Chapter 5 Sparkling Fruit

Since Simu was in the final group to fight, the Third Hokage could now make his decision.

In reality, there was nothing to debate.

The overwhelming power Simu displayed was even beyond Minato's level.

With that, the Third Hokage officially announced:

"Hanyu Simu is today's number one!"

The old man smiled warmly.

"Congratulations, my boy. You are the strongest today."

But Simu didn't seem interested in the praise. Instead, he bluntly asked, "When will the two hundred thousand taels be distributed?"

"Uh..."

The Third Hokage was momentarily speechless.

Luckily, his assistant quickly stepped in. She pulled out a silver banknote worth two hundred thousand taels and placed it in Simu's hand.

Only then did Simu finally smile.

"Thank you, Lord Third Hokage!"

With a satisfied expression, he returned to the stands, the word "Justice" boldly printed on the back of his robe swaying as he walked.

At that moment, a familiar system notification sounded in his ears, making his smile widen.

[Imitation value has reached 20%.]

[Extracting ability...]

[Ability extraction successful! Congratulations! You have acquired: Sparkling Fruit!]

Simu almost jumped in excitement.

Sparkling Fruit!

He had finally obtained Kizaru's Devil Fruit ability!

A surge of power spread throughout his body.

With just a single thought, he could transform into light and move at the speed of a flash—instantly appearing anywhere within sight!

If the Third Hokage weren't watching him so closely, Simu would have disappeared in an instant just to test it out.

However, this was an ability of great importance.

For now, he needed to assess the situation carefully before making any reckless moves.

Regardless, today's display had been enough to overshadow all the other students.

Even among this class—which could potentially produce the future Fourth Hokage—he now stood at the top.

As soon as school was over, Kushina wrapped her arms around Simu's neck with a grin.

"Simu! You won two hundred thousand taels today! You better treat us to a meal!"

Minato, standing beside them, nodded in agreement.

Simu wanted to go home immediately to test his new ability.

But seeing the expectant faces of his two friends—and feeling particularly good today—he gave in.

"Ugh, so annoying… Fine, I'll treat you."

"I want barbecue!"

Before Simu could react, Kushina had already let go and rushed off toward the barbecue shop.

Minato patted him on the shoulder with a knowing smile.

"With Kushina's appetite, you're going to lose a lot of money today."

Simu scoffed, "Just this once."

"Hahaha!"

After dinner, Simu couldn't wait to return home.

Since he was an orphan, he had been raised in Konoha's orphanage.

The head of the orphanage, Yamanaka Ota, was a kind elderly man from the Yamanaka clan.

When he heard about Simu's impressive performance in the graduation exam, he was genuinely happy for him.

"Simu, I hope you grow into a great ninja."

His words were sincere.

"Eh, we'll see what happens," Simu replied lazily.

He looked completely uninterested in the Will of Fire nonsense.

Once inside his room, Simu locked the doors and closed the windows.

Now, he could finally begin testing his new abilities.

Why all the secrecy?

The answer was obvious.

Anbu.

After today's match, both the Third Hokage and Danzo were likely keeping a close eye on him.

For the safety of both Simu and Konoha, surveillance was inevitable.

But surveillance or not—

As long as he was careful, the Anbu would never be able to discover his secret.

After all, his powers didn't come from this world.

Standard tracking ninjutsu—like the Byakugan from the Hyuga clan—was designed to detect chakra-based abilities.

But Simu's power came from another world.

They wouldn't be able to track him so easily.

With everything secured, Simu raised his hand.

"Zzzzzzt—"

A faint buzzing sound echoed through the room.

Golden light gathered in his palm.

A beam of concentrated energy flickered at his fingertips, ready to be fired.

Though Simu was thrilled, he didn't shoot it just yet.

He had only inherited the ability of the Sparkling Fruit—not the skills that came with it.

This meant he would have to develop all the techniques himself.

Unlike Kizaru, he couldn't just instantly use "Yasakani no Magatama" or "Ama no Murakumo."

Of course…

Even without those attacks, this ability was already absurdly strong.

Next, he tested elementalization.

Standing still, he focused his will—

His entire body began to glow.

His figure disintegrated into countless golden particles of light.

A moment later, he reappeared on the other side of the room.

"It works!"

Simu grinned.

In this world—where Haki didn't exist—being able to turn into light made him nearly invincible.

However, he wasn't careless.

Even though Konoha had no Haki, there were still dangers like the Eight Gates, Genjutsu, and Sealing Techniques that could potentially harm him.

It was best to stay cautious.

After spending some time testing his abilities, Simu finally sat down on his bed, feeling completely satisfied.

Alright... Let's keep going!

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