"There are 989 people left."
This was the number of remaining Cloud Shinobi sensed by Simu.
In other words, the move he just unleashed had taken out nearly 500 Cloud Shinobi.
Of course, most of them were cannon fodder, but even so, such a feat was undeniably impressive.
It massively boosted the morale of the Konoha Shinobi on the battlefield.
Tutai's eyes behind his glasses were practically spitting fire.
Five hundred people!
A full five hundred ninjas!
That wasn't a small number. Smaller ninja villages in weaker nations might not even have that many in total.
And Simu had wiped them out with a single technique.
"No wonder they say he inherited Hashirama's Sage Mode..." Tutai muttered, his face darkening.
Even knowing Simu was no ordinary shinobi, this level of devastation was beyond what he expected.
Standing atop his cloud of iron sand, the Third Kazekage also dismissed any thoughts of sending in his Sand Shinobi to surround Simu.
He had no intention of letting his troops be slaughtered like the Cloud Shinobi just were.
He raised both hands, condensing large amounts of iron sand into heavy spheres aimed straight at Simu.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Shotgun!"
Thousands of iron sand bullets shot through the sky, roaring toward Simu.
"So intense... Is Lord Kazekage trying to kill me?" Simu muttered, raising his hands and focusing his chakra.
"Sage Art: Yasakani no Magatama!"
Blinding beams of light shot up from both hands, crisscrossing into the sky.
They collided mid-air with the incoming iron sand bullets in a spectacular explosion that lit up the entire night sky.
Tutai didn't stand idly by either.
This was a battlefield—honor meant nothing. Dead enemies were the best kind.
He quickly formed hand seals, slammed his palms into the ground, and activated a technique.
The earth rumbled.
A massive boulder erupted from the ground and was hurled into the air like a trebuchet. It was aimed straight at Simu.
Then, Tutai opened his mouth and exhaled a stream of molten lava, coating the boulder in fire.
"Lava Style: Volcanic Rock!"
At that moment, Simu was still exchanging blows with the Third Kazekage.
But Katsuyu turned her head just in time and spat a mouthful of corrosive acid at the flaming rock.
Smoke exploded between the two forces as acid and lava met. The rock lost momentum and crashed into the ground.
Simu, having noticed Tutai's sneak attack, narrowed his eyes.
A long, glowing cross-shaped sword appeared in his hand.
He ended the clash with the Third Kazekage and instantly dashed toward Tutai.
There was no doubt about Simu's speed—he turned into a literal flash, slashing through the air and landing in front of the enemy in an instant.
The sword came down in a blinding arc.
"Lava Style: Lava Fist!"
Tutai responded quickly, coating his fist in bubbling magma and punching straight at the incoming Simu.
Sword and fist collided in a brilliant clash of gold and red.
The lava reflected off the sword, and Tutai frowned.
"...This feels familiar somehow?"
But Simu had already landed and raised his leg.
"But you're still far weaker than Sakazuki!"
Tutai had no idea who Sakazuki was, but his instincts screamed danger. He raised his arms in defense.
A golden flash burst out.
A lightspeed kick slammed into the lava armor.
As Simu said, Tutai's power was nowhere near that of Akainu's.
The sheer force of the kick sent Tutai flying like a ragdoll.
He spun through the air like a meteor, crashing into the distant mountainside and igniting a wildfire with the scattering lava.
Simu didn't hesitate—he moved to pursue.
But the Third Kazekage wasn't about to let him.
At some point, iron sand had silently gathered around Simu's feet.
The ground beneath him exploded, and waves of iron sand surged up like a black tsunami.
Simu was already sinking into it.
The grip of the iron sand was immense—so heavy that even an Akimichi would be crushed.
Even an elephant would be instantly ground into paste.
But Simu… was light.
The moment the sand tried to close around him, he transformed into a flash of light and shot skyward.
He brought his hands together and aimed down at the Third Kazekage.
"Sage Art: Yata Mirror Slash!"
A sharp, golden sword burst forth from his hands, its edge so intense it seemed to split the very sky.
The Kazekage didn't dare underestimate it.
He raised a massive iron wall beneath him, like a tidal wave of metal.
The sword tore into it.
Boom!
The iron sand was shredded apart with a terrifying screech.
Then the sword bent mid-air, as if it had struck a mirror, and rebounded.
The Third Kazekage watched in disbelief as the golden sword changed direction—again and again—twisting in the air like a snake.
It came from the left.
Then from the right.
He was forced to cocoon himself in a dome of iron sand.
But the sword wasn't aiming for him.
It turned—heading straight for the distant Tutai instead!
Tutai barely had time to react, forming another Lava Style wall to block the attack.
But the golden sword carried too much force. It shattered the lava barrier in one clean hit.
Simu, who'd been fighting the Third Kazekage just moments before, now appeared in front of Tutai like a ghost.
He burst through the remains of the lava wall.
Tutai was strong.
But his fatal flaw... was his lack of close combat ability.
Not strong enough, especially against Simu.
"You young ones are terrifying..."
"Lava Style: Burning Embrace!"
Tutai sighed and suddenly spread his arms wide.
His entire body melted into lava, surging out to envelop Simu in a molten hug.
The heat scorched the air, filling it with the stench of burning flesh and sulfur.
Simu looked at the scorched mound.
"What a terrifying senior... but unfortunately, I don't like men."
Armament Haki coated his calf like black steel.
Facing the earth platform—now fully transformed into lava—Simu lifted his foot.
Boom!
A devastating stomp crashed down on Tutai's abdomen.
Tutai's face was filled with disbelief.
His Lava Style jutsu could scald enemies to death with its intense heat, and while active, his entire body became lava, granting immunity to all physical attacks.
Why… why didn't it work on this kid?
Simu noticed the shift in his opponent's expression and gave a slight smile.
"Senior… times have changed.
This is the era of Haki."
With that, he poured more strength into his leg.
A brilliant flash burst out, and Tutai was slammed deep into the earth.
The ground fractured violently under the impact.
Thick clouds of dust shot skyward.
Even though Tutai had followed the Third Raikage for years, training to strengthen his body—
It was still impossible to withstand Simu's full-force attack.
The overwhelming power tore through his muscles, crushing his internal organs from within.
Blood gushed from Tutai's mouth. He was on the verge of death.
Eyes wide with disbelief, he used the last of his strength to grab Simu tightly with both hands.
"…"
Suddenly, beneath the shattered ground—
Countless streams of iron sand burst forth!
Dozens of black death scythes formed from the iron sand, surrounding Simu from all angles—
And slashed down without mercy.
To kill Tutai, Simu had no time to dodge.
The scythes descended—
And in the blink of an eye, Simu was sliced into dozens of pieces.
In the distance, the Third Kazekage's eyes flashed with satisfaction.
But that look quickly darkened.
Because Simu's body, the one that had been chopped apart—
Suddenly shimmered into golden light and vanished.
"A clone? No… that wasn't just a Shadow Clone…"
A terrible sense of danger struck the Third Kazekage.
High above—
Simu had reformed from scattered particles of light.
Countless Cloud Shinobi watched in disbelief as a glowing orb began to form in his hand.
"Sage Art: Core Jade."
As time passed, the orb absorbed more and more natural energy—
It grew larger and larger until it hovered in the sky like a second sun.
"Wh-What is that…?!"
The Third Kazekage's face twisted in horror.
He raised both hands sharply.
With a thunderous crack, fissures opened across the battlefield.
Iron sand hidden beneath the earth erupted through the cracks—
Sweeping over every stunned Sand Shinobi like a black tsunami.
The iron sand surged into the air, forming an enormous barrier overhead—
A final shield.
Simu pushed his glasses up with one hand.
"Still a bit too slow."
He kicked the glowing sun above him.
BOOM!
The sphere plummeted straight down.
As soon as it touched the iron sand, white-hot steam exploded outward.
The overwhelming weight crushed the iron shield into a depression—
And then the entire orb detonated in an instant!
Light and heat engulfed everything.
The iron sand, once tough and unyielding, began to melt under the extreme heat and pressure—
Turning into molten iron.
Under the golden light, the sea of black sand became a red, bubbling hell.
The Third Kazekage poured all his strength into his personal defensive barrier.
But much of the iron sand melted and rained down in red-hot globs, burning through the battlefield.
The protective umbrella had turned into a scarlet deathtrap.
There was no escape.
Whether you were a Genin, Chūnin, or even a Jōnin—
None could survive the molten ocean.
A vast mushroom cloud rose high into the sky, blotting out the moon.
The Konoha Shinobi hid in the woods behind Sage Katsuyu, their eyes wide in shock.
They had just been filled with fury over Tutai's death—
Some Cloud Shinobi had even been ready to charge in for revenge.
But now, silence.
No one moved.
Some even pitied the Sand Shinobi across the battlefield.
More than a thousand troops…
Gone.
Wiped out in a flash of light.
Simu landed atop Sage Katsuyu, hands in his pockets, looking around calmly.
He struck a stylish pose.
But inside… he was drained.
That last technique had almost used up all his Sage Chakra.
Even Sage Katsuyu, who had lived for centuries, couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"Such power... So this is what it means to be Mr. Kizaru's successor."
Simu adjusted his glasses and whispered,
"Katsuyu, quickly help me absorb natural energy…"
Sage Katsuyu chuckled.
Her massive body split into two smaller clones that climbed onto Simu's shoulders, quickly channeling natural energy into him.
The smoke slowly cleared.
The battlefield was now a massive crater, tens of meters wide.
At the center, molten iron still glowed faintly as it cooled.
As for human remains?
Not a single trace.
Simu's Chakra wasn't fully restored yet.
He looked up, frowning.
The Third Kazekage—the strongest in history—had escaped?
Simu stared toward the distance.
"Truly fearsome... the so-called strongest Kazekage."
He raised a finger.
A laser beam shot from his fingertip, streaking through the air toward the southern border.
At that moment, Salomon (Third Kazekage) was using a unique Magnet Style technique to tunnel underground at high speed.
The laser caught up in moments and slammed into the earth.
A fiery explosion split the ground open!
Salomon's heart skipped a beat.
"Damn… how can he catch up so fast?!"
He raised a hand, forming a shield of iron sand just in time to deflect the light beam.
Above him, Simu vanished from atop Katsuyu and reappeared in midair.
Even with limited Chakra—
He still intended to stop this so-called "strongest Kazekage."
In seconds, Simu was already above Salomon's head.
A radiant kick came crashing down!
BOOM!
The ground buckled beneath the impact.
Even the iron sand barrier shattered instantly.
Simu swung his hand, conjuring a blazing cross-shaped lightsaber—
And slashed down!
Salomon barely twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow.
The golden sword energy carved a long scar in the earth.
Simu stood between Salomon and the border.
"You don't get to come and go from Konoha as you please."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 100+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[One piece: Starting as a Mythical Beast]