Hyuga Zhaoan didn't respond, his attention completely drawn to Hyuga Rei standing beside Simu.
The mark on her forehead was gone...
How is that possible?
How could the seal that has been passed down in the Hyuga clan for hundreds of years—be broken?
Hyuga Rei held Simu's hand tightly, looking visibly nervous as she returned to this place.
"Let them in," Hyuga Zhaoan said hoarsely.
The Anbu members exchanged glances before stepping aside.
Simu took Hyuga Rei's hand and walked straight into the ancestral hall.
Upon seeing him, several elders jumped to their feet.
"Why did you let him in?!"
They hurriedly stood up from their chairs, looking flustered, as if Simu might strike them at any moment.
"Oh, don't be so nervous. We're old friends, aren't we? Sit down, sit down."
Simu raised a hand, attempting to calm them.
However, this simple action made the elders tense up even more.
Hyuga Zhaoan finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Enough! How much more humiliation do you want to bring upon us?"
The room finally fell into silence.
Hyuga Zhaoan looked at Simu, standing inside the shrine.
"I need to verify the truth of this matter."
Simu casually stuffed his hands into his pockets and nodded.
"Go ahead."
It was a reasonable request. After all, there were plenty of strange ninjutsu techniques in the ninja world.
What if this 'Rei' was just a Transformation Jutsu?
Hyuga Zhaoan took a deep breath and formed a hand seal, activating the Caged Bird curse mark.
Hyuga Rei blinked her eyes, standing there without any reaction.
Hyuga Zhaoan's face darkened as he tried again.
Still, nothing.
"How... how did you do this?"
Hyuga Zhaoan's face was filled with despair as he finally gave up.
Simu scratched his head.
"Well, the Caged Bird seal is scary, sure... but as long as you're fast enough, nothing is impossible."
Hyuga Zhaoan's face was ashen as he stared at Simu.
"I will request Lord Hokage to drop all charges against you. This matter will not affect you any further."
"In addition, Hyuga Rei will now enjoy the treatment of a main family member within the Hyuga clan. How about that?"
As soon as Hyuga Zhaoan finished speaking, the elders immediately erupted in protest.
"Absolutely not! A branch house member being promoted to the main family? There's no precedent for such a thing!"
"What time do you think this is?! Can't you see the situation?!"
"If the method to remove the Caged Bird seal is revealed, the main family will lose its position in Konoha!"
Hyuga Zhaoan's eyes flashed with killing intent.
The elders immediately fell silent, not daring to utter another word.
Simu smirked.
"Let's just say Rei is now part of the main family. As for Hyuga Hiashi and the Great Elder, they'll be back by tonight."
Having gotten what he wanted, Simu turned and left with Rei.
Hyuga Zhaoan could only bow slightly in response.
As they walked through the woods near the Hokage's office, Rei suddenly spoke.
"Thank you, Mr. Simu."
Simu glanced at her.
"Thank me for wha—"
Before he could finish, Rei quickly leaned in, placing a light peck on his lips before pulling away.
Her face turned crimson as she whispered,
"When we were in the Shikkotsu Forest, sister Kushina was there... I was afraid she'd get jealous..."
"Woo—"
Simu was left speechless.
Hokage's Office
The Third Hokage, staying up late to deal with paperwork, stared at Simu with an icy expression.
"So, let me get this straight..."
"You destroyed nearly half of the Hyuga clan's land."
"You demolished their shrine and injured hundreds of Hyuga ninjas."
"You kidnapped the Hyuga clan's new leader and his fiancée…"
"And they just... forgave you?"
His tone was filled with disbelief.
Anyone hearing this would think it was utterly absurd.
Simu casually slouched into a chair.
"That's not entirely accurate."
"For example, I didn't destroy the Hyuga clan's land. That was caused by Hyuga Zhaoan himself using the Eight Trigrams secret technique."
"As for the shrine... yeah, that one was my fault."
"And one more thing—Hyuga Rei was never Hiashi's fiancée. He's not worthy."
Simu's expression was serious as he said this.
The Third Hokage let out a long sigh.
This guy... he's reckless, but he definitely knows how to protect his own.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone as far as to demolish the Hyuga clan's shrine over a single woman.
At that moment, the Anbu members returned.
"How did it go?" the Hokage asked.
The Anbu glanced at Simu before responding.
"The Hyuga Clan Elders' Council has officially decided not to hold Simu responsible for anything."
The Third Hokage was stunned.
Good grief.
They destroyed your entire ancestral hall, and you just... let it go?
He had been prepared to make major political maneuvers to keep Simu from being exiled.
Yet, Simu had solved the entire issue on his own.
How the hell am I supposed to play politics like this?
What shocked the Hokage even more was—how had Simu pulled it off?
"Boy, what kind of magic did you use on the Hyuga clan?"
Simu casually crossed his legs.
"Nothing much. Rei's back, so I decided to be generous and forgive them."
The Third Hokage felt a headache coming on.
This guy was completely shameless.
But at the same time, his talent was terrifying.
Since the Hyuga clan wasn't pressing charges, there was no need for drastic action.
"You can go for now. I'll be holding a meeting with Konoha's advisors to decide on your punishment."
They wouldn't declare war over this, but some kind of symbolic punishment was necessary.
After all, the Byakugan was a strategic asset for Konoha.
Even if the Hyuga clan wasn't pressing charges, the village still had to make a show of handling the situation.
Simu yawned and stretched.
"You higher-ups sure love your bureaucracy. Fine, I'm leaving."
The Third Hokage gave him a long look and said,
"Stay in Konoha for now."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it."
In an instant, Simu disappeared from the office.
The Hokage sighed, rubbing his temples, before turning toward the Hyuga district.
"Go. Bring Danzo and the two advisors here."
Ten minutes later, Danzo and Konoha's two advisors arrived at the office.
Mitokado Homura got straight to the point.
"I heard that Hanyu Simu has been found?"
The Third Hokage lit a cigarette and nodded.
Utatane Koharu spoke in a serious tone.
"Hiruzen, this matter is no small issue. I know Hanyu Simu's talent is extraordinary, but if you let him off so easily, it won't just be the Hyuga clan that is dissatisfied. Other ninja clans will be disheartened as well."
She clearly wasn't aware that the Hyuga clan had already been forced into reconciliation with Simu.
"That's right," Mitokado Homura added. "And according to Konoha's public security regulations, anyone who attacks a fellow shinobi without authorization, causes severe injuries, and then escapes can be classified as…"
He spat out two cold words.
"Treason."
The Third Hokage remained unmoved.
Danzo, on the other hand, was silent, merely observing the performance of his former comrades.
Their argument boiled down to one thing: they wanted Hiruzen to abandon such a powerful rising star like Simu. In doing so, they could gain the support of the Hyuga clan.
Despite being the Hokage and the official leader of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen was not the sole power in the village. There were several high-ranking factions.
The most prominent among them were:
The Hokage faction, which supported Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The advisor faction, led by Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.
The clan faction, representing Konoha's major noble families.
As two of the Second Hokage's original disciples and key supporters of Hiruzen's ascension, Koharu and Homura had long held significant influence in Konoha. Many noble families had ties to them.
However, over the years, Sarutobi Hiruzen had solidified his rule.
During the Second Shinobi World War, his three disciples—Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade—had earned great renown, even receiving the title of Sannin from Hanzo of the Salamander. This had drawn many Konoha Jonin into Hiruzen's camp, shifting the balance of power.
Seeing this, other clans had also begun leaning toward the Hokage faction, seeking political stability and benefits.
As a result, Koharu and Homura's influence—along with Danzo's—had been steadily declining. Hiruzen's grip on power was tightening.
Even Hatake Sakumo, the most likely candidate to become the next Hokage, had been caught up in this complex political struggle.
Now, two new rising stars had appeared within the Hokage faction:
Hanyu Simu, whose actions in the Land of Iron had already become legendary.
Namikaze Minato, who was still growing but posed no immediate threat to the current political structure.
Simu, however, was different.
His incredible power, demonstrated just three days ago, was undeniable. Unlike some geniuses who shined briefly before fading away, Simu was a true force to be reckoned with.
If left unchecked, he would further strengthen the Hokage faction, leaving Koharu and Homura completely powerless in Konoha's political landscape.
At present, the Hokage faction had:
Hiruzen leading the older generation.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru in the middle generation.
Simu, Minato, and even a Jinchūriki in the younger generation.
The advisor faction was on the verge of being completely overwhelmed.
Luckily for them, Simu had given them an opening. Because of a woman, he had openly attacked the Hyuga clan.
They had to seize this opportunity to weaken the Hokage faction and secure their own influence.
After Koharu and Homura finished speaking, Hiruzen calmly pulled a document from his drawer and handed it to them and Danzo.
It was a letter of understanding from the Hyuga clan.
Mitokado Homura slammed the document onto the table.
"How is this possible?!"
Just this morning, the Hyuga clan had approached them, demanding they pressure Hiruzen into declaring Simu a traitor and executing him.
Now, they were forgiving him?
Were they being played?
Danzo, however, simply smiled, as if he had expected this outcome.
Hiruzen put down his pipe, took a sip of tea, and said slowly,
"That's how things are. Since the Hyuga clan has decided to forgive Simu, I don't see the need to pursue this matter further."
Negotiation was a skill.
Hiruzen knew he wouldn't get everything he wanted, so he deliberately lowered his demands.
As expected, Utatane Koharu immediately objected.
"Even if the Hyuga clan forgave Hanyu Simu, he still attacked their territory, injured numerous Hyuga shinobi, and disobeyed orders. How is this different from betraying Konoha?"
"If we let this slide, how can we expect others to follow Konoha's laws?" Homura added.
Hiruzen remained calm, blowing on his tea before taking another sip.
"As far as I know, Simu did not kill anyone in the Hyuga clan."
"That means he had no intention of rebelling. A punishment is acceptable, but calling him a traitor?"
Hiruzen's gaze hardened.
"Unless you become Hokage."
His words sent Koharu and Homura into stunned silence.
"Hiruzen, what do you mean by that?" Koharu asked.
Hiruzen's expression didn't change.
"Nothing much. I just don't want Simu to be wronged."
With that, both advisors fell silent.
The negotiations had reached a stalemate.
It was Danzo who finally broke the silence.
His hoarse voice echoed through the room.
"If I recall correctly, Simu ranked first in the recent joint Chunin Exams in the Land of Iron."
Hiruzen nodded.
"That's right."
"He did an excellent job, securing both first and second place for Konoha along with Minato."
Hiruzen's tone carried a hint of pride—his apprentice's apprentice had done well.
Danzo nodded thoughtfully.
"This victory has earned Konoha great prestige. In fact, the number of mission requests has increased significantly over the past few days. Simu's contributions should not be ignored."
Koharu frowned.
"Are you suggesting we offset his crimes with his achievements?"
Danzo glanced at her and said slowly,
"How about this? We revoke Hanyu Simu's Jonin status and ban him from performing missions for a year."
Seeing their hesitation, Hiruzen set down his teacup and made his final offer.
"I will hand over the Sarutobi clan's tea and salt trade in the Land of Demons to you."
Koharu and Homura's expressions softened.
"Very well."
In reality, all their outrage had been for show. Their real goal had always been power and profit.
Since true political control was out of their reach, they were content to settle for economic gains.
As for the Hyuga clan?
They no longer mattered.
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