Chapter 84 The Kingdom Of The River And The Conflict

The Kingdom of Ash is located between the Kingdom of Fire and the Kingdom of Wind.

Though it is called a "gap," it's actually a significant area when compared to the map's scale.

Moreover, there are often several small countries acting as buffer zones between such large nations.

This time, the mission was issued by the Kingdom of Rivers, which is hostile to the Kingdom of Ash.

Among the many small countries in this region, the Kingdom of Ash and the Kingdom of Rivers are two of the few that have their own ninja villages.

As a result, conflicts often erupt between these two nations.

Because the Kingdom of Rivers has been at a disadvantage in recent wars, they had no choice but to request help from Konoha.

They hoped Konoha would send ninjas to assassinate the daimyo of the Kingdom of Ash.

Once the daimyo of Ash is killed, the entire country will be thrown into chaos.

At that point, the Kingdom of Rivers can take advantage of the situation.

As for why Konoha, supported by the entire Fire Nation, accepted this mission, it has its own reasons.

Firstly, between the Kingdom of Wind and the Kingdom of Fire, the Kingdom of Ash and the Kingdom of Rivers are the most powerful.

There is also the Land of Rain, but that involves another nation, the Land of Earth, so it's not included in this discussion.

Among these nations, the Kingdom of Ash and the Kingdom of Wind have always been on good terms.

If the Kingdom of Ash defeats or even destroys the Kingdom of Rivers, the Kingdom of Fire will lose its buffer zone against the Kingdom of Wind.

In fact, the Kingdom of Ash might become a launchpad for the Kingdom of Wind's attack on the Kingdom of Fire.

Wind Country's ninjas could invade the heart of Konoha through Ash!

This is absolutely unacceptable to Konoha.

So, this mission isn't just for the reward.

It's also about demonstrating the strength of the Fire Nation.

The other smaller nations need to know that the Fire Nation is still the dominant force in the ninja world.

If they choose to align with other nations, they should think twice about whether they can withstand the wrath of Fire Country.

Of course, the Kingdom of Wind probably thinks the same way.

In the end, this war is not so much a battle between the Kingdom of Ash and the Kingdom of Rivers, but rather a secret contest between the Kingdom of Fire and the Kingdom of Wind.

That is…

A proxy war.

That night, Simu and his team immediately set off and headed to the Kingdom of Rivers.

After six days of intense travel, they finally reached the 180th border of the Land of Fire.

The Kingdom of Rivers is named for the numerous rivers within its borders.

After crossing a river at the Land of Fire's border, Simu turned and looked at the woods by the riverbank.

Five ninjas, each with river-shaped forehead protectors, appeared from the nearby trees.

"As expected of Konoha's ninjas. Your perception is incredible."

The leader was a middle-aged ninja.

With a beard and a square face, he looked quite mature and reliable.

He spoke slowly, "I'm the ninja assigned to liaise with you this time. You can call me Harunami Aso."

With that, he tossed a scroll over.

Minato stepped back, waiting for Simu to signal that there was no danger before retrieving the scroll.

At the same time, he tossed his own scroll over.

Minato carefully examined the scroll, then nodded toward the River Country ninjas.

"Hello, I'm Namikaze Minato from Konoha."

"I'm Hanyu Simu."

"Hyuga Rei."

"Please follow us."

Harunami Aso led Simu and the others to the ninja village.

It wasn't until midnight that they finally reached their destination:

The River Ninja Village.

The ninjas there were rather indifferent to their arrival.

Some even complained that Konoha had sent only three "kids."

It wasn't until Aso Harunami scolded them that they quieted down.

Harunami was one of the few Jōnin in the village, so his words carried weight.

"I'm truly sorry. Please rest here. The mission will begin tomorrow."

Harunami Aso escorted Simu and the others to a room.

There was plenty of food and a soft, large bed inside.

Simu immediately lay down without a word and let out a satisfied moan.

"It's so comfortable..."

He hadn't rested in a bed for days.

Minato picked up some dry food he'd brought with him and started nibbling on it.

He wouldn't eat food provided by others unless absolutely necessary.

As for Simu, after using his Sage Mode to sense the area, he immediately began feasting.

Minato thoughtfully analyzed, "I can feel the prying eyes of ninjas all the way here. There are many of them."

Simu, having devoured all the food, patted his stomach and remarked, "It's pretty scary. I didn't expect the ninja system of a small country to develop so quickly."

Minato continued his analysis: "But even so, it's still suppressed by the Kingdom of Ash. Seems like the Kingdom of Wind hasn't lost its grip."

He glanced at Simu and Rei.

"Get ready. We might be fighting Sand Shinobi."

Simu suddenly stood up.

Minato immediately became nervous, "What's wrong?"

Simu scratched his head and smiled.

"Not full."

Minato rolled his eyes.

Who knew Simu had already opened the door and walked out.

"I'm going to find something to eat."

Minato sighed and looked at Rei.

"How on earth did you and Kushina end up with Simu?"

Rei blushed slightly and whispered,

"Actually, Mr. Simu is very good..."

There were many rivers in the Kingdom of Rivers, and Simu could hear the sound of flowing water as soon as he stepped outside.

He wandered casually down the road, hoping to find a restaurant.

Suddenly, the sound of something slicing through the air reached his ears.

Simu, using his Observation Haki, wasn't surprised by this poorly executed sneak attack.

His expression remained unchanged as he turned his head slightly.

He saw a kunai whiz past his neck, just narrowly missing.

But even that was under Simu's control.

Though the attack had come from the right, Simu turned his head to look at a roof on the left.

"I see you. Come out."

Simu casually put his hands in his pockets, his expression calm.

"Who are you, and why haven't I seen you before?"

A dark-skinned, athletic female ninja leapt from the roof.

She twirled a long kunai in her hand, seemingly her weapon of choice.

She stared at Simu with a sly look in her eyes.

Simu smiled.

"Didn't we meet by the river?"

For Simu, who has mastered Observation Haki, it was not difficult to sense everyone's presence.

As long as he wanted to, all Transformation Techniques and Clone Techniques were meaningless in front of him.

Because there was no way to alter something as fundamental as one's breath.

And the female ninja in front of him was obviously one of the ninjas who had followed Aso Harukami to the river to meet him and the others.

It's just that she was wearing a mask at the time.

Upon hearing this, the female ninja's face froze.

How did he figure it out? She had been wearing a mask!

But she managed to calm herself.

"In that case, let me test the quality of you big country ninjas."

Simu looked like he was only sixteen or seventeen years old.

She wanted to see how strong the ninjas from these big countries were.

"So we didn't believe in our own strength and deliberately found fault."

Simu adjusted his sunglasses.

Under the bright moonlight, the female ninja's eyes were full of fighting spirit.

The female ninja reached into her ninja bag and pulled out several emerald green senbon, which gleamed slightly in the moonlight.

"Don't blame me for not warning you, Konoha's ninja, these senbon are poisoned!"

The crisp, pleasant voice echoed.

The female ninja, standing on the roof, suddenly turned into a swarm of fireflies and flew toward Simu.

But in Simu's Observation Haki perception, it was clear that the female ninja had just used an illusion, and then a body appeared behind her almost instantaneously.

It wasn't even that fast.

But for ordinary ninjas, this level of illusion would be quite tricky.

"I… am poisonous too!"

A playful voice came from behind Simu.

A light white hand gently pressed on his shoulder.

To Simu's surprise, the girl's hand strength was surprisingly strong!

Like a massage, but in reverse.

"You've already lost, Konoha's ninja."

The girl swung the senbon in her hand, aiming for Simu's neck.

Just as it was about to pierce his skin, Simu finally moved.

His raised arm appeared in front of the senbon like lightning, and his two fingers clamped down on the fatal blow.

"How is this possible? It's already under my control…"

The female ninja said in disbelief.

She had added ninjutsu to her press, a technique that paralyzes the entire body.

Once struck by it, even an elephant would fall instantly.

Unfortunately, she didn't know that Simu's body had been tempered to the point that it was immune to toxins and invasive techniques.

Even if the defense was broken and the poison entered his body, Simu could just use life return to expel both the poison and blood.

Now, poisons were no longer a threat to him.

"It's really scary. Your strength almost hurt me."

The female ninja looked embarrassed.

Simu clamped the senbon between his fingers and even pulled the female ninja closer.

She quickly reacted, turning mid-air, and the senbon between the fingers of her other hand stabbed fiercely at Simu's face.

"Katori, stop!"

A middle-aged ninja rushed out, but it was too late.

"What a ruthless woman."

Simu sighed in admiration, and before the senbon let go, he kicked the female ninja away with ease.

Harukami Aso, who had just arrived, apparently didn't expect such a result.

He rushed forward and caught the female ninja, landing firmly on the ground.

Simu kept his hands in his pockets, calmly looking at the two in front of him.

He needed an explanation.

Why had they come all the way to support the Country of Rivers, only to be assassinated by its ninjas?

Harukami Aso didn't have time to check his daughter's injury, so he hastily apologized to Simu:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Simu. It's just that the girls don't understand."

"She has always overestimated herself and thought she could compete with ninjas from big countries. Maybe it's because she wanted to prove herself when she saw you today."

"It's really offensive. Please believe this is not something the Country of Rivers intended."

This was no small matter.

If Konoha objected to the Country of Rivers because of this, their only outcome would be to be annexed by the Country of Ashes!

One can imagine the fate of these ninjas.

"Cough, cough, cough…"

Harukami Aso coughed heavily.

Then, with admiration, he said, "As expected of Konoha's ninja, I have offended you."

He stood up and bowed deeply to Simu.

"I'm really sorry, this was all my own decision. Please don't blame others."

Simu yawned.

"Oh, it's no big deal. The palm earlier was actually quite comfortable."

Although it may have been insulting, Harukami Aso had been completely overwhelmed by Simu's strength.

At this moment, he didn't dare to argue.

Simu continued, "Well, it's so late, and I'm a little hungry..."

Harukami Aso immediately understood what Simu meant.

"I know of a restaurant that serves great food. How about I take you to try it?"

Simu rubbed his hands together. "Why is this so embarrassing?"

Harukami Aso patted his chest and said generously:

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Please, follow me!"

Just kidding, this was neither a small nor a big matter.

On a larger scale, it could be seen as the Country of Rivers' ninjas waiting for an opportunity to kill Konoha's ninjas.

This was no less than declaring war on the Country of Fire.

To put it plainly, this was a friendly exchange between young ninjas from the two countries.

If this conflict could be resolved with a meal, then it would be a win.

Don't talk about one meal, even ten or eight meals wouldn't matter.

Simu's eyes lit up at the thought.

"Then can I go get a companion to join me?"

Rei's appetite wasn't much smaller than his own.

Since he had the chance to eat, he might as well enjoy it fully.

This was one of Simu's principles of life.

With Simu's invitation, Rei certainly wouldn't refuse.

So the four of them went to the most famous sushi restaurant in Henin Village.

Along the way, Harukami Aso kept chatting with Simu, his eyes full of admiration.

Rei noticed this immediately.

But she wasn't as cheerful as Kushina, and didn't speak up.

She just quietly moved her seat closer to Simu and tightly hugged his arm.

Simu felt a warm surge of emotions, as though he was surrounded by warmth.

Looking at Rei's beautiful figure, Harukami Aso was a little jealous.

Then...

Driven by this special emotion, Simu and Rei finished three hundred servings of sushi together.

Everyone else, including Harukami Aso, was dumbfounded.

Damn, he was going to go bankrupt after this meal.

What about ten or eight meals?

Are these two dinosaurs?

They ate so much?!

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