Konoha, Just Like Kizaru

"Jiraiya, are you involved in this matter?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked calmly, his sharp gaze fixed on him.

Although Simu and the others were part of his faction, Hiruzen knew the importance of maintaining appearances. 

The closer someone was to him, the stricter his stance had to seem—at least to the people outside.

A brief stay in the ninja prison, followed by some redemption missions, would be enought. 

The Third Hokage, ever the political strategist, had handled such situations countless times before.

Simu's talent was exceptional. Letting go of someone like him was unthinkable.

Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly.

"Well... Simu's still young. Isn't it normal for him to mess around a bit?"

Messed up a bit?

The Hyuga clan members were stunned by Jiraiya's casual remark.

Destroying the Hyuga ancestral hall—was that what he called "messing around"? 

What's next? If they dared to speak up, would Simu slaughter them all and still call it nonsense?

Jiraiya chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head.

 "Alright, maybe it was a bit too much."

Third Hokage shot his prized student a look, hoping Jiraiya would understand the delicate situation. 

Turning his attention to Simu, he spoke with a tone of implied leniency.

"Simu, surrender now, and we can handle this matter peacefully."

His words were a clear hint, offering Simu a way out.

But Simu had no intention of walking the path the Hokage had laid out for him.

Simu picked up Lindy.

Looking at the two companions standing in front of him, a warm feeling surged in his heart. 

"I'll handle my own problems. Teacher Jiraiya doesn't need to worry," 

Simu said confidently, raising his hand to make a specific gesture.

It was a signal unique to their squad—one that meant: Take hostages!

Minato immediately understood. With a flash, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to snatch Hyuga Hiashi, who was too stunned by the chaos to react. In another instant, he returned to Simu's side.

Kushina, not missing a beat, casually grabbed the elder and brought him over as well.

Simu, meanwhile, grabs a branch house Hyuga ninja.

With their captives in hand, the situation took a sudden and drastic turn in their favor.

Simu swiftly bit his finger and pressed it to the ground with blinding speed.

Countless incantation marks spread outward like countless spider webs, covering the area around him and his companions.

Fixing his cold gaze on the barely-conscious Hyuga Teruchi, Simu declared:

"Listen carefully. If anyone dares to use the Caged Bird technique again, not just Hiashi—the entire Hyuga clan—will die."

Without hesitation, he activated the technique.

"Inverse Summoning Jutsu."

Boom!

In an instant, Simu, Kushina, and the others vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Hyuga Teruchi staggered to his feet, his eyes filled with confusion and despair.

Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face turned red with fury, his voice booming with anger.

"This is outrageous! Find them! Track down those lawless fools immediately!"

"I'm putting them all in prison!" 

Sarutobi Hiruzen growled. 

The Third Hokage had always been known for his calm, kind, and approachable demeanor.

For many, this was the first time they had seen him display such angry gesture.

It was clear to everyone: Hokage-sama was truly furious this time.

However, Shimura Danzo narrowed his eyes skeptically.

Hiruzen, that old fox, Danzo thought.

If he were truly enraged, he wouldn't show it so blatantly.

This display was for the Hyuga clan—to reassure them of his impartiality.

Hiruzen wanted to prove that he stood firmly with the Hyuga clan, not in support of Simu's actions.

Danzo likely kept his true thoughts hidden, as only he fully understood his intentions.

Still, one thing was certain: Anbu always prepared barriers to restrict space-time ninjutsu during missions.

Under normal circumstances, these barriers would have been set up beforehand to prevent any enemies from escaping.

But this time?

The oversight was... curious.

Some might call it negligence; others might see it as deliberate.

Uchiha Suzuki cast a meaningful glance at the Third Hokage.

This is getting interesting, he thought.

Meanwhile, Simu and his group reappeared, reverse-summoned to the Shikkotsu Forest.

This move had been part of a plan Simu and Katsuyu Sage had meticulously arranged in advance.

"Wow... it's huge!"

That was Minato and Kushina's immediate reaction upon seeing Katsuyu Sage for the first time.

"Where are we...?" Kushina asked, sensing the vibrant energy in the air.

"This is the Shikkotsu Forest," Simu explained, gesturing toward the massive slug. 

"And this is my summoning partner, Katsuyu Sage."

Katsuyu Sage inclined slightly, her soothing voice resonating. 

"You may simply call me Katsuyu. Any friend of Mr. Kizaru is a friend of mine."

Kushina and Lindy responded warmly.

"Hello, Katsuyu! I'm Kushina."

"I'm Lindy. Nice to meet you!"

"And I'm Minato," 

Meanwhile, the three Hyuga clan members stood frozen, still struggling to understand their situation.

Especially the Great Elder, whose face was pale at this moment due to excessive blood loss from the severed arm.

"Please heal him first, Katsuyu," Simu said, his voice calm.

"Of course," Katsuyu replied.

A smaller version of Katsuyu emerged, wrapping around the elder's wound. 

A burst of green light enveloped him as natural energy flowed in, quickly closing the wound and speeding up the healing process.

However, his severed arm couldn't be restored. It could be regrown with Hashirama cells, but that would come with serious risks, as the backlash from the cells was too much for an ordinary person to endure.

Simu suddenly turned his head, his gaze landing on a figure standing in the woods not far away.

"Senior Tsunade is here too?" 

Katsuyu answered in her usual sticky voice, "Yes, after you told me, Master Tsunade asked me to summon her."

"Ah, okay..." 

Simu replied, understanding.

Tsunade emerged from the woods and spotted Simu and the others. "If I remember correctly, it's rare to have so many people in Shikotsu Forest at once,"

"Yes, Master Tsunade, it's quite lively today," 

Although Katsuyu said so, but Hyuga Hiashi and that old man's breath is actually very annoying. "

"Senior Tsunade, what brings you here?" Kushina asked curiously

Tsunade looked at Kushina, then at Lindy. Finally, her gaze fixed on Simu.

Tsunade, who had always been blunt, couldn't help but comment on the situation between the three of them. 

She said coldly: "Sure enough, men don't have a good thing."

Simu scratched his head in shame, embarrassed to refute anything.

Tsunade didn't bother hiding her displeasure with Kushina either and explained: "It was your teacher who asked me to come and help." 

Simu felt a wave of warmth in his heart. 

Though Jiraiya was usually lecherous and unreliable, he knew that his teacher could be counted on in critical moments.

Jiraiya had only asked Tsunade to come for one reason: to help Lindy break the Caged Bird seal. 

This complex sealing spell from the Hyuga family was no easy task, and even Tsunade wasn't sure she could undo it.

"I'll do my best," Tsunade said, glancing at the elderly Great Elder.

The Great Elder, recognizing her, spoke urgently, "I am the Great Elder of the Hyuga Clan, Tsunade. We've met before, when Lord Hashirama held you."

He seemed to see Tsunade as a savior. "Come on, Tsunade, take care of these people and take us back! I'll give you money, as much as you want!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. 

While they were both from Konoha, she didn't have a good opinion of the Hyuga clan, especially the elders who used their status to dominate others.

"Why did you bring him here?" Tsunade asked, frowning.

Simu rubbed his chin. "I wanted to see if this guy could undo the curse mark on Lindy's body."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" 

The Grand Elder was about to shout at Simu when he saw the lightsaber forming in Simu's hand.

Simu sharpened the blade and said, "It seems that one arm was too little."

The elder fell silent for a moment before speaking 

"There is no way to undo the Caged Bird. Once it's planted, there's no solution for it."

Simu knelt down and stared at him. "Is that so?"

"Then can you activate the curse mark on him?" 

Simu pointed to a branch house ninja nearby.

Tsunade immediately understood what Simu was thinking.

Cracking the Caged Bird curse is near impossible, but if they could see how the curse is activated, it would help understand it better. 

This would greatly increase the chances of success.

The elder gritted his teeth in frustration.

He seems to see Simu's thoughts and doesn't want to do what he wants.

Simu sighed, what a drag.

He drew his lightsaber and placed it on Hyuga Hiashi's neck.

"If you don't do anything, I will kill this kid directly." 

The elder was silent.

"As long as you obey, I guarantee that the new head of the Hyuga clan will survive." 

Hearing this, Hyuga Elder finally complies.

In other words, he was completely desperate when facing an opponent like Simu.

Although he is arrogant and domineering, he doesn't treat the branch house as a human being.

But there is only one thing, he is really loyal to the Hyuga clan.

Or loyal to the Hyuga main family.

He would sacrifice everything, even his life, to ensure the clan's survival and bloodline.

Human nature is complex and unpredictable. 

A person who seems good to one may be seen as a sinner by another.

As Hyuga Hiashi was about to speak, Simu knocked him out. 

Hiashi had been nothing more than a pawn to threaten the Hyuga Elder into not activating the Caged Bird. 

He held no other value.

Simu then unwrapped the bandage from the branch house ninja's head, revealing the green curse mark beneath.

The curse mark looked like an 'X,' but with two curved lines resembling wings on each side.

Katsuyu placed a clone on the branch house ninja. 

With the Great Elder's seal, the curse mark on the ninja's forehead suddenly glowed.

The branch house ninja collapsed to the ground, clutching his head in agony. 

His screams filled the air, the pain so intense it felt like needles piercing his skull.

"Ah! Let me go, please!" he cried, but Simu remained unmoved.

This was important for Lindy's future freedom, and Simu would not show mercy.

After struggling for two minutes, Katsuyu finally said, "It's over, stop."

The Great Elder ended the procedure. 

Simu's face showed no remorse or pity. It was as if the person in pain before him wasn't human, just an emotionless tool.

Tsunade, watching this, grew to despise the Great Elder even more.

Simu, however, felt nothing. If it weren't for Lindy, he wouldn't have bothered with the Hyuga clan's problems. 

His path as a ninja was to focus on his own goals, not get tangled in clan disputes.

Katsuyu slowly climbed onto the branch house ninja's forehead.

The body emitted a faint glow as Tsunade and Katsuyu used their techniques to carefully analyze the curse seal. 

Tsunade also used probing ninjutsu to examine the branch house ninja's body.

"How's it going?" Simu asked anxiously.

Tsunade and Katsuyu were among the best doctors in the world. 

If they couldn't figure out how to undo Caged Bird...

After completing her investigation, Katsuyu Sage spoke to Simu:

"I have a general understanding of how the Caged Bird curse works. It's activated remotely by a specific technique." 

"Once activated, the curse mark begins to corrode and enter the brain, stimulating the brain's nerves." 

"Also, the curse is connected to the eyes—if the eyes are gouged out or the host dies, it will trigger the curse, causing indiscriminate attacks on the brain and eyes."

This is why, over the years, the Hyuga clan's proud eyes rarely turned to other ninja villages. Whether the host dies or their eyes are gouged out, the curse seal activates instantly, destroying the eyes and preventing anyone else from obtaining the Byakugan.

Tsunade stood up, thinking for a while before speaking to Simu. 

"With Katsuyu's help, I can remove the curse mark. I'm confident in that."

"But the problem is, as soon as the seal is removed, it releases chakra that attacks the eyes and brain."

"Unless the curse seal is removed extremely quickly, the chakra will be released before we can stop it."

Tsunade looked at Simu, the meaning clear: It's up to you.

Simu scratched his head. Was it really that intense? It felt a bit like laser surgery.

To ensure the surgery's success, Simu, Tsunade, and Katsuyu spent three full days training. Simu refined his manual skills and set up a protection system for Lindy.

First, Simu would control his chakra and direct it into Lindy's body, creating a barrier around the seal to prevent the curse chakra from damaging her.

Second, Katsuyu would stay attached to Lindy, providing her with life energy whenever needed.

The third guarantee was that they would first test the process on the branch house ninja, which was why Simu had captured him.

Although it may seem inhumane, if Simu had to choose between humanity and his loved ones, he would choose the latter without hesitation.

To calm the nervous branch house ninja, Simu smiled and asked, "Do you need anesthesia?"

The branch house ninja nodded. He would rather fall asleep and die than witness his own death

And avoid dying in pain.

Simu nodded, acknowledging the request. He quickly moved behind the branch house ninja and knocked him unconscious with a swift strike.

When everyone looked at him with questioning expressions, he calmly explained, "Physical anesthesia works too."

.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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