After finishing off the samurai who came to assassinate them, Simu and his party finally arrived at the capital of the Fire Kingdom.
At the city gate, more than a dozen guards bearing the banner of the Shangquan clan were already waiting for them.
"This time, it is thanks to Mr. Simu for his help."
The speaker was the old housekeeper of the Shangquan clan.
Simu nodded slightly. "It was my duty."
After all, the mission this time had been rewarded according to the terms of an S-level mission.
The old butler looked at Miss Haruko and said kindly:
"Miss, the master is waiting for you at home. Please hurry back."
"I know, Uncle Lei."
Haruko bowed deeply to Simu and the others.
"Goodbye, everyone."
"Goodbye."
Obito and the others bid Haruko farewell.
Once the Shangquan clan left, Simu led Obito and the others into the capital.
However, to their surprise, they were stopped by soldiers at the entrance.
"I'm sorry, without a warrant from the Daming Mansion, no one is allowed to enter the capital."
The soldiers, fully armed, spoke with serious expressions.
Obito pointed to the forehead protector on his head and said:
"We are ninjas from Konoha!"
Since Konoha was part of the Fire Kingdom, there was no reason for even its own citizens to be stopped at the gate.
Despite this, the soldier shook his head.
"Konoha ninjas don't count either."
Simu put his hands in his pockets and, ignoring the soldiers, walked directly into the city.
The soldiers quickly stood in his way.
Just as Simu was about to act, he heard a male voice.
"Presumptuous! This is Konoha's famous Golden Glitter Master Simu!"
The newcomer was wearing a gorgeous kimono, with a pointed mouth scratching his cheek.
Though clearly a man, his face was painted with rouge and powder, giving him the appearance of a monkey.
"Get out of the way!"
His effeminate aura suggested he held an unusual status.
The soldiers quickly stepped aside, avoiding any conflict.
Simu gave a slight nod to the effeminate figure as a greeting.
Turning back to Lin and the others, he said, "Let's go."
Now that he had promised to take them on a good tour of the capital, Simu had no intention of breaking his word.
The three followed Simu cautiously.
It had to be said that the prosperity of this place was unrivaled in the entire ninja world.
It was far better than Konoha.
People bustled through the streets, and a variety of goods were on display.
Here, you could find the finest clothes, the best food, and the most convenient services in the world.
The most surprising part?
There was no sense of worry about war among the people.
It seemed that the Third Ninja War was a problem only for Konoha, and hadn't spread here.
"Why do I feel like the people in the capital of the Fire Kingdom don't really welcome us?"
Even the most nervous Obito had noticed this.
Passersby seemed particularly focused on the Konoha logo on their forehead protectors.
Kakashi, seeming to understand more, spoke coldly:
"It's said that the relationship between the Fire Kingdom's daimyo and Konoha hasn't been great recently."
"Because of the Third Ninja War, the people here were forced to provide Konoha with enough supplies. So, it's normal for them to harbor some complaints toward us ninjas."
Obito was puzzled.
"But we're fighting for them! If it weren't for Konoha's ninjas, other great countries would have already..."
Obito was cut off by an abrupt change in the atmosphere.
The busy street suddenly grew quiet.
Everyone turned toward the other side of the street, then quickly knelt down, retreating to the sides to clear the middle of the street.
Amid the sound of chains dragging, a figure emerged from the distance.
"Is this... a person?"
Obito stared at the man who was chained and crawling on the ground like an animal.
"To be precise, it should be a slave."
Simu corrected.
More than a dozen slaves lay on the ground, their collars connected to chairs and carts behind them.
A greasy nobleman sat above, holding a paper fan in one hand, looking down on Simu and the others.
Simu stood conspicuously on the street, his hands in his pockets.
"Hey, you Konoha people, hurry up and kneel before the noble, or we'll all be killed!"
A man kneeling near them whispered urgently.
In case the nobleman took offense, everyone present would be in danger.
Obito and the others had never witnessed such a situation before, and they were at a loss for what to do.
They simply watched Simu.
"Mr. Simu, do you want to kneel?"
Rin asked.
Kakashi remained expressionless, but his fingers had already reached for the Short Sword White Fang on his back.
As for Obito, he was full of reluctance.
"No need to," Simu said lightly.
"I just want you to understand what kind of waste Konoha is protecting."
Simu's voice wasn't loud, but it was far from quiet. Many people around them heard it, including the nobles in front of them.
"Boy, what did you say?"
The fat man stood up abruptly, pointing at Simu with his paper fan.
"How dare you not kneel when you see my lord!"
Before he could finish speaking, he met Simu's eyes.
In an instant, a massive pressure erupted from Simu.
The guards around them immediately fainted.
As for this fat-headed, big-eared nobleman, it was needless to say.
How could a piece of trash like him withstand Simu's Conqueror's Haki?
He was so frightened that he couldn't even see straight and rolled out of the car, landing right in front of Simu.
A puddle of yellow, foul-smelling liquid formed under his feet.
Simu gave him a disgusted look.
"Why all this grand gesture?" he said, turning to Kakashi and the others.
"Now that you've bought everything, go back and don't let your eyes get dirty here."
Simu took the three of them and turned away from the capital of the Fire Kingdom.
During this time, no one dared to stop them.
The daimyo did not receive the news until after they had left.
"This Hanyu Simu seems to be getting more and more arrogant."
The daimyo was an old man with long hair. On his head was a crown resembling a paper fan, decorated with flame patterns.
This was the pinnacle of all nobles in the Fire Kingdom—the master of financial and political power, the daimyo of the Fire Kingdom.
Below him were other nobles from the Kingdom of Fire.
"My lord, this Hanyu Simu is slapping the nobles in the face, and he is also slapping you in the face!"
"He dared to do this as a Jōnin from Konoha. If it were Hokage, wouldn't the entire capital be demolished?"
"We must limit Konoha's military strength, or else the country of destruction will only hear of Konoha and not know the sky!"
The ministers chattered incessantly.
Did the daimyo not know these truths?
The issue was that he had no troops!
Although the daimyo held political and financial power, the combat power at his disposal was extremely limited.
The samurai were fine, but there were very few ninjas.
Suddenly, a minister fell to his knees on the ground.
"Master Daimyo, I implore you to establish a ninja army that belongs entirely to the daimyo."
The daimyo hesitated.
"Will this cause our relationship with Konoha to continue to deteriorate?"
The minister said solemnly:
"My lord, this is our best chance during the Third Ninja World War."
"We can completely blackmail Konoha with food, grass, and weapons, and ask Konoha to help us build and train a powerful ninja team."
"After the war is over, it won't be as easy to use food and grass as a threat."
Since Senju Hashirama established the system of one country, one village, the financial and military powers of a big country have been separated.
The former lies in the hands of the daimyo, while the latter is in the hands of the Hokage.
Years have passed, and both the daimyo and the Hokage of various countries have tried to erode the other's power.
The strength Konoha demonstrated in this battle really shocked the entire ninja world.
Among them was the daimyo of the Fire Country.
This made him more and more worried about his situation.
If he didn't build his own ninja army as soon as possible, with the momentum of Konoha, what if he became the first figurative daimyo of the Land of Fire?
The daimyo hesitated again and again but ultimately agreed to the suggestion.
"According to your proposal, immediately prepare a ninja army."
"The name... let's call them the [Guardian Ninjas]."
"It is settled."
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