"Simu, the situation is urgent! Get dressed. We're leaving Konoha—now!"
Simu blinked in confusion.
Even Rei and Kushina were stunned.
"Leave Konoha?" Rei repeated.
"Why would we leave now?"
Minato answered quickly:
"That guy you killed on the last mission—Tenmu Hazang—he was the son of the Wind Daimyo!"
Simu scratched his head. "Yeah, I know."
"Well, now the Daimyo of the Land of Wind has sent an ultimatum to Konoha!"
"Sunagakure and the Land of Wind are demanding Konoha hand you over—or they'll declare war!"
"I heard the Fire Daimyo already agreed with their demand. Konoha's leadership is going to make a decision soon."
"We have to get out now!"
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