On the way back to Konoha, Jiraiya suddenly received an urgent mission and had to leave for his assignment ahead of the group.
Meanwhile, Simu and the others finally returned to Konoha two days later.
Minato suggested, "How about we have a nice meal tonight?"
Kushina immediately cheered, "Okay, okay! Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen! I haven't eaten there in so long."
Minato glanced at Hyuga Rei and extended the invitation. "Rei, do you want to come with us?"
"Is that... okay?" Rei asked hesitantly.
Having grown up without many friends, she wasn't used to Kushina's overwhelming enthusiasm just yet.
"Of course it is!"
Without hesitation, Kushina grabbed Rei's arm.
Girls' friendships really are a mystery—despite only knowing each other for a few days, Kushina and Rei had already become as close as sisters.
"What about you, Simu?" Minato asked.
Simu had no objections.
These past few days, he had either been surviving on military ration pills or fish, and he was getting sick of it. A proper meal sounded great.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
A ninja suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Hanyu Simu, Lord Hokage requests you to report on your mission."
Simu frowned. "Can't Minato do it?"
He glanced at the sky, which was slowly darkening.
At this time, he should be lying at home, relaxed after a good meal.
Handing in a mission report? That was just disguised overtime!
Minato didn't seem to mind, but the Anbu ninja shook his head.
"Lord Hokage specifically requested your presence."
Minato gave Simu a helpless shrug.
"What a hassle..." Simu sighed before saying, "You guys go ahead and eat at Ichiraku Ramen. I'll join you as soon as I can."
With that, he turned into a flash of light and reappeared outside the Hokage's office window.
The Anbu guards outside were startled. Just as they were about to react, the Third Hokage raised his hand, signaling them to stand down.
Simu wasn't surprised by the heavy security. If anything, it would've been more concerning if the Hokage's office didn't have this level of protection.
Knocking lightly on the window, Simu asked casually, "Mind if I come in?"
The Third Hokage let out a weary sigh but forced a smile.
"Come in. Did you pick up this habit of climbing through windows from Jiraiya?"
Simu opened the window, jumped inside, and scratched his head sheepishly.
"It's just the fastest way..."
Realizing he had spoken too honestly, he quickly corrected himself.
"Ah—no, I mean, I wanted to listen to Lord Hokage's teachings as soon as possible, so I had to take a shortcut!"
The Third Hokage exhaled heavily.
He reminded himself that Simu was Jiraiya's student—so this kind of behavior was normal.
In a way, Simu could be considered one of the Third Hokage's successors as well.
He sprinkled some tobacco into his pipe and lit it. Normally, he wouldn't smoke in front of his students.
But if he didn't smoke while dealing with this particular student, he feared he wouldn't be able to control his temper.
After taking a deep drag, he finally felt somewhat at ease.
"You did a good job on this mission," he said.
Simu casually stuffed his hands into his pockets, plopped down in a chair, and crossed his legs.
"Ah, yeah. Not bad, I guess," he replied nonchalantly.
The Third Hokage took another deep drag from his pipe.
"The client was very satisfied with your work."
Simu nodded indifferently.
He didn't care about that—he only cared about one thing: getting off work as soon as possible!
He had just spent a whole week away on a mission, and now he had to do paperwork? What a pain.
Sensing Simu's impatience, the Third Hokage finally got to the main point.
"You defeated Wuye Jinmaru?"
At this, Simu's expression shifted. He patted his chest dramatically.
"Lord Hokage, just thinking about it still makes my heart race!"
"You don't understand how terrifying Wuye Jinmaru was. His taijutsu was incredibly strong, and his Wind Release jutsu was even more overwhelming…"
"It was so close—really, just a hair's breadth away—and he would've pierced my heart with his scythe!"
As he spoke, Simu picked up the cup of tea on the Hokage's desk, intending to take a sip.
But after bringing it halfway to his lips, he grimaced in distaste and set it back down.
Noticing the increasingly dark expression on the Third Hokage's face, he finally toned down his theatrics a little.
"Anyway, this mission was way too dangerous. Lord Hokage, please don't assign me to missions like this again!"
The Third Hokage coughed into his hand, looking helpless.
According to Jiraiya's report, Simu had completely dominated Wuye Jinmaru.
But judging by Simu's exaggerated storytelling, he sounded like a weakling who barely survived.
"Forget it." The Hokage waved a hand. "Let's talk about something else."
"Jiraiya has been assigned a special mission, and he'll be gone for a while. In the meantime, your team is free to arrange your own training. If you run into any difficulties, you can come ask me directly."
Simu's eyes suddenly lit up.
"So… that means… no traveling?"
"No more missions?"
Seeing Simu's excited expression, the Third Hokage shook his head helplessly.
"That's right."
"Understood, Lord Hokage!" Simu said cheerfully.
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